In the days, weeks and months following pregnancy, you'll be amazed at your body's resilience and strength. The initial few weeks after your baby is born is a time to focus on healing and making healthy choices. Your body will rein in your stretched uterus, abdominal muscles and skin on its own. You'll also rapidly lose weight caused by excess fluid. From there, the task of changing your body losing excess baby weight shifts to you. Consult your doctor before beginning any post-pregnancy diet or exercise regimen.
Breastfeed
Breastfeeding helps you lose weight by increasing the number of calories your body uses per day and by depleting some of the fat stores you built up during pregnancy. It takes approximately 500 additional daily calories to keep up with an active milk supply. Breastfeeding women should consume 2,700 calories to maintain their weight, the FamilyEducation website advises. Dropping this number to 2,200 allows you to lose about 1 pound each week while still giving your body and your milk supply all the necessary energy and nutrients.
Resume Your Exercise Routine
Though in past decades women were advised to wait until their six-week check-up to resume exercise, that's no longer the case, the Mayo Clinic reports. As soon as you feel ready, you can begin exercising --- even if it's only a few days after delivery. Exercise burns calories, and you must burn 3,500 calories more than you take in each week to lose 1 pound. Don't focus on the numbers at first. Instead focus on easy, non-strenuous ways to get active, such as going for a walk. Once your strength returns, aim to get 30 to 60 minutes of exercise per day, five days per week.
Make Smart Food Choices
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cutting out simple extras instead of meals and snacks to control calories after pregnancy. This means improving quality rather than decreasing quantity. For example, choose low-fat dairy products, avoid deep-fried versions of food and pare down the amount of sugar you eat. Fill your meals with nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and healthy fats to support healing, create a healthy milk supply and foster weight loss.
Mange Stress and Sleep
Lack of sleep and increased stress both have an impact on weight loss, and may even promote weight gain. When you don't get enough sleep, it wreaks havoc on your metabolism and on the hormonal processes that regulate your weight, according to the American Council on Exercise. Fatigue, in turn, increases stress, which also negatively affects weight loss. Sleep when your baby sleeps and take naps whenever you can. Ask family or friends to watch your baby so you can sleep or tend to your personal-care needs. Take a yoga class and make time for activities you enjoy to help keep you relaxed and recharged.
References
- La Leche League International: How Can i Lose Weight Safely While Breastfeeding?
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Weight Loss During Breastfeeding
- Mayo Clinic: Weight Loss After Pregnancy: Reclaiming Your Body
- BabyCenter: Diet for a Healthy Post-Baby Weight Loss
- American Pregnancy Assocaition: Top Recommended Exercises
- FamilyEducation: General Guidelines for Breastfeeding Women
