Gaining weight during pregnancy is necessary to maximize your chance of having a healthy baby. A woman who is at a healthy weight when she gets pregnant usually needs to gain 25 to 35 lbs. Women who are underweight may need to gain up to 40 lbs. while overweight women should limit weight gain to as little as 15 pounds, notes the March of Dimes. Once you have the baby, you should work to lose the weight you gained during pregnancy.
Time Frame
Your weight loss will actually start when you deliver your baby, at which time you will likely lose more than 10 lbs. Once you have your baby, you have to give your body time to heal. Because of this, you should wait until after your postpartum checkup to start a weight loss program, generally about 6 weeks. The exact amount of time it takes to get back to your pre-pregancy weight depends on how much weight you need to lose. When you start your weight loss program, you can expect to lose around 1 lb. per week, notes MayoClinic.com.
Diet Program
Whether or not you are breastfeeding, focus on eating a reduced calorie, low fat diet that is based on the food pyramid. Most women need to eat between 1,600 and 2,200 calories per day, depending on activity level. However, if you are breastfeeding your baby, you need approximately 500 calories more than a woman who isn't breastfeeding, notes Fit Pregnancy. This means you need 2,100 to 2,700 calories per day so that you can produce milk for your baby, which burns approximately 600 to 800 calories per day.
Exercise Needs
Exercise can help you tone up your body and burn calories. Because you are trying to lose weight, you must try to exercise for at least an hour per day. All of this exercise doesn't have to be done all at once -- you can opt to work out for at least 10 minutes at a time, multiple times per day. A combination of aerobic exercise, such as walking or swimming, and weight resistance exercises, such as lifting light weights, is ideal. The aerobic exercise will help you to burn fat and calories, while the weight resistance exercises will help you to build and strengthen muscles.
Considerations
When you have a baby, your body shape changes. These changes usually remain after the baby's birth. Even when you reach your pre-pregnancy weight, it is unlikely that your body will look exactly the same as it did before you got pregnant. Bone structure changes and changes to your breasts, hips and waist are common after having a baby. Your feet are likely also a different size. Instead of trying to regain your pre-pregnancy figure, focus on toning up your new body and finding clothes that flatter your new shape.
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