Having a baby brings enormous changes to your life. Whether you are a first-time mom or have other children, the challenges of caring for your baby can make it difficult to focus on yourself. Losing your baby weight takes time and dedicated effort, but by using some simple diet strategies, you can find time to care for your baby and fit back into your pre-pregnancy clothes.
Beginning a Diet
Your doctor may advise you to wait until after your six or eight week postpartum check-up to begin actively dieting to allow yourself time to recover physically. During the first weeks, drink plenty of fluids and focus on eating frequent, healthy meals to allow your body to regain strength through good nutrition, notes BabyCenter.com. Ask your obstetrician or midwife before starting a weight-loss program.
Nutritional Requirements
Your nutritional requirements after delivery are generally the same as before you were pregnant. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that adults get 20 to 35 percent of their calories from mainly healthy fats, 10 to 35 percent from lean, low-fat proteins and 45 to 65 percent from carbohydrates. Within each group, choose the lower-calorie options to help you lose weight and limit your caloric intake. Lower-calorie carbohydrates are raw vegetables and fruits, beans, whole grains and nuts. Avoid high-calorie carbohydrates such as breading on fried foods and baked goods. Grilled seafood, poultry, fat-free dairy, beans, vegetarian meat substitutes and extra-lean beef are appropriate low-calorie protein choices. When monitoring your fat intake, limit saturated fats and instead eat foods with healthy fats such as olive-oil based salad dressings, nuts, canola oil and fish.
Caloric Requirements
To lose baby weight, eat an appropriate number of calories each day. If you are not breastfeeding, you can reduce your caloric intake to 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day to lose one to two pounds each week. Divide your 1,200 to 1,500 calories among your meals and snacks. Eating regularly will help you have energy to care for your baby and keep your metabolism up. You may also lose weight more quickly by eating frequently, according to a publication from the Weight-Control Information Network.
Sample Diet
A low-calorie, easy-to-prepare breakfast to lose your baby weight includes oatmeal made in the microwave, 3/4 cup of cold cereal with 1/2 cup of skim milk, low-fat granola mixed in Greek yogurt or a scrambled egg. Snack on raw vegetables or a piece of fruit, a few walnuts or almonds, reduced-calorie crackers and hummus or a low-fat mozzarella cheese stick. A vegetable and grilled chicken wrap or a turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread makes a healthy lunch when you add a cup of yogurt and a piece of fruit. Avoid restaurant meals when possible, and make your own Italian meal using whole-grain pasta, homemade pasta sauce and whole-wheat French bread. Roast or bake meats, prepare low-calorie vegetables by steaming or roasting and use fruit as a dessert.
Breastfeeding Considerations
You can safely lose baby weight while breastfeeding, although you should focus on slow weight loss to preserve your milk supply. Do not attempt to diet directly after delivery; wait until your child is at least 2 months old. Unlike a nonbreastfeeding woman who can reduce her calories to 1,200 to lose weight, as a breastfeeding mom you should eat at least 2,000 calories a day, according to BabyCenter.com.
References
- Baby Center; Diet for a Healthy Breastfeeding Mom; April 2010
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- Weight-Control Information Network; Weight-Loss and Nutrition Myths; March 2009
- Baby Center; Diet for Healthy Post-Baby Weight Loss; March 2010
- Baby Center; Diet for a Healthy Breastfeeding Mom; April 2010
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