Most women will experience a weight loss of 10 pounds or more after delivering a baby. The first six weeks after delivery, you may continue to shed pounds from excess fluid retention. Beyond that, it is up to you to make choices that will positively impact your health and help you shed those last, unwanted pounds.
Breastfeeding
For breastfeeding mothers, balanced nutrition is crucial to your health and the health of your baby. Although you may be anxious to reduce your calorie intake and aggressively pursue a weight-loss plan, it is not the most optimal plan for success. Breastfeeding mothers need an additional 500 calories per day above what you would normally consume to maintain your current weight. The good news is that despite the extra calories, choosing nutritious foods for all of your meals and snacks should result in weight loss of up to 4 to 5 pounds per month. Breastfeeding burns calories, so you will need enough nutrients to support that activity plus what your body needs to sustain basic living.
General Postpartum Dieting
If you are not breastfeeding, you may begin to slowly pursue a healthy weight loss regimen to restore your body back to its pre-pregnancy state. Much like dieting before you were pregnant, it will be important to choose moderate servings of nutritious foods, focusing primarily on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. It will also be important to control cravings and avoid temptations by keeping your home stocked only with foods that will enhance your weight-loss goals. Eating small, balanced meals throughout the day and choosing to snack on moderate portions of fruits and vegetables between meals can be a key factor to your success.
Best Food Choices
Limiting your fat intake is a crucial component of most weight-loss plans. Choose foods low in fat — preferably without saturated fat — such as olive oil, nuts and avocados. Although these are healthier options, they are still fats and should be consumed in careful moderation. Choosing lean proteins like fish, turkey and chicken can further your success and limit your intake of fat. Watch your portion sizes; you only need approximately 46 grams of protein per day, if you are not breastfeeding, and 71 grams per day if you are. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and choosing whole grains over refined should be top priority. Also remember beverages like juice and sodas are still a source of calories, so limit your intake and substitute with water as often as possible. Consuming plenty of water will also ensure you continually flush excess retained fluids and avoid dehydration.
Vitamins and Minerals
Breastfeeding will make dietary consumption of a variety of vitamins and minerals very important. Almost everything you consume is transferred to your breast milk; therefore, your intake of adequate nutrition is essential to your baby’s health, too. Supplements are not recommended as your primary source of vitamins and minerals for breastfeeding, although continuing your prenatal vitamins is often advised. Your health-care provider can make the recommendations best suited to your needs. If you are not breastfeeding, of course balanced nutrition and consuming a variety of foods is still important. Keep an eye on your calcium and iron intake — certain conditions during labor and delivery can deplete some of these minerals. Talk to your doctor about any supplementation for your specific condition.
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