After you have delivered your baby, one of your concerns may be to get your pre-pregnancy body back. Because the average woman is advised to gain between 25 and 35 pounds, it is important to stay within this range to avoid difficulty later on losing the weight. A lot of the postpartum extra weight may accumulate in the belly area. Diet and targeted exercises can help you get rid of the belly fat.
Step 1
Speak to your doctor before dieting and exercising to lose postpartum belly fat. A woman is typically advised to wait between four to six weeks before she can exercise again. Women who have undergone a cesarean section may need to wait as long as 12 weeks.
Step 2
Follow a low-calorie diet. Ideally, you should cut back 500 calories per day to lose one to two pounds per week. To track your caloric intake, write down everything you eat along with the calorie amounts in a food journal. Follow a well-balanced diet that includes nutritious and low-calorie foods, including vegetables, fruits, fat-free dairy products, lean proteins and whole grains.
Step 3
Include aerobic exercise into your daily regimen. Try to work out at least 30 to 60 minutes per day. Participate in aerobic activities that work the abs, including stair climbing, kickboxing and rowing.
Step 4
Perform targeted strength training exercises. When you work the abs, you build muscle in the area and can help tone your postpartum figure. Crunches can work the upper abdominal muscles and involve you lying flat on your back with your knees bent. Lift your shoulders off the floor and contract the abs during the exercise. To work the entire ab area, you can do a leg slide. Start by lying flat with your knees bent and your back pressed to the floor. Slowly slide your legs away from your body while using your abs to keep the rest of your body still. Return your legs when you feel your back arch. Start off doing two sets of eight to ten reps of each exercise.
Tips and Warnings
- Breastfeeding can also help you drop pounds and reduce the size of your postpartum belly. Breastfeeding burns extra calories and helps shrink the uterus back to its normal size.
- Never follow a very low-calorie diet to lose belly fat left over from your pregnancy. According to the BabyCenter website, you need a minimum of 1200 calories per day to stay healthy.
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