Lose weight after pregnancy
Losing weight after pregnancy is possible but it shouldn’t be your primary goal once your baby is born.
If you breastfeed you will see that the weight will gradually return to the pre-pregnancy one.
You should not crash diets while breastfeeding unless your dietitian or nutritionist requests it for some particular health reason.
In normal situations, however, eating healthily and including moderate physical activity in your daily routine is more than enough to regain your physical shape.
Most women can’t wait to put on their old jeans, but don’t be hasty. Physical recovery must be faced with intelligence and rationality without getting caught up in anxiety.
Pay attention to your eating habits
During pregnancy, the majority of women change their eating habits to support the healthy growth and development of the child they are carrying.
After pregnancy, healthy eating is still essential, especially if you are breastfeeding. The right diet, perhaps chosen together with a trusted nutritionist, allows you to lose weight in a healthy and correct way after the sweet wait.
- Foods high in fiber – such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, provide important nutrients, and help you feel full longer.
- Eating smaller portions promotes weight loss and helps maintain weight over time. Don’t skip meals and don’t limit the amount of fruit and vegetables in your diet, as you will lose key nutrients.
- Avoid temptations . Surround yourself with healthy foods and avoid buying junk food.
- Don’t trust shortcuts. There are no magic potions for losing weight.
- Introduce physical activity into your daily routine
Physical activity
In the past, women were advised not to exercise within 6 weeks of giving birth.
Now the indications are very different. If the woman has kept fit during her pregnancy and had an uncomplicated vaginal birth, she can return to physical activity within a few days of giving birth, or as soon as she feels ready. If, on the other hand, the woman has undergone a cesarean section or a complicated birth, she must always get the green light from the doctor before starting motor activity. You can usually do some light exercise 4-6 weeks after surgery.
If your doctor gives you the green light to exercise
- Make yourself comfortable : if you are breastfeeding, feed your baby before exercise to avoid the discomfort of exercising with breasts that are too full. Wear a supportive bra and comfortable clothes
- Start slowly with exercises that strengthen major muscle groups, including the abdominal muscles. Gradually add moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking or cycling on a flat surface.
- Practice with the child. If you are having trouble finding time to practice fit your child into the routine. Take baby out for a daily walk or in the stroller or sling. Lay your baby next to you while you do floor exercises, or use your baby’s weight in muscle-strengthening workouts (e.g. lift baby above you if you are on tummy time)
- Practice with the stroller . The moment of the walk can be an excellent opportunity to exercise. In many cities there are groups that organize group moments for new mothers to do physical activity together.
- Don’t practice alone . Organize yourself with other mothers so “one leads to another” when the desire fails.
- Drink lots of water before, during and after each workout. Stop if you feel pain. pain can be a sign that you are overdoing it.
The help from breastfeeding
Breastfeeding can help you lose excess weight gained during pregnancy. This is because when you breastfeed, you use the fat stores built up in your body during pregnancy other than the calories from your diet.
Realistic goals
Most women lose more than 4 kilograms during childbirth, including the weight of the baby, placenta and amniotic fluid. During the first week after delivery, you lose weight resulting from fluid retention but the fat deposited during pregnancy does not go away on its own.
Through diet and exercise, it is reasonable to lose up to 0.5 kilograms per week. It may take six months or more to get back to pre-pregnancy weight, whether the woman is breastfeeding or not. Even if you return to your pre-pregnancy weight and it may be that the weight is distributed differently than it was before the pregnancy.
Try to love your body, accept its changes and be proud of the fact that you gave birth to a child, nurtured him and compliment the fact that you are leading a healthy lifestyle that will lead you to feel good.
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.