13 Best Ways To Lose Weight Post Pregnancy

You must have always wondered how post-pregnancy weight loss is so quick for celebrities.

From the time of pregnancy to after delivery, one thing that crosses every woman’s mind is the question of – How do I lose weight after giving birth?

While some women lose half of their baby weight in just six weeks after childbirth, there are others who struggle with the added weight. In their desperation, women often resort to crash dieting or starving to shed that extra weight. However, doing so hampers your baby’s chances of breastfeeding and causes many health complications. Rather than crash dieting, look for ways to lose weight more naturally and safely. Read on as we list down the 14 best ways to lose weight post pregnancy.

Here are the 14 best ways to lose weight post pregnancy:

1) Realistic Weight Goals

Most women often try to get back to their former slim and svelte figure post pregnancy. However, pregnancy makes a marked difference to a woman’s body, some of them being permanent. Softer belly, wider hips, and a larger waistline are just some of the many changes women notice in themselves after pregnancy. Keeping this in mind, you might want to adjust your goals a bit.

2) Eat Healthy

Crash dieting is bad for anyone and everyone. This matter of fact truth is often forgotten by many people in their desperation to lose weight quickly. While crash dieting does help you in losing weight initially, it is mostly fluid that you lose, which eventually comes after a while. Any other weight that you might lose in the process may be muscle instead of fat. Once you go back to normal eating, you will gain back all that weight you have lost during the process.

Rather than dieting try to include super-foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, protein and fiber into your diet. These foods will not only help you to lose weight but will also make sure that you have the energy to adjust to your new lifestyle. Foods such as salmon, sardines, tuna, lean meat, chicken, eggs, beans, legumes, yogurt and whole grain foods should be included in your diet.

3) Increase Number Of Meals And Reduce Portion Size

All of us are used to having three big hearty meals a day. However, in order to lose weight, it is best to spread out your meals. Doing so helps to keep your hunger pangs at bay, stopping you from binging on unhealthy foods. Try to go for six small meals a day and keep the portion size smaller so that you don’t feel heavy at once.

4) Importance Of Hydration

Ideally, you should be drinking water throughout the day to stay well hydrated. Sufficient fluid intake is necessary to not only prevent dehydration but to also improve your metabolism. Drinking water also helps to flush out toxins from your body. Other than water, try to include different types of fluids into your diets such as milkshakes, smoothies, soups, stews, fresh juices and such.

5) Snacking Between Meals

If you are a nursing mother, you will be more prone to feel hunger pangs than others. In such a condition is normal to reach out for various snacking options available out there. However, you need to keep a tab of what you are snacking on as it can either help you to lose weight or gain it. Instead of reaching out to empty-calorie foods like sodas and chips, stack up on healthy and delicious food items such as nuts and chopped fruits. Foods like apples, bananas, carrots, and oranges are also great to snack on. Low in fat, these foods are good sources of vitamins and fiber.

6) Early Dinner

While portion size and what you are putting on your plate are important, time to is an essential aspect that needs to be kept in mind. Instead of eating at night, try to bring your dinner time to late evening. If possible, try to finish your dinner before eight at night. This will help you to boost your metabolism and reduce your weight. In case you have to stay awake till late, opt for a cup of green tea or a glass of warm milk.

7) Losing Weight Through Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has been often attributed as one of the causes of losing weight by many women. While it’s true that most mothers require extra calories during breastfeeding, you also burn quite a few of them in the process. Eating healthily and staying active while breastfeeding will not only help you in losing weight but will also help to keep it off in the long run. Losing weight gradually won’t hamper your milk production, though don’t try to lose it too fast.

8) Sufficient Sleep

Getting eight hours of sleep seems like a distant dream for women after delivery. Your sleep cycle now circles around your baby and its needs, which often leads to sleep deficiency in mothers. Insufficient sleep also compels you to binge on high-calorie and high-sugar foods for that much-needed energy. This has an adverse effect on your metabolism and slows down your weight loss process. Try to get enough sleep by sneaking in some nap time with our baby. Assign some of your household work to either your help or family members. Also be sure to show your partner how to feed your baby in case they wake up.

9) Cut Down On Stress

As a new mother, women have to deal with many responsibilities and pressures. Learning new things and the physical and emotional changes could be overwhelming for many. Taking on too much stress has an adverse effect on your eating habits. Try to get in some me time away from your daily responsibilities. Ask your partner’s help to take care of the baby, while you indulge in some me-time. Having a relaxed and calm mind is absolutely essential for a healthy lifestyle.

10) Exercise

While finding time to fit exercise into your daily busy schedule could be difficult it is certainly not impossible. Starting an exercise program soon after giving birth is not only good for your overall health but may also reduce your risk of postpartum depression. Some of the exercises you could try for losing weight are:

Walking:

Whatever your daily exercise routine might be, do incorporate daily walking into it. Start by taking an easy stroll, which you can eventually work up to a pumped up power walk. However, if you are not up to that yet, even a gentle walk can do wonders for your body.

Deep Belly Breathing With Abdominal Contractions:

The exercise though easy helps to relax your muscles while strengthening and toning your abs and belly. To do this exercise:

• Sit up straight and breathe deeply, drawing air from the diaphragm.
• Contract and hold your abs tight while inhaling and relax while exhaling.
• Increase the amount of time you can contract and hold your abs gradually over time.

Head Lifts, Shoulder Lifts, And Curl-Ups:

These exercises not only help you to strengthen your back but also tone your abs and burn calories.

Head Lifts:

• To do head lifts lie on your back with your arms along your sides.
• While keeping your lower back on the floor, bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor.
• Relax your belly as you inhale and exhale as you slowly lift your head and neck off the floor.
• Inhale once again as you lower head back down.

Shoulder Lifts:

Try out shoulder lifts only when you are comfortable doing ten head lifts in a row.It requires you to be in the same position as for head lifts.

• Relax your belly as you inhale.
• While exhaling, raise your head and shoulders off the floor and try to reach your arms and hands towards the knees.

Curl-ups:

This exercise should be taken as the next step after shoulder lifts, but only do so if you are comfortable with it.

• Start in the same position on the floor as the previous exercises.
• Lift your torso until it’s about halfway between your knees and the floor behind you.
• Try to reach for your knees and hold that position for two to five seconds.
• Then lower yourself down to the floor slowly.

Kneeling Pelvic Tilt:

This exercise not only tones your belly but also helps to relieve back pain. For this exercise:

• Start on all fours with toes touching the floor behind you and arms straight down from your shoulder line; your palms should be touching the floor.
• While inhaling pull your buttocks forward and tilt your pelvis, rotating you’re your pubic bone upward.
• Hold this position for a count of three and then release.

11) Yoga

Stress and frustration have become a part and parcel of our everyday life in the modern era. To deal with the hectic lifestyle many are now turning towards yoga for relieving stress and improving strength and flexibility. Doing yoga on a daily basis leads to a healthy body and mind in the long run. A person can use Yoga to lose full body weight.

We have a few popular and effective Yoga Asanas for you Mommies, just in case you try executing these –

Viparita Karani –

Gomukhasana –

Virabhadrasana –

Kapotasana –

Sasakasana –

Kegel Exercises –

For new mothers, yoga helps to bring a balance between their previous and present life and helps the body get back to its natural rhythm. Practicing yoga also helps in speeding up recovery after delivery, relieving back pain and soothing the strained muscles of the shoulders, arms, back, hip and legs. Women have also noticed an improvement in their posture due to the regular practicing of yoga.

You can also view our video about – Tips To Lose Belly Fat After Pregnancy

It helps to open up their shoulder and chest and relieves the stiffness of joints. Unlike strenuous exercises, yoga is a gentle but effective way of losing your baby weight. It tones your sagged muscles and reduces weight and excess fat from the belly region.

12) Commitment Is The Key

One of the most important thing when it comes to losing weight is your commitment to your goals. Hectic lifestyle and new responsibilities and duties often make it difficult for new mothers to give time to themselves. However, sticking to your exercise routine and healthy diet is of paramount importance if you want to shed those kilos. Try to keep yourself motivated throughout your journey and enjoy your time rather than stressing about weight.

13) Asking For Help

If, in spite of trying your best, you find it difficult to lose weight, seek help from your doctor. You could also enlist the help of a dietitian to help you design a diet that will help you to lose weight safely and effectively. Seek advice from your doctor on how much weight you need to lose and when you can start exercising.

Losing weight may seem like an uphill task for many new mothers, however, a little perseverance and patience is all it requires to achieve your goals. A few smart choices and a little hard work not only helps you to lose weight but also keeps you and your baby healthy and safe.

Make sure you stick to what you have started and sought your doctor’s advice before beginning any strenuous activity. How did you lose your baby weight?

Do let us know along with your feedback in the comments section.