How to Lose Weight After Pregnancy

A post from Kirstie Ally's blog on how to lose weight after having a baby!

How to Lose Weight After Pregnancy

How to Lose Weight After Pregnancy

If you recently gave birth to a bundle of joy and want to lose the extra baby weight you’re carrying around, it can seem like quite the challenge. Whatever you do, do not compare yourself to Hollywood celebrities who seem to walk out of childbirth with six-pack abs and a tight rear-end. While you might lose some weight effortlessly after childbirth due to loss of amniotic fluid, placenta, and the weight of the baby, it’s famously normal to be left with unwanted pregnancy weight.

The following tips provide a starting point from where to begin your post-pregnancy weight loss journey:

• Breastfeed. Breastfeeding burns about 500 calories per day, which is a burn equivalent to running at a moderate pace for nearly an hour. This means that a breastfeeding mother could consume nearly 2,700 calories and still lose baby weight!

• Connect with other new moms. Find fellow new mothers who can encourage you and share your weight loss journey. If you’re on the Organic Liaison program, find a chubby buddy to connect with and support one another through the program. Even if you’re not a member, you can join Phitter (a free micro-blogging service for diet/fitness/weight-loss talk). Connect with a Phitter pal to keep yourself accountable and motivated through your weight loss.

• Don’t diet by cutting calories. Because your body is going through so many changes, especially if you are breastfeeding, you will require more calories to keep your post-pregnancy body healthy and strong. Also remember that your body is recovering from a very strenuous event and needs nutrients from plenty of healthy foods to help it heal. Severe caloric restriction is not the answer; but eating wholesome and organic foods (when possible) is an excellent way to get the most vitamins, minerals and nutrients out of every calorie you consume.

• Drink plenty of water. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day will help your body flush out unnecessary particles; it will also keep your digestive track running smoothly. Avoid sugary sodas and beverages that simply enter your body as empty calories – providing no benefits or sustenance.

• Eat natural and organic foods. Eating wholesome, natural and organic foods will help your body stay fuller longer. Because you will likely have an erratic schedule and be sleep-deprived, you may want to break up your meals into small mini-meals to keep your body consistently energized.

• Exercise. You should check with your doctor before you exercise. Depending on what sort of birth you had and on your particular circumstances, you may want to take exercise lightly for up to 8 weeks after you give birth. So, once you get clearance from your doctor, begin with a light workout plan, broken up into increments, as your body adjusts to new activity levels.

• Rest. Rest is just as important as eating right and exercising. Your body cannot adequately heal and handle the wonderfulness of motherhood if you are not well rested.

Have reasonable expectations of your weight loss and remember that the beauty of birth lies in what the body can do, not what it looks like. Getting back into shape will only take a matter of time – as long as you have a safe, steady, healthy eating and exercise plan.

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Additional Resources:

• ProHealth Care: “Snoozing May Help Women Shed Baby Weight