The birth of a child is the embodiment of the meaning of life for every woman. But often the joy of motherhood is overshadowed by dozens of extra pounds, from which newly minted mothers want to get rid as quickly as possible. Long before the birth of a baby, every woman wonders how to lose weight after childbirth. There are a few specific steps that will help you with guaranteed results and return to your previous shape.
Causes of excess weight after childbirth
Eating extra pounds during pregnancy, many women wonder in advance how to lose weight after childbirth, because girls in a position can not limit themselves in food, considering this unacceptable. Although, with the proper diet and physical activity, this problem can be easily avoided. However, women are accustomed to justifying their fullness by pregnancy, although the true reason lies in banal overeating and insufficient physical activity. Pregnancy is not a reason to eat everything in a row and lie on the couch for days. Proper nutrition and adequate sport are the basis of the positive course of your pregnancy, and therefore the health of the unborn baby.
Step 1. Do not expect quick results.
Losing weight after childbirth is usually not difficult, but this process will take a little longer than usual. The hormonal restructuring of the body is to blame. While a woman is breast-feeding a baby, all the functions of her body are aimed at preserving the life of future offspring, as well as maintaining the mother's legal capacity. The female body is already inclined to accumulate excess fats, and after the birth of a child, he does it with double strength and speed. But do not be upset, hard work on yourself and self-discipline will lead you to the desired result.
Step 2. Use Breastfeeding for the Benefit
Losing weight after childbirth with breastfeeding is much easier than it seems. Even nature helps a woman in this process. Breastfeeding is a very energy-intensive process, the body spends about 600 kilocalories on milk production, and this is a pretty impressive figure. Do not believe in fairy tales that the fatter the food that the mother consumes, the better and healthier the milk. The fat content of food does not affect the quality of milk, nutrition should be as balanced and varied as possible, but no more. This means that you do not need to deprive the baby of her mother’s breast, as you can lose weight after childbirth and while breastfeeding. It will even benefit a losing weight mom, because calories will be burned just like that, even without heavy physical exertion.
Step 3. Set Drinking Mode
It is usually impossible to lose weight quickly after childbirth; all processes for transforming the body take a certain amount of time. However, this process can be significantly accelerated. As you know, when losing weight, the body first gets rid of excess fluid, and only then goes on to burn fat. Water is worth drinking in large volumes for the following reasons:
- The accumulation of water occurs under the skin, which is why the volume of our body increases significantly. The less we drink, the more fluid is stored. If you establish a drinking regime, the body will easily part with strategic reserves.
- Water triggers all metabolic processes in the body. A couple of glasses in the morning on an empty stomach will start your digestive tract.
- If you drink a glass of water immediately before eating, you can significantly reduce the size of the servings. After all, water will occupy some space of our stomach. This method is suitable for those who find it difficult to control their appetite.
Step 4. Change the power system
How to lose weight after giving birth to a nursing mother? Diets are strictly prohibited, and fasting is not an option. And so I want to enjoy the lightness and put on my favorite dresses, but at the same time not harm the baby's health. However, having a baby is a great way to change your eating culture at least temporarily and get rid of bad eating habits. Oddly enough, losing weight after childbirth, oddly enough, will help the diet of a nursing mother. After all, when breastfeeding, you need to adhere to the following rules in food:
- Avoid excessive consumption of sweets, especially chocolate. Any sugars are the strongest allergens.
- Exclude canned foods, sausages, smoked meats and dried foods from the diet. All this can negatively affect the taste of milk.
- It is necessary to focus on the use of protein and healthy fats, and whole carbohydrates and cereals should be preferred from carbohydrates. Nutrition should be multi-component and balanced.
- Fatty, fried foods and all kinds of fast food with a huge amount of nutritional supplements are better to postpone until breast-feeding is completed. All this can negatively affect the quality of milk and cause allergies and indigestion in the baby.
All these rules are common truths of healthy and proper nutrition. So if earlier you could not pull yourself together, then for the sake of the baby you will have to make gastronomic sacrifices that will turn out to be only good for you.
Step 5. Set the day
To lose weight at home, both after childbirth and after regular weight gain, the correct daily routine will help. It's no secret that with the advent of the baby, the life of the mother changes very much - she devotes all her time to a new member of the family. Sometimes there is not even time for full meals. Women have to eat 1-2 times a day and in large quantities to eat up for the future, because it is not a fact that they can eat during the day. Such a food regimen does not have the best effect on the figure. You need to teach yourself to eat with your child, especially if the baby is already old enough and you have introduced complementary foods. Thus, you will have 5-6 small meals, because children are fed according to this scheme. But this is exactly what you need! Frequent meals and small portions are the basis of weight loss. This method significantly accelerates the metabolism and triggers the processes of fat burning in the body. The main thing is to observe calorie, then the weight will begin to slowly go away.
Step 6. Putting the sleep mode in order.
All women dream of faster returning to their former forms, but sometimes they just don’t know how. Losing weight after giving birth at home is much easier than it sounds. The main thing is not to deviate from the set goal and comprehensively approach the issue. Another point on the way to a slim body is a healthy sleep. However, this is perhaps the most difficult step from the entire list. After all, you can’t sleep much with a small child, especially when breastfeeding. However, it is necessary to devote to sleep at least 30% of the time of day, it is desirable that at least 7-8 hours of sleep should be accumulated in total. Try to combine your sleep with your baby’s sleep, adapt to his wakeful rhythm. Do not neglect the help of your spouse and relatives, this will allow you to get some sleep at least. Do not underestimate the importance of sleep when losing weight. If the body works for wear and tear, the processes of accumulating strategic reserves are actively included. After all, our body believes that it is in a critical situation, and is trying to throw all its strength into maintaining vital functions. Only in the presence of a healthy sleep and proper rest in our body metabolic processes start and the process of fat burning begins.
Step 7. Combine business with pleasure: weight loss walks
Pregnancy is behind, and, therefore, all the doctor’s stories about the health benefits of walking can be safely forgotten. But in vain! It is cardiac loads with low heart rates that contribute to the destruction of fatty tissue. Walking in this case is best suited. If for some reason you cannot afford other types of physical activity, try to get the most out of your regular stroller walks. After all, it is not at all necessary to sit on a bench and conduct empty conversations with other mothers while your child is sleeping peacefully. You can build a route and take a walk in active mode. Even 1.5-2 hours of walking per day will make your muscles work, which means that the process of losing weight will go much faster. Moms who had lost weight after giving birth noted that after active walks they felt much better. After all, blood begins to circulate throughout the body, and this gives an unprecedented surge of energy and strength. If your baby can already walk, then try to organize an active walk. Of course, you can give the baby a little time to tinker with in the sandbox, but catching up or having fun playing with the ball will bring much more benefit to both mother and child.
Step 8. Go in for sports with your child.
How to lose weight after giving birth to a nursing woman, if she does not have the opportunity to attend the gym? Very simple! After all, you can engage at home, as well as attend group classes with the baby. Lack of time is not an excuse, there are many ways to play sports, while the child will always be with you.
- Dynamic gymnastics. First of all, it is aimed at the physical development of the baby, however, when doing the exercises, the mother also gets a good load on the muscles. Moreover, the older the child, the greater his weight, which means that all manipulations with him are much more difficult.
- Yoga for mothers and babies. There are whole courses dedicated to these group lessons. If you have previously attended yoga for pregnant women, it will be much easier for you to master this business. In addition, this is a great opportunity to change the situation, finally leave the house and make useful contacts.
- Workout with a sidecar outdoors. Advanced fitness instructors have developed a range of physical exercises with a stroller, which means that mom can combine workout and walk with her child. Given the acute lack of time, this is a great way to lose weight.
- Classical exercises with a child. If your baby has grown to 7-10 kg, it can be used as a "shell" to perform classic physical exercises. For example, squat, swing arms and back, lunges with a child in her arms. In this case, it will act as a burden. What is this method good for? Mom plays sports, and the baby enjoys all these simple manipulations.
Step 9. Do not tighten with the gym
Ask any girl who quickly lost weight after giving birth: "What is the secret?" The answer will be one - the gym and the point! The faster you get started, the better. Do not delay with this matter. After all, the more time passes after childbirth, the stronger the body gets used to the extra pounds, and if you do not observe the daily regimen and nutrition, you can still gain weight. If you have no contraindications to sports, after 1.5-2 months you can safely start training. This is not only a way to lose weight, but also a great opportunity to get rid of back pain, because after childbirth 70-80% of women suffer from this problem. And there is at least a year and a half ahead of carrying the child in her arms, which can only aggravate the situation. Take your health as seriously as possible, because the baby needs a strong and hardy mom.
Step 10. Tidy up the nerves
Important in the process of losing weight is the psychological attitude and general condition of the nervous system. Pregnancy and childbirth are a lot of stress for the body. The situation is also exacerbated by eternal lack of sleep and a boring routine. All this negatively affects the mood of a woman. Without the proper support of her husband and family, a young mother can become depressed, and here also a reflection in the mirror is terrifying. As a result, we have a complete lack of motivation and the "seizing" of problems is not the most wholesome food. Do not allow yourself to stick out! Control your mood, set clear goals and enjoy motherhood, no matter what! The state of your body depends only on you, which means you need to pack up and start losing weight.
To summarize
As you can see, losing weight after childbirth with breastfeeding is quite possible. The main thing is to comprehensively approach the solution of the problem. If you manage to carry out at least half of the steps from the proposed list, be sure that the result will not be long in coming.