A large group of women struggles to lose excess weight after giving birth. Physiological changes accompanying pregnancy and the belief, ingrained for centuries, that we should eat differently during this time, result in a much bigger weight gain instead of the recommended 8-10 kilograms. How to lose weight quickly after pregnancy? Find out by reading this article!
Table of contents
When to start slimming?
Before we start, we should answer the question why we actually want to lose weight. If you have gained a lot of weight and feel bad about it physically and mentally, you need to act. However, if the desire to lose weight is dictated solely by the fashion for a flat stomach and a hanger-on figure promoted by social media, it’s better to consider whether the game is worth the candle.
Once you decide yes, you need to start almost immediately, although certainly not in the postpartum period. This is the time when you need to regenerate and let your natural mechanisms work. With the birth of a child we lose 4 to 7 kilograms of weight, and during the postpartum period another 3 to 5 kilograms. But then there is no need to wait – the sooner you start losing weight after pregnancy, the easier it will be to get rid of the excess weight.
At no other time is a woman’s body so focused on getting rid of the extra pounds, as in a few months after giving birth. Then the storm of hormones stops, and metabolism speeds up. However, you need to act carefully – if you have been gaining weight for 9 months of pregnancy, give yourself some time to avoid the yoyo effect.
Post-pregnancy diet – how to lose weight fast
Analogically to any slimming treatment, also after pregnancy, the basis is a proper diet, properly balanced, that is, containing the most important nutrients in the correct proportions. The daily menu must include raw vegetables and fruit, wholemeal bread, groats and rice, lean meat and fish, milk and milk products. The point is to provide the body with vitamins and minerals, calcium and good protein, omega acids and fibre. A diet rich in nutrients and at the same time low in empty calories is necessary for both the mother and the baby if we are breastfeeding.
Avoid fatty and fried foods, white bread and sweets, highly processed foods, excess salt, strong tea and coffee. If you get hungry between meals, instead of sweets or, God forbid, chips, reach for healthy snacks such as raw vegetables or fruit, nuts or seeds. At the same time you should drink plenty of still water, which not only cleanses your body from toxins and speeds up metabolic processes, but also reduces appetite.
The way of eating is very important. Meals, slightly smaller in volume, should be eaten regularly, 5 times a day every 3-4 hours, the last one not later than about 7 p.m. A glass of milk or herbal tea can be drunk before bedtime. Regularity of meals and not eating between them is very important, because it helps to avoid sudden jumps in glucose levels and slowing down the metabolism.
Harmonious, systematic weight loss, gives much better final results than restrictive starvation, which can prove dangerous to health, especially during the period of recovery of the body after pregnancy to the old balance.
Check: How to lose 10 kg fast
How to lose weight after pregnancy – physical activity
The basic activity bringing measurable benefits to both the child and the mother is breastfeeding. It is an excellent method of stimulating metabolism and losing excess weight. Suffice it to say that the production of food alone means that the body spends 300 calories a day.
However, we cannot stop at that and it is by no means about the necessity to undergo murderous workouts. The easiest way to exercise outdoors is the currently fashionable strolling, or simply walking with a pram. If we put on sports shoes and march every day outdoors, we will achieve a double benefit – we will burn a lot of calories, and our baby will be wonderfully oxygenated. And when our child grows up a bit, you can buy a bike seat and change marches into riding a bike.
Exercises with a baby are also in vogue, for example yoga or pilates enabling lifting or rocking a baby. This is a great solution for mums who can’t get out of the house, as well as exercises with dumbbells, which are very effective in burning fat. Let’s not forget about rest and good sleep, which is definitely conducive to the proper functioning of the body and metabolic processes.
How to lose weight from stomach after pregnancy?
Pregnancy, unfortunately, does not remain without effect on the body and figure. It often happens that even despite the return to the former weight, it is not possible to remove the unsightly bulge in the waist. The main cause of abdominal obesity after childbirth is the stretching of the straight abdominal muscles during pregnancy. If we want to avoid the growth of fat tissue and loss of firmness of the abdominal layers, we must take care that the muscles return to their original state.
Of course the most important thing is a proper diet, but equally important and necessary are exercises, not only the classic abdominals, but also those that engage all the abdominal muscles. Every time you remember about it, even while performing some activity, do a simple exercise consisting of alternate tension and relaxation of the abdomen. When walking try to pull it in, it will also benefit our appearance.
Belly can also be massaged with a rough sponge, use hot and cold showers alternately, use good lotions. All this will improve blood circulation, and thus the firmness and aesthetics of the skin. Finally, it is worth wearing elastic, well-fitting underwear – body or panties, which will prevent the abdominal layers from loosening.
Read also: How to quickly lose weight from the abdomen
You need to think about what to do after the birth…
Weight loss after childbirth will undoubtedly be easier if you think about your figure while you are already pregnant. Contrary to popular belief, you shouldn’t overeat during pregnancy, and you certainly shouldn’t reach for unhealthy products, even if you have such a craving. Every extra candy bar means extra calories and weight gain, which is very difficult to get rid of later on, and “eating for two” is a long outdated and harmful myth.
Permanently introduced healthy eating style both during pregnancy and later, will allow us not only to regain a slim figure after childbirth, but also to keep it for many years.
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