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The Secrets to Weight Loss After Pregnancy :
Sarah is a pregnant
mother of three who continues to breast-feed her 18-month-old. After
each of her pregnancies, she has had difficulty losing weight. With
all of her responsibilities, weight loss isn’t a priority. Still,
she wishes that, once this pregnancy is over, she will be able to
return to her pre-marriage weight.
The average woman gains more than 25 pounds during her pregnancy.
The procedure of childbirth may result in a weight loss of up to 14
pounds, which means that new moms still have considerable weight to
lose once they leave the hospital. However, some women simply assume
that this “baby fat” will never go away. Yet, it is entirely
possible to lose weight during the post-partum period.
A number of medical experts recommend easing into a weight loss program
after the birth of your baby. This means that you will not start dieting
until about three months following birth. You should combine a low-fat
diet with moderate exercise in order to achieve weight loss.
Don’t expect instant results. It will take you a good nine months
to get back to your weight prior to pregnancy. A go-slow approach
is best because you need to give your body time to recover after childbirth.
Certainly, you might be able to lose weight faster, but you might
be sacrificing valuable nutrients as a result.
Interestingly enough, breastfeeding actually enhances weight loss.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has found
that breastfeeding leads to the release of hormones which enable your
uterus to return to its normal size. However, breastfeeding alone
won’t bring down your weight. You need to combine it with a
sensible diet and a moderate exercise program. Keep in mind that you
need to have at least 1800 calories a day while breastfeeding in order
to keep yourself and your baby healthy. Still, stay clear of junk
food during this period. You should rely on food with high nutritional
value to maintain the proper level of calories each day.
There are many good reasons to exercise during the post-partum period.
In addition to helping to accelerate weight reduction, exercise can
help alleviate post-partum depression, improve your mood, and boost
your confidence. Exercise can also “clear your head” so
that you’re better able to meet the demands of motherhood. You
might consider joining a “Mommy and Me” exercise class
so that your baby can exercise right along with you. Another helpful
hint is to enlist the help of a friend or relative to act as your
exercise buddy so that you’ll have some emotional support while
exercising. An added bonus of exercise is that it should boost your
energy level, which is quite important when battling the fatigue which
comes from caring for a newborn.
Your diet should generally be low-fat but not fat-free; vitamin rich;
and high-fiber. Under no circumstances should you go on a fad diet.
Such a diet could be quite harmful to your health and could actually
slow your recovery from childbirth. It’s a good idea to set
weight-loss goals, but don’t go overboard. Recognize that there’s
a limit to the amount of weight you can lose during a given period
of time.
You may see a number of actress-moms gracing the covers of magazines
shortly after the birth of their children. They appear svelte and
elegant, totally devoid of baby fat. In the accompanying article,
they may even talk about exercising right after childbirth. Such articles
send new mothers a dangerous message: that you must do all you can
to become thin as quickly as possible after your baby is born. Such
a philosophy is not only ridiculous, it’s also unhealthy. As
a result, you’ll need to “tune out” such messages
from the media and stay the course with your own gradual weight loss
plan.
The time right after the birth of a child can be quite challenging,
taxing both your physical and emotional strength. While it is certainly
a good idea to eat healthy, you’ll need to pace yourself as
far as weight loss is concerned. Over time, you should be able to
lose the weight you gained during your pregnancy. In fact, you might
find that you’re actually healthier after your baby is born.
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