Weight loss after pregnancy is a matter of concern for every mum. This is why many seek a postpartum diet for weight loss, so as to get back to their shape back right away after pregnancy.

During and after pregnancy, a lot of changes such as stretch marks, wider waist, and hips, softer belly, urinary incontinence due to weakened pelvic muscles, Diastasis recti, where the belly sticks out due to widened space between the right and left belly muscles and increase in general body weight occur.  Some of these changes are reversible while others may be permanent.

Where does the weight gain come from?

According to the national centre of biomedical technology, the weight gain consists of the baby, placenta, amniotic fluid, breast tissue, more blood, uterus enlargement, and extra fat stores. However, excess weight gain can result in too much fat. Keeping this excess weight comes with a lot of consequences which include among others; risk of being overweight, complications in later pregnancies, heart diseases, and diabetes.

What is the best postpartum diet for weight loss?

Having looked at how baby weight comes about, it has come to our realization that regardless, baby weight is part of the game after giving birth.  However, this baby weight comes with consequences like health issues. A case in point is diseases such as diabetes. By looking this weight gain, diet, postpartum health, and metabolism, this article brings you a list of foods to eat, foods to do away with, and the body exercises to combine with your eating habits in order to cub this baby weight.

What to eat after giving birth.

With the weight loss goal, avoid a crush diet concentrate on a balanced diet. This will ensure plenty of breast milk for the newborn as well as good health for both you and your child.

Have whole-grain foods these provide the fiber that is good for your muscle development. The more muscles the mum has the more calories she burns, which contributes to weight loss.

Take plenty of water. This not only removes waste from your body but also improves your metabolic rate to burn more calories.

High protein foods such as; eggs, fish, and beans. A high protein meal gets you satisfied for a considerable amount of time, thereby avoiding overeating. With a high protein diet, ketones are released into the bloodstream which helps to lower appetite. As a matter of fact, High protein diet can help you build lean muscles when combined with exercise. Lean muscles help to burn more calories throughout the day, which can help you lose weight.

Leafy greens such as cabbage, spinach, and Swiss chard contain very few calories. These do not add fat to your body.

Low-fat milk is good as well in adding breast milk to your baby. It contains vitamins B, D, and calcium. All these are important nutrients to you and the newborn.

What food to avoid after giving birth

In the breastfeeding period, moms normally have a high appetite because the body needs as many nutrients as possible for breast milk. Often, the appetite leads to more craving and moms end up eating a lot of unhealthy foods. Here is a set of foods to avoid, for successful postpartum weight loss.

Do away with alcoholic drinks as much as possible. Alcohol can easily get into the breast milk of the baby which may affect its health. Alcohol is said to reduce breast milk as well.

Avoid coffee during the breastfeeding period. Coffee contains caffeine, which can easily get into the breast milk. As a result, the baby may fail to have a peaceful sleep.

Do not eat fried foods if possible. These contain fats and oils which can add up to weight gain.

Avoid fizzy drinks. These make you bloated causing discomfort to the abdominal region

Exercise regularly

With weight loss after birth, there is no magic. No mum will lose weight overnight or go back to their pre-pregnancy shape soon. However, regular exercises combined with a balanced diet can do you wonders.

Before starting on a postpartum exercise, consult with your medical doctor regarding how successful your delivery was, and when to start vigorous exercises.

The exercise includes; walking, bicycling, Kegels, pelvic tilts, head, and shoulder tilts, and many other vigorous exercises.

What is the fastest way to lose weight after pregnancy?

Like we said earlier in this article, no woman can snap right back to her pre-baby body so quickly. It is not a good idea to lose too much weight or to lose it too quickly. Breastfeeding mums need as many nutrients as possible for the manufacture of breast milk and these body fats are useful as well. The weight loss targets should be achieved gradually with a healthy diet and routine exercises.

When is it safe to start a postpartum diet for weight loss?

After giving birth the body needs ample time to recover from labor and delivery. Before trying active weight loss and watching your calorie intake, give it up to six weeks. For breastfeeding mothers, Doctors advise that the baby should have at least 2months before you start on the postpartum diet for weight loss.

When a mom starts dieting very early after birth, the recovery time is delayed. And for the case of breastfeeding moms, dieting affects the milk supply. Therefore, be patient; allow the body to recover and weight loss will occur naturally especially when you are breastfeeding.

When is it safe to start exercise after giving birth?

According to the mayo clinic, if a mom had an uncomplicated pregnancy and vaginal delivery, it’s generally safe to begin exercises to lose weight after childbirth, a few days after giving birth or as soon as you are ready. If a mother delivers by C-section or extending the vagina, it is advisable that her personal doctor first clears her.

Does breastfeeding tighten your stomach?

My girlfriend never wanted to breastfeed our first child. The reason she gave me and the caretaker was that “my boobs will sag, lose tightness and will no longer entice you”, she said.  Amazingly, she wanted the remedy to do away with belly fat, and to her surprise; breastfeeding was one of them.

We were told by doctors how breastfeeding was instrumental. Breastfeeding causes the uterus to contract and shrink back to its pre-baby size. Moms who breastfeed lose belly faster compared to those who don’t breastfeed.

How can I lose face fat?

Losing weight is challenging especially if it’s to do with a specific part of your body. A case in point is the face of fat. Face fat can be frustrating because it deforms the face at some point, causing pimples and other effects related to the skin.

Here are some of the strategies to help you lose fat in your face.

Aerobic exercises

Face fat is most times due to the excess fat in the body. Therefore, physical exercise of any kind increases the metabolic rate, which results in more calories burnt from the body.

Exercises such as running, walking, bicycling, and swimming can help you lose body fat and eventually slim down your face.

Drinking water

Water is important for general body health and can be of great importance if you are looking to lose facial fat. Having water just before having a meal helps you feel full and eventually reduces your consumption. This implies less calorie intake and hence weight loss. Weight loss will eventually reduce facial fat.

Reducing alcohol consumption

Alcohol increases facial fat and bloating the moment when one goes overboard. As a matter of fact, alcohol is high in calories and low in nutrients. Over drinking puts you at risk of overweight. Checking your alcohol intake is one way of controlling alcohol-induced fats more so the face fat.

Avoid heavily processed foods

If you are the kind of person who is fond of eating heavily processed foods like cookies and pasta, you stand a high chance of having excess fat in the body.

These processed foods carry a lot of sugar and calories with less or non-fiber and nutrients. This implies that digestion takes place very fast, leading to craving and overeating hence overweight.

Have plenty of sleep

Having more time to sleep is one of the key strategies for weight loss. Cortisol, a hormone that controls blood sugar and metabolism can be affected due to sleep deprivation. High levels of cortisol alter metabolism and increase appetite leading to weight gain.

How long does it take for a woman’s body to go back to normal after pregnancy?

After nine months of turmoil, tolerance, and waiting during pregnancy, the mum is finally able to produce fruits or giving birth to another. In a couple of the coming days and weeks, the effort and energy are to be concentrated on the baby.

However, during delivery, you may have had long hours or week labor pain with either a successful vaginal delivery or a C-section. This means that your body will need quality time to recover.

As a matter of fact, postpartum recovery cannot happen overnight but rather recovery from pregnancy and childbirth takes up to months. However, most women feel fully recovered between 6-8 weeks but this may take longer depending on how successful your delivery was.

During the recovery period you may feel totally disconnected from your body, and the changes as far as you are concerned do not happen as you expect them to be. It is important that you give your body time, eat well, and relax.

Wrap-up

In a nutshell, moms should expect to increase in weight once they get pregnant. The baby weight can be shed off magically or overnight it is a gradual process. With exercise and a balanced diet or a well researched postpartum diet for weight loss, the moms can gradually lose weight and attain their pre-pregnancy shapes.