After your baby comes into your life, it is highly possible that you get engrossed in taking care of the baby and the major transformations in your life. As time goes by after the delivery, it may also happen that you fail to come to terms with the changes in your body and weight. As a consequence of this, your body weight might impact other essential aspects of your health including mental health, your relationships, your confidence and your overall life.
It is in this context that losing weight after delivery becomes of paramount importance. According to a study, the obesity risks and other corresponding health risks associated with weight gain like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, high cholesterol etc. would be reduced to a great extent if you lose weight after pregnancy. The crucial timeline for weight loss after having a baby would be three to twelve months i.e. within one year after delivery 1.
The focus should be to lose weight to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight within 12 to 18 months post your delivery so that you do not retain unnecessary weight and have to tackle major health risks later on in life 2.
Moving steadily, strategically and carefully on the path of weight loss after a having your baby should be your top priority and you must incorporate healthy lifestyle habits in your life. Social, psychological and physiological changes have to be kept in mind while paving the way for a healthy life for not only yourself but also your baby and other family members in the long run.
15 Easy Tips To Lose Weight After Delivery
Our panel gynaecologist, Dr Ankita Patel Tayal, says that new moms should plan to return to your pre-pregnancy weight by 6 to 12 months after delivery. Most women lose half of their baby weight by 6 weeks after childbirth (postpartum). The rest most often comes off over the next several months.
Getting back their weight to an optimum level after delivery can be a daunting task for many new moms who are already overwhelmed with new responsibilities and changes; lack of sleep and time and so on. For all you new moms out there who feel they cannot wait to wear that sexy little black dress or flaunt their body with full confidence, we have listed down shorts walks and other not-so-technical ways to lose weight after delivery just for you all.
1. Make shorts walks a part of your routine
Instead of starting off on any strict exercising schedule, you can start by taking walks around your neighborhood or in the nearby park. Taking frequent, short walks several times a day is possibly the easiest way to lose weight after delivery.
Take your baby along with you so that you can spend time with him/her while also moving your body. Gradually, you can increase the distance of walks and this is perhaps the quickest way to lose weight after having a baby.
2. Lose weight after delivery with breastfeeding
During the lactating phase, it might seem that you have gained weight because your food and nutrient intake will increase. However, in the long run if you keep breastfeeding your baby for at least the first six months it will help reduce your weight gain to a great extent.
Approximately 500 calories or more are burnt by the body of a mother who is breastfeeding her baby on a daily basis.
3. Revamp your eating schedule
Forget about three or four meals a day- instead go for frequent yet smaller meals everyday so that your calorie and nutrient intake is taken care of and you can avoid filling up your stomach unnecessarily.
Plan out your day in such a way that you get to eat frequently and are not so hungry every time you hog on food. The more satiated you are, the lesser chances of you trying to get your hands on big meals.
Make sure that during the time you spend on eating, you are mindful and aware of your eating habits. Listen to your body’s needs; follow a routine and focus on the food items you are eating- all of this really help inculcate awareness and also in losing weight after delivery.
And a must is to watch out for portion sizes – a little care goes a long way in weight loss.
4. Pay extra attention to what you eat
Along with the eating schedule, your dietary habits will also need to be reconsidered. Diet consisting of green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, dairy etc. would be apt for losing weight after delivery.
Food items that contain high or empty calories like cola, chips, fast food etc. must be avoided and even avoid going on a crash diet to lose weight as these would just aggravate your weight issue. Opt for healthy eating choices, swapping high calorie foods to better, nutrient dense foods. However, do remember that if you are breastfeeding, your baby’s diet is dependent on you.
5. Combine good food with easy exercises
It is very essential that after a few weeks of delivery, you start incorporating easy exercises in your daily life to help you not only lose weight but to keep you active and energetic all day. Few safe exercises after pregnancy which are recommended for new moms would be cycling, jogging, running, walking, interval training, dancing, yoga, swimming etc.
However, take the advice of your doctor before you start any exercise regime and take help of a trainer if you are not well aware about exercises.
Read Also: 9 Risks Of Exercising Too Soon Postpartum
6. Get ample amount of sleep
After delivery, it is possible that your metabolism and digestive system gets a jolt because of the sleepless nights accompanied with the arrival of the baby. So, you might gain weight because of that and to avoid it, getting ample amount of sleep during the day as and when required is absolutely necessary.
That may actually sound far-fetched, because it is impossible to sleep well with a baby who feeds every few hours. Yet, by trying to sleep when the baby sleeps and asking family members to pitch in for routine work can be helpful.
7. Water is a heavenly liquid
Taking proper water intake especially after your delivery can help pump up your metabolism in the appropriate manner; help you lose weight and kicks out all the toxins out of your body. So keep drinking around 2 litres or 8 to 12 glasses of water regularly without fail as it is one of the easiest home remedies for weight loss after delivery.
8. Pick foods from all food groups
Recovering after delivery is a long process and to help your body, choose foods from all food groups to attain a proper level of nourishment. Make sure you have proteins, vegetables, diary, grains and fruits on regular basis so as to have a diet that is not only rich but also varied in terms of nutrients.
Do not just focus on calories alone – remember that you need a well-balanced well rounded diet especially during this stage of life. Prefer home-made cooked meals than ordering in from restaurants, decide consciously on what you want to eat and accordingly choose your preferences.
9. Work extra on your tummy
It is but natural that your tummy will take time to reduce as it is a place which must have stored much of the fat of the pregnancy period. So it is advised that you take extra care of your belly and opt for safe exercises after pregnancy especially focused on tummy like pelvic tilts, ab curls, squats, crunches, lunges etc.
Resistance training comes into play for a better sustained inch-loss especially around the tummy area. Working with weights and trying out exercises that aim to build muscle strength and strengthen your core areas will help you a great deal.
However, do take go ahead from your doctor about when to start exercising post-delivery.
10. Alcohol and caffeine to be avoided
While caffeine intake does not allow you to shed your weight after delivery, it is alcohol that just adds extra pounds to your body- making your whole scheme of losing weight after delivery a flop show. So avoid these two at all costs.
11. Healthy snacking is the way to go
Feeling hungry at regular intervals is absolutely normal, but snacking on junk food is not especially if you want to lose weight after having a baby. Therefore, your snack options have to be healthy like protein bar, yogurt, fresh fruits, unsalted nuts, hummus etc. and not high calorie and unhealthy foods like chips, biscuits etc.
Infact, try keeping healthy food options like nuts and seeds and cans of yogurt and fruit within your reach and have them as and when the craving strikes. And what about sweets and processed foods – keep them stored at the far end of your kitchen, or even better if they are not in your house.
Whenever you crave for food items that have the potential to make you gain weight then you can simply choose healthier alternatives of those food items. Cravings for chocolate, ice creams, oily food etc. have to be tackled on a mental level with extremely smart options of food alternatives. For instance, consume dark chocolate (more healthy) instead of plain milk chocolate (more calories).
12. Keep yourself moving
This goes without saying that when you are not exercising or doing any kind of activity after pregnancy, you need to look for ways to move around more because you cannot expect to be losing weight without trying after pregnancy. Small initiatives of activity count.
For instance, take the stairs instead of taking a lift; try to do some amount of household chores or simply make it a habit to take your baby in the stroller for a walk with you.
Walk to nearby places as much as possible, get yourself your own glass of water, if you are talking on the phone – do it while walking. These simple tips are quite effective and help sustain your weight loss in the long run.
13. Give yourself enough me-time
With the baby in your life, things that are near and dear to you might take a backseat. As a result, you might find yourself getting stressed or your emotions might get entangled. All this might be having an adverse impact on your weight. So you know what you need to do is relax, give yourself enough me-time through meditation, listening to music, engaging in one of your hobby and so on.
14. Stay away from crash diets
Crash diets may seem like an attractive option to lose weight after delivery, but it is a trap that will make it difficult for your body to heal and recover, plus devoid your breastfeeding baby of key nutrients. Infact, when you are breastfeeding, you need more calorie and nutrient rich diet. But crash diets aim to make one lose a good amount of weight in shortest possible times by evolving a diet that has no calories.
This is not feasible for healthy weightloss, especially now when your body needs all vital nutrients and a balance of calories and fats. You are likely sleep deprived and such a diet would also leave you feeling exhausted all the time – something that you cannot let happen with a small baby to take care of.
For the same reason, you should not skip meals or try intermittent fasting to lose post-pregnancy weight.
Dr Ankita Patel Tayal emphasises the fact that after giving birth to a baby, a woman’s body needs to provide a lot of good nutrition to quickly recover health. If your weight is stable, you should only reduce your calorie intake by about 500 calories per day. This will stimulate weight loss of 0.5 kg per week. For example, a woman who eats about 2,000 calories a day could eat 300 fewer calories and burn an extra 200 calories through exercise, which would burn 500 calories.
15. Most importantly, set realistic goals
If you are in awe of celebrities losing pregnancy weight is no time, remember that they have both the resources and the finance to be able to do that. An average person cannot really do it all. Losing pregnancy weight takes time, and everyone takes their own time to lose weight after baby.
Do not think you can lose all those kilos you gained in 9 months in just 3 months or so. Atleast give your body as much time to lose this weight. Do not be disappointed if the weighing machine does not show the numbers you had hoped for, be determined to try better. Set small goals so that the motivation is always there.
So the first step is – your goals of weight loss should be realistic. After that make a diary of your weight loss short-term goals and keep filling it up regularly so that you can remain motivated. Keep your partner involved in the whole process because he might even give diet tips and exercise tips to you. He may help you get enough rest when needed and also push you to achieve your goals effectively.
Every new mom has a right time to decide when she wants to reclaim her body; regain her confidence and achieve the level of happiness by losing weight after delivery and fitting into her favorite clothes again. Just like anyone who wants to lose weight in general, you also need to remember that a combination of exercise, nutritious food, activity and rest all day is the perfect recipe for weight loss after having a baby. So do your bit; give yourself time; do not be harsh on yourself and last but not the least, do not lose focus! All the best to all you hardworking mothers!