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Your major concern about how to lose weight after having a baby should be simply to eat a healthy diet. Your body has worked hard for nine months and needs a good, nutritionally balanced diet to recover. This is especially important if you are breastfeeding your new baby.
It really is best to avoid going on any particular fad diet at this time. Just make it a practice to avoid junk food with empty calories, eat fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. But do reward yourself occasionally with a treat of some usually forbidden food.
Even though it is best to avoid fad diets right now, there are some very good healthy eating plans available. They may be referred to as “diets" but are actually well-planned, healthy eating programs. An added benefit of using one of these programs is that much of the meal planning is done for you and recipes are provided. That can take a lot of stress off mom during the early weeks and months of having a new baby.
An important part of eating a healthy diet is keeping your body adequately hydrated. We sometimes mistakenly interpret our bodies’ need for hydration as hunger. We think we are hungry when we are actually thirsty. Drinking plenty of water, juice, and other liquids can help ward off those mixed signals and will result in eating less.
Breastfeeding your baby is an excellent way to help you lose those pounds quicker. Can you believe that something so good for your baby can also help you lose weight! It’s true, new moms who breastfeed tend to lose baby weight faster than moms who don’t nurse.
Of course, everyone knows that exercise is an important part of trying to lose weight. But do proceed carefully here because your body has just been through the stress of having a baby. Start slowly – the recommendation is usually to wait six weeks after delivery to exercise – but be sure to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. Your doctor knows your particular situation and can recommend appropriate exercises for you, as well as a time table for implementing them.
Once you’ve got the go-ahead to begin an exercise program, finding the time to carry it out may not be so easy. You’ll have to be creative because baby’s schedule certainly won’t always cooperate!
Here are some tips on how to work your exercise into baby’s schedule:
Use a stroller or baby sling so that you can go walking with your baby. This can be beneficial for baby as well as you because it will introduce new surroundings and stimuli to the baby.
Get some exercise tapes that you can pop in at home and use any time the opportunity presents itself. Baby will probably love being close by to watch while you get some needed exercise.
It may be easier to get your exercise in small increments of time rather than in one continuous workout. But that’s fine – three 10 minute or two 15 minute workouts give the same benefits as one 30 minute workout.
One last note about losing your baby weight – don’t be too hard on yourself. Sure, it would be nice to be able to get into that pre-pregnancy size 4 dress right away. But the most important thing right now is your health and being able to take good care of that precious new baby. By eating properly, exercising appropriately, and enjoying an overall healthy lifestyle, you will eventually lose that baby weight.
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