Lose Weight After Baby-How Do I Get Started?

You just had a baby. Great! Now you are a real family! Just one problem. You need to lose some serious weight to get your health and your figure back. The baby comes first! But then you need to think of yourself coming in a close second. After all, the little guy (or girl) is counting on you to give him a good start at life.

There are some things you can do for him and for you. Losing weight after baby requires a good plan and the ability to stick with it. Consider these three most often used ways to begin your goal of losing weight after baby.

First, Breastfeeding is Nature's way of beginning to lose weight after your baby. The new Mother's body undergoes some major changes after the birth of her child. Her body is changing with a flood of hormones. One effect is the production of breast milk. When the new Mother begins to breastfeed, she can lose at least 500 calories each day.

That will begin the weight loss program Nature blessed you with. Those hormones begin the breakdown of body fat into the nutrients that your baby needs to grow. This is a smart beginning for the Mother determined to lose weight after baby.

Most Doctors advise newly pregnant women to gain 15 or more pounds to insure that the developing baby will receive the necessary nutrition in the Mother's body. After giving birth, Most Mothers lose 10 to 12 pounds counting the amniotic fluids and blood loss. After all that, most Doctors say the new Mother should begin to lose some weight after baby. She should begin a healthy diet and lifestyle change.

Her diet should include a lot of fiber and liquids. Fruits and veggies are a good source. She needs a high protein, low fat source, such as lean meats, skinless chicken and fish. Include dairy products, as long as they are low fat things like yogurt and skim milk. Water and fruit juices are also very important to replace all of the fluid lost with breastfeeding.

Losing weight after baby is hard work! That means the new Mother will have to look for ways to exercise that fit into her busy schedule. The old way of thinking was to wait six to eight weeks after the birth to begin any serious exercise. That is still true for Mothers who have had complications with the birth, or if they had a Caesarean Section.

Rest is necessary for recovery. But if the new Mom had a normal vaginal birth with no complications, there is no reason why she shouldn't start a careful exercise plan as soon as she feels up to it. For some, they start right away, but most wait a few days and then begin walking or pushing a stroller. They start slowly and cautiously, to see what general condition they are in.

After a couple of days, they start to gain confidence in their plan if everything goes well. The new Mother should look to exercise her arms, legs and abdominal muscles first. Walking is almost as good as running, but without all the impact. And pushing a stroller does exercise those areas. The exercise will increase her metabolism and help her to lose weight after baby.

To sum up, the new Mom must make choices that will help both her and the new child in her life. Losing weight after baby is the right choice to make to help her regain a healthy lifestyle. Breastfeeding, a healthy diet and regular physical exercise are the three most common and successful choices a new Mother can make.

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