Struggling to lose weight post delivery? Here’s help!
Aishwarya Rai was in the news for months for not losing her pregnancy weight. While some criticised her, others made her a role model for not being in a hurry to lose those extra kilos. Though she now looks svelte as before, her decision raised a debate on what is the ideal time for a woman to lose weight post delivery. According to Dr Vijaya Manohar, consultant gynaecologist at Apollo Cradle, the ideal time to lose this weight is one month post your delivery. Here are some tips by her to do so.
Most new mums are excited to put their maternity clothes in the back of their closet. Weight loss post pregnancy takes a healthy diet, a commitment to physical activity and plenty of patience. There’s more to weight loss after pregnancy than simply fitting into your favourite jeans again as the new mother’s eating habits also have to support the baby’s growth and development since the baby is dependant on her for breastfeeding.
Start off with some gentle exercises and then slowly shift to weights after two months. (Read: Post pregnancy weight loss)
The new mother should keep herself away from dieting as it could disrupt her post pregnancy weight loss goals. Feeling deprived of her favourite foods while she is already stressed out by her new role as a mum could actually cause her to gain weight.
Instead of dieting, eat a well-balanced variety of foods. Keeping different healthy foods and healthy snacks in the house will help you eat the right foods when hungry. This in turn will give you sufficient energy throughout the day to take care of the baby and your health.
These tips will help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight:
- Make sure that you take out time for breakfast in the morning. Breakfast is an important meal. In no way skip this meal as it will give you enough energy for the day.
- Eat at least five portions of fruits and vegetables a day.
- Include plenty of fibre-rich foods such as oats, beans, lentils, grains and seeds in your meals.
- Include starchy foods such as bread, rice and pasta (preferably wholegrain varieties for added fibre) in every meal without fail.
- Do not indulge too much in fatty and sugary foods, takeaways, fast food, sweets, cakes, biscuits, pastries and fizzy drinks.
- Watch your portions at mealtimes, and the number and type of snacks you eat between meals.
- Combining healthy eating with exercise will be the most effective because it helps lose fat instead of lean tissue. (Read: Experts advise Aishwarya Rai and others about post-pregnancy weight loss)
Physical activity
The other most important factor is that new mothers should also improve their fitness levels. Finding the time to fit exercise into your daily life, now that you have a newborn, can be tricky as your priority would be to take care of the baby. But you need to understand that it is not impossible, hire help if needed.
Start with some gentle exercises such as walking, pelvic floor exercises and stretching. Exercise helps beat depression, it also helps cope with sleep disorders and in relieving stress.
If you find it hard to make some time to exercise because of the baby, include the baby in the routine. Take the baby for a daily walk in the stroller or baby carrier. Lay the baby next to you while doing stretches and crunches on the floor, or include the baby in strength training activities like lifting the baby above you while you lie on your back. (Read: Lose belly fat after pregnancy with these 6 simple tips)
You may also like to read:
- Breast crawl by a new born
- A new mum’s guide to breastfeeding
- What you should eat while breastfeeding
- 5 hidden benefits of comfort suckling
- 5 ways to make breastfeeding a success
- 10 reasons why breast is better than bottle
- Night time nursing can lead to dental carries in babies
- What causes blocked milk ducts, how to tackle them?
- Breastfeeding can prevent breast cancer
- Breastfeeding decreases the risk of obesity in children
For more articles on breastfeeding, visit our pregnancy section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.
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