Having a baby is the best thing that could ever happen to a couple, especially to the mother because it is the fulfillment of her role as a woman. When a woman becomes pregnant, almost everything about her changes; unpredictable mood swings occur because their hormones go crazy, feelings of excitement or depression arise out of the blue, the quantities of food consumed increases, food cravings become more often, your tummy bulges, and you gain weight really fast.
Weight gain is definitely normal during pregnancy because this excess weight includes the baby’s weight, amniotic fluid, placenta, and body fat. These components are essential to the baby’s survival, the amniotic fluid and the placenta serves food and oxygen to the baby and the body fat provides the mother a constant amount of energy because pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare are really exhausting tasks. The weight of the baby, placenta, and amniotic fluid usually disappear during childbirth, fluids introduced to you like IV fluids could retain but usually disappears after 2-3 weeks of childbirth; it is the body fat that usually causes burden to a woman because most of it remains in the body and you need to work hard to burn all those fat off. This article gives you some ideas on the fastest way to lose weight after having a baby.
Tip #1 Breastfeeding
Breast milk is the best food for babies because it contains all the nutrients they need to grow as well as the antibodies to protect them from diseases. But do you know that breast milk is not only best for babies but for moms as well? Aside from the fact that it could help you on your finances because it is free, it is also a great calorie-burner. One of the reasons of gaining body fat during pregnancy is to make sure that the mother has “reserved energy” for breastfeeding. Breastfeeding allows you to burn 400 to 800 calories per day or 500 calories on an average. An estimate of 20 calories is burned with every ounce of breast milk produced; this why lactating mothers have increased daily calorie requirement. Studies show that lactating mothers tend to lose weight faster than non-lactating mothers, thus breastfeeding is highly recommended by health professionals as one of the fastest and healthiest way to lose post-pregnancy weight.
Tip #2 Watch your calories
After giving birth, your calorie requirement is decreased because the baby is already separated from you, however if you are breastfeeding, you may need to increase your calorie requirement by 500 to meet the energy demand of lactation. Do not worry though as this added calories can easily be shed off by breastfeeding and childcare. This means, if you are normally in a 2000 caloric requirement, make it 2500 calories per day when you are nursing.
Tip #3 Make the right food choices
Health experts discourage diet fads after giving birth because you need nutrients from all the food groups. Your daily diet should certainly include whole grain (carbohydrates) to supply your body with real-time energy, one fruit and vegetable (vitamins and minerals), one teaspoon of healthy fat for reserved energy, two to three ounces of lean meat for protein that helps build and repair muscles, and a cup of milk to meet the daily dose of calcium for stronger bones and teeth. These types of food may carry more calories so it is important to choose the ones that contains just the amount of calories you need everyday. Also, you need to eat three full meals a day and two snacks in between to ensure that you have constant supply of energy and nutrients for you and your baby.
Tip #4 Gradual Exercises
Vigorous workouts are discouraged days after birth because your body is too weak to do it, your baby needs you, and you need to conserve the calories for breastfeeding. However, health experts recommend going on light gradual workouts as soon as you can such as a 10-minute walk to the park with your baby on a stroller daily, and gradually increase it to 20 minute walk with your baby in a snugly, parking further from your office, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and eventually enrolling on a gym class with a program that fit your needs.
With commitment and discipline, anyone can easily lose that pregnancy weight. So, don’t be afraid to gain weight during pregnancy because the joy a baby can bring is priceless.
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