How to Lose Body Fat Fast Following Pregnancy
You might have gained a few pounds during your last week of pregnancy but now that you’ve given birth, you want to shed those few pounds and go back to being your normal self! Is it possible? Well, it definitely is!
A lot of women don’t get time for themselves after their pregnancy, which is why the pounds that they gain during pregnancy aren’t shed. However, with a few simple tips and activities, you can lose body fat fast following a pregnancy. Keep reading to find out how!
- Eat Healthily
Now that the pregnancy cravings are over, it’s time for you to focus on all the good and healthy foods that you can! Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and avoid eating unhealthy fried items and other foods that contain a lot of saturated fats. Fruits and vegetables contain a lot of essential vitamins and minerals that you will need while you’re breastfeeding your baby. Moreover, fruits and vegetables have a high fiber content, which will keep you full and curb any cravings for junk food.
Instead of dieting and reducing your calorie intake after your delivery, you should focus on developing healthy eating habits because reducing your calorie intake immediately after delivery may affect your infant too. You might not produce enough milk for breastfeeding if you restrict your diet. Therefore, instead of restricting your diet, you should focus instead on eating a healthy diet.
- Consult About Your Nutritional Needs with a Nutritionist or Your Gynecologist
Before you make any changes in your diet, you should ask your doctor how many calories you should take per day and you should also ask if there are any specific foods that you need to eat after delivering the baby. You may have extra needs while you’re lactating, but be sure not to overeat in the name of “feeding your baby.”
If you’re breastfeeding, your caloric requirement will be a few hundred calories more than if you’re not. Consult with your doctor if you should make any changes to your diet!
- Walk Regularly
If you’ve had a baby through a c-section, it may be difficult for you to exercise initially but walking should be very easy for you. A week after your operation, you should start walking about 20-30 minutes a day because sitting in your bed for too long can prevent you from losing weight!
Not only this but being inactive after surgery can be harmful to you in the long run as well. Therefore, your best option is to go for a walk every day!
- Get Adequate Sleep
Your infant may ruin your sleeping schedule after your delivery and you might find yourself waking up multiple times a night to the sounds of your crying baby. This can ruin your sleep and you may find yourself sleep-deprived.
Getting sleep-deprived may make you gain weight by increasing your stress hormone levels. Therefore, in order to get adequate sleep, you should get proper naps throughout the day and make a constant sleep schedule that’s compatible with your baby’s sleeping schedule.
- Perform Stress-Releasing Exercises and Activities
Dealing with a newborn baby may get pretty stressful, especially if it’s your first time and you have no idea how motherhood works. The stress of feeding and looking after the baby may cause you a lot of discomforts and you may find yourself worrying over the slightest things when it comes to your baby. However, you need to perform stress-relieving activities in order to control your stress because stress makes your body release stress hormones and these stress hormones may play a role in increasing the fat content of your body.
- Have Patience and Don’t Beat Yourself Up
You gained all that pregnancy weight over a long period, so losing it may take a while. Have patience during the whole process and work on your mission smoothly and steadily. If you ever eat a portion of junk food because you really wanted to, don’t beat yourself up for it and go light on yourself. Motherhood is a pretty journey and you shouldn’t spend your initial days worrying too much about your weight!
Try the tips listed above in order to get rid of your pregnancy fat. At the end of the day, you need to remember that losing body fat takes time and you need to let yourself breathe and relax! Many chemical changes occur in your body during and after pregnancy. Post-partum depression is also very common, which is why you shouldn’t let your weight make you feel down!
