Effective Tips to Lose Baby Weight After Birth

Most women gain anywhere from 9 to 18 kilos during pregnancy and if you're like most new moms, you're eager to put away your maternity clothes and slip into your old jeans. It is very normal to feel the need to lose the baby weight that you have gained but you need to understand the right and the healthy way to do it for your body. Here are some Effective Tips to Lose Baby Weight After Birth.

Losing weight after you've had a baby is not the same as dieting just because you're overweight: New moms are sleep deprived, crunched for time, and caring not just for themselves, but for an infant, as well. Your body goes through a lot, so you shouldn't start any crazy dieting or restricting calories for at least six weeks or longer if you’ve had a C- section and start exercising only after your postnatal check-up.

Accepting the weight and dealing with it positively will put you in a better mind space to deal with it and there is no shame in baby weight. You can't compare yourself to any other woman, because every body is different and hence their needs are different too. Every new mom can get back to her pre-baby body, but the best way to do that is to figure out how to make it work for yourself and to listen to your own body.

Also Read: Lower Back Pain During Pregnancy – Causes & Treatment

Tips To Help You Lose Weight

Be Patient and Realistic:

Set weight goals before beginning and make sure that they are realistic. You also need to be patient and realistic with yourself and your body and should definitely wait a few weeks before jumping into diet and exercise. Also remember that losing pregnancy weight will be different from losing normal weight. You need to eat certain foods after pregnancy in order to breastfeed well and to help your body recover from giving birth.

Hydration:

Drinking water is an important tip whether you are trying to lose weight after pregnancy or otherwise. Water flushes out toxins from your body and also brings about fluid balance. Additionally, it will reduce excess fat from the body too. Drinking plenty of water is good for the skin as well. Having warm water with lime and honey first thing in the morning will help detoxify your body and help you lose weight. Having a glass of green tea also helps.

Breastfeeding:

Breastfeeding has benefits for both mom and baby. It helps build and support immunity of the baby and is filled with required nutrients for the baby hence lowering the risk of getting infected by diseases. It has been seen that women who breastfeed have a lower risk to breast cancer, ovarian cancer, diabetes and post-pregnancy depression.

Breastfeeding also supports weight loss post birth. Breastfeeding makes your body burn calories which helps you lose weight. If you are patient, you may be surprised at how much weight you lose naturally while breastfeeding. Actress Emily Blunt said that she lost all her post pregnancy weight by breastfeeding.

Eat to Lose Weight:

Don’ts:

• Do not crash diet. It does not work well for the body.

• Try to limit sodas and caffeine.

• Do not skip meals, it doesn’t help you lose weight nor does it help you stay healthy.

• Avoid added sugar and refined carbs.

• Do not consume Alcohol especially when you are breastfeeding.

• Unhealthy snacking should be avoided.

• Avoid highly processed food.

You should Eat:

• Eating 5-6 small meals with healthy snack breaks in between is recommended.

• Breakfast is a must and should not be skipped at any cost.

• Try to choose non-fat or low-fat dairy products.

• Choose Broiled or baked rather than friend

• High fibre Foods such as – Whole grain breads, Brown rice, Nuts such as almonds or sunflower seeds, lentils, kidney beans, carrot, beets, broccoli, russet/red/sweet potatoes, Banana, Oranges, Mangoes, etc.

• Food rich in Calcium – Celery, Chia Seeds, Parmesan cheese, Cottage cheese, Yogurt, beans and lentils, almonds, Spinach, kale

• Iron rich food – Tofu, Soybeans, Lentils, Chickpea, Flaxseeds, Pine nuts, Leafy greens, Tomato, Mushrooms, Olives, Oats

• Eating rice, jaggery, sugar, and cashew nuts is good post-pregnancy.

• Including ghee, bajra, aaliv, buttermilk, jaggery, roti, and other foods high in vitamin B12 in your diet helps get rid of dark circles.

• Choose healthy proteins – eggs, lean meats, legumes, nuts, seeds, paneer

• Try to eat meals at home

Sleep:

Lack of sleep has a negative impact on your body. Lack of sleep doesn’t help in weight loss but causes retention of weight. Being a new mom, it must be difficult to get enough sleep but fitting in a schedule to sleep by asking help for your loved ones will help your body. Sleeping when your baby sleep will also work!

Also Read: Gestational Diabetes – Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis & Treatment

Exercises:

Walking:

Going for walks with your baby is a great way to start. Walking after pregnancy is better than running on the treadmill. Starting with gentle walks would be ideal. You can then increase or expand your routine as you feel stronger by speed walking or jogging or going for longer walks. Do not overdo it. If you feel too tired, you should stop.

Resistance training:

Resistance training like weight training helps you lose weight but also retain muscle mass. This is a great way to lose post pregnancy weight.

Yoga and Power yoga:

Yoga is a great form of exercise that helps you keep not just your body healthy but also your mind. A great Indian form of exercise helps you calmly lose weight while strengthening your mind and body.

Swimming:

Swimming is another great exercise to shed some weight. Do not go swimming without getting a post- natal check first and consulting your doctor. You're vulnerable to infections from pool water while your womb is still healing. 

Ab crunches: 

Another exercise routine that has proven results and that being - strengthened belly and super strong core muscles. As you know, your body burns more calories to maintain muscles than fat. It is also proven that crunches help you in maintaining a good posture and helps supports you while you left heavy objects as well as help in easy rotation and twisting of your waist.

Deep Belly Breathing With Abdominal Contraction

This is a great exercise and is so easy that you can do it continuously for up-to an hour. It helps you relax your muscles, and it starts strengthening and toning your abs and belly.

How It’s Done: Sit upright and breathe deeply, drawing air from the diaphragm upward. Contract and hold your abs tight while inhaling and relax while exhaling. Keep a record of the counts you could hold your breath; and gradually increase the counts until you think you can. Do not overdo it.

Kneeling Pelvic Tilt:

This exercise helps tone your tummy and strengthen your abs. Strengthening your abs helps relieve back pack.

How It’s Done: Start on all fours, toes touching the floor behind you, arms straight down from your shoulder line, palms touching the floor. Your back should be relaxed and straight, not curved or arched. As you inhale, pull your buttocks forward, tilting your pelvis and rotating your pubic bone upward. Hold for a count of three, and release.

Kegels:

This classic exercise helps in strengthen the pelvic floor muscles which support the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum. They also help to reduce risks of incontinence associated with childbirth. The more kegels you do, and the longer you hold them, the better control you will have over those leaks caused by sneezing, laughing, or picking up your baby.

How They’re Done: The first step is to identify the muscles that control the urine flow. Then tighten the muscles and count till 8, and then release the muscles slowly by counting till 10.repeat 10 times, 3 times a day. Make sure of the fact that you perform this exercise while your bladder is empty, and to be performed in sitting or lying down position only.

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How do they do it?

Celebrities while have to maintain a reputation and image in the public eye, they also do not escape the baby weight that comes with pregnancies. Whether its Beyonce or Kareena Kapoor Khan, they’ve all had kids and they all look like they just walked out of a photoshoot! So how did they do it?

Here are a few Celebrity Mom stories to take inspiration from:

Kareena Kapoor Khan:

Kareena Kapoor Khan has always been media’s favourite, be it for her movies, her speechless transformation to zero-figure, or her now impeccable fashion sense. She was under the eyes of the paparazzi throughout her pregnancy and looked stunning throughout wearing those long comfy fashionable gowns she even made pregnancy look fashionable. Kareena is a firm believer that new moms should be proud of their bodies.Although, she was back in shape sooner than you could have imagined. Soon after her pregnancy, she worked on her weight loss goals and lost 32kgs after her pregnancy. This is what her weight-loss regimen was:

• Kareena’s weight loss diet included eating foods rich in iron and calcium. She drank one tall glass of milk every single night.
• Two of her meals included rice every day, which she said is a must and she said that eating rice, jaggery, sugar, and cashew nuts is good post-pregnancy.
• She said walking is the safest exercise post-pregnancy.
• One of her exercises post-pregnancy included ‘Aerial Silk Yoga’.
• She suggested it is all about patience. It is not about losing weight overnight but strengthening your core muscles.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Aishwarya Rai’s steady rise to becoming the biggest actress in Bollywood has made her a household name and a role model for millions. Yet when she gained weight post-pregnancy, something which is very natural, she found herself at the middle of controversy. No respect was given to the fact that she was a new mother and accomplished women. Instead, she received a lot of backlash for it .In this atmosphere of negativity, any person would have crumbled but not Aishwarya. She knew that she had to get back to the top of her game and for this, the first thing to do was to bring her weight under control. Aishwarya Rai’s weight loss after her baby was based on a progressive plan. It included:

• Plenty of boiled vegetables and cutting down on fat.
• Brown rice as it’s high in fibre and helps increase the body’s metabolism.
• Enough water intake along with consuming fresh fruits and juices to stay hydrated.
• A strict ‘no’ to junk food.
• One of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s weight loss tips is to practice yoga in addition to healthy eating. She’s not a believer in gym workouts.

Mandira Bedi

The actress and television presenter became an epitome of fitness when she managed to shed 22 kgs in just 6 months inspite of having a C-section. She was advised to take 40 days of rest, which she did and started her workout day 41 with walking. Walking soon turned into running and 6 months later she was back to her pre- pregnancy weight. Mandira says that she feels stronger after motherhood and that helped her run both her half marathons after birth. She also says - Mums-to-be, try and lose your post-pregnancy weight as soon as possible. Do not put it off for later. Also, if you have a C-section, be very cautious while resuming workouts. Mandira Bedi’s weight loss after pregnancy was based on a strict, regimented programme.

• 5 days a week of the gym with circuit training, running and spinning.
• Power yoga, which helps reduce weight quickly.
• A healthy breakfast consisting of scrambled egg whites, milk, and fruits. Check out more celebrity breakfast ideas here; they are all packed with health!
• Mandira Bedi’s weight loss diet also includes dal, roti and sabji for lunch, and a no-carb dinner.
• For snacks, she munches on corn, soya and sprouts.
• Never exercise on an empty stomach.
• Listen to your body

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