Never has there been more pressure to maintain a healthy weight than today. When you take into consideration the fact that the average woman gains 25 to 35 pounds during the course of her pregnancy, it is obvious why so many new mothers are eager to lose that extra weight. While your health, and your new baby’s health, should always be paramount, there are a few powerful tips that can help you lose that extra weight. Here are five of them:
1. Perhaps the most powerful tip on losing weight after pregnancy is simply to breast-feed. Not only does it provide numerous benefits to both mother and baby, but it burns a massive amount of calories. Breast-feeding between six and eight times a day, the average mother can burn up to 500 calories in 24 hours. That’s equivalent to about a pound of body weight per week.
2. Another powerful tip is to cut out sugary drinks. Drinking only a couple cans of cola per day can add up to an extra pound of body weight in just 10 days. Juice, while containing more nutrients, is not much better. Simply replace these sugary drinks with water and not only will you stay hydrated better, but you will lose your pregnancy weight at a much quicker pace.
3. Keep convinient and healthy snacks available to you. New mothers often don’t have the time to cook healthy meals, so it is no wonder that so many of them resort to junk convenience foods. However, with a little preparation you can put together healthy, convenience snacks for the times you don’t have to prepare healthy food. Some ideas include trail mix, raisins, sliced fruit, whole grain crackers, low fat cheese, or sliced vegetables with a low-fat dip.
4. Set reasonable goals for yourself. The average mother games about 30 pounds during her pregnancy. About 10 of these pounds are lost during childbirth, leaving the mother with 20 additional pounds after pregnancy. A reasonable amount of time to lose this weight should be between six and 12 months. Trying to lose the weight much quicker than that is not only unhealthy, but unreasonable and thus will sap your motivation when you fail to achieve your unrealistic goal.
5. Begin light exercise as soon as your doctor gives you the green light. While taking small steps, such as going for a 20 minute walk with your baby, may not seem like much, it is important to establish a routine of exercise. When you are able to become more active you can expand on this, but the sooner you begin exercising, the more comfortable you will be with it in the future.
Obviously, you need to check with your doctor before implementing any of these techniques. However, when you are ready to begin losing your pregnancy weight, these tips are sure to help him.