Immediately after giving birth, young mothers dream of returning to their original clothing size as quickly as possible. But this is not as simple as it seems at first glance. Caring for a child leaves no time for exercise, going to the pool, or going to the gym. Therefore, most women not only do not lose weight after childbirth, but, on the contrary, during the first year of the baby’s life they continue to gain excess weight.
For young mothers, this problem is one of the most pressing. On the playground, the topic of “weight” comes up almost every day. It turned out that every mother has her own secrets. If we combine all their recommendations together, we can identify six fairly original, uncomplicated and proven methods on how to lose weight after childbirth.
Newborn's daily routine
An incorrect daily routine is the most common mistake young mothers make. While the baby is awake, they are completely absorbed in him and practically forget about themselves. And as soon as the little one falls asleep, they rush to the refrigerator and try to eat for future use. It's actually very harmful. By refusing lunch, we expose the body to stress and force it to make reserves in the form of fat deposits. If we eat improperly, we not only gain extra pounds, but also suffer from constant fatigue. It is much healthier to eat often with your baby, at least 4-5 times a day, but in small portions. Even with the most restless child, you can always find ten minutes to have a light snack. And, most importantly, try never to finish your child’s food, even if the porridge is very tasty and it’s a pity to throw it away.
Masha is 33 years old, my daughter is 1.4 years old. During pregnancy, I gained 16 kilograms.
After giving birth, the weight, of course, decreased a little, but I was all somehow soft and curvy. I tried to take care of myself several times, but I never had any free time. The whole day I didn’t leave my daughter’s side. And when she fell asleep, I ran to the kitchen and emptied the refrigerator. Naturally, with this regime it is simply impossible to think about diet and proper nutrition. On the contrary, I tried to eat as much as possible for future use. And when my daughter was six months old, I started working from home (I’m an accountant). Now, while she was sleeping, I tried not to do other things, but to sit at the computer. That's why I started eating with my daughter. It turned out to be very convenient. By the way, thanks to regular meals, I became much less tired and now I weigh only 1.5 kilograms more than before giving birth.
Cosmetic procedures
This is real pleasure and benefit! Wraps are a great way to quickly and effectively lose weight. And you don’t have to go to a salon for beauty. To quickly lose weight after childbirth at home, you can do this procedure yourself. Regular, black, pink or blue clay is suitable for this. One such pack is inexpensive and lasts several times. Just check the composition for allergies by placing a little clay on the inner bend of your elbow. If irritation does not appear within ten minutes, you can safely wrap yourself. The effect can be enhanced by adding red pepper, cinnamon or ginger to the clay.
We invite you to watch a video that talks about the benefits of clay wraps and the technique of performing the procedure at home.
Lactation
Nutritionists say that women who feed their children themselves return to their previous shape much faster. This is due to the fact that breastfeeding promotes faster contraction of the uterus and its return to its prenatal state. Although many women, on the contrary, gain excess weight while breastfeeding. This is due to the fact that they consume huge quantities of dairy products, and even choose fattier ones, believing that this will improve breast milk. In fact, you don’t need to eat twice as much food, following the famous expression “eating for two.” However, food should be twice as healthy and rich in vitamins. After all, the baby does not need extra calories, but specific elements and vitamins.
Yana is 25 years old, my daughter is 2 years old. I breastfed my daughter until she was almost 10 months old. During pregnancy, I gained 14 kilograms and thought that now I was unlikely to return to my original shape. I didn’t follow any special diet, and I simply didn’t have time for sports. I left everything to chance. Naturally, I tried to eat the healthiest and most varied foods. Eating the same way as before giving birth, I gave part of the calories along with breast milk to my daughter. My grandmother even said that “the baby sucked all the juice out of me.” Now I am absolutely happy with my figure, I weigh 3 kilograms less than before giving birth, and I look ten times better.
Proper nutrition after birth
Don't try to go on a diet immediately after giving birth. Firstly, this is absolutely useless now. And secondly, while breastfeeding you need good nutrition. You just need to watch your diet. Food should not only be tasty, but also as healthy and varied as possible. It's no secret that childbirth is a huge stress for the whole body. And during critical periods, the body experiences a severe deficiency of three basic elements - proteins, iron and calcium. They should definitely be present in your diet every day. The richest foods in calcium are dairy products, cheese and fish. And proteins are necessary - both plant (nuts, soybeans, legumes) and animal (meat, fish, poultry, cheese).
In addition, the body loses a fairly large amount of iron during heavy postpartum bleeding. By the way, with iron deficiency it is almost impossible to lose weight, since it promotes the production of a special enzyme that affects fat burning. Therefore, every day it is necessary to eat foods rich in iron (seafood, lean meat, liver, eggs, legumes, nuts and wholemeal bread).
Marina is 27 years old, her daughter is 3 years old. I really like to eat delicious food.
During pregnancy, I decided not to deny myself anything and gained 18 kilograms. Deep down, I really wanted to lose weight. But she understood that this was practically impossible and did not even make any effort. When my daughter was four months old, my husband and I decided to get married. I really wanted to wear a beautiful white suit to my wedding. And I was determined to lose excess weight. First, I reduced the amount of food I consumed by exactly half. And then I tried to replace all the “harmful” foods with less high-calorie and more healthy ones. By the way, some of them are much tastier. I lost 11 kilograms in a year and looked absolutely gorgeous at the wedding. And now I weigh exactly the same as before giving birth. But I'm not going back to my old diet.
Pregnancy and excess weight
According to existing standards, during the period of bearing a child, a pregnant woman should gain no more than 12 additional kilograms. If this figure has not been exceeded, then the extra pounds will disappear during childbirth , as well as in the first weeks of recovery after it. However, those women who gained too much weight during pregnancy , gaining 20 or more kilograms, as a rule, find it much more difficult to return to their previous, familiar forms. Therefore, it is necessary to think about the upcoming recovery already during the period of bearing a child, without trying to eat too much. There is a fundamentally incorrect opinion that a pregnant woman should eat for both herself and the baby, that is, a double portion. Psychologically, such a statement prepares the expectant mother to believe that excesses during the period of bearing a baby are quite acceptable.
At the same time, consuming much more calories, a woman moves less due to her position. As a result, there is no consumption of energy obtained from food.
In addition, during pregnancy, the female body experiences tremendous stress due to serious restructuring. Special mechanisms are launched in the body aimed at protecting the unborn child. It is for this purpose that a layer of fat actively accumulates on the stomach, hips, and sides. Features of the figure and, in particular, its changes during pregnancy also depend on genetic predisposition. Therefore, if overweight , then she is more likely to become overweight. In addition, the distribution of fat in a pregnant woman occurs approximately the same as it was in her mother.
Significant weight gain occurs when a woman develops gestosis and other pathologies that provoke fluid retention.
As a result, statistics show that 40% of women over 30 are overweight. And after the age of forty, half of women already have extra pounds.
Thus, if a woman gained more than 13 kg during pregnancy and remains overweight for six months after the birth of the baby, then in this case we are talking about long-term obesity and the possibility of subsequent endocrine disorders .
Hiking
Many mothers are lazy and limit themselves to walks on the balcony. By the way, this is one of the most common causes of childhood colds. Consider walking with a stroller not as a duty, but as an extra opportunity to take care of your figure. Everyone knows race walking. The average speed of a person is 4-5 kilometers per hour. It is advisable to walk with your baby twice a day for 2-3 hours. And one hour of intense walking burns approximately the same number of calories as three hours of exercise. So calculate how many benefits you can get by walking with a stroller. True, for this you need to walk at a fast pace, in comfortable shoes and with a straight back.
Oksana is 21 years old, my son is 2 years old. I am one of those women who tend to be overweight. Before pregnancy, I constantly monitored my weight, went on low-calorie diets and regularly went to the gym. As luck would have it, during pregnancy I constantly wanted buns, cakes and chocolate. Naturally, I could not deny myself this weakness. In nine months I gained 26 kilograms and was in despair. It was impossible to go on a diet right away, since I was breastfeeding. But there was simply no time for the gym. Therefore, I decided to take daily walks to my advantage. For a year, every day, in almost any weather, I went for a walk for 3 hours. I set myself a target of 10 kilometers a day. But after three months it doubled. By the way, while walking quickly you get much less tired than from wandering around with a stroller for no reason, trying to kill time. Now I weigh only 4 kilograms more than before giving birth. Unfortunately, my son grew up quickly, and it became much more interesting for him to sit in the sandbox than to ride in a stroller.
Exercise for two after childbirth
The main reason for excess weight is the lack of necessary physical activity or, as experts say, physical inactivity. Even consuming a minimum of fat and eating only vegetables and fruits, in the absence of exercise, a person becomes fat. The fact is that during muscle work, fat is consumed. And when lying on the sofa, each candy is deposited on the sides. Of course, a small child does not contribute to a sedentary lifestyle. But when working with your baby and doing homework, try to give stress to all muscle groups.
In addition, carrying a baby in a kangaroo is a good exercise for a mother. This exercise promotes good posture, as well as strengthening the back and abdominal muscles. By periodically changing your baby's position (front or back), you will provide stress on different muscle groups. In addition, the baby is constantly gaining weight and, therefore, the load on you does not increase sharply, but gradually. When my child was six months old, I thus, without any diets, lost exactly as many kilograms as he had gained during this time.
Alina is 22 years old, her son is 11 months old. During pregnancy, I only gained 9 kilograms. Everyone said that after giving birth I would quickly regain my previous shape. But, unfortunately, this did not happen. I haven't lost much weight. It felt like my stomach was simply spreading over my sides and thighs. I tried several times to start doing exercises, but I never had any free time. When my son began to learn to crawl, I looked with envy at his muscular legs and butt. And then I decided to try to repeat all the movements after him. It probably looked very funny from the outside. We lay down on the floor together and crawled after each other for 2-3 hours a day. I tried to copy all my son’s movements. We've been crawling like this every day for three months now. Firstly, my son is simply delighted. And secondly, my cellulite has practically disappeared, and my legs and thighs have become surprisingly firm, without excess fat. Now I'm thinking it's time to start pumping up my abs.
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Psychological attitude
Also, do not forget about the psychological factor. During the postpartum period, a woman may experience depression, sudden changes in mood, tearfulness and self-pity. At such moments, it seems that only something sweet can lift your spirits. Many women resort to food when faced with insoluble psychological problems.
It just seems like it will get easier. In fact, just after you finish chewing, you will already regret what you did. You can't beat stress with chocolate. Or at least try replacing chocolates with pears or apples and you will see that not only your mood, but also your well-being will improve significantly.
Irina is 20 years old, her son is 8 months old. After giving birth, I returned to my previous shape in almost a few weeks. And then suddenly she started to get better. For the first two months I was terribly depressed. I could not love my child, he was a complete stranger to me, and I considered myself a bad mother. It also seemed to me that my husband had lost all interest in me and I didn’t believe anything he said. I just didn't know what to do. And she constantly ate her grief with ice cream and candy. My mother-in-law saved me. When I came to my senses, I looked more like Carlson than a woman. Now I'm slowly but surely trying to lose weight. And when I’m in a bad mood and want to eat something tasty, I buy fresh fruit instead of ice cream and sweets. It’s tasty, healthy, and doesn’t affect your figure in any way.
Analyzing the diet
So is it possible to lose weight during pregnancy? And if so, then how can this be done? First you need to evaluate your past and conduct a detailed analysis of your diet. After giving birth, you need to pull yourself together and stop overeating. There is a false belief that the quality of milk directly depends on the abundance of nutrition. This is wrong. The hormone prolactin influences milk production, but it has nothing to do with nutrition. Therefore, you can safely change your diet, making it more balanced and correct.
