Weight loss after pregnancy

Most women are eager to get back to their pre pregnancy weight and shape as soon as it is physically possible. However, what most women need to remember is the fact that it took nine months to get where you are today. Weight loss will be an ongoing process that can be achieved if you follow a healthy diet and do some easy activities. The main thing is to refrain from trying to lose weight too quickly or it can come back to you.

After experiencing pregnancy and giving birth, your body has gone through a lot of changes both physical and hormonal. You are going to need all the energy that you have in order to take care of yourself and your infant for the first month to six weeks. So do not put a lot o emphasis on cutting back on your nutrition while in this time frame.

It is more important to focus on eating a healthy, nutritionally sound diet. You can avoid foods that are high in fats as well as those foods or drinks that do not provide any nutritional value to your diet such as sodas, which have approximately 150 calories and are pure sugar. These are empty calories and are one way you can cut down your intake without risking your health or energy levels. It is advised as well to not substitute diet drinks for sodas as they have been shown to actually increase your appetite which can cause other problems.

Do drink lots of water each day. Water facilitates digestion and will help you to feel full for a time after drinking it. Take your prenatal vitamins as prescribed by your physician until told otherwise and eat a diet that is high in nutrition and vitamins.

It is important to take it easy for the first six weeks after giving birth. So it is not recommended that you start a vigorous work out routine until after that time. Most women gain approximately 30-35 pounds during pregnancy and average time to get back to pre pregnancy weight is around 4-6 months.

This does not mean you have to be sedentary though. You can incorporate twice daily walks which will help you to get some of your shape back as well as to tone your muscles and give you an good cardiac work out. This will help you to feel better and have more energy as well. Purchase a stroller if you do not have one already and on days that are nice, take your baby out with you on your walks. Pushing the stroller will help to burn a few more calories.

Talk with your physician at your six week postpartum check up and if they are in agreement, you can then start a diet that should continue to be nutritionally sound but cut down on calories as well as high fatty foods. This is the time to start to develop a 30 minute exercise program per day to get going on weight loss and toning for your body.

This does not apply to breastfeeding mothers. They require an additional 500 calories per day in order to produce the breast milk needed by their infant as well as increased fluids. Therefore it is not recommended at all for any mother who is breastfeeding to cut back on her diet unless it is empty calories mentioned above. Breastfeeding mothers can take advantage of doing a twice daily walk as well and this will help to greatly tone and shape their bodies. They should consult with their physician as well at their postpartum check up to see what exercises are permissible for them to do at that time.