Most women typically gain weight during pregnancy. As long as it is not outside the current medical guidelines, it is considered healthy to so. However, once the baby is born, you are faced with having excess weight that you want to lose. Whether you are breastfeeding or simply adjusting to the new routine of having a baby at home, this is probably not the best time to attempt a fad diet or starvation process to lose that baby weight. Following a sound, well-balanced diet and exercise are the keys to healthy baby fat weight loss.
Step 1
Focus your daily food intake on whole grain foods, vegetables and fruits. These food groups will provide you with energy, without causing spikes in blood sugar that can be found in a diet filled with refined sugar choices. Be sure to include enough protein to maintain an appropriate energy level. When choosing meat, choose lean cuts or substitute other protein sources, such as beans or eggs, for protein sources.
Step 2
Breast-feed your infant. Breast-feeding burns up to 600 calories a day, according to the Breastfeeding website. Because of the calorie drain that breast-feeding does cause for nursing mothers, it is important for the mother to eat a well-balanced diet.
Step 3
Purchase only healthy food for the house. Removing temptation, such as snacks and sweets, from your surroundings will help you ignore any cravings you have to eat something that has no nutritional value.
Step 4
Join a weight loss support group. There is safety in numbers. If there is not a group in your area, you can start one that targets women who recently gave birth and want to lose the baby fat. Invite guest speakers, including physicians and nutritionists, to meetings. Maintain a supply of printed weight loss information for members to take home with them. Choose a weight loss partner in the group; the two of you can encourage each other to maintain healthy weight loss practices between meetings.
Step 5
Develop an exercise program. Get the go-ahead from your physician. Incorporate a 30-minute exercise routine into your life at least three times a week. Choose a routine that you will enjoy and be able to stick with. This can include joining a gym, taking walks, playing a sport or taking a dance class. Whatever you choose to do, make it a priority to follow through on a regular basis.
Photo Credit
- woman and scales on white background image by Serghei Velusceac from Fotolia.com
