Table of contents:
- When is it okay to lose weight after giving birth?
- The cause is difficult to lose weight after childbirth
- 1. Stress and fatigue
- 2. Lack of sleep
- 3. Rarely exercise
- 4. Fat reserves are not lost after childbirth
- How to lose weight after giving birth
- 1. Pay attention to daily food intake
- 2. Eat lots of "superfood"
- 3. Choose a good snack
- 4. Breastfeed the baby
- 5. Drink water
- 6. Exercise
The desire to lose weight after giving birth may be another priority for mothers besides looking after and caring for the baby wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, sometimes there are a number of things that cause weight loss after giving birth.
So, so that the postpartum diet is successful, see what ways you can try to lose weight after giving birth.
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When is it okay to lose weight after giving birth?
Your body needs time to fully recover after giving birth to a baby, including during the puerperium.
Instead of trying hard to lose weight immediately after giving birth, it's best to focus first on caring for your newborn.
Indeed, you may feel uncomfortable seeing a large belly, so you want to immediately find ways to tighten the stomach after giving birth and shrink the stomach after childbirth.
This condition is often the cause of the emergence of baby blues and develops into postpartum depression.
However, when you lose weight rapidly after giving birth, the body needs more effort and a longer time to recover.
That is why mothers are usually not advised to go on a diet immediately after (post) childbirth, but must first focus on recovery.
It is best to wait until about 6-8 weeks after giving birth or during postpartum examinations so that you can consult a doctor.
Ask various things you want to know, including the right time to lose weight after giving birth.
If you are breastfeeding regularly, it is a good idea to wait until the baby is about two months old or milk production is good enough before reducing daily food intake.
It's just that the diet of breastfeeding mothers that is too extreme is not really recommended because it is feared that it will have a bad impact not only on the mother, but also for the little one.
The cause is difficult to lose weight after childbirth
A mother's ability to lose weight after giving birth can vary. There are mothers who can quickly regain their ideal weight back to the way they were before pregnancy.
However, there are also mothers who need longer time to lose weight as before.
Some things that might make it difficult for you to lose weight after giving birth are:
1. Stress and fatigue
These two things are common for new mothers in the first few months after birth.
Stress and fatigue sometimes make mothers lazy to eat.
However, there are mothers who when experiencing stress and fatigue are also motivated to eat more.
This is what makes you accumulate a lot of calories in the body, even more than your daily needs.
As a result, it will be even more difficult for you to lose weight.
2. Lack of sleep
Lack of sleep can also lead to stress and fatigue. This can then disrupt the levels of hormones in the body that maintain appetite.
Stress in the body can also cause the hormone cortisol (stress hormone) to increase.
This in turn results in the mother's inability to metabolize calories efficiently.
Furthermore, the body's metabolism is slower which allows more fat to accumulate in the body.
3. Rarely exercise
Rarely doing sports after giving birth makes the calories that enter the body unused and eventually accumulates in the body.
This is what makes it difficult for you to lose weight after giving birth. It also encourages your body's metabolism to slow down. Metabolism also slows down as you age. All of these things can then make it difficult for you to lose weight and actually gain.
4. Fat reserves are not lost after childbirth
The mother's body stores fat reserves before childbirth to prepare energy during breastfeeding.
These fat reserves may not be easy to lose, especially for those of you who do not provide exclusive breastfeeding to babies.
Mothers who give formula milk to their children may find it more difficult to lose weight after delivery than mothers who breastfeed their babies.
How to lose weight after giving birth
If your doctor has given you the green light to lose weight, here are some ways you can try to lose weight after giving birth:
1. Pay attention to daily food intake
Paying attention to food choices every day actually plays a part if you want to lose weight after giving birth.
This method arguably includes a diet after (post) childbirth to help slim down the body that may be wider than before pregnancy.
What's more, if you are currently breastfeeding, of course paying attention to your daily food intake can help maintain the smooth production of breast milk.
Here are some efforts to pay attention to food intake that you need to do to lose weight after giving birth:
- Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains
- Eat lean protein sources
- Control portions of food at one meal
Do not forget, reduce "empty calories" in your daily diet as an effort to diet after (post) childbirth.
Foods with empty calories are foods that are full of fat and sugar, but don't contain the nutrients that are good for you.
Better avoid cake, cookies, sugary drinks such as soda and alcohol, and reduce consumption junk food like pizza and burgers.
2. Eat lots of "superfood"
Choose foods that are high in protein such as meat, chicken, and nuts. You also need calcium which can be obtained from milk, yogurt, and cheese.
Fish like salmon is also a good type of superfood because it contains DHA and omega 4 fatty acids which are good for your baby.
3. Choose a good snack
Snacking will not be a problem in losing weight after giving birth.
With a note, you need to choose healthy snacks and reduce snacks that contain lots of sugar and fat.
Choose snacks such as fresh fruit or unsweetened cereal, reduce unhealthy snacks such as soda, candy, and chips because they are high in calories but do not have enough nutrients.
Now there are also many snacks that are claimed to be able to support breast milk production.
Apart from being packaged in a delicious taste, this snack is useful for helping your breast milk to flow.
4. Breastfeed the baby
Breastfeeding is known to be good for health, but it turns out that breastfeeding is also good for reducing waist circumference.
Many women say that breastfeeding can help them get back on their old weight.
Interestingly, it turns out that breastfeeding a baby can be a way of the process of slimming down or slimming after childbirth.
This is because the stored fat and energy in the body are given to the baby through the breastfeeding process, launching from the Pregnancy Birth and Baby page.
Overall, mothers who breastfeed their babies usually lose weight faster during the first few months.
5. Drink water
You must drink lots of water. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell when you are thirsty and when you are hungry.
If you drink a lot of water at once, you may feel full and don't want to snack.
And if your body is dehydrated, it will burn calories more slowly. At least drink a glass of water every time you breastfeed.
6. Exercise
Another way that is no less important to get in shape after giving birth is by exercising.
According to the Mayo Clinic, you can start moderate exercise about 4-6 weeks after giving birth.
However, it would be better to consult with your doctor first in order to get the best time to start exercising after giving birth.
This is because the time you are allowed to exercise can be different during normal delivery and cesarean section.
Moreover, maybe when you just gave birth, you are still in the treatment period after a normal delivery and after a cesarean section.
The good news is, you don't have to bother exercising by going to the gym to lose weight after giving birth.
This is because there are various ways to exercise lightly that can be done at home and in the environment around the house.
Put your baby on a stroller while sunbathing in the morning and take him for a walk around the complex looking for fresh air.
Seeing people on the street and changing sights will prevent stress. Moving can strengthen your body and give you energy for activity.
You can start walking for example for 30 minutes with a frequency of 5 times a week.