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Winning at Post-Partum Weight Loss: Six Simple Strategies for New Moms — Part 1
By Susan Peach
[related
articles: part
1- part
2 - part
3]
A healthy pregnancy almost always
involves weight gain. But now that
baby’s here, you’re probably
wishing those extra pounds would hurry
up and disappear! While it won’t
happen overnight, these six simple
tips can help you lose that extra
weight in a healthy way. (If you’re
looking for parts 2 and 3 of this
article, you can find them both at www.mambomoms.com/articles.html
)
1) Try to relax and don’t be in
too much of a hurry to lose your extra
pregnancy weight. Remember, it took 9
months for you to put it on, and you
should give yourself at least half
that amount of time to take it back
off. In fact, eight to 12 months is
not an unreasonable amount of time to
give yourself. And even if it does
take a year to get back to your pre-
pregnancy size and shape, those pounds
are all the more likely to stay off
because you’ve lost them gradually.
You definitely should not be
thinking about weight loss at all in
the early post-partum weeks. Your body
needs this time to recover from giving
birth, readjust to its pre-pregnancy
state, and establish a milk supply for
your baby. Besides, most new moms find
that a fair amount of weight tends to
melt off all by itself in these first
few weeks as excess fluids retained in
late pregnancy are gradually shed.
Remember that gradual weight loss
based on sensible nutrition and
enjoyable physical activity is the
best path to permanent weight loss.
This applies whether or not weight
gain is due to pregnancy, but when you
are dealing with all the changes and
adjustments that come with having a
new baby, it’s all the more
important to take a slow and steady
approach so you don’t add to your
stress level.
And speaking of stress, recent
research shows that when you’re
stressed, your body releases hormones
that can contribute to weight gain. So
try not to add to your stress level at
this time by putting unreasonable
pressure on yourself to lose that
extra weight too fast. Instead, take a
long term approach and be sure to
incorporate some kind of relaxation
into your day, whether it’s having a
nap, a warm bath, or receiving a
relaxing back massage.
2) Eat well and nourish yourself
with healthy foods so you’ll have
the energy you need to care for
yourself and your baby. If you
restrict your calories you’ll
probably get tired, cranky, and lose
energy, making you less apt to
exercise and less able to take good
care of your baby.
Cutting back too much on your
caloric intake can also sabotage your
weight loss efforts by forcing your
body into “starvation mode.” When
your body isn’t getting enough fuel,
it becomes much more efficient at
using what you do give it, so that
over time you will actually gain
weight rather than lose it. You are
much better off to eat well and get
regular, moderate exercise to help
shed those extra pounds.
Remember though, that there is a
big difference between eating and
eating well! If you eat nourishing
foods you will probably feel full
sooner and you will likely need fewer
calories than if you eat “empty
calorie” foods like white bread and
french fries. Eat a variety of healthy
foods, including plenty of fresh
fruits and vegetables, and make sure
you are getting a proper balance of
the major nutrients (protein,
carbohydrate and healthy fats). You
may want to talk to your doctor or
midwife about continuing to take your
pre-natal multivitamin, or other
supplements, at least during the
immediate post-partum period.
Snacking is something you’ll
probably want to do a lot of, either
because you may not always have time
to prepare a meal, or because the
demands of caring for a new baby mean
you get hungry more often.
Here are a few ideas for good,
nutrient-dense choices for snack
foods:
• apple slices spread with low
fat cream cheese and sprinkled with
crushed walnuts
• yogurt with chopped fresh fruit
and nuts
• whole grain toast with nut
butter
• cheese with whole grain
crackers or rice cakes
• tomato or mixed vegetable juice
with a hard boiled egg
On the other hand, try not to
overdo it. Being pregnant or nursing a
baby is not a license to indulge in a
non-stop buffet of foods, even if they
are nutritious! Eat when you are
hungry, make healthy food choices most
of the time, and remember that your
baby is counting on you to choose
wisely if you’re breastfeeding, so
make those calories count nutrient-
wise.
In part two of this article,
you’ll learn why drinking plenty of
pure water is important to weight loss
in general, and to post-partum weight
loss in particular. You’ll also find
out how many calories a day you’ll
use by breastfeeding your baby. Part
three will teach you how you can burn
extra calories easily and enjoyably
without huffing and puffing at the
gym. You’ll also learn the secret
that savvy new moms use to
effortlessly burn up to an extra 200
calories a day —that’s 2 pounds a
month with no extra effort!
Susan Peach is a retired La Leche
League Leader, a dance and fitness
instructor, and mother to two teenage
boys. She is also the creator of Mambo
Moms, a fun and gentle Latin dance
based fitness program that helps new
moms get back in shape while spending
quality play time with their babies.
Find out more at http://www.mambomoms.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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