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Winning at Post-Partum Weight Loss: Six Simple Strategies for New Moms — Part
2
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’ve
missed part 1 of this article, or want
to read part 3, you can find them both
at
http://www.mambomoms.com/articles.html)
3) Drink plenty of water. You will
probably be very thirsty if you are
nursing your baby and you should drink
as much as your thirst dictates. But
even if you’re not breastfeeding,
lots of pure water is important in
your quest to shed those pregnancy
pounds.
First of all, water has no
calories, so when compared to other
beverages, it’s hands down the best
bet in terms of weight loss. Diet soft
drinks and other low calorie beverages
may have only a couple of calories,
but your body craves pure water in
order to be able to function properly.
Besides, many people are concerned
about the artificial sweeteners used
in these products, and caffeinated
diet drinks may increase fussiness in
your baby if you’re nursing. Go
ahead and indulge if this is something
you just can’t live without, but
make sure you’re not doing it at the
expense of your water needs.
Secondly, water is helpful in the
process of burning stored body fat.
Studies have shown that not drinking
enough water can hinder your weight
loss efforts because the liver has to
work harder to metabolize waste when
your body is not properly hydrated.
And finally, drinking enough water
will help you feel full so you eat
less. This is especially true if
you’re eating lots of high fiber
foods such as whole grain breads and
cereals. The fiber in whole grains
will absorb water, making you feel
full longer.
Other liquids are fine too, such as
juice, milk (dairy or substitutes),
and herbal teas. But do try to stay
away from those empty calorie soft
drinks and anything that’s labeled
“beverage,” “punch” or
“drink” instead of “juice.”
And even though they may be considered
healthful, watch your intake of pure
fruit juices. Juices contain nutrients
that your body needs, but they are a
very concentrated source of sugar as
well. Whenever possible you are better
off to eat a piece of fresh fruit and
drink water for thirst.
You should also try to limit your
intake of coffee and caffeinated tea.
Doing so may help both you and your
baby regulate your sleep habits. Some
babies get very fussy and hard to
settle when mom is breastfeeding and
drinks caffeinated beverages.
Drinking lots of water is one of
those things that seems easy in
theory, but in practice it can be
difficult to accomplish. One effective
strategy to help make sure you get
enough is to place water bottles
strategically around the house. You
can buy small plastic bottles of water
by the case at the grocery store or
you can buy the refillable type of
bottle that you might take to the gym
or on your bike.
Put a bottle anywhere you spend
time during the day: near your favorite
nursing chair (put several
here—you’ll probably use them
all!), near baby’s change table, on
the bathroom counter, on top of the
washing machine, on the kitchen
counter, on your desk, on a shelf near
the front door, beside your bed, on
the kitchen table, etc. Each morning,
spend 3 or 4 minutes making the rounds
collecting yesterday’s empty bottles
and replacing them with fresh ones.
This way, you’ll be more likely to
drink lots of water because there will
always be some close at hand.
4) Breastfeed your baby if at all
possible. Depending on the age and
weight of your baby, you can use
around 800 calories a day producing
milk for her. Besides the host of
other benefits that breastfeeding
affords both you and your baby,
quicker postnatal weight loss is one
advantage that all new moms welcome.
Even if you are returning to work or
can’t breastfeed full time for any
reason, any amount of breast milk is
good for your baby, and as a perk,
will help you use up additional
calories for as long as you are able
to continue.
In addition, breastfeeding releases
natural hormones that help you relax.
Since the hormones released when you
are stressed can contribute to weight
gain, it only makes sense to counter
this with activities that help you
relax. Breastfeeding is a wonderful
way to do this, and you and your baby
will also benefit in so many other
ways. If you need more information or
support with breastfeeding, visit La
Leche League International on the web
at http://www.LaLecheLeague.org
In part three of this article
you’ll learn ways to burn extra
calories easily and enjoyably without
sweating it out 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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