Melt the Baby Weight: Shedding Pregnancy Weight is Easier Than You Think
Gone are the days of morning sickness and back braces. Now you have new things to worry about, like how to change a diaper and how you’re going to shift those pregnancy pounds. Just follow a few simple rules and you’ll have a post-baby body to rival the pre-pregnancy you!
The Do’s and Don’ts of Dieting
Don’t diet. Being a new mom is stressful enough without having to worry about whether what you’re eating is in the diet plan or just feeling constantly hungry. All it means is you’re more likely to crash later and totally cave into those cookies in the cupboard. According to Web MD, if you go back to eating healthily and eating for your hunger, most women find the weight comes off pretty naturally.
Everything you eat, the baby eats. If you’re nursing, remember that what goes into your body is even more important! The quality of your breast milk will always stay pretty much the same, but if you haven’t been eating enough of the right nutrients, it will just be taken from your own stores. Keep yourself and your baby healthy by consuming a diet high in superfoods, such as oily fish and low-fat dairy products. As an added benefit, some studies show that breastfeeding can actually help you lose weight!
Tips to Getting Fit
Take it slow. Firstly, stop comparing yourself to celebrities! They have personal trainers and are constantly being papped, they have more motivation in their little finger than most of us have in our entire bodies. Plus, what they’re doing isn’t always healthy. If it’s taken 9 months to gain the weight, losing it all in 1 means putting your body under a lot of stress it’s probably not ready for. Rather than committing to a gym membership that you may or may not find the time to use, you could invest in a total gym, with enough functions to switch up your workout as you get back to the old you! Make sure to choose one that suits your needs, such as the total gym force, designed specifically for weight loss and comfort.
Be realistic. If you didn’t have abs before you were pregnant, they’re probably not going to magically appear as soon as you lose the baby weight. Setting goals is good to help you stick to a healthy diet and exercise, but make sure they’re achievable so you can feel proud of yourself when you reach those milestones!
Your New Sleep Schedule
When baby’s sleeping, you should be sleeping. It’s a saying as old as time and when it comes to weight loss it’s incredibly important! Firstly, sleep controls your weight loss, meaning the well rested you will be burning up to twice as much fat as the sleep-deprived you. Secondly, lack of sleep makes you crave food. I’m not talking carrot sticks and wheat crackers, you’ll be reaching for the unhealthiest sugar hit you can find just to get you through the day. So do your body and your willpower a favour and catch some Zs!
A healthy mom is a happy mom!
