Tag: pregnancy

Lose Weight While Breastfeeding

It is good for your developing baby to gain weight during pregnancy. Now that you are nursing your baby, you will definitely want to lose weight while breastfeeding and regain your pre-pregnancy shape. Here are some tips to apply that will enable you to lose weight while you are breastfeeding your baby.

Breastfeed your baby

Exclusive breastfeeding is a veritable means of burning excess fat. Your body produces milk using the nutrients you consume. This process requires a lot of energy, meaning that more fats and calories will be burnt down for more energy to be released to the cells of your body for their proper functioning. Breast milk also contains fatty acids. These fats that would have been stored in your body are given out through breast milk for the nourishment of your baby. Breastfeeding, in other words, helps you to cut down an extra pound.

Eat a balanced diet

Your breastfeeding period is not a time to go on a diet or to start fasting in order to lose weight. You may feel that you are eating more than you should. There is nothing wrong with that. You will easily become hungry because more fats are burnt down and the nutrients that are used to produce breast milk need to be replaced quickly. You should consume a balanced diet and snack more on fruits and vegetables, in order to make sure that you are well-nourished. This will ensure that your body obtains all the essential food ingredients, vitamins, and minerals from the food you eat.

Drink enough water

If you want to lose weight while breastfeeding, it is important that you drink enough water. First, taking much water will help to keep you hydrated because you are giving out a huge quantity of water through breast milk. 50% of the content of breast milk is made up of water. You need to replace the lost water by drinking enough water.

Engage in some exercise regime

Doing some exercises will also help you to reduce weight and regain your pre-pregnancy shape while you are breastfeeding. Regular exercise improves the metabolic process of your body and helps you to obtain lean muscles easily. So, you should add exercise in your post-pregnancy plan. The type of exercise to do depends on your health status. Strolling around or doing some form of yoga is a good option for you. You can discuss it with your doctor or a fitness expert to advise you in this regard.

Have time to relax and reduce stress

Being stressed up while breastfeeding can make you add more weight. More stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline are produced by the body when you are stressed. These hormones reduce the rate of digestion; increase your heart rate and decrease the circulation of blood to digestive cells. This will make you gain more weight. It is, therefore, important that you avoid stress when you are breastfeeding your baby.

Following the above tips will enable you to lose weight when you are breastfeeding.

How to Lose Weight Gained During Pregnancy

It is normal for pregnant women to gain weight. Experts even advise pregnant women to add weight because it is health wise good for them. However, as it is said in common parlance, too much of everything is bad. Gaining too much weight when you are pregnant is not good. If you are gaining too much weight, then you have to work on that. Checking your weight while pregnant should not mean going on a weight loss program. There are acceptable means through which you should avoid too much weight gain while pregnant. Here are some tips to apply in this regard.

Do not start a weight loss diet

Even if you are obese or overweight, you should not get involved in any weight loss diet unless your doctor recommends that you. If you start dieting when you are pregnant, you are endangering the life of the developing baby. The baby will be deprived of the necessary vitamins, minerals, and calories required for normal development.

Meet with your doctor or dietician

If you feel that you are gaining too much weight or that you need to change diet, it is advisable that you discuss it with your doctor or a dietician. Do not just change diet on your own without a piece of expert advice. The doctor or dietician will examine your case and advice you on what to do.

Drink enough water

Drinking enough water will do you a lot of good. First, it will keep you hydrate and also make you feel full so that you will crave for more food. However, you should be careful not to starve yourself or get yourself filled up with water to the extent that you no longer eat well.

Eat a small portion for many times

Eating a small portion frequently is a good way of getting enough nutrients and at the same avoiding becoming overweight. Having food in your system always no matter how little it keeps your digestive system working and also improves your metabolism which is a process through which excess fat is burnt down. It will also help you to deal with some of the symptoms of pregnancy like nausea.

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Say no junk foods

Snack on fruits and vegetables rather than on junk foods.  Junk and processed foods like the candy bar and others will make you gain too much weight but will not provide enough nutrients to your baby.

Understand your calorie needs

If you have a normal weight before pregnancy, you should make sure that you obtain about 1900 to 2500 calories on a daily basis. But if you are already overweight or obese or underweight before pregnancy, you should meet with your doctor. This is because calorie need for underweight or obese people varies from person to person. So, your doctor will help you determine how many calories you should consume on a daily basis.

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