How to lose weight after pregnancy – Basic milky steps
Introduction
Weight gain during pregnancy and after pregnancy is REALLY underestimated. Obesity among MOMMIES is the most important epidemic issue for both the mother and the baby. You may have tried a lot during pregnancy to stay healthy, eat the right food for you and the baby and keep your weight stable. It may not have worked well as you thought the outcome would be. In this blog it will be discussed how you can lose weight after pregnancy with one basic step you maybe already know. I’ll just remind you how important this topic is.
Obstacles, Obstacles...
Every night waking up couple of times, because your baby is crying? Need to feed, need to change the diper? I can sum up the whole day what obstacles and tasks you might have. If there is any ease I can bring to you, I will. So lets jump to taking care of yourself first!
Airplance Rules...
Remember, in the airplane they announce that you need to take care of your OWN
safety first, and then take care of your child. The same goes to your health.
If you are healthy, you can take better care of your child.
Prolactine vs Obesity
Did you know that overweight/obese women have lower prolactin hormone response to suckling? This hormone is essential for the production of mother milk. Meaning that lower prolactin hormone is automatically less production of mother milk. It is possible that this could lead to premature cessation of breastfeeding. This is yet another reason to burn the FAT and stay HEALTHY.
1. Lose weight after pregnancy with nursing
Nursing, lactation, mothermilk, breastfeeding you name it! Very important for your baby, but for you too. You may have a lot difficulties breastfeeding your baby or even NOT produce any milk. Don’t be sad or upset. NOT producing milk, is mostly at the very beginning after pregnancy. Your body needs time to react to suckling. You are not a water tap. You can’t expect to produce immediate milk when your little one is suckling.
Studies have shown that lactation costs a lot of energy. This can result in weight loss. Especially breastfeeding the first 6 months leads to most weight loss. This does’nt mean that you need to breastfeed your baby 24 hours a day and leave the rest of the healthy lifestyle. No, breastfeed your baby frequently, make the oxytocin hormone, connect with each other. That’s it.
How long you need to breastfeed you ask? For the health of your baby, you need to try to breastfeed for at least 6 months and the best is 2 years. This way your baby will get the boost of his/her life against bacteria and viruses. He or she may develop good guts and have less chance on developing bowel diseases.
2. Eating the right food for breastfeeding
During lactation your vitamin A, B6, C, and minerals iodine and zinc will decrease with 50%. This means that you will need to eat more food containing these vitamins and minerals.
3 foods Rich in Vitamin A you need to consume:
- Eggs
- Carrots
- Liver
3 foods rich in vitamin B6 you need to consume:
- Tuna
- Chickpeas
- Bananas
3 foods rich in vitamin C you must consume:
- Kiwi
- Orange
- Lemon
3 foods rich in iodine you must consume:
- Dairy
- eggs
- beef liver
Eggs contain almost all vitamins and minerals you need, except for vitamin C. Try to eat nutrient dense, biological and unmanufactured/processed foods. Rather, choose for food you need to prepare yourself. When you go to the grocery store, your main target should be the fruit and vegetables section. Try to be blind when you pass the candies and cookies. You are craving for sugars and salty chips? Make these yourself…search for recipes.
3. What to drink while nursing
Drink water! I can’t emphasize this more. Water should be the main source of drinkables. As basic and obvious it may sound, water is lots of time neglected or consumed too less. The largest part of milk consists of water. The same goes to your body. When hydrated, your body will produce milk with less effort. Drink at least 1.5-2 litres of water. There are enough mobile apps to remind you drinking. This is not temporary, but a permanent daily routine you need to stuck with.
Water is your best bet
Water supports you in weight loss by lowering total calorie intake and upgrading your metabolism. Moreover, water will flush your guts, make the fibers you eat, work, and gives your brain extra volume so you can think clearly. Did you know that water deficiency makes your brains work 20% less? Now you know.
You can either choose to replace other drinks with only water (this is the best option), or you add (more) water to what you already drink daily.
Tea as the second option
You are trying and trying, but no result in drinking enough water? Try to drink tea (no added sugars of course). There are different kinds of flavour you can try out., except for tea cinnamon, fennel and anise. These contain plant poisions, which can be harmful for your baby. You can try out green tea, black tea, white tea, fruit tea and so on.
Theine in tea, caffeine in coffee
But, be awared, tea contains caffeine (called theine). Caffeine in tea as with in coffee, goes right into mothermilk. This is why you are allowed to only drink four cups of tea maximum daily. Furthermore, tea contains tannins and oxalates. These components are naturally found in tea, that are said to inhibit the absorption of iron. Thus, excessive tea drinking can result in iron deficiency. As with everything in life, moderacy is the key.
Conclusion
Weight loss is different for women while they are nursing. It should be addressed carefully, because mothers should also take breastfeeding into account. Whatever the mother eats, the baby eats. Whatever the mother drinks, the baby drinks. In this blog we talked about what you should eat and drink. In the future posts, we will talk about what not to eat and drink.
Pay attention to what kind of vitamins and minerals you need to take even more (vitamin A, B6, C and iodine, and zinc). I’ve given you good sources of food for each vitamins and minerals to consume.
I’ll give you more tips and tricks in future posts on how to lose that stubborn belly fat. If you have any questions….Do not hesitate and contact me. Want to know more about an easy workout plan after pregnancy? Check it out.
References
