Weight gain in pregnancy varies greatly. On average, women put on between 10-12.5 kg (22-28
lb). OK we loose some weight i.e. a baby and water and stuff during the birth between 10- 20 lbs but that still leaves
us with a fair bit of weight to lose, heres some tips on how to do it safely.
It would be wonderful if all of us just snapped back to our original weight and figure but the true fact contrary to what
the celebrity mums would have us believe it just doesn’t happen for the majority of woman. What you need to realise
is that many celeb mum’s have help from surgeons, hypnotherapist’s, nutritionists, personal trainers and nannies,
luxuries that us mere mortals can never afford. Do not despair it is possible to get your figure back it just takes longer
and you have to put in a bit more effort.
Most doctors recommend waiting until your 6 week check up before commencing any kind of strenuous exercise especially if
you've had a caesarean. This gives your body a chance to recover from the huge changes that it has under gone in some cases
it can take up to a year for you body to completely recover. That said, it is best to start your pelvic floor exercises and
taking gentle walks before this, when you feel ready.
Don’t crash diet!
During pregnancy you share all the nutrients you consume with your baby and it takes a few months
to replenish your stores after giving birth. For this reason it’s important not to diet too soon after your baby arrives,
instead it’s better to focus on healthy eating. This is especially important if you're breastfeeding as this burns up
to 500 calories a day. A healthy diet includes lots of fruit, vegetables and complex carbohydrates which are high in fibre
(such as brown rice, pasta and bread) and drinking lots of water.
We all know it can be difficult to eat healthy when you have a newborn baby most mothers just grab the nearest food when
they get the chance, often this is crisp, biscuits and other such treats that we feel we need because we are so tired. The
truth is that eating foods with high sugar or fat make you more sluggish and find you in an endless cycle of low and high
blood sugar. The trick for many women is just don’t have the bad things in the house or if they are for other members
of your family put them out of sight to help you avoid temptation. If all you have to snack on is fruit and other healthy
snacks then that is what you will eat. Try to have small regular meals and including healthy snacks between this should see
the weight slowly move you should aim for steady weight loss of roughly 1 lb a week for the best long term results. Rapid
weight loss often leads to rapid weight gain when the diet stops so don’t fall into that trap.
If you find you are struggling with your eating why not try Weightwatchers online, they have brought out a step by step plan that you can follow on line it is full of helpful ideas and advice and
over 1000 recipes and meal ideas to give you inspiration, they have helped millions of women over the past 35 years.
|
|
Feel the burn!
Oh God I hear you cry we have just given birth and feel like a character from the living dead due to
lack of sleep and now you want us to get hot and sweaty! The truth is that moderate exercise will give you more energy, don’t
believe us will give it a try and see. Once you've been given the ok by your doctor usually 6 weeks but longer if you have
had a C section. The key is to start gently and build it up start with a twenty minute walk and build it up to 3 -5 x 20 minutes
of physical activity a week. It is really important not to overdo it or you will be more likely to stop a slow build is best.
Once you build up your confidence it is good to vary you exercise, if you don’t fancy the gym there are lots
of other simple ways to get exercise into your daily routine.
- Buy a video - exercise videos can be great, there are several on the market that are aimed at new mums, such Davina Mc
Call
- Go to a class - Find an exercise class for new moms near you these are great places to meet other mums and can be less
daunting than traditional exercise classes.
- Become a water baby - swimming is a great all over exerciser and toner. It’s best to wait at least 6 weeks to minimise
chances of infection
Get on your bike - if you can’t face going out get an exercise bike and put some great music on and get pedalling
If you have any tips about how you lost your baby weight get in touch we would love to hear from you.
Read tips from real woman on how they managed to shift the baby bulge >>
|
