During pregnancy, women tend to gain around 30-40 pounds. They will naturally lose half of that weight after birth in most cases, but what remains of it can prove very difficult to lose.
The excess weight that will naturally disappear is mainly due to water retention, and this is nothing to worry about. This weight can be identified as being the cause of at least some of the weight that gained if you notice that your fingers, ankles and feet are swollen.
Once the water weight has naturally shed itself, what remains is what you must work on to remove, as it will otherwise just remain. Here are some tips from a mother who used them personally to lose her pregnancy weight...
1. Drink twelve 8-ounce glasses of water a day, as this helps to flush out your colon. If you have a hard time drinking plain water, add lemon or lime juice (pure juice and not sugary substitutes) to the water.
2. You will be hungry so snack on non-fattening and low fat snacks (Nuts, raisins, whole-wheat crackers, etc.) as well as fruits and vegetables. Snacking on these will give you a feeling of fullness, meaning that you will be less likely to snack on fattening and sugary foods.
3. Avoid fatty meats. You can still eat meat though, so long as it is the lean variety, such as skinless chicken, tuna in water, lean beef, lean pork, or turkey.
4. Ask your family to support you by eating healthily too. It is always more difficult to stick to a healthy diet when those around you are eating unhealthy foods, so ask them if they can adopt your new healthy approach too, even if just for a few weeks.
5. Start walking as soon as you feel able to, with it being safe to do so, for most women anyway, within a week after giving birth. You should check with your doctor first, but they will probably be more than happy for you to take a walk for 10-15 minutes every day.
6. Breastfeed if possible, as doing so not only benefits your baby, but also helps to lose those excess pounds. In fact, it has been reported that breastfeeding burns about 500 calories a day.
Remember that losing weight the healthy way, is the best way, and that only taking such an approach will ensure that the weight loss is long-term. Whilst diet pills or skipping meals may seem like an easy option, they will in fact set you back in the long run, as you your weight will yo-yo, and you will be more susceptible to sickness.
There is no excuse for not doing any of these things, as none of them are unsafe or overly difficult. If you consistently do them in the weeks after giving birth then you will lose weight, it would be almost impossible not to!
More Weight Loss Resources: How To Lose Weight Or How To Lose Belly Fat
