This is a sponsored guest post.
During the pregnancy, your body inevitably changes, whether you like it or not. Although some things will go back to the way they were before the delivery, others might be more persistent. It is important to remember that your body needs some time after the baby is born to recover, so you should wait a couple of months before you start training and losing weight. If you go on a strict diet immediately after the pregnancy, a calorie deficit can decrease the quantity and quality of your milk. In order to lose weight in a healthy way, a pound and a half each week is more than enough. If you are worried that you won’t be able to shed off those extra pounds, here are several tips that might help you achieve your goal.
Know when to start exercising
You are probably anxious to get started with workouts and get yourself in shape, but if you had a C-section or tore during birth, you will need to wait a couple of weeks before you can hit the gym. On the other hand, if you had a vaginal birth without any complications, you will be able to start exercising a few days after your baby is born. Although you should stick to light aerobic exercise at the beginning, after your doctor has given you the green light you can incorporate pelvic tilts, lateral pelvic tilts, ab curls, oblique curls, squats, lunges and crunches into your workout routine. Online you can find amazing ab exercises that include holding your baby, or you can try these workouts for a well-sculpted booty.
Don’t do it on your own
The key to losing weight is support from your partner. If you are trying to pretend that you are full from a plate of salad and they are stuffing their face with pepperoni pizza, you won’t be able to make it one week without cheating on your diet. Therefore, make sure you are not going through this process all alone and discuss your goals with your partner. Together you can get rid of unhealthy snacks (and by getting rid of them I mean giving them to someone or throwing them out, not eating all of them in one sitting) and go shopping for healthier foods. More low-fat dairy, fish, lean beef, legumes, brown rice, eggs and leafy greens and less processed foods in both of your diets will do you good. Although you may believe that skipping meals will lead to a faster weight loss, it will only cause more cravings you won’t be able to control.
Put your cravings under control
Speaking of cravings, you will probably have a lot of them after the baby is born. You will be tired and sleep-deprived, which means you will crave unhealthy foods full of saturated fats, refined sugar, and salt. In order to stay healthy and lose weight, you will need to steer clear of sugary drinks, processed and fried foods, as well as alcohol.
Hydrate!
Staying properly hydrated throughout the day will not only satiate your cravings but boost your metabolism as well. In addition, drinking plenty of water is extremely important if you are breastfeeding because your body spends extra water producing milk.
Try to get a good night’s sleep
Yeah, this part probably sounds impossible with a new baby in the house, but keep in mind that not getting enough sleep can affect your weight loss efforts and increase the risk of retaining your pregnancy weight. This occurs because a tired body releases hormones that keep you going, but also slow your metabolism and force you to crave junk food. Therefore, try to nap when your little one falls asleep or ask friends and family for help.
Losing your weight after childbirth may seem daunting, but with these simple tips you will see that getting back in shape is not that complicated. Just get enough sleep, eat healthily and slowly incorporate workouts into your daily routine and your body will start to return to its previous form.
