Losing Pregnancy Weight
“I have Just Given Birth, How Do I Lose The
Pregnancy Weight?”
Losing weight after pregnancy presents a special type of
problem. There is no other time in a woman’s life is
she likely to gain as much weight in as short a period. And
after having a baby, particularly the first baby, life changes
radically. You might not have the time to exercise and if
you’re nursing, you can’t restrict calories. It
seems as though many of the usual ways to losing weight have
been cut off.
Though experts advise that a woman should gain no more than
about 27 pounds during pregnancy, but it is all easier said
than done. Some women report that they gained weight during
pregnancy despite of their effort to control diet, combined
with exercises. Some pregnancies just seem to demand weight
gain, this is especially true to women who are naturally thinner
than average to begin with. For a naturally ‘skinny’
woman to gain what might seem to be a huge amount of weight,
it can sometimes be sixty or even seventy pounds, and it is
just a common scenario during pregnancy. Pregnancy seems to
change the way that food is metabolized and fat is stored.
The amount of weight you gain during pregnancy could even
be due to genetic factor.
Of course, pregnancy food cravings also have something to
do with weight gain. We’ve all heard of some of the
bizarre cravings that pregnant women can get, actually, most
crave the nutrients they need the most. It is even common
for a vegetarian woman to crave for meat while she is pregnant.
These are cravings you can and should give in to, because
your body tells you what you need.
Some women also find that they need to eat during the first
trimester to get rid of the need to eat. ‘Morning sickness’
is actually a bit of a misnomer because it can happen at any
time of the day. But it usually happens when your stomach
is empty and your blood sugar is low. Some women pile on the
pounds during these first few months of pregnancy just to
keep from feeling sick all the time.
So, for one reason or another, many pregnant women find that
it’s very hard or impossible to control their weight
gain during pregnancy. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t
try, but if you keep a healthy diet and the weight still piles
on, just let it be. You’ll do more harm than good by
trying to diet during pregnancy. As long as you aren’t
binging or eating unhealthy foods, it is just the way that
your body needs you to gain weight.
Although you might lose ten or fifteen pounds during delivery,
there are many chances for you to lose weight after the baby
is born. Give it a month or so and you might find that most
of the weight disappears on its own during nursing. In fact,
that’s one of the reasons why women are programmed to
gain weight during pregnancy, when the baby is born, you need
that extra weight. It all gets converted to milk to feed your
baby. In fact, nursing full time can help you to burn about
500 calories a day, almost as good as a workout. At that rate,
you could lose a pound a week without even trying.
Although it is the case, but you might have to put some extra
effort to lose those last few pounds. After your baby is weaned,
that natural means of weight loss does not exist anymore and
you will have to incorporate workouts in your daily schedule.
If you don’t have the opportunity to exercise without
the baby, then you can just bring the baby along, which is
why jogging strollers were invented. Or boost your calorie
burning by carrying your baby in a front or back carrier while
you go for a walk or hike. The babies will love it, and for
you, it’s like carrying a constantly increasing weight
around with your for hours at a time, which is also a great
way to burn fat.
After you have a baby, it might make you feel as though the
baby has taken over your entire existence. In fact, it doesn’t
have to be that way. Take the time to reclaim your body and
your time, and face the challenge of motherhood with more
energy.
| 
