Weight Loss for New Mothers

So you’ve just given birth to that wondrous bundle of joy that was inside of you for 9 months. Congratulations! But what happened to you when you were “eating for two”? That’s right, now you look like there are two of you, except for one thing: you’re not carrying the baby anymore! So how can a busy mom find the time to loose weight and get back into the shape she was before? Read these tips and find out!

The most important to thing to keep in mind when you’re trying to loose weight after giving birth is that you can’t forget your new responsibilities to your child or children. If you set aside some time for yourself to work out in the living room, and your little one starts to cry – don’t worry about your work out, your precious child is much more important! So go ahead and hold your new baby. There will be time for getting back into shape later. But if you find yourself making up excuses instead of working on your return to your pre-baby weight, then please follow these tips.

The first step you should take to ensure you get back to your goal weight is to decide whether you’re breast feeding or not. Doctors and even baby formula creators agree that a mother’s breast milk is much more nutritious and healthy for a baby than anything else, so I highly recommend that you choose to breast-feed your child. The reason you should consider breast feeding is that breast-feeding requires a lot of calories and will significantly speed up your weight loss. You will need to eat healthily while you’re breast feeding because everything you eat will somehow affect your child. For example, my mother told me that once she had some spicy foods before she breast-fed me when I was a baby, and that I cried all night.

The recommended diet for breast-feeding mothers is as follows: lots of fruits, especially early in the morning. The healthiest fruits are berries, melons, citrus fruits and really just any fruit that you enjoy. Equally important are vegetables: you should have lots of green vegetables, preferably raw – which can be easily done by having a nice garden salad every day. Try to supplement a garden salad with some protein, like a small amount of fish or other meats. Another important thing to eat are some whole grains. This does not mean processed flour and pastas, this means natural cereals and whole breads. Just try to eat a balanced diet and don’t try to starve yourself, because remember you might not be eating for two anymore, but you’re breast-feeding, which is almost as demanding. Remember to eat at least 10 fruits and vegetables in one day and you should be on your way to great weight loss!

You will also want to exercise whenever you get a bit of free time. Of course you will be busy with visitors coming to see your baby, taking care of your new child, cleaning up, doing laundry, preparing meals and more. But to get your mind off of everything, you should go outside for a walk with your baby. You can get a stroller for your child or even better for weight loss: a “baby bag” as I like to call them. A baby harness that you can put on your shoulders and carry your baby in front of you. This is great exercise because you have to carry the baby’s weight along with yours. Take advantage of the outdoors and get a bit of exercise! Enjoy the sights, the fresh air and the company of your baby.

If you’re still having a hard time shedding those extra pounds, ask your husband to take care of the baby for an hour and head to your local gym. Do some cardio, some push ups and sit ups. As long as you feel like you’ve gotten a good work out, then great! You can always return in a few days and do some more work outs. If you don’t have access to a gym or you’d rather not leave the baby, then you can always do some sit ups and push ups in the comfort of your home. Try to do them every day, if only for 10 minutes or so. You’ll see an improvement in your weight eventually!

Now go on and move around your home while you’re baby is asleep and get back to your ideal weight. You’ll feel great and you’ll be able to spend more time with your new child!