It’s a given that 9 months of pregnancy with its hormonal ups and downs, then the trauma of the delivery, and now the postpartum woes, plus the added stress of a new life that is your responsibility is a lot of baggage to have to carry, so when you are thinking of dieting after pregnancy and delivery, just give yourself some breathing room and pace yourself.
Getting back to the way you were before you were pregnant is going to be a hard row to hoe especially when you have the baby to consider too, and you should steel yourself against all the caterwauling that the marketers will be doing trying to convince you that their magic panaceas for rapid weight loss are the things you should be focusing on. Remember that dieting after pregnancy should be something that you do every day diligently, something that is long term, and something that will produce permanent weight loss and help you keep it off. Allow your body to come back to a normal flux in hormonal surges before you take on dieting—usually about 3 months—and then you will be ready both mentally and physically to take on a dieting plan. You are not stupid, nor are you gullible—so ignore those marketing claims that tell you that weight loss will be yours if you just take this magic pill and do nothing else. T’ain’t so.
The main thing to remember when you are starting a dieting plan after pregnancy, is to make sure it is a long term plan with moderate weight loss and stocked with nutritionally sound foods as well as a modicum of exercise. Ignore all that flap about starstruck celebs falling in love with some magical berry from the wilds of the darkest jungles, or some heretofore unheard of cactus that has been discovered in the nick of time so you can partake of its powerful dieting juices. What drivel. Don’t get snookered and don’t waste your time and money. There is no overnight panacea for weight loss.
Another area you have to tread carefully in is that of dieting supplements. Some are necessary-like vitamins and minerals; some will help with appetite suppression; and some are just out and out scams. Take the time to familiarize yourself with what is right for your body now that you are on the other side of the hill pregnancy-wise; and learn what these various supplements can do. Some can be down right dangerous because they speed up your metabolism (ie your heart), can produce the shakes, or the sweats, and make you feel like you are coming apart. Steer clear of anything with ephedrine in it—a lot of products containing it have been pulled off the market already—-and be wary of the herbal products. Just because it says it’s natural doesn’t mean it can’t kill you—-nightshade is natural and so are poison mushrooms.
Many studies have been done on weight loss and dieting after pregnancy, and most have come to the very same conclusions; that the best way to lose weight effectively after delivery of the baby and regain your old figure in the shortest amount of time and be healthy at the same time, is to eat a well balanced diet of nutritionally sound foods and add an exercise program to it to hasten the weight loss and strengthen your muscles. You can cut down on carbohydrates somewhat, and watch the amount of calories you are taking in; but if you monitor portion size and are diligent with the exercising, you will have no trouble at all losing the weight. It amounts to the same song you have heard over and over again because it is the one that works; long term weight loss does not happen overnight, nor does it happen with magic pills or elixirs—-it is planned, it is a day by day commitment to maintaining a healthy diet and exercise program, and it will benefit you greatly for the rest of your life if you follow it properly and diligently. Remember, becoming healthier and stronger is part of the plan too, not just the weight loss, because you have a new life to look out for now, not just your own.
This brings up the thought about breastfeeding and whether or not it is an effective adjunct to promoting weight loss. Lots of women swear by it, that their dieting after pregnancy was made so much simpler by adding breastfeeding to their repertoire, and the act made the weight loss so much faster. Then you have the other side of the fence that states—-nah, breastfeeding didn’t do anything for me as far as speeding up weight loss—-it was a bust (no pun intended). So, if it works for you-great; if it doesn’t, that’s okay too—the standard methods work just fine without breastfeeding.
The whole idea behind dieting after pregnancy is a smart one, because it will promote loss of the extra weight you put on your frame while you were carrying the baby, that now that the baby has arrived, you no longer need the weight. Just make sure you don’t go hog wild on the dieting and traumatize your system any more than it already is; stay away from the “too good to be true” scam products for weight loss; and stick with the time tested and proven methods that promote slow and sure weight loss, good health and muscle strengthening, and exercise. If you do, you will be back to your old self in no time, and all the happier for it.
Dawn Eastman writes on topics such as guide to losing weight after having a baby. For more information on how to lose weight after pregnancy visit our site.