Poor eating habits, fatigue, lack of time for exercise and lack of sleep are all issues faced by new moms after their babies are born. It is tempting for a young woman to say, “I’ve put on a few (or twenty or thirty) pounds, but that’s ok because I’ve just had a baby.” A regimen of healthy eating and working out doesn’t have to be overly aggressive to be effective and unless your doctor says no, you should be able to return to your pre-baby weight within 6 months. The other fallacy that a new mom tells herself is that there isn’t time to work out. She spends her time and energy on the baby and takes care of her own needs afterward, if at all. In this article, I will show you some quick tips to easily shed some of those pregnancy pounds.
Breast feed and Increase your Metabolism!
Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is a measure of how easily your body burns calories at rest. The more you increase your BMR, the greater your daily need for calories – with an increased BMR, you can shed pounds by eating the same number of calories you eat now. Increasing your lean muscle mass will beef up your BMR, as does breast feeding. If you breastfeed your infant, your body will convert more of its energy stores into baby food causing you to lose more weight. You can lose an additional 5 pounds during the first 3 months of breastfeeding.
Increase Your Protein Intake
Recent studies in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that you can lose weight and build muscle by adding protein to your diet. 100-120 grams of protein per day for a 150 pound person is a good target. Fantastic sources of protein include liquid egg substitute (just as high in protein as eggs without the added fat), lowfat cottage cheese, chicken or turkey breast and yogurt. The American Medical Association and the FDA both say that aspartame, the sweetener found in Equal or Splenda, is safe for both pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding. Drink two glasses of water before each meal; think about adding a soluble fiber like Benefiber to one of the glasses. This way, you will fill up faster and stay full longer. Instead of eating 3 large meals at 700 calories each, try eating 5 or 6 meals of 300-400 calories each; you will be less hungry in between meals, and you’ll be less tempted to overindulge.
Take Care of Your Self-Image
Self-esteem is important, a poor self-image sometimes leads us to overeating and can contribute to the depression that keeps us from exercising. Time to shop for some new jewelry, add a designer diaper bag or some accessories. Take time to go out with friends, share your joy. Make sure you get plenty of sleep, and take a vitamin with a B-complex. This will help keep your energy up for your workouts. Get help from your spouse – make sure he helps carry the diaper bag every so often.
Plan your Work-Out Time
Talk to your physician before you start an exercise regimen. Yoga is one of the easiest, safest and best methods of building lean muscle and increasing flexibility. Many yoga classes are available which allow you to bring baby, and yoga is a great way to improve core strength. Get a nice running stroller. Walking or jogging is a great exercise to do with baby, and a great way to get in shape. Jogging strollers have bigger wheels and are more stable than regular baby strollers. Some outfits make double joggers for mothers with multiple babies. Get a good pair of running shoes and before you start, talk to your doctor.
Kennedy Goetz edits a site aboutfashionable diaper bags – take a look at her review of the best double jogging stroller