How to Avoid Post-Pregnancy Weight Gain

Pregnancy is over, your mushy little baby is here and you are all geared up to get those extra baby weights off to feel and look your best.

Postpartum weight gain is a common thing that is experienced by most mothers. If you are scrambling to shed off your extra pounds after childbirth, don’t worry – you are not the only one. If you are determined to lose your pregnancy weight, you have to follow a healthy diet, do healthy activities, and get adequate amounts of sleep, water and meal on time.

So, without any further delay, let’s have a look at the ways to prevent post-pregnancy weight gain.

• Drink plenty of water:

We all are well aware of the fact that water helps in keeping the body hydrated and boosts metabolism. But did you know? Water can minimize your appetite by making you feel full. But how do we find out the amount of water our body needs in a day? Simple, you just need to watch over the transparency of your urine. If the urine isn’t clear, you need to level up your water intake, and if the urine is clear, you can rest assured that your water intake is adequate.

• Exercise:

You don’t need a gym to do your workout, you can simply follow a balanced diet and some home exercises to achieve the weight loss results you want. Try to incorporate an aerobic workout or weight training to burn calories and strengthen your bones and muscles. We know that being a mother there must be so many things to look after but taking out time for yourself is equally important not just for your post-pregnancy weight loss, it has so many other health benefits to offer. Exercise can relieve stress, perk up the mood and improve sleep quality.

• Don’t compromise on sleep:

Now, this can be a tricky prospect with a baby hankering for your attention 24/7. Lack of sleep can affect your post-pregnancy weight loss plans. When there is not enough sleep, you tend to make unhealthy lifestyle choices like binge drinking and eating which can be bad for your weight loss journey. If the body is exhausted due to lack of sleep at night, it releases cortisol hormone which will aggravate your hunger twinge. So try to get sufficient sleep, you can ask your partner to take turns.

• Have realistic expectations:

Do not expect to lose weight in just a couple of months because that ain’t happening. Now, most of you believe that if celebrities can lose weight in a few months then why can’t we, let us clear that doubt first, these stories are not completely true. Even if they are– don’t forget that they have an entire crew working for them, helping them figure out their weight loss diets charts and workouts. It is said that the average time to shed off those post-pregnancy weights can exceed a year. So keep the bar of your expectations low.

• Keep healthy snacks close at hand:

Breastfeeding mothers are subject to sudden spikes and hunger in their appetite. If you don’t take care of these hunger spikes, you may gain weight. So, stock up on healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, greek yoghurt, and sprouts that you can munch anytime guilt-free.

Over to you:
If you think that fad diets can help you shed off the weight after pregnancy then you are highly mistaken, it will just harm you and the baby. Include healthy foods rich in fibre, complex carbs, proteins, and drink enough water, get good quality sleep and exercise regularly, you can go for a walk with the baby. Don’t worry you will lose all the extra baby weight soon, just keep grinding and take absolute care of yourself.