Tips On How To Lose Weight While Breastfeeding
The idea of losing weight as you are breastfeeding is very possible, but it’s something that needs you to work hard on it so that you can achieve it.
When it comes to weight loss you must do enough exercise as you monitor the kind of foods that you eat.
So many breastfeeding women all over the world struggle with losing weight based on the fact that they gained a lot of weight while they were pregnant.
While losing weight is hard for every person, shedding off pounds while breastfeeding is even harder. But there are a few tips that will help you get back to your weight prior to pregnancy.
Tips To Lose Weight While Breastfeeding
There are many ways to lose weight while breastfeeding, but the most important ones are as follows:
1. Eat Healthy Foods
It’s important for you to take a healthy diet in case you are trying to lose weight while breastfeeding.
In many cases, you may feel hungrier and you may want to make sure that you consume healthy foods.
Some of the healthy foods that you can take are any kind of grains, vegetables, fruits, lean meat, nuts, sunflower seeds, olives, and avocados.
This will not only assist you to lose weight but also assist in offering you a good nutritional value for your breast milk.
One reason why you should avoid fast foods is that they do offer empty calories which are not beneficial to any breastfeeding woman.
Also, you should reduce the intake of fat by replacing it with high-protein foods. Check out this list with protein-rich foods and pick your favorites.
2. Try To Lower The Stress Levels
In many cases, women are prone to have stress due to the challenges of handling a new baby.
Stress is one of the factors which trigger weight gain and one must try to reduce it.
When you are stressed, your body can release the cortisol hormones which increase your appetite, making you eat more food.
Stress can also make your body store visceral fat in your midsection.
There are so many ways that any woman who is breastfeeding can reduce stress, and some of them are:
- Focus on the good moments that you have when you are with your baby as you avoid thinking about the struggle you undergo as a mother.
- Talk to someone you trust like one of your relatives, a friend, or your life partner. They can offer you a few solutions which can relieve the stress that you are having.
- Ask for help in case you feel that you are overwhelmed by the responsibilities of motherhood and breastfeeding.
3. Ensure That You Have Enough Rest
Normally, you are required to sleep an average of 6 hours a day, which may be difficult especially for breastfeeding women.
A study by experts has shown that when you sleep for short hours you are likely to eat a lot of food, which can mean you get more calories.
You can request your partner to take care of the baby for a couple of hours as you try to rest, especially at night.
4. Stay Hydrated
Make sure that you take a lot of fluids, especially water and fruit juices.
In case you do not take a lot of water or enough healthy calories, the breast milk supply will decrease with time. You are also likely to eat more when you are dehydrated.
Therefore, keeping yourself hydrated, which enhances a feeling of fullness, can make you eat less.
On average, you are supposed to take about 8 glasses of water in a day.
5. Exercising
This can also be a wonderful way for you to lose weight while breastfeeding.
When it comes to breastfeeding, the doctors recommend waiting at least 8 weeks if she has undergone C-section and about 6 weeks for normal delivery before the new mom engages in vigorous exercise. This is to allow the body to fully recover and also to offer a chance for the milk supply to be established.
However, you can still perform some light exercises outdoors such as walking.
After you have recovered you can do various exercise activities such as jogging, cycling, yoga poses, sit-ups, and press-ups. You can set your own workout schedule, like a minimum of 30 minutes of exercising a day.
6. Continue To Breastfeed Your Baby
This can also be a wonderful way to burn some extra calories without struggling.
Specialists claim that women who breastfeed are able to burn about 500 calories in a day. So make sure that you breastfeed your baby as much as possible.
As you can see, you will burn calories and lose weight naturally, just by breastfeeding your baby. And if you add a light walk, nutritious foods, enough rest, and plenty of water to your daily routine, you’ve got a significant boost in your weight loss process.
