How Much Weight Will You Need To Lose After Giving Birth
During pregnancy, women gain 25 to 35 pounds. Every woman is different, but here’s a general idea of where the weight you gained goes:
- Baby: 7.5 pounds
- Blood: 4 pounds
- Maternal fat stores: 7 pounds
You may not need to lose as much weight as you think. The good news is you’ll lose about 13 pounds as soon as you give birth. This is the combined weight of the baby, the placenta, and the amniotic fluid. Over the course of the next week after delivery, you’ll lose some more weight as you get rid of extra fluids. However, the fat you stored during pregnancy won’t go away on its own. Here are six tips for losing weight after pregnancy.
The Amount Of Sleep You Get Can Impact Weight Loss
Lack of sleep and caring for a newborn go hand in hand, but it turns out that this change in sleep pattern can also affect postpartum weight loss. Averaging less than five hours of sleep a night has been linked to weight gain in women . Consistent sleep deprivation can impact the hormones that control appetite, causing tired mothers to feel hungrier than they would feel when well-rested .
Getting Help From Your Healthcare Provider
Diet and exercise are the best ways to lose weight healthily for most women, but in some cases, your healthcare provider may need to step in. The following options might be considered if you have a BMI above 30 or have certain medical conditions along with a high BMI.
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Medication. If you havenât been able to get your BMI below 30 with lifestyle changes alone, your healthcare provider may prescribe medication to help with weight loss.
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Surgery. This may be recommended by your healthcare provider only if medications donât work, and if you have an exceptionally high BMI.
Your healthcare provider may be able to help you with things like meal plans, safe exercises you can do in the postpartum period, and guidance on how much weight is safe for you to lose in a given time frame.
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Create A Plan For Gradual Weight Loss During Pregnancy
Even before theyre born, your future baby relies on you in numerous ways. Your body nourishes and carries them for about 40 weeks, helping them grow and develop. Having excess weight can cause problems during pregnancy because it can get in the way of these processes.
Despite such dangers, your best approach to weight loss is through a consistent, yet gradual plan with a focus on healthier lifestyle changes. Gradual weight loss is best for your body and your baby.
If your doctor recommends that you lose weight, heres how to do so safely during pregnancy.
Why Weight Gain Matters
After the first trimester, however, gradual weight gain becomes vital for the health of the baby as well as for building up essential fat stores to prepare a women’s body for supporting a growing baby, labor, delivery, and breastfeeding.
It’s typically not wise to follow a heavily restrictive diet or to drastically cut calories or food groups while expecting. Your growing baby’s optimal development will increasingly rely on you consuming adequate calories and nutrients. However, to some extent, your baby is able to use your body’s fat stores if needed.
Pregnancy can trigger morning sickness as well as encourage women to shift to healthier eating styles, both of which can result in early pregnancy weight loss. In some cases, a small amount of doctor-supervised weight loss may also be recommended for pregnant women who have a body mass index of 30 or higher.
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Address Weight Concerns Early
While youll certainly gain weight naturally from your pregnancy, the majority of this weight gain happens in the second and third trimesters. Your baby also grows rapidly during the last two months of pregnancy. You cant control weight gain attributed to your baby and supporting elements like the placenta, so its best to address any weight issues earlier in pregnancy.
Some success in weight intervention among pregnant women has been reported through a study published in the journal Obesity .Researchers found that women who received advice between weeks 7 and 21 of pregnancy were less likely to gain excess weight during the third trimester. The same group of women studied also benefited from weekly support group meetings.
This is just one example of when early planning helped to stave off excess weight gain. If you want to lose weight, or control the amount of weight you gain overall during your pregnancy, be sure to have your doctor help you come up with a plan early on. Your doctor can also refer you to a dietitian for more advice and meal planning.
When To Seek Help And Where To Go For Help
If you were overweight before your pregnancy, you might need to talk to your doctor about how to lose weight.
A dietitian can give you more tips on how to lose weight, and they can put together a personal eating plan that is nutritious and allows for gradual post-pregnancy weight loss. You can find an accredited practicing dietitian on the Dietitians Australia website.
If you are concerned about your weight, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor.
You can also call Pregnancy Birth and Baby on 1800 882 436, or video call, for advice and support.
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Quick And Easy Healthy Meals Are Key To Natural Weight Loss Once Baby Arrives:
The more complicated the meal, the less-likely you will be to eat it or have it on hand because of how crazy things get with a new baby, toddlers, kids and family life. I believe in having on hand quick and easy, healthy foods, that you can whip up fast for yourself, while also enjoying food with your family. You dont have to create a whole meal plan and shopping list just for yourself, then a separate one for kids and family. In my program, I show exactly what foods I have on hand, how I create meals that are healthy and fast, how I grocery shop and all the foods I like to eat with my familys meals, so I am not cooking too much. I also go over batch cooking for the whole family and myself, which makes LIFE as a mom much easier. I do not like cleaning after cooking, so I try to cook as much as I can at once. I have a specific video to show you what I make. I also have LARGE recipes in the program that can serve a family, or work for left overs to make less cooking. The key to losing weight naturally is to keep it simple and healthy. Pre-made salad bags, frozen veggies, microwave quinoa, pre-chopped veggies and more can make or break your healthy meals when the days get long and stressful.
Weight Gain During Pregnancy
There’s no getting around weight gain during pregnancy, of course. But it’s important to understand how much weight you should gain, why your body is putting on pounds and how it plays a role in what happens after the baby arrives.
So, how much weight should a woman gain during pregnancy? It all depends on her body mass index before she gets pregnant.
According to the Institute of Medicine , women who are considered underweight should aim to gain 28 to 40 lbs. women with a normal BMI should aim to gain 25 to 35 lbs. women in the overweight category should aim to gain 15 to 25 lbs. and women in the obese category should aim to gain 11 to 20 lbs. .
And although a weight gain of 25 to 35 lbs. for someone with a normal BMI may sound like a lot certainly, a newborn baby doesn’t weigh that much those extra pounds do serve a purpose. As illustrated in the infographic below, pregnancy pounds also come from the placenta, the growing uterus and growing breasts, and increased blood and fluid volume in the woman’s body. And yes, added fat also weighs in.
In addition, some studies suggest that gaining too much weight during pregnancy increases the likelihood of a cesarean-section delivery, according to the review.
But a key point for expecting women to keep in mind is that the amount of weight gained during pregnancy is associated with the amount of weight lost afterward quite strongly, in fact.
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Diet And Physical Activity Postpartum
With the exception of breast-feeding , losing the baby weight is really no different from losing weight at any other point in life, according to the experts who spoke with Live Science.
“Evidence shows us that both nutrition and physical activity play an important role in the weight-loss process for anyone attempting to lose weight,” van der Pligt said. “For women following childbirth, this really isn’t any different.”
Indeed, in her 2013 review of studies on the topic, published in the journal Obesity Reviews, van der Pligt concluded that “overall, programs which target combined nutrition and physical activity strategies have been more effective than those which focus on just one of these.” She noted that “programs which included individualized support are also important.”
In the review, van der Pligt and her colleagues reviewed data from 11 studies that were focused on postpartum weight-loss interventions. They found that seven of the studies involved interventions that were effective in helping women lower their weight retention after pregnancy, and that, of these, six included both dietary and physical activity components, according to the review. The authors concluded, however, that “the optimal setting, delivery, intervention length and recruitment approach” for the most effective interventions remain unclear.
All of the experts we spoke with agreed: Walking is a great way for new moms to get exercise.
Is It Ok To Wear A Belly Band After A C Section
It is okay to wear a belly band after a c section for the first week or so. It is definitely not necessary, but it may help you feel more comfortable walking around. This is a
With that said, its important that you dont rely on the abdominal belt long term. Thats because you need to re-learn how to use your core muscles again. Especially while you are walking.
A belly band WILL NOT help you lose any excess weight or belly fat.
To learn more about belly bands, check out Waist Training After Pregnancy- Do You Need To Do It.
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When Is It Safe To Start Losing Weight
Before getting pregnant, losing excess weight can reduce possible risks to your pregnancy.
However, once you are pregnant, restricting your diet is not recommended since it could affect your baby. Rather than trying to lose weight, focus on gaining only the recommended amount during pregnancy. This varies based on what you weighed before.
It is good to have a healthy diet before, during and after pregnancy.
You can start exercising gently within days of giving birth, unless you had a complicated birth or a Caesarean section. If youre unsure, it’s best to check with your doctor first.
Losing The Baby Weight Takes Time
The reality is that after taking almost 10 months to grow a baby, it will take time to lose postpartum weight. A recent study found that only 20% of women return to their pre-pregnancy weight within the first three months postpartum and that 24% of women retain at least 10 pounds one year postpartum.
This means, on average, 80% of women take more than three months to return to their pre-pregnancy weight. I was not a failure because I did not immediately return to my skinny jeans. I was normal! We would all love to lose weight quickly, as the recommended weight loss goal is to lose around 1 pound a week.
For a little help, see these progressive post-pregnancy exercises for weight loss.
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Ready For Sam & Chloes Guide On What To Do If You Cant Lose Your Baby Weight
We know its not always easy, but losing baby weight CAN be simple. From postnatal exercise to healthy eating, the best way to strengthen and flatten your post-baby tummy muscles, right through to free lose baby weight recipes and, of course, the number #1 way to ditch that extra baby weight once and for all, Sam Wood and 28s resident postnatal physio, Chloe Lorback share their top tips to get you back on the road to feeling like your old self again.
Contents
Write Down Your Favorite Meals
Many people who have successful weight loss after a c section usually have a handful of meals that they rely on.
Meals that are planned out and include fiber, protein, and healthy fats. You could even meal prep several servings of these meals to eliminate getting take out.
I suggest you find ~5 foods that you can cycle through and batch cook them one day a week.
See this as a lifestyle.
The last tip I have for you is to see these changes as a lifestyle and not a diet. Just like the tip of being patient, this is a marathon, not a sprint.
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Be Nice To Yourself And Take Off The Pressure
Finally, Shapiro emphasizes the importance of recognizing the truly amazing thing your body just went through and avoid punishing yourself to get back to “normal.” After all, she says, just as it took time to create a baby, it will also take time to lose that weight.
“Recognize your body has changed and had to make room for the baby you were carrying. Your hip bones may have spread, your ribs may have spread, your stomach muscles may have spread. These things do not just snap back into shape. It takes time to let them go back to where they used to be. Being patient is hard, especially since you have given your body over to another being for almost a year,” Shapiro says, “but there is no race, and no one is judging you.”
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
Your Guide To Postpartum Weight Loss
Looking for a tried-and-true postpartum weight loss plan? Here are the best tips for losing extra pounds after delivery.
Once the pregnancy weight starts accumulating, it’s natural to wonder how youll drop the pounds once Baby arrives. In actuality, there’s no magical postpartum weight loss calculator, and the idea that you should be able to bounce back to your pre-baby body is only a myth. Here are some tips, tricks, and guidelines for losing the baby weight.
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Why Do I Still Look Pregnant After My C Section Delivery
You might be wondering if its normal to have a big tummy after a c-section.
It is!
You may feel that you still look pregnant after a c section or a vaginal delivery. The reason is that your uterus is still really big.
It grew from the size of a deck of playing cards, to the size of a watermelon!
It doesnt just shrink back to a pre-pregnancy size right away. It can take approximately 4-6 weeks to return back to normal size.
Another important thing you should keep in mind is that you might have Diastasis Recti after a c section.
Diastasis Recti causes stretching of your abdominal muscles and a bulging of your inner organs leading to what appears as a postpartum belly pooch. Check out my article: how to tell if you have diastasis recti to learn more.
Does The C Section Pooch Go Away
Many women are afraid that their c section pooch wont go away. Sadly, this can be the case if you dont make any effort to lose excess baby fat.
Some women note that they still have a lot of belly fat even 2 or more years following their surgery.
The very first thing you need to focus on is determining if you have Diastasis Recti. This is a condition that occurs when your abdominal muscles are stretched out and separated in the midline.
If you have this condition, then it is important that you perform corrective exercises to fix your Diastasis while using the strategies in this post to lose weight.
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Prevent From Consuming Calories
Consuming more calories and fat may result in more weight instead of reducing weight. So you should avoid foods that are rich in calories and fat.
You may limit the drinks that have added sugar and calories in them, like sodas and juices. Not only this, but the women may even avoid products that have artificial sweeteners in them.
So, you might always prefer whole fruit over fruit juices. Fruit juices could contain additional calories that might increase your weight. On the other hand, whole fruits may provide you with all the required nutrients, vitamins, and fiber that will help you to be full even without taking additional calories.
You could even prevent yourself from consuming calories by limiting saturated fat, trans fat, and sugar-related food items.
This article discusses binge eating disorders.
Focus On The Most Important Macronutrient
Another important nutrient that you should eat postpartum is protein.
Protein is one of the three major macronutrients and the one that helps your body build and maintain lean muscle.
As you are losing body weight, you want your body to lose fat and not muscle. Protein will help your body preferentially burn fat.
Also, protein is one of the most satiating nutrients. This means that foods high in protein will help keep you full longer than foods high in carbohydrates or fat.
The best protein-rich foods are:
- lean meat ,
- salmon,
- tempeh
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