Weight Loss Pointers for New Moms

When you bring a child into the world, you can’t help but think of all the ways your life is going to get better. You’ll see yourself planning the birthday parties and cheering at soccer games and attending PTA meetings and, in your mind’s eye, you look pretty darn good doing it. However, that may take a little work. All moms want to be hot moms, but losing the weight you’ve gained during your pregnancy isn’t easy. It’s also something you should take seriously because, believe it or not, it isn’t just a vanity thing. Losing weight after pregnancy is extremely beneficial to your overall health, so it’s important to find the best, healthiest way to lose the weight and look as great in real life as you do in your imagination.

Though most new moms want to lose the weight for personal appearance reasons, it’s also a good idea to try to lose the weight for health reasons. Just because it was fat brought on by pregnancy, it doesn’t mean it’s healthy fat. Not trying to lose weight after pregnancy may lead to obesity later, which causes an endless list of health problems. However it is extremely important to both your health as a new mom and your baby’s health that you choose a weight loss method that is safe.

If you are a new mom planning to breastfeed, you should wait about 6 weeks before attempting to lose weight. Your body has just gone through a lot with 9 months of pregnancy and a birth. It needs a bit of a rest before being prodded to change again. However, when you do start dieting, make certain to eat a good variety of foods. This means you should refrain from using intense dieting techniques like a cleanse or purge or adopting a no-carb diet. Diets that exclude things completely creates a lack of vitamins and nutrients in your breast milk that your baby needs to grow.

A mistake that many new moms make when dieting is to cut their calorie intake.  This is actually the opposite of what you should do. Breastfeeding mothers need to add about 500 calories to their daily caloric intake in order to supply breast milk rich in nutrients. Remember, you may have given birth already, but you are still sharing your nutrients with your baby. A component of breast milk that is very beneficial to a baby is protein, so it is recommended that you add those 500 calories in the form of a meat or other food high in protein. It is also essential to drink lots of fluids while breastfeeding.

Whether you’re breastfeeding or not, it is extremely important that new moms stay healthy. If you are breastfeeding, your nutrients are going to your newborn. If you aren’t breastfeeding, you still need a lot of energy to keep your newborn happy and healthy. So new moms trying to lose weight, good on you, but please do so carefully. Remember to eat lots of protein, drink lots of fluids, and eat a balanced diet. Additionally, exercise is a great way to boost weight loss as well as keep your energy level up. So, get out there and shed those pregnancy pounds you hot mom, you!