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Top 10 Post Pregnancy Diet Tips to Shed that Extra Weight
Looking for the fastest way to reach the pre pregnancy weight? The answers
lie here.
A great post pregnancy diet is
a must when attempting to lose
weight, both for, baby & you. The right time to begin watching your calorie
intake would be six weeks after delivery.
In case you're breastfeeding mom, experts recommend that you wait until your
baby is at least 2 months old before you try to lose weight.
If you were healthy weight before pregnancy and gained 25-35 lbs, with the right
kind of diet and exercise, you will be able to reach your post pregnancy weight
within a couple of months. If, on the other hand, you were overweight before
your pregnancy or you put on more weight than your doctor advised, it could take
much longer - up to a year - to get the weight off. Note that, any baby weight
you don't take off could stick with you for a long time.
  Consume
small frequent meals during the day: A
huge must when attempting to lose weight. Your metabolism burns
off calories by turning what you eat into energy, and eating frequent meals boosts
your metabolism. When you eat a big meal, your blood
sugar level
rises significantly and this promotes fat storage. It also produces insulin,
which makes you hungry.
Eating regularly makes your body feel more satisfied and combats the hunger
that often leads tobinge
eating.
 Watch
the Calories: If
you are breast feeding then sustain a diet of 1800 calorie a day. This will
ensure healthy breast milk production while losing weight. Keep different
snacks in the house to keep you from feeling hungry and give you energy
throughout the day. Apple slices, carrot sticks, and wheat crackers are all
good for noshing. To further calculate your daily intake, multiply your
pre-pregnancy weight by 12 if you're sedentary; 15 if moderately active; and
22 if very active. The total represents the approximate number of calories
you would need to take in each day to maintain that weight.
 Go
for "Super Foods": Choose
foods that are dense in the nutrients and light in calories and fat.
Fish is one good choice, as it is packed with omega-3
fatty acid.
Milk and yogurt are also super foods because they're high in the calcium you
need to keep your bones strong. Nuts and Seeds are
great sources of fibre,protein,
and essential fatty acids (EFA). Sources include almonds, walnuts, pumpkin
seeds, flax
seeds,
chia seeds, hemp seeds, brazil nuts and sesame seeds. Egg, lean meat,
chicken, and beans are low in fat and high in protein and fiber. They're
good for you, and they'll keep you feeling full for longer.
 Drink Up:
Water naturally flushes the system, removing toxins from the body. Adequate
water intake also helps keep skin healthy by cleansing the pores. A 2002 study published
in the Journal of Perinatal Education explains, “Lactating women need adequate
fluid intake, but pushing fluids is not necessary.” The article further states,
“Individuals generally need 1–1.5 ml of water for each calorie consumed (e.g., a
person eating a 2000-calorie diet would need 2000–3000 ml-2 to 3 liters-of fluid
each day)”. So if breastfeeding women increase their caloric intake by
approximately 500 calories over their pre-pregnancy caloric intake, they would
need to drink an additional 500ml or half a liter (a small bottle of water) more
fluid daily.
 Control
the Sweet Tooth: Avoid
indulging in a sweet treat now and then. According to the American Heart
Association, recommended sugar intake is about 6 teaspoons per day for
women. Get
your share by consuming natural sugars through fruits. However, if you do
crave dessert,
take just one small helping of it (equivalent to two bites) and eat it very
slowly. You want to relish the taste without worrying about calories. Try to
stick with low calories desserts and fruit-based ones. Allow yourself to
indulge as rarely as possible.
 Stay
Carb Light: Carbohydrates should
form about 25 per cent of your dinner. The main bulk should come from
protein, vitamins and minerals. Eat dinner three
hours prior to bedtime. Eliminate processed carbohydrates, also known as
‘empty calorie foods’. Avoid processed foods known to contain too many
calories and sugar that have fewer nutrients. Processed carbohydrates are
naturally stripped of nutrients, water, and fiber content. Such
carbohydrates are complex in form and are not easily broken down by the
body. Thus, they tend to be converted into stored fats, which accumulate
further especially without sufficient physical activity which you won’t be
up to at this point in your post pregnancy life.
  Green
Tea:
It not only promotes fat
loss, but
specifically, the loss of visceral
fat—fat
that accumulates in the tissues lining the abdominal cavity and surrounding
the intestines (viscera) and internal organs. Unlike fat deposits on the
hips and thighs (which result in the so-called "pear" body shape), visceral
fat (which produces the "apple" body shape) is highly associated with
increased risk for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
Green tea contains three major components that promote fat loss: catechins,
caffeine and theanine. Studies suggest that green tea compounds promote fat
loss by inhibiting both gastric and pancreatic lipase, the enzymes that
digest triglycerides, and fatty acid synthetase, the enzyme responsible for
synthesizing fatty acids into the form in which they can be stored in the
body's adipose (fat) cells.
 Supplement
Your Diet: It is
important to supplement food so as to ensure that post pregnancy body is
able to gain nutrition required to remain healthy. Most doctors recommend
that all women of childbearing years take supplemental folic
acid so
that they have plenty in their body if they happen to become pregnant, which
is certainly possible within a short period of time post-pregnancy. Your
obstetrician can help you determine whether you should continue taking the
same prenatal vitamin that you did during pregnancy, or if another brand
would be better.
 Eat
your Greens:
According to Miranda, Victoria Secret model "I eat extremely healthy because
when I do, I have more energy. I love spinach, avocado, lots of greens and
broccoli." Miranda has learnt from her own parents' generation the
importance of eating your greens. Her philosophy is one that will be passed
on to her son when he is older - because mum knows best!
 Exercise & Rest: No
diet can be a success until matched up with an exercise routine.
It takes about four weeks for your uterus to contract to its normal
size, and many women will lose about 8 to 20 pounds during that
first two weeks as the body gets rid of all that extra fluid. If
you haven't been active during pregnancy, don't jump right into
intense workouts. But, each day, be sure to do at least something
active. Starting out, going for a walk (also
showing off your new baby) around the neighborhood or parks is a
great way to do something. Then, start working up to faster-paced
cardio exercises like jogging,
swimming or cycling. Also, note that, constant sleep
deprivation can
be bad news for anyone wanting to lose post pregnancy weight. A
serious lack of rest time can lead to poor mental and physical
wellbeing, so try to make up when the baby is asleep.
Patience is the key to losing baby weight after pregnancy
Dated 25 July 2012
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