Bringing a new baby into the world is a life changing thing, but it doesn't always feel as exciting for your body. As much as you would love to be one of the minority who become parents and come out in their pre-pregnancy clothing, that isn't the experience that most women have to deal with. If you have at least ten pounds that weren't there before getting pregnant, you are in the norm. When you are pregnant it is very easy to believe your weight gain is natural and necessary, but once the baby is born you have to admit that all the weight was not the developing baby.
Give Your Body Time
Your body will change in the weeks after having the baby, so you shouldn't leap right into aggressive weight loss efforts. You will be retaining a lot of fluid, and there may be a lot of swelling and bloating right after bringing your baby into the world. Within a few weeks of giving birth, you should be able to accurately assess what you have gained.
Whether you have gained a lot or just a little, you should have some rough idea right after giving birth. If you gained a lot during the pregnancy, or were already obese before getting pregnant, then you can expect that you have a larger amount of weight to lose regardless of the swelling and bloating.
Every woman's body heals differently, and there are different circumstances depending on the type of birth endured. Make sure to discuss your expected weight loss with your doctor, and wait for their approval before you start hitting the gym. If you injure yourself, it will take a lot longer to shed the weight.
Don't Start Dieting
You don't want to put your body on a restrictive dieting regimine. Most diets are only expected to help you lose weight in the short term, even if it is taken off quickly. This is never the most appropriate option for taking off baby weight. What is even better than fast weight loss is weight loss that you can maintain for years to come. It is more effective to focus on changing your lifestyle than to go on another fad diet.
Determine Your Priorities
There is a huge mental component to the weight loss process. If you focus on the foods that you know you shouldn't be eating, you will feel deprived and your healthier meals won't seem as satisfying. On the other hand, if you focus on making great flavors and textures with more nutritious foods, you can feel satisfied.
Losing weight without deprivation is possible, but you have to eat healthy the majority of the time, while consuming your favorite unhealthy foods only on special occasion. If your top priority is taking off the weight, you can focus on the positives so succeeding at your goal is more enjoyable. You do not have to give your favorite foods up forever, but you do have to exhibit some control and only enjoy them when it is appropriate for your weight loss goals.
Your most pressing priority has to be your weight loss goal. Keep your concentration on your weight loss goals, and you will have a much easier time losing the weight. Even better, you will have a much easier time staying healthy long term.
Keep Your Mind Active Healthy
This may seem odd, but I began learning the Italian language after having my baby bay? Why did I do that? I craved mental stimulation, and learning Italian was a good way to get it. Don't misunderstand. I learned Italian quite slowly, a couple words a day. Still, though, opening up my Italian learning software made me feel good, like I was doing more than just being locked in my home all day. You may not want to learn Italian, but search for something you do want to explore and keep your mind working well.
Increase Intensity
When you have a newborn in the home, you do not have hours a day to spend walking and lifting weights. The answer is to workout at a higher intensity, rather than working out for a longer period of time. Your goal should be to burn fat and strength train your body in one workout, which can be achieved through HIIT, circuit training, and interval routines. For strength training, try to do compound movements that work the upper and lower body at one time.
If you are ready to fully commit to effective workouts, you will get the most out of your exercise time and make it worth spending time away from the baby. If you don't have the time or finances to join the gym or join fitness classes, consider working out when at home with your baby. Your workouts can be kept to twenty to thirty minutes, but they have to be challenging enough to raise your heart rate and work up a healthy sweat.
If you walk faster and use the stroller to your advantage, even taking your newborn out for a walk can be effective exercise. Try to walk on different terrain, and include hills whenever possible. If you will be walking on a treadmill, then do intervals with short bursts of jogging to get more benefit.
Losing weight while taking care of a new baby is difficult. Think of the time you spend on exercise as taking care of the baby's mother, so you will always be in their life to care for them.
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