Diet TipsPregnancy

Healthy Diet Tips For Losing Weight After Pregnancy

Birth of a baby, a miracle, a masterpiece in it’s self and a greatest blessing of God. The mother’s body goes through a lot from conception to delivering it. It takes time to recover from the strenuous effects of labor and delivery. Once  baby is in mother’s hands she wants to go back to her pre-pregnancy shape.  Here we will discuss some tips for losing weight after pregnancy.

Losing Weight After Pregnancy

Experts recommend to wait until 6 weeks if you are not breastfeeding and 2 months if you are giving milk to your baby.

Disadvantages of starting to lose weight too early can

  • Delay the recovery
  • That will make you feel very tired
  • Affect the milk supply

The best way to return to pre-pregnancy shape is

  • To give your body a chance to take its time
  • A healthy diet
  • Regular exercise

post pregnancy weight loss

Some Tips For Diet After Pregnancy 

  • Instead of counting calories, follow your hunger to guide you.
  • Plan to lose weight gradually. Losing weight is different for every individual. It depends on
  1.   body type
  2.   activity level
  3.   metabolism and
  4.   food choices.
  • Stay hydrated.
  • Consume food from a wide variety like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and cereals.
  • Choose good fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from sources like nuts, seeds, olives, fish like salmon, canola oil and olive oil etc.
  • Avoid trans fats and limit saturated fats. Sources of these bad fats are high fat meats, whole milk, coconut oil, lard and butter etc.
  • Consume fruits and vegetables that are in season and are locally produced.
  • Also, choose lean meat cuts and remove the skin and extra fat before cooking.
  • Eat 12 ounces of fish/ week to provide enough omega 3 to the baby through your milk, which is important for your baby’s eye and brain development.
  • Avoid Mercury rich sea foods like swordfish, shark, tilefish, King mackerel.
  • Tuna can be higher in Mercury too. Limit it’s consumption to 6 ounces/ week.
  • Stop drinking alcohol. The baby may become drowsy and sleepy.
  • Limit caffeine intake to no more than 300mg/ day, as baby can consume it through milk and the baby tiny organs can’t digest and excrete it easily.
  • Include 3 tablespoon of walnuts or 1  1/2 tablespoons of powdered flax seeds daily for a source of omega 3 fatty acids.

diet after pregnancy

Hacks And Tricks For A Better Diet After Baby Is In Your Hands

Life gets really busy when baby is in your hands because of the recovery phase, adjustment with the new member and sleepless nights. No wonder many mums are too tired to eat or even forget as well. Well here are some hacks to keep your diet after pregnancy on track.

  • Snack while feeding your baby on healthy snacks like fruits, salads, fruits bowl, flavored low fat yogurts, dry fruits or a whole grain muffin etc to keep you satisfied.
  • Stock your freezer during your pregnancy with cooked food , frozen ready meals and snacks, frozen vegetables etc. They are easy prepare or just defrost and enjoy.
  • Keep water bottles in every room which can save an extra trip to the kitchen.
  • Cook in quantity to save time.

Healthy snacks in diet during pregnancy

  • Baked beans or baked potato.
  • Soups
  • Milkshakes with low fat milk
  • Fresh fruits
  • Plain or flavoured low fat yogurt
  • Apricots, prunes or figs
  • Porridge
  • vegetables salads with beans
  • Fruit salad
  • Hummus with whole meal pita bread
  • Sandwiches made with whole meal breads.

Meal Plan For 2,400 Calories/Day

For losing weight after pregnancy, proper diet is a must during lactation as the milk will be produced whether nutrients are provided via diet or not. If you are not taking proper diet then the body stores will start depleting.

Whole grains, cereals and breads 

11 servings

  • choose whole grain varieties

Examples of serving size (anyone of them will  be taken as 1 serving)

  • 1 slice of bread
  • 1/2 cup cooked  cereal, pasta or grain
  • 3/4 cup of ready to eat cereal
  • 1/2 bun
  • 1/2 bagel

Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, Milk and meat group (proteins)

6 or more servings.

diet tips for weight loss after pregnancy

 

Examples of serving size

  • A cup of cooked beans
  • 1 cup soy milk
  • a cup of milk
  • ½ cup cooked beans
  • 2-3 ounce of lean meat
  • 2-3 ounce of fish
  • 1 egg
  • 2-3 ounce of chicken
  • 1/4 cup nuts or seeds
  • 2 tablespoon peanut butter

Vegetables

5 or more servings

Examples of serving size

  • 1 cup raw vegetables
  • 1/2 cup cooked vegetables

Fruits

5 or more servings

Examples of serving size

  • 1 medium fruit like apple, orange etc
  • a cup of fruit pieces
  • 1/2 cup canned fruit
  • 2 tablespoon dried fruits

 

Do you have any tips on losing weight after pregnancy? let us know in the comment section below.

Diet tips during pregnancy.

 

 

 

 

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