The myth, widespread in society that it is almost impossible for a nursing woman to lose weight after giving birth, upsets many mothers. We want to please you: it is even easier for a nursing mother to lose weight than a non-breastfeeding one!
During pregnancy, a woman is gaining weight. This makes sense: her body needs a supply of nutrients for the growth and development of her baby. But after childbirth, extra pounds are often in no hurry to leave. How to be? Because just for the production of breast milk, 500-600 kilocalories are spent every day (and if you have twins or just a lot of milk, then even more!). Mom loses these calories every day when she just puts the baby to her breast! You do not even need increased physical activity, because energy is consumed by itself.
1. Where are the nutritional reserves
If you are still very concerned about weight, there are a few important points to keep in mind. The most important thing is to understand that the very process of losing weight does not begin immediately after the birth of the baby. Of course, you will lose very noticeably in the birth itself for a good reason. But do not think that all the fat accumulated during pregnancy will begin to rapidly dissolve, as soon as the reason for its accumulation disappears.
Wise Mother Nature creates "nutritional reserves" not only for the time that the baby grows in our stomach, but also for the first couple of months after birth, when lactation is established. If you start losing weight too early, it can affect your breast milk supply. Just a couple of months later, you will be able to objectively assess whether your body has begun to regain its shape on its own.
2. Diet restriction
If you do choose the option to limit the amount of food, be careful about your health.
Make sure you're getting enough calories and nutrients. Of course, there are different situations. There are mothers who do not eat very much and at the same time milk production does not suffer at all. But the opposite also happens: with a strict restriction in nutrition, milk can become noticeably less. It is better not to experiment on yourself and the child, but to proceed from the fact that for smooth weight loss without harm to milk and herself, during lactation, mom needs additional energy intake - 300-400 kcal more than before pregnancy.
3. Reduce portions
There is no special diet for lactating women, just reduce the portions.
You can try to eat healthy, varied foods, and at the same time reduce single portions. About 0.5-1 kg per week (after the first 2-3 months of a baby's life) is a good rate of weight loss, at which there is no risk to either the woman's health or the volume of breast milk.
How to lose weight for a nursing mother: 7 proven ways / istockphoto.com
4. Is it possible to limit oneself in food
Now one or another super diet is becoming fashionable. The one who promotes them does not particularly consider how they can influence nursing mothers. A possible problem lies not so much in milk production as in general health.
The body during breastfeeding is tuned to provide the baby with all the necessary nutrients. The baby will receive milk, which contains everything to maintain his health - sounds comforting, doesn't it? There is also a downside: if there are not enough nutrients or microelements in my mother's menu, they will be removed from the reserves of her body.
From the very stocks that were made during pregnancy. Therefore, short-term fasting will not harm anyone. But if you decide to go on a strict diet, poor in vitamins and minerals, for a long time, then, unfortunately, along with excess weight, you will soon begin to lose teeth, hair, and health in general.
5. Avoid junk food
Now I really want sweets, and this is natural, because carbohydrates are actively consumed in milk production.
A small amount of sweets should be present in the diet. However, it is better if these are mainly fruits and complex carbohydrates, which are slowly absorbed and provide more energy (muesli, porridge, drying, etc.).
It's a common myth that butter buns and condensed milk tea promote lactation. They will not contribute mythically to weight gain! Well, cakes, chips, dessert yoghurt products of long shelf life, as well as sweet soda are not only serious will slow down your return to their previous forms, but the baby can also be damaged due to the large amount contained in them chemistry.
6. When you really want to drink
Natural water balance is very important both for the production of breast milk and for the loss of extra pounds. How much fluid is needed per day? And which drinks should you give preference to?
Breastfeeding mothers usually want to drink more and more often to supplement their milk costs. On average, during this period, you drink 3-5 glasses more daily than before pregnancy. This is perfectly normal: drink if you feel like it. True, excess fluid may also not be particularly useful, and in the first months after the birth of a baby, it can even lead to edema. Therefore, just hold a glass of water somewhere nearby and listen to your desires: you want to drink - please, you don’t want to forcibly inject additional liquid into yourself, because it’s supposedly “supposed”, of course, neither for what.
As a drink during breastfeeding, plain clean water (still) and weak green tea are optimal. Avoid industrial juices and all other heavily sweetened drinks, which are poor thirst quenching, and at the same time supply a lot of extra calories to the body.
7. Sport will help
There is an opinion: while a woman is feeding, she should not go in for sports. In fact, this is not the case.
Reasonable loads only benefit! Exercise makes you feel better and, of course, provides additional calorie expenditure for weight loss, which is what we need. Start by doing 10-15 minutes daily, gradually increasing the time. Many mothers lose weight fun and with pleasure for themselves and their baby, thinking over exercises that can be done with the child. by the way, carrying a baby in a sling, an ergonomic bag also helps to lose weight.
Everything is good in moderation...
Note: at too high loads, the secretion of hormones that are responsible for milk production. may decrease. Usually, the baby begins to suck more often in response, and if the mother feeds on demand, everything levels out. Another side of stress is that lactic acid, which is released during intense training, penetrates into the milk, imparting an unpleasant smell and taste.
After intense physical activity, several hours should pass before feeding. And do not forget to take a shower: the baby may refuse to breastfeed due to the pungent smell of sweat coming from the mother.
A healthy lifestyle, reasonable restriction of fats and carbohydrates, and small sports loads will help those who want to lose weight. And after a while, you will lose weight without compromising your health and breastfeeding!
