Posted by Jona

You’ve just had your beautiful baby! Everything is looking great – except you. As thrilled as you are about your new baby, you hate the way you look. Don’t worry; weight loss after pregnancy can be a little tricky but with these five tips, you’ll get back in shape in no time.

Breast feed – While you were pregnant, your body was storing up extra fat so you would be able to make milk to feed your baby. If you eat moderately and breastfeed your baby, you will see the baby fat melt right off your body. Just be careful – eat in moderation but do not starve yourself.

Exercise – You now have the greatest reason in the world to exercise – a baby that needs to go for a walk! Wait six weeks after vaginal birth and eight weeks after a c-section and then put your baby into the stroller and take off. Your baby will love it and you will tone up and lose the baby fat.

Eat healthy – Now that you are breastfeeding and taking care of your new baby, you need to pay special attention to what you are eating. There are no magic formulas to eating right – just think moderation. Balance out your carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. If you aim for 40% proteins, 35% carbohydrates, and 25% fats, you will be eating a well-rounded diet that will be good for you, good for your baby, and good for that weight loss after pregnancy.

Sleep – Yes, you need to be active to lose weight , but remember, your body is working overtime making milk and as a result, burning extra calories. If you add in the extra work that you are doing taking care of the new baby, and adding the walk into your routine each day, you are burning quite a few extra calories. Due to these things, you need to be sure that you give your body sufficient time to recover and your body recovers by resting. Get ample rest so you can do a good job taking care of your baby.

Don’t listen to negative comments – After you have your baby, you will get more advice and comments than you ever thought possible. One of the comments that you will hear quite frequently is, “You’ll never lose your weight” or “Your body will never be the same.” These comments are not true. It is very possible to not only lose your weight after pregnancy, but to look better than you did when you got pregnant.

Weight loss after pregnancy can be tricky, but it is not impossible. By following these simple tips, you can be back in shape in no time.

By Debra Proctor