During pregnancy, women can gain up to 35 pounds of extra weight. After they give birth, some of it will stay intact in the form of extra fat. To get rid of baby weight in a safe and effective way, follow these five expert tips.
1. Breastfeed Your Baby
As you may know, breastfeeding has many health benefits for your baby. But extensive research shows that it’s very good for you, too. For one, it protects you from some serious chronic diseases. It also helps the uterus return to its normal size following delivery. According to some studies, breastfeeding may also help you get rid of baby weight faster.
2. Eat Fiber-Rich Foods
Dietary fiber plays an important part in the weight loss process. Studies have shown that soluble fiber stimulates the loss of belly fat in both men and women. At the same time, it helps decrease hunger and thus prevents overeating.
3. Mind Your Calories
If you want to get rid of baby weight, you should consider counting your calories. This will allow you to control your meal sizes and prevent further weight gain. To count your calories in a fun way, you can take photos of the foods you eat and keep a food diary of sorts.
4. Avoid Fad Diets
Whatever you do, you should steer clear of fad diets. Sure, they all promise rapid weight loss. But to achieve this effect, they require you to reduce your calorie intake significantly. This could be very dangerous if you’re breastfeeding, as your body needs more calories than normal.
5. Don’t Aim Too High
Weight loss can be a very long process, especially after you’ve given birth. Even after a whole year of dieting, some women still retain several pounds of baby weight. As a rule, you can expect to lose about 10 pounds within a year or two after delivery. It is thus important to keep your expectations in check and not give up even if you don’t see any results after a few months.
