Whether you are 6 weeks postpartum or 2 years, losing weight after baby can be one of the hardest challenges for postnatal moms. However, while at times you can feel helpless, there are some things that you can do to aid in your weight loss goals!
Before digging deep into the 7 ways to help you lose weight, I have to first start off by expressing how much I truly believe this process is a journey. A journey in which does not happen over night and takes effort to make happen. A journey that needs to be taken on correctly in order to victoriously come out, feeling better than you did at the beginning. Lastly, a journey in which weight loss is not only measured by the numbers on the scale, but more importantly, the way the mama feels.
Mama, please remember; it took 9 months to grow that baby in your body and, furthermore, will take AT LEAST that to fully recover!
When you have an unhealthy gut, it causes bloating and indigestion. This, in return, causes your body to hold onto weight.
First of all, no, it is not the end of the world! I have tips!
Removing Gluten out of your diet can aid you in losing weight for several reasons. First, it helps your immune system. Second, because gluten is difficult for your body to break down, stopping eating it can also, improve your digestive system and lessen infammation (resulting in a healthier gut).
Similar to gluten, removing dairy from your diet can help with weight loss by aiding in digestion and bloating. Additionally, it promotes a healthy diet in which often leads to losing weight.
While, removing both gluten and dairy from your diet can seem intimidating (you're probably thinking, "what the heck am I going to eat now"), there are actually so many options to leading a gluten-free and dairy-free life.
The bottom line is, if you do not fuel your body with ENOUGH food to sustain your daily activities (including breastfeeding, if you are), than your body will go into survival mode. During survival mode, it will tell itself that it does not have enough nutrients inside. In return, it will hold onto fat, remembering that it probably will not receive enough nutrients in the future.
In addition to that, if you are a breastfeeding mom, you are burning at least 500 calories every day. This means you should be consuming even more fuel.
With all of that said, while remembering to eat enough, you also need to focus on fueling your body with healthful nutrients!
You're thinking, "That's what everyone tells me" right? Well, in this case, everyone is correct! Staying hydrated, not only flushes out the bad toxins in your body (goodbye bloating), but also helps control your appetite.
However, sometimes, consuming the recommended amount of water (8 glasses/day) can be difficult. On these days, to make it easier, try brewing a large glass of cold brew unsweetened ice tea. (I use a 30oz stainless steel cup). If needed, sweeten it using Stevia Sweet Drops, honey, or agave. Once finished, fill your cup up again, using the same tea bags. This will flavor the water just enough for a second round.
If you are able to breastfeed that baby of yours, it has many benefits for both you and your baby, including weight loss.
While breastfeeding burns at least 500 calories every day, it also helps shrink your uterus back to normal and aids in your recovery.
As a mama, finding the time and encouragement to workout can be difficult. It is important to remember that putting effort towards your health, will not only benefit yourself, but the way you parent your child as well.
Moreover, I understand how the lack of motivation you are feeling towards working out could be because you gave all of your motivation to your family.
This is why I have created the 30 MOMENTS OF MOTIVATION TO GET YOUR MOMBOD MOVING! As stated earlier in the article, this is a free printable, containing 30 days of motivation for when #momlife is just plain hard.
Great tips! I never thought of cutting gluten out to aid in weight loss.
Thank you! Yes, gluten is hard for our body to digest. If you do cut gluten out, just remember that you still need to replace those cut out calories.
great tips. I've had a struggle after my last with releasing weight, that I have never had before. He's almost 2.5 and it's still not budging.
These tips are great, putting them into effect is the hard part. lol. I found that by removing most if not all carbs (keto diet) I removed all gluten and that has been a gamer changer for me.
That's wonderful to hear mama! Staying active during pregnancy is so good for a healthy labor as well as healthy postpartum recovery. Just remember to take things slow and listen to your body!
These are excellent suggestions! My favorite is gut health. I'm a huge believer in making sure your digestive system is at top notch to make sure the bloating is at a minimum.
Thank you! Same as me! In my opinion, it's the most important element to a healthy lifestyle!
These are cool tips and probably helpful for those who are just looking to shed some pounds in general!
Thank you! They are specifically written towards moms who want to lose weight in a healthy way!