I guess I can consider myself almost an expert on this topic. How to lose the baby weight?
During pregnancy your body goes through a LOT of changes…you have a grow a teeny tiny person!
The average weight gain (or recommended weight gain) during pregnancy is 25-35 pounds.
Some people (like me…*cough*) tend to be overachievers in this area and gain a little (or a lot) more than that recommended amount.
So how can you lose the weight that you gained during your pregnancy? How should you start?
I know, this can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve never had to lose weight before.
If you’re breastfeeding, you’re at a slight advantage, since your body will burn an extra 400ish calories a day to produce milk for your baby.
How to lose baby weight:
Right after you have your baby, you’ll most likely drop quite a bit of weight right away. You DID just push out a baby after all. I ended up losing 20 pounds in the first 10 days after our son was born.
Your body just went through some serious trauma–you pushed something the size of a watermelon out of your ho ha–OR you got ripped open to get the baby out. Either way, your body has gone through a LOT. Don’t worry about your weight so much in the beginning. Eat healthy, take care of your little one, and try to rest as much as you can (ha!).
It was about 1 week postpartum that I started walking around our neighborhood. It started off just short 15-20 minute walks, nothing too fast or strenuous.
As I felt better, I increased the length and speed of my walking. You most likely won’t get the ok from your doc to start working out until you’re 6 weeks postpartum. If you’re like me, after about a month you’ll be itching to get back to it. I DID do more than walk before I met with my doctor–but I don’t really recommend that. I lifted super light weights in a very controlled environment–but like I said, check with your doctor before you start ANY kind of working out.
At your 6 week visit, you’ll probably get the all clear to get moving. This doesn’t mean you should go out and run a marathon–you’re still healing from pushing out that baby. Your workouts should gradually progress and get tougher. I went from walking, to walking on an incline, to the elliptical, to doing my at home workouts like Turbo Fire, P90X, Body Beast, and spin classes. At 6 weeks postpartum I did start doing some of these programs (mostly Brazil Butt Lift)–BUT I followed the low impact modifications. I didn’t do any jumping for at least another month.
During this time, you should be focusing on your nutrition. I’m not saying go crazy and cut your calories way low–especially if you’re breastfeeding–but I am saying you should be eating plenty of fruits and vegetables–if you need some healthy meal ideas you can pick up my Flat Belly Solutions eBook–it’s free =)
You may hit a plateau after a few months, which is totally normal. At that point, you may have to ramp up your workouts a bit. Add some interval training and up your intensity.
This is what has worked really well for me. As of right now, I’m 4 months postpartum and I’ve lost 60 pounds so far. I still want to lose a little bit more, but I’m getting there =)
If you need help losing your baby weight, or you want some extra support and a step by step plan, I highly recommend you apply for my next Lose the Baby Weight group. You’ll have the support of other moms who know exactly what you’re going through!
