Dieting after having a baby

Are you hoping to get back in shape after having a baby? Most new mothers are a few pounds heavier than they were before they got pregnant, and a "postpartum belly" that is less than flattering is almost inevitable. Dieting is, for lots of women, the most obvious place to start looking for postpartum weight loss.

Changing your eating habits and limiting calories can be an effective part of your strategy to lose weight after pregnancy, but don't hurry! If you have just given birth, you don't need a blogger to tell you that new mothers tend to feel exhausted. Pregnancy, labor and delivery, and now mothering a newborn all require effort and energy.

You may feel weak from your labor and birth, and will be experiencing lochia, the postpartum bleeding to clean your uterus. If you start dieting in the "babymoon" period, you are likely to feel even more tired and perhaps moody than you already do. Of course, it is never too early for healthy foods which you hopefully ate during pregnancy as well but it is generally recommended that new mothers hold off on dieting until their six week postpartum checkup.

Six weeks after giving birth is simultaneously the time at which lochia normally stops. Breastfeeding mothers should wait until around eight weeks, when their milk supply is well established. Your approach to weight loss after pregnancy should be gradual. The weight loss process should include exercise as well as, if you desire, cutting calories. Decreasing calories gradually is better than doing so suddenly, and you should never take less than you need.

The quality of calories is so much more important than the number, and saturated fat and processed sugar should be the first things to go flying. You may want to look at our tips to reduce fat in your diet, because it can be quite a challenge!