Diet Plan For Weight Loss After Pregnancy

You will gain weight during pregnancy. It happens normally for most women. But once your baby is born you can get your previous weight back.

Achieving a healthy weight after childbirth is quite a challenging and time-consuming task. You now have to look after your little one – the center of your attention. Adjusting with a new routine, taking care of your kiddo, and recovering from childbirth. All these things can make you even busier.

Healthy eating accompanied with regular exercise can help to achieve a healthy level of weight. The experts also suggest various postpartum diets for women to lose weight, especially when they are breastfeeding.

When To Start A Diet For Easy Weight Loss After Pregnancy?

After childbirth, your body needs time to recover. If you try to lose weight too quickly after giving birth, your body will need even more time to lose weight. Therefore, give yourself a break until 6 weeks after delivery.

The time between 6 to 12 months is considered best to start dieting after delivery.

Diet Plan To Lose Weight After Pregnancy

You should add the following items to your daily consumption to safely lose weight after pregnancy:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Fiber-rich food
• Whole grains
• Protein

These whole food are healthy for both the mother and the baby.

Along with eating a healthy diet, there are also some foods to avoid. In this article, we will guide you through diet plans to help you lose weight after childbirth while identifying foods that you should avoid.

• Don’t crash diet:

A crash diet is a low-calorie diet that aims at losing a large amount of weight in the shortest period.

But it is not a good idea as you have just given birth to a baby. Your body is too weak and needs a sufficient amount of nutrition to overcome the lost energy and to heal. Your body will need even more calories than normal if you are breastfeeding.

A low-calorie diet lacks and therefore cannot provide sufficient amounts of the important nutrition that your body needs to recover.

You can decrease your caloric intake by about 500 calories per day which is about 1.1-pounds (0.5 kg) per week of weight loss. This amount of weight loss is considered safe for breastfeeding mothers.

• Eat fiber-rich foods:

Healthy grains and veggies can be your best friend in the struggle of losing weight after childbirth.

All whole grains and vegetables that are rich in fiber are very effective are with weight loss. This is because eating soluble fiber foods helps to feel fuller for a longer period.

The studies also show that eating soluble fibers slows downs the digestion process which reduces hunger hormones levels in your body. And helps to lower your calories intake.

• Eat healthy proteins:

Proteins are an essential and healthy part of our diet. The consumption of proteins helps to boost your metabolism. It also helps in suppressing your appetite which reduces your intake of calories.

According to studies, proteins hold the largest thermic effect than any other nutrient. It means that our body uses more energy to digest it. As a result, more calories are burned.

Additionally, proteins also reduce hunger hormones.

Following are some of the healthy protein sources to help you lose weight:

• Lean meats
• eggs
• low mercury fish
• legumes
• nuts
• seeds
• dairy

• Stock up more healthy snacks:

Keeping healthy snack handy will also help to reduce caloric uptake. Therefore, you should always choose a healthy snack for munching.

Following are some healthy snacks to keep handy:

• Cut vegetables and hummus
• Mixed nuts and dried fruits
• Greek yogurt and homemade granola
• Air-popped popcorn
• String cheese
• Spiced nuts
• Seaweed snacks

According to researchers, keeping fruits nearby or in your line of sight is associated with lower body mass index. On the other hand, keeping unhealthy food items readily available in your home increase your weight.

• Avoid added sugar and refined carbs:

The research shows that a large intake of added sugar and refined carbs increases weight. All the sugary products and refined carbs are high in calories. These foods are also low in nutrients.

Furthermore, the uptake of such foods can also lead to several health problems including diabetes, heart diseases, and cancer.

The following are some common sources of added sugars that you should avoid:

• Sugary drinks
• Fruit juice
• Refined sugar
• White flour
• Sweet potato
• Cakes
• Biscuits
• Pastries

Sugar consumption can also be decreased by avoiding processed foods and by sticking only to whole foods.

Furthermore, whenever you go grocery, avoid buying foods that are rich in sugar or contain sugar as an ingredients.

Here is a list of some whole foods:

• Vegetables
• Legumes
• Fruits
• Meats
• Fish
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Yogurt

• Avoid highly processed foods:

Unprocessed foods are rich in proteins, fiber and contain less sugar.

On the other hand, processed foods are rich in sugar, unhealthy fats, salts, and calories. All these foods add to your body mass and increase your weight.

Processed foods include:

• Fast food
• Prepackaged foods
• Chips
• Cookies and baked goods
• Candy
• Ready-to-eat meals
• Processed cheeses
• Sugary cereals

You should replace these processed foods with healthy, fresh, whole, and nutrient-dense foods.

• Avoid alcohol:

Studies suggest avoiding alcohol completely if you want to lose weight. Alcohol is a rich source of calories. The consumption of alcohol leads to more fats in your body and increases belly fat specifically.

Alcohol is also not safe for your newborn if you are a breastfeeding mother. Instead use healthy alternatives, such as low sugar drinks.

• Drink enough water:

Drinking enough water is an essential part of losing weight. Drinking sufficient amounts of water helps to keep your body hydrated and gives you a sensation of fullness.

You can burn almost 240 calories by drinking water. It also helps to stimulate your metabolism that directly leads to weight loss.

Final thoughts:

Achieving a healthy weight after pregnancy is beneficial. It can be a struggle at times, but it is possible. Besides helping you feel good about yourself, it is also good for your overall body health and well-being, especially if you plan to have another child in the future. Make small changes every day towards a better diet and you will surely see the results.