 |
| image credit: socialmoms.com |
First and foremost, it is imperative that any type
of eating plan or weight loss programme begin at least 8 weeks after the
start of breastfeeding. This is to ensure that the supply of milk will not
be inadequate or depleted quickly.
Maintain a minimum of 1500 - 1800 calories of
your food per day irrespective of kind of diet or workout programme, possibly
in most cases 1800cals. This is mostly to ensure that also the mother (not just
the baby) receives all the nutrition she needs. Additionally, eating less than
1800 calories per day is likely to make you exhausted and moody. It is not the
best starting-point for caring for a baby round-the-clock.
If the plan to lose weight while breastfeeding is set
to a weight loss of 0.7kg (1.5
lbs) per week, the mother and milk should be safe
according the studies. Any weight loss goal significantly higher than this is risky
for the mother, and indirectly for the baby.
Don’t ever start any kind of fad diet or other types of quick-fix solutions, such as extreme one food diets, liquid
diets, weight loss medication and so on. These types of diets are usually poorly
put together and very low calorie from a nutrition perspective.
Instead of going
on official “dieting”, eating a well-balanced variety of foods is recommended.
Keep different snacks in the house to stop you from feeling hungry and provide
you energy all through the day. Carrot, apple, and whole wheat crackers are all
great for noshing.
My Weight
Won’t Shift! Why?
Several
studies find that exclusive breastfeeding can help you get back to your
pre-baby weight quicker, while others find no difference in weight loss between
women who breastfeed and those who bottle feed. There may be
a genetic link to this, but I believe a main reason is that you get so darn hungry
after breastfeeding. A key solution is to avoid all high calorie snacks and
fill up with fruits, veggies and healthy snacks and water. And eat proper food;
if you
go back to eating healthy and eating for your hunger, the weight will comes off
pretty naturally. Easier said than done sometimes for a breastfeeding
mum, right? But it definitely helps if you want to lose weight.
Get Moving!
It is possible that breastfeeding itself can lead
to weight loss, due to the higher calorie burn to produce the milk. However, as
mentioned above there really is no hard and fast rule about it.
But if you incorporate
cardio and strength training exercises during post-pregnancy, you will sure
burn the baby fat and calories as well as help keep your muscles and bones
strong. Furthermore, exercising beyond helping you lose weight provides several
benefits to a new mother. It helps with depression, relieving stress (having a
new baby can really be stressful) sleep issue and so on.
You don't have to hit the gym to get back to
post –pregnancy shape, taking a brisk
walk with your baby in the stroller is enough to get your heart pumping and
muscles working. Lugging around your baby throughout the day
is itself a workout, but you definitely need to include some strength training.
But before you begin any exercise programme,
get your doctor's approval, especially if you had a Caesarean delivery.
That
said; get moving with those stroller walks, mama!
P.S. The
U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid
website can help you design a personalized feeding plan based on your weight
loss goals, age, and activity level. The website even has a special section for
breastfeeding moms.
Source and further reading;
No comments:
Post a Comment