Post-pregnancy Weight Loss
So the baby isn’t the only addition to your life. You have all this weight as a result of your pregnancy. Don’t get all bent out of shape about it! It’s as easy to burn off as easy as it was to add on. There are simple little actions you can add to your day that will help you drop the weight in no time! Most of the weight that you still have on is probably water weight. If you had IV fluids fed to you while your stay at the hospital then it most likely added some extra swelling to your body. The good news is that it’s mostly water weight and you can lose it in a few weeks!
The first thing you want to make sure you’re doing is drinking enough water! Half your body weight is the amount of water you should be drinking in ounces. For example, if you weight 160 then you need to drink 80 ounces of water. It’s that simple. Cut out all sodas and sugar drinks out! Just drink water with a squeeze of lemon. You can also drink sparkling water if you’d like. Water is a natural diuretic and will get you to flush the water retention. Drinking water also gives your body something to sweat out when you are exercising.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator or park further away from the store. If you have a dog then take a longer walk around the whole block instead of just going to the corner and back. If you really want to work up a sweat then pack the baby in a pouch on your back or the front and go for a 15 min. walk. The extra weight will get you to burn extra calories as if you were carrying weights around. Try walking in the early morning or evening so that you can avoid the hotter part of the day. The trick is to sweat. The more you sweat the more water you are getting rid of.
Eat a well balanced meal with plenty of vegetables and fruits. Drink tea like ginger and dandelion which is aids the digestive system. It combats against indigestion and will regulate your bowel movements with out cramping. Bring healthy snacks like raisins, watermelon, nuts, carrots and celery. If you eat meat make sure they’re lean meats like chicken breast and fish.
Bikram yoga is a great exercise to engage in once you’re ready to do something more vigorous. It’s yoga in a hot room which will get you sweating in 5 min. Again, sweating is the key to getting rid of the extra water weight. If you want to tone then you need to build muscle by lifting weights and/or doing strengthening exercises like yoga or Pilates. Don’t kill yourself though. The weight will come off sooner or later. The important thing is to be healthy and more energized so that you can keep up with your new baby.
