POST PREGNANCY WEIGHT LOSS TIPS FOR NEW MOMS

So you are a busy mom who just had a baby. You need to get back into shape, so you can get back to some semblance of normalcy, right? Well! There is good news and bad news. The good news is that post pregnancy weight loss is possible, if not easy, and we have some tips to help you achieve this. The bad news is that you won't have any semblance of normalcy for a while, especially if you just had your first baby. I have never known any new mom who got back to anything like a normal life too quickly after a new baby. It just does not work out that way.

After your baby is born, naturally your body will still be recovering from the effects of child-birth for several months. Your weight may go back to your normal level fairly quickly, especially if you are under 30 years old and you were not overweight before the pregnancy. Losing weight at this time is important, but there are some notes of caution too. Weight loss after pregnancy should be gradual, so as not to cause problems for you and your baby.

Adding psychological pressures to yourself because of weight loss anxiety will neither be good for your nor for your baby. What you will want to do however is to focus on being healthy, not just on losing weight. So here then, are some post pregnancy weight loss tips that should help you to feel and look great even during the post partum period.

1. If you are exercising to lose weight, start out slowly. This is especially true if you did not exercise much during the pregnancy. Remember too that it took over nine months to get to your maximum weight, so a gradual decrease is in order. There is just no point in rushing to lose weight after pregnancy only to get burned out or worse, injure yourself.

2. Maintain a healthy diet for both you and your baby. Do not embark on any fad diet after your baby is born, just to lose weight fast. In this post partum period, your body will need adequate nourishment, especially since you will be breast-feeding. A rule of thumb to bear in mind is that some experts believe that a mother who is breast feeding will expend an additional 500 calories per day just producing breast milk for her baby. Any diet that interferes with this is just not worth the risk to your baby and yourself.

3. Determine exactly what is a healthy diet. Knowing exactly what to eat is better than getting vague references to a "healthy diet", so here is another post pregnancy weight loss tip that should help. Choose high density foods that actually have some value to your body, such as freshly squeezed carrot juice. Avoid foods that offer little nutrients such as highly processed foods and snacks. Instead, you really should go for fruits, nuts, vegetables and wholesome dips, with whole grains and other healthy selections. To put it another way, the post partum period is not the time to experiment with unproven diets and fads.

Like any other woman, you will experience certain physical changes to your body, after giving birth to your baby. These will not be the same for every woman, but will determine to some extent how quickly you can get back into shape, shed extra pounds, and feel like yourself again. One important goal you should set for yourself now is to reduce your overall body fat while improving muscle tone. Do not forget that this is a gradual process and your overall health is more important that weight loss at this special time for you and your baby.