Friday, March 20, 2009

Losing Weight After Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

By Ricardo d Argence

Women can expect to gain 25-35 pounds during a healthy pregnancy. While some people easily lose this weight, others face an uphill battle in their struggle with weight.

A lot of ladies will need help in developing a weight loss program after giving birth. If you are considering yourself as one of those mother's who worries about how to get rid of the unwanted weight overall, then there are a few things which you should follow.

A great thing to do for not only the health of your baby but also for your weight loss battle is to breastfeed. Breastfeeding helps to burn an additional five hundred calories per day. As long as you are not increasing your calorie intake while breastfeeding, then you can almost bank on dropping about one pound a week. This means that you can begin to drop some of that weight by doing nothing more then breastfeeding your baby.

Along with breastfeeding it is important to make sure that you are maintaining a healthy diet. This is not just important for your weight loss struggle, as you are breastfeeding, which means you must be extra careful with what you eat and drink. Everything you ingest ends up in your breast milk and is then passed on to your baby.

So between eating healthy and breastfeeding you should be looking at one to two pounds a week in weight loss. Make sure that you are getting in enough water and dairy as well as this will contribute to your weight loss.

Along with all of that it is important to start working some moderate exercise into your routine. You have to be careful on when you start working out. Make sure that you speak to your doctor first in order to make sure that you have clearance from him or her to workout.

Hurting the recovery process would not be on your wish list. But once you are given the green light to start exercising you should go for it. This step will facilitate weight loss, improve your frame of mind, and allow your body to bounce back from the experience.

With all you have experienced, both emotionally and physically, it is essential that you aim to remain happy and uplifted. Eating a nutritious diet and getting plenty of exercise will help prevent post-partum depression and will aid in losing pregnancy weight.

The main thing is to make sure that you are not too hard on yourself. Everyone gains weight during pregnancy, as it is a natural part of the process. Know that it is a situation that can be put back to normal and there is no reason to panic. You are in complete control over your weight loss and if you really want it done then you will be able to make it happen. - 15437

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