It's natural to put on weight when you're pregnant. Taking the weight off after the baby is born is a little more difficult. However, it's not impossible. If you take a sensible approach toward creating a healthy weight loss diet, you can lose the pregnancy weight and keep it off.
When to Start Dieting
If you're breastfeeding your baby, there's a limit to how much you can diet and still nurse successfully. You may feel distressed about the extra weight you have gained during pregnancy, but there's no hurry to take off the pounds. You can afford to wait until your baby is weaned to start dieting. If you decide to cut back while breastfeeding, be sure to eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water.
Even if you're bottle feeding, you shouldn't cut your calories too severely. Taking care of a baby is hard work, and you need all the energy you can get. So don't cut healthy foods from your diet. Instead, reduce or eliminate your consumption of sweets such as soda, candy, cookies and cake and fats such as butter and gravy. Limit high calorie nutritious foods such as cheese and peanut butter to about an ounce per meal or snack. Also, cut out white starch such as white bread, rice and pasta. Replace these foods with healthier ones such as fruit, vegetable oils and whole grain bread, rice and pasta.
Planning Meals and Snacks
Being up half the night to feed and soothe your baby back to sleep will inevitably take a toll on you. Make sure that you get proper nutrition during the day, but don't allow yourself to indulge in stress-induced eating. Include a serving of protein, starch, vegetables, fruit and fat with each meal. Snack on healthy and satisfying foods such as a slice of whole grain toast or a banana. Avoid fruit juice, which is high in calories but ineffective at satisfying hunger. Instead, drink caffeine-free tea or water throughout the day. Also, make sure you drink two or three glasses of low-fat or skim milk per day.
Don't eliminate entire food groups from your diet or skip meals in an attempt to lose weight. Instead, reduce your calories by taking smaller portions of each food. When you shop, choose foods that have fewer calories per serving whenever possible. If a food has 200 or more calories per serving, only eat half a serving during each meal or snack.
Exercise
You can lose weight with less dieting if you exercise regularly. This can seem difficult when you have a new baby, but it's not impossible. Get a good stroller that you can fit easily in the trunk of your car. An athletic stroller is a good choice if you like to walk, run, jog or rollerblade. Another option is to invest in exercise equipment for your home. Then you can grab a quick workout every day while the baby is sleeping. There are also workout routines you can do with your baby. Check your local bookstore or look online for books or DVDs on how to exercise with your baby in a safe and enjoyable way.
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