Fastest Way to a Flat Stomach After Pregnancy

If you recently had a baby, you probably are eager and anxious to lose your belly fat fast. "Gaining weight in your abdomen does more harm than simply making your waistband too tight," say doctors at the Mayo Clinic. Belly fat increases risks of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and different kinds of cancers.

Losing postpartum obesity within the first few months is essential for any new mother. Women who ignore their post-pregnancy weight are likely to carry it for the next 10 to 15 years. However, mothers should not rush but focus to reduce the stomach weight gradually.

Diet

Maintaining a healthy diet and exercising are key notes to quickly losing the postpartum belly. New mothers who are breastfeeding need extra calories to make milk. Nursing mothers should not diet but focus on scaling their calorie count.

Mothers should center on "eating a reduced-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains," recommends Dr. Laurie Casas, plastic surgeon from Northwestern University in Chicago and a spokesperson for the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, in an interview to MSNBC.

Reducing portions of simple carbohydrates like refined pasta and white bread helps in losing stomach fat. Incorporate lean proteins like chicken, low-fat dairy products, eggs and high-fiber leafy greens into your diet. Eat small meals to boost metabolism and digestion and keep off body fat.

Exercise

It's necessary to get into an exercise routine immediately for new mothers. Daily moderate exercise like a walking regimen tones the muscles and helps shrink body fat.

Strength training is an effective means to lose the fat accumulated during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor before integrating light weights into your daily exercise practice, especially if you had a C-section.

Gina Lombardi, a personal trainer in Los Angeles, recommends crunches along with cardiovascular exercises to tighten abdominal muscles. "Begin with one set of 10 repetitions and up to three sets of 20, a few times a week."

Doing Pilates is another popular option to reduce stomach fat. Pilates strengthens the core muscles and helps contract the pelvic muscles. Demonstrated in Erin O'Brien Denton's DVD "Postnatal Rescue" are the basic lifts, curl-ups, bridges and planks. Denton walks mothers through bridges and planks and suggests a modified Pilates 100s exercise, which is "simply lifting the head and shoulders while pulling in the abdominals" during the first three months following delivery. Increase intensity with time and practice.