Pregnancy fat is the EASIEST to get rid off! Yes, you read that correctly!! The EASIEST!!
Let me share how:
1. Acceptance and gratitude
Most importantly, look at your body in all its post pregnancy glory. I'd suggest alone in a room, in front of a long mirror, really look at your body. The stretch marks, the bulges of fat on the abdomen, thighs, the swollen breasts, the face with a long pending facial appointment, the unkempt tied up hair, the absence of any jewellery (your bangles and neck chains and rings off).
Look at yourself and feel the pride. Express gratitude to your body for housing and bringing into this world safely a new soul. God's best creation. How can you not love the home of your baby and how can you feel anything but gratitude to it!! It will change soon and the signs of the miracle will diminish. Fortunately, some will be imprinted forever.
2. Breastfeed your baby
The body stores fat in pregnancy for a very specific purpose. It's not supposed to stay forever. It is supposed to be used up nourishing your baby in its first few months or years(depending on how long you wish to or can manage to feed!) Breastfeeding has innumerable benefits to both the mother and the baby, not the least of it being fat loss. Here's how the family can pitch in and enable this heavenly bond of love and care.
(read my blog post on Feed-mother-feed: Feed, mother feed (drparulchoprabuttan.com)
3. Diet
Our Indian culture places a lot of emphasis on nutrition for a feeding mother and rightly so. Not only does your health and well being depend on it, but you are programming your baby's health for life.
Some tips
Eat fresh home cooked meals.
Continue your pregnancy habit of small frequent meals. You won't need to give in to binges if you're not famished!
Eat a fruit first thing when you wake up. Any seasonal fruit will do- banana, apple, orange, mango.
Plan your meals and stick to the times. So if you know you get hungry and munch on junk pre-dinner, plan to have a wholesome salad or a glass of milk with your protein supplement at 5 pm.
At least 3-4 liters of water in a day. Keeping yourself well hydrated keeps your energy level up, avoids mindless munching, enables good milk flow and maintains your sanity!
4. Exercise
Keeping active throughout the day is a natural gift of being a new mother! The diaper changes, burping, rocking, massaging, bathing, feeding the baby- all take care of that! But focused exercise, an hour a day, 3 days a week is a must. It de-stresses you besides bringing your lax muscles and joints back to their good strength. Vary your exercise routine, cardio (running, jogging) to strength training (weights) to yoga for a wholesome workout. It’s always better to work out under professional guidance, especially if you aren’t accustomed to exercising before, to minimise the risk of injury.
5. Sleep and rest
The importance of adequate sleep and rest cannot be underscored in losing weight. A tired burnt-out body does not have an efficient metabolism and doesn't burn fat despite exercise and eating right.
They say "it takes a village to raise a child". Get all the help you can get. Involve your partner, parents, parents-in-law, family, friends, neighbors in caring for your baby. The experience of being with a baby is so uplifting, you will easily find ready takers! Ensure your baby's safety in well-trusted hands so that you can truly relax and enjoy a soothing bath or a good workout.
Our bodies change post pregnancy but they needn't be flabby, obese and uncared for. With the right care and discipline, they can be stronger, leaner, fitter than ever before!