Now that the 9 months of waiting and eventual weight gain is over, and the baby has arrived; it’s time to start thinking about getting rid of that excess weight. But don’t turn yourself inside out about it just yet, you have a lot on your mind right now, and dieting after pregnancy can be a bear to take on along with all the hormonal changes not to mention stuff you have to do each day with the baby. First things first, and your weight loss should be a gradual thing, not some fad-choked process that is going to make you sick.
First of all, beware of all those dieting scams that are out there on the marketplace. The marketing vampires know you are desperate to look good again since you have delivered the baby after waddling around for the last few months—–so they play on those emotions. If they say you can eat what you want and still lose weight quickly with no effort, or lose 10lbs or more a week, or you can drop pounds while you are sleeping with this magic potion—-keep moving. Don’t pay attention to that flap, and don’t fall for it. They want to sell you a vision and a dream and a few useless pills, and get you to part with your money—that’s the sum total of it, and whether or not you lose weight doesn’t concern them at all.
The main thing to remember when you are starting a dieting plan after pregnancy, is to make sure it is a long term plan with moderate weight loss and stocked with nutritionally sound foods as well as a modicum of exercise. Ignore all that flap about starstruck celebs falling in love with some magical berry from the wilds of the darkest jungles, or some heretofore unheard of cactus that has been discovered in the nick of time so you can partake of its powerful dieting juices. What drivel. Don’t get snookered and don’t waste your time and money. There is no overnight panacea for weight loss.
Another area you have to tread carefully in is that of dieting supplements. Some are necessary-like vitamins and minerals; some will help with appetite suppression; and some are just out and out scams. Take the time to familiarize yourself with what is right for your body now that you are on the other side of the hill pregnancy-wise; and learn what these various supplements can do. Some can be down right dangerous because they speed up your metabolism (ie your heart), can produce the shakes, or the sweats, and make you feel like you are coming apart. Steer clear of anything with ephedrine in it—a lot of products containing it have been pulled off the market already—-and be wary of the herbal products. Just because it says it’s natural doesn’t mean it can’t kill you—-nightshade is natural and so are poison mushrooms.
Many studies have been done on weight loss and dieting after pregnancy, and most have come to the very same conclusions; that the best way to lose weight effectively after delivery of the baby and regain your old figure in the shortest amount of time and be healthy at the same time, is to eat a well balanced diet of nutritionally sound foods and add an exercise program to it to hasten the weight loss and strengthen your muscles. You can cut down on carbohydrates somewhat, and watch the amount of calories you are taking in; but if you monitor portion size and are diligent with the exercising, you will have no trouble at all losing the weight. It amounts to the same song you have heard over and over again because it is the one that works; long term weight loss does not happen overnight, nor does it happen with magic pills or elixirs—-it is planned, it is a day by day commitment to maintaining a healthy diet and exercise program, and it will benefit you greatly for the rest of your life if you follow it properly and diligently. Remember, becoming healthier and stronger is part of the plan too, not just the weight loss, because you have a new life to look out for now, not just your own.
This brings up the thought about breastfeeding and whether or not it is an effective adjunct to promoting weight loss. Lots of women swear by it, that their dieting after pregnancy was made so much simpler by adding breastfeeding to their repertoire, and the act made the weight loss so much faster. Then you have the other side of the fence that states—-nah, breastfeeding didn’t do anything for me as far as speeding up weight loss—-it was a bust (no pun intended). So, if it works for you-great; if it doesn’t, that’s okay too—the standard methods work just fine without breastfeeding.
Dieting after pregnancy is one of the smarter choices you can make at this point in your postpartum life, and choosing to go with a low calorie, lowered carbohydrate eating plan that is based on sound nutritional principles as well as basic exercise will do the trick for you. You will find that not only will the weight come off for you, it will be a gradual loss that your body can adapt to and maintain, and you will feel better than you have in years which in turn will give you more energy to do what you need to to take care of the baby.
Dawn Eastman is an author and publisher on such topics as Pregnancy Weight Gain. For more information on Quick Weight Loss Plan visit our site.
