Losing weight after pregnancy is not impossible, but it may require a bit of effort. It is not as simple as going on a starvation or crash diet, because the body still needs extra care to maintain a sufficient breast milk supply. That being said, mothers don’t have to wean to get back into their skinny jeans.
Post Pregnancy Diet Plans
Healthy eating during pregnancy is just the beginning. To have a beneficial weight dropping effect, eating healthy during pregnancy should continue after the baby is born. The body responds naturally to pregnancy by stacking on a few extra pounds.
Pregnancy diet plans for nutritious foods followed during post partum recovery send the mind and body a green light that all is well. The extra pounds are no longer needed so the healthy thing to do is let them drop off.
When the body is not well nourished, it sends out a very different signal. Instead the body thinks it is starving and slows the metabolism accordingly in an effort to maintain fat stores and ward off starvation. This makes losing weight after pregnancy a nearly impossible feat.
Pack it on, Throw it off
Changes in weight are perfectly natural. Pregnancy is one of the times in life when these types of fluctuations happen. Keeping the body in line with its healthy rhythms will help maintain natural pregnancy weight gain and loss.
Post partum for the breastfeeding mother actually means a need to boost caloric intake. Pregnancy only requires an additional 300 calories per day, while breastfeeding is nearly double that number at 500 extra calories.
Changing the pregnancy diet plan to increase caloric intake will actually help the body let go of extra pounds. The body does not want to hang onto any unneeded fat stores any more than you want it to.
Eating lean meats, vegetables, fruit and whole grains as needed will entice the body to let go of those pregnancy pounds in short order. Pay close attention to serving sizes; they are usually much smaller than expected.
Studies consistently show a link between healthy eating, strong bodies and weight. Pregnancy and post partum are not exempt. Eating well is the bottom line to kissing those pregnancy pounds good-bye.