The joys of motherhood! You have this beautiful little person whom you created… and this bulging body. Trust us, you can and will get your body back if you had a good confinement period. Here are the eight keys to getting there:
- Eat regularly. Ensure that you are eating at least three meals every day. A large study shows that skipping meals actually reduced a new mother’s weight loss. Many recent health books recommend eating five smaller meals a day (versus three larger ones) because the smaller ones increase the number of calories you burn each day.
- Exercise with your baby. Studies show that women who exercise with their baby, usually by taking walks, lost more weight than those who exercised alone.
- Eat protein at every meal. Proteins burn more energy and helps you feel full longer.
- Lift weights. Use weights or do resistance exercise after four months post-partum. Resistance exercise increases metabolism and releases growth hormone, which is a key hormone for fat burning.
- Don’t diet. SKip the fad diets and concentrate on eating healthy meals instead. Over ninety-five percent of diets are unsuccessful, and most dieters end up regaining even more weight.
- Get your calcium. Be sure to get at least 1200mg of calcium every day. Studies show that it is very difficult to lose weight if your diet is low in calcium.
- Add iron if necessary. If you are low on energy, get your iron level checked. Many women have an iron deficiency after childbirth. Often, a multivitamin alone does not supply enough iron to solve this problem.
- Be patient. Time does heal. Remember that your body has just been through a trying ordeal. It will regain its shape slowly and at its own pace.
By following these steps, you won’t have the dramatic weight loss offered by many fad diets, but you will lose excess fat in a healthy and sustainable manner. NannySOS is a confinement agency providing confinement care with a team of experienced babysitters in Singapore. More information is available in our article Babysitter Singapore.