As soon as you give birth, it is common to experience postpartum weight gain as the uterus and abdominal muscles stretch and separate during gestation.
As long as you stick with a healthy diet and workout routine, however, belly fat can be reduced effectively and your pre-pregnancy body shape restored.
1. Diet
Belly fat after pregnancy can be one of the greatest challenges faced by new moms, between caring for a newborn, juggling work responsibilities, and managing sleepless nights it can be hard to stay on top of both nutrition and exercise regiments.
Pregnancy can cause hormonal shifts that cause body fat accumulation in the abdomen and thighs, particularly among women as their oestrogen levels fluctuate drastically during gestation and breastfeeding.
However, you can reduce postpartum belly fat by following an appropriate diet rich in proteins, fruits, vegetables and monounsaturated fats – this combination should ensure healthy weight loss after pregnancy.
American Heart Association suggests all women consume at least 150 grams of protein daily in order to build lean muscle mass and decrease abdominal fat, and facilitate postpartum weight loss by burning more calories through muscle.
Resistance training should also be incorporated into your workout regime to develop lean muscle tissue that will make you look and feel healthier, as well as increase metabolism for increased caloric burning throughout the day. Resistance training also has added benefits in terms of appearance – helping build more defined physique features while simultaneously burning more calories each day!
One effective strategy to combat post-pregnancy belly fat is engaging in core exercises such as crunches, squats, and pushups. These will target all the muscles within your abdomen – including lower abdominals – which is crucial in terms of postpartum recovery.
Exercise to strengthen and tone abdominal muscles. By doing these exercises regularly, you will quickly return to pre-pregnancy condition.
As well as these exercises, try drinking lukewarm water with a piece of lime before every meal to help detoxify and speed up metabolism and thus decrease belly fat accumulation. This strategy can also help with losing belly fat by speeding up metabolism – another excellent strategy for losing it quickly!
Sugary food should also be limited, which will reduce appetite and make sticking to a healthier diet easier. Furthermore, eating foods high in fiber – like whole grains and fruits – may help lower your risk of digestive disorders or obesity later on.
2. Exercise
After giving birth, your body will gradually begin restoring itself back to its pre-pregnancy size over the following six to eight weeks as all excess fluid from gestation leaves your system through urine flushes and perspiration.
Though pregnancy fat can be challenging to shed, there are a few strategies you can employ postpartum in order to combat belly fat accumulation. Exercise regularly and reduce caloric intake.
Make fitness part of your everyday life to increase its likelihood of sticking around for good. While this might be challenging at first, setting goals and sticking with them will reap dividends down the line.
Exercise regularly can be the key to toning your tummy and burning calories, leading to decreased body fat. Aim to include weightlifting, aerobics and core exercises in your exercise regime for maximum impact.
One of the best belly-flattening exercises is plank, as it engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously and strengthens your core. Plus, plank is also an effective cardio workout and can increase metabolism and speed up fat-burning capabilities.
V-ups are a classic yet effective full-body workout, targeting your core, legs, back, shoulders and arms simultaneously. Also known as an ultimate belly fat burner, this move combines crunches with leg raises for maximum benefits and efficiency.
Although exercises like those listed here can help to reduce belly fat, they won’t do much without also altering your diet. You will have to eat fewer calories than before while increasing calorie expenditure through physical activity and cardio.
Abdominal separation, which often manifests itself during over two-thirds of pregnancies, allows an opening between muscles that allows air in and allows an excess amount to come out. Although often misdiagnosed as a bulge, this condition usually resolves itself after birth naturally.
But if left uncorrected, diastasis recti can still leave you with an unsightly pooch on your belly that gives the impression you’re still pregnant. What may look like excess belly fat may actually be caused by an imbalance in connective tissue between abdominal muscles.
3. Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding can have a dramatic impact on both your weight and belly fat. Furthermore, breastfeeding provides vital protection for both you and your infant from medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, breast/ovarian cancer and heart disease.
Breast milk is the ideal food source for babies, providing all of their nutritional and caloric needs for development and growth. Plus, breast milk provides immune-protecting chemicals, protein and minerals – everything your little one needs for optimal development!
Breastfeeding can also help you shed belly fat after pregnancy by increasing metabolism and helping your body use more calories to produce milk, according to estimates by the Office of Women’s Health. Breastfeeding burns an estimated 600-calories each day – providing an effective means of increasing daily caloric expenditure and initiating weight loss.
Breastfeeding can place strain on your nutrient intake, so it’s crucial that you eat enough to meet daily requirements. Skipping meals or overeating junk food will only add extra calories and hinder weight loss efforts.
Consume 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day instead of three large ones and include healthful foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins to stay energized and avoid feeling too hungry later on in the day. Eating more often will also keep your energy up while helping stave off hunger pangs later on.
Breakfast provides energy for starting the day right, and can even help lessen fatigue later in the day so you can exercise more often.
Consuming regular meals will help your hormones to remain in equilibrium, which in turn can reduce abdominal fat. Hydrating well throughout the day is another effective way to combat abdominal fat accumulation and help decrease waist size.
Studies have revealed that breastfeeding mothers have lower risks of type 2 diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer, high blood pressure, and are more likely to reach their pre-pregnancy weight than non-exclusively breastfeeding mothers. One such study showed that breastfeeding women experienced an average weight loss of 3.2 pounds (1.5 kg) more during their first year postpartum than formula users; similarly women who breastfed exclusively for over 12 weeks after giving birth were typically 7.5 pounds lighter 10 years post-birth than their counterparts who didn’t breastfeed exclusively.
4. Weight Management
Belly fat can be both frustrating and dangerous to both you and your unborn baby, so to best manage it make an effort to lose extra pounds and improve both overall wellbeing and quality of life.
There are various strategies and tricks to help you shed belly fat quickly and sustainably, such as eating healthily, engaging in regular physical activity and practicing self-control.
Make an effort to consume plenty of greens as often as possible; they contain antioxidants that will boost your immunity and combat disease. And don’t forget to drink lots of water!
Well, the good news is that it should be possible for you to shed postpartum weight if you make smart choices and enlist support from family and friends. Although it will require time and patience on your part, the rewards could make the journey worth your while!
Here are a few top tips for successfully losing belly fat.
Starting and sticking to a healthy eating regimen can help make you feel energized, which in turn will aid in keeping weight off.
Second, incorporate light exercises such as gentle stretching routines into your schedule to help relieve back pain and decrease stress while simultaneously working toward eliminating belly fat. This practice will not only offer immediate relief from discomfort but may even assist in decreasing belly fat over time.
Signing up for classes offered by your GP or health centre is another excellent way of expanding your knowledge while meeting other moms in similar situations.
