Lose Baby Weight

Lose Weight While Breastfeeding  

The points below have been put together by me, a mum of two, who put on 4 stone during both my pregnancies.  I was sleep deprived and so tired, I had no energy and the days and nights all seemed like one.  Yet I managed to lose my baby weight within a year of the baby being born.

I still struggle with my weight which is why I put up this Lose Weight For Free Website in the first place, but this page is specifically dedicated to new mothers who are desperate to lose baby weight fast. 

Breastfeeding

As briefly mentioned above, the quickest and most natural way is to lose weight while breastfeeding.  The reason being is that you burn around 800 calories per day purely by breastfeeding.  Many people have achieved their weight loss goal simply by breastfeeding and nothing else.

However, this is not always the case for some of us and we need a bit of additional help to shed those unwanted pounds.

Also, I do understand that not all mothers can or want to breastfeed.  I breastfed my firstborn for two weeks but I got mastitis (hardening of the milk ducts) and it was so painful that I simply could not breastfeed anymore.

Needless to say this experience put me off breastfeeding when my second son was born and so I fed him by bottle.  So my baby weight loss endeavours did not include losing weight while breastfeeding.  I had to find other methods to lose my unwanted pounds.

Before I finish on this subject I must mention that you should eat properly during breastfeeding.  Eat healthy and even eat an extra 500 calories a day.  Don't drink alcohol either as this will be transfered to your baby via the milk.

Exercise

Cardio:

You need to be active to help boost your metabolism and get those calories burning off.  I think the best exercise for a new mum is to take long walks with the baby in her pram/stroller.  Walking at a moderate pace for 30 minutes three or four times a week should be enough to help burn calories and fat.  The fresh-air is also good for both you and baby.

If you enjoy swimming, then get some 'me' time and go swimming for 30 minutes two or three times a week.  Whatever you enjoy as an activity now is the time to start it up again.  But you must do cardio exercises to help lose baby weight fast.

Toning:

You can also start toning up by doing some light weights.  You don't have to go to a gym you can do some arm exercises using dumb-bells or even use two large tins of beans or soup - one in each hand and raise and lower your arms.

Then do some lunges and leg squats to tone up your legs.  Finish off with some tummy crunches to start strengthening your stomach muscles again after childbirth.

Watch What You Eat

You're not going to lose weight if you keep eating like you did while you were pregnant.  You need to follow a calorie controlled diet.  If you can't do this on your own at this present stage then think about joining a slimming class such as Weight Watchers or Slimming World.

If you simply can't face the fact of going on a diet, then at least make an attempt to cut out on fatty food such as pizza, fish & chips etc., chocolate, sweets and cakes.  Buy a low fat recipe book and make delicious tasty recipes that incorporate lots of vegetables and protein.

Sleep-Time

Sleep actually has a part in weight loss too.  However, I bet you're not getting much at the minute.  I don't know what your personal situation is, but if you have a partner, then try and share the night feeds.  If you are breastfeeding, express some milk into bottles so you partner can take over and let you have some sleep.

Also when baby is asleep during the day, you take a nap too.  A quick 15/30 minute nap a couple of times a day can do wonders.  Don't worry about the washing up or state of the house, just catch up on your sleep while you can.

The reason why you lose weight if you sleep more is something to do with a hormone called Leptin.  Leptin is produced mainly in fat cells.  Researchers have found that the more you sleep the higher amount of Leptin is in your body.  Leptin has an appetite-suppressing effect.  It's so much more complicated than this, but I just want to try and prove to you that there have been scientific studies into why sleeping for 8 hours as opposed to 5 hours will help with your weight loss.

To Summarise

I hope the above has given you some ideas on how to lose baby weight.  I do understand that your priority is your newborn, but you are obviously unhappy with your weight or you wouldn't be reading this page.  So try to put some of the above points into practice to start your baby weight loss.  If you can start to lose weight while breastfeeding then you have a head start.  If you can't, you can still do it with healthy eating and exercise - I did!

Good Luck!

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