Postpartum Weight Loss

By Lisa Moloney MS, RD, LDN

After the long awaited forty weeks you finally get to bring your new baby home.  All of a sudden your life has new meaning and your priorities immediately change.  It can be some of the happiest moments in one’s life.  On the flip side it can also provide some of the most stressful moments.  Combine sleepless nights, nursing, doctor appoints, tending to other children, keeping a home in order, not to mention trying to recover from a delivery or surgery, life can get complicated.  On top of all of this most mothers cannot wait to say goodbye to maternity clothes and hello to their pre-pregnancy weight.  Unfortunately, it takes forty weeks to put the weight on, so it can take awhile for those pounds to come off.  With a little patience and following a few key tips you can shed those pregnancy pounds.

Nursing

Combined with physical activity and a well balanced diet, breastfeeding can help you shed those pounds.   On average, it takes approximately 500 calories per day to produce breast milk.

Diet    

Same rules apply for everyone; you need to follow a well balanced diet.  Eat plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables which are high in fiber and will help you feel full longer.  Make sure you are drinking enough water. If nursing, keep a bottle of water within reach.  Surround yourself with healthy convenient options.    Fruit, precut and washed veggies, low fat cheese and crackers, light yogurt and high fiber cereal can be life savers when you need a quick meal or snack.  Try to keep unhealthy temptations out of the house.  Most mothers will be spending much more time at home then they were previously used to.  The last thing you want to do is start grazing on high fat/high calorie snacks.

Physical Activity

Start slowly.  One of the best things you can do is to get out and go for a walk.  This can be done within a few days of delivery.  You will feel like a new person physically as well as mentally.  As your stamina improves you can increase duration and intensity.  If getting out of the house with your baby seems overwhelming ask for help.  Family and friends want to be there for you but may not want to intrude, just ask!

As anxious as you may feel about losing weight, try not to stress about it (I know, easier said than done).  Enjoy this time with your baby because believe it or not the weeks and months will fly by.  The weight will come off, it just takes time.  Whether you are breastfeeding or formula feeding it can potentially take up to six months to reach your pre-pregnancy weight.  Even then, the weight might not be distributed how it once was.  The above recommendations will help you feel better physically and mentally and will eventually help you place those maternity clothes in storage.

Meet the Author

Lisa Moloney

lmk2481

Lisa Moloney is an Evidence Based Practice Manager with the Research and Strategic Business Development Team at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She also provides vacation coverage at Advocate Trinity Hospital as a clinical dietitian. She is a member of the Dietitians in Nutrition Support Practice Group with a strong interest in nutrition support. Beyond clinical nutrition, Lisa is an avid runner and promotes well-being in her day to day life. Recently she has expanded her interest into pediatric nutrition as she has two young children, Finn James a busy two year old and Colette Brigid the latest addition to the Moloney family who is just three weeks. Lisa completed her B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences with a focus in Nutrition at Eastern Illinois University and her M.S. and dietetic internship at Northern Illinois University.
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