When to start losing weight?
According to statistics, 80% of women gain excess weight after childbirth (more than 10 kilograms that remain at the exit from the hospital) – getting rid of it is not so easy. A kind of protective mechanism is activated: during pregnancy, a woman is used to eating more than usual, reducing her diet after discharge from the hospital, as a rule, is not ready … In fact, some people eat for two years (9 months of pregnancy and at least a year of breastfeeding) without restrictions (the menu mainly contains fast carbohydrates). During this time, wrong eating habits manage to form, which are then very difficult to get rid of and, as a result, lose weight.
When should you think about returning to your usual form after childbirth? Already in 6-8 weeks, experts say. In no case do you need to starve: the food should be balanced, and the portions should be small. Try to eat at least four times a day.
Remove sweet teas – older relatives in the old fashioned way still advise women on breastfeeding to drink tea with condensed milk, supposedly it is able to increase lactation. Experts have long been assuring that there is no connection, but extra calories with love for such a drink are provided! If during the day you and your baby in your arms have no time to eat, and in the evening you are irresistibly drawn to sweets, know that the body is signaling a lack of complex carbohydrates. This means that cereals must be included in the menu: buckwheat, brown rice, bulgur, lentils. And not just once, but at least twice a day. And, of course, protein: chicken, rabbit, fish and seafood, cottage cheese, chickpeas. A number of nutritionists advise: if you are drawn to eat a bad chocolate bar or a croissant, make a choice in favor of … fat. For example, eat a piece of cream cheese – it will give a feeling of satiety.
Let’s not forget about physical activity. They determine the reduction of our weight by 20%. Daily walks with a stroller work in the hands of young mothers. You can walk at an intense pace, making stops at the sports grounds. If you take a fitness rubber band with you, you definitely won’t be bored while the baby is sleeping.
We add that the regime of any woman who has become a mother is changing. And it includes lack of sleep (night feedings and early rises), lack of time to “eat normally” and take care of yourself. With such input data, some easily lose extra pounds, forgetting about food, while others, on the contrary, eat everything that their free hand reaches. Our expert assures that breastfeeding should definitely not be blamed for excess weight after childbirth. The point, we repeat, is in eating habits that need to be adjusted.
Increasing calories with protein
There is no difficulty in losing weight with breastfeeding if you have not gained more than 8-10 kg during pregnancy. Normally, lactation itself leads to the normalization of the weight accumulated during pregnancy. Appetite can only increase due to the fact that increased energy consumption in the process of feeding. Depending on height, body weight, nutritional status and physical activity, a nursing mother receives a diet of 2500-3200 kcal. The calorie content of food increases mainly due to protein.
The GV period is very important for the female body as a period of hormonal recovery after childbirth. The hormones oxytocin and prolactin are responsible for lactation. At the end of lactation, prolactin decreases and the hormones FSH and LTH begin to be produced, the ovarian cycle starts. The sooner feeding is interrupted, the more likely the increase in adipose tissue due to the lack of sex hormones.
In order to produce a sufficient amount of oxytocin and prolactin, it is necessary to apply the baby to the breast more often and monitor the complete emptying of the mammary glands. In addition to the above hormones, the complex work of thyroid hormones, adrenal hormones, and sex hormones is important.
What will we cut?
During lactation, you need to eat a full and varied diet. If during pregnancy you gained more than the physiological norm (8-10 kg), you need to reduce the calorie content of the diet by eliminating simple carbohydrates (sugar-containing foods, white bread, pasta).
It is worth choosing foods with a low fat content, reduce the amount of salt in food. Increase physical activity. And then the weight is sure to normalize.
Another important point: after childbirth, a woman must return to her usual, normal weight. Otherwise, the state of insulin resistance will be fixed and threatens to acquire diabetes mellitus of the second degree. To prevent this from happening, the gynecologist, even during the patient’s pregnancy, monitors her weight gain. After giving birth, this responsibility is assumed by the young mother.
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