Weight gain during pregnancy is recommended because it is good for your developing baby. Now that you are nursing your baby, you will definitely want to lose weight while breastfeeding and regain your pre-pregnancy shape. Here are some tips to apply that will enable you to lose weight while you are breastfeeding your baby.
Breastfeed your baby
Exclusive breastfeeding is a veritable means of burning excess fat. Your body produces milk using the nutrients you consume. This process requires a lot of energy, meaning that more fats and calories will be burnt down for more energy to be released to the cells of your body for their proper functioning. Breast milk also contains fatty acid. These fats that would have been stored in your body are given out through breast milk for the nourishment of your baby. Breastfeeding in other words help you to cut down extra pound.
Eat balanced diet
Your breastfeeding period is not a time to go on a diet or to start fasting in order to lose weight. You may feel that you are eating more than you should. There is nothing wrong with that. You will easily become hungry because more fats are burnt down and the nutrients that are used to produce breast milk needs to be replaced quickly. In order to make sure that you are well nourished, you should consume a balanced diet and snack more on fruits and vegetables. This will ensure that your body obtains all the essential food ingredients, vitamins and minerals from the food you eat.
Drink enough water
If you want to lose weight while breastfeeding, it is important that you drink enough water. First, taking much water will help to keep you hydrated because you are giving out huge quantity of water through breast milk. 50% of the content of breast milk is made up of water and so you need to replace the lost water by drinking enough water.
Engage in some exercise regime
Doing some exercises will also help you to reduce weight and regain your pre-pregnancy shape while you are breastfeeding. Regular exercise improves the metabolic process of your body and helps you to obtain lean muscles easily. So, you should add exercise in your post pregnancy plan. The type of exercises to do depends on your health status. Strolling around or doing some form of yoga is a good option for you. You can discuss with your doctor or a fitness expert to advise you in this regard.
Have time to relax and reduce stress
Being stressed up while breastfeeding can make you to add more weight. More stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline are produced by the body when you are stressed. These hormones reduce the rate of digestion; increase your heart rate and decrease circulation of blood to digestive cells. This will make you to gain more weight. It is, therefore, important that you avoid stress when you are breastfeeding your baby.
Following the above tips will enable you to lose weight when you are breastfeeding.