Post-Pregnancy Weight-Loss Diet Plan

After all those pregnancy cravings, an expecting mother is bound to put on some weight. And, let’s not forget about those nine months where the body goes through some drastic changes, physically, mentally, and hormonally. Once the baby is out, the next step for most mothers is to start the post-pregnancy weight loss journey. Now, the problem lies when women choose extreme methods of weight loss not necessarily considering their nutritional intake. After all, new mothers need the right food to help them get through the day, keep their energy high, and produce milk. Keeping nutritional values and calorie counts in mind, here is your post-pregnancy weight-loss diet plan! 

Post-Pregnancy Weight-Loss Diet Plan Step 1:

Count your calories

While an average woman requires anywhere between 1800 to 2000 calories a day, a breast-feeding woman needs at least 2300 to 2500 calories per day. These calories are essential to fuel your body, induce milk production, and give you the energy that you need. And, let’s not forget that new mothers are usually working on limited sleep thanks to their little one who probably wakes up every few hours. So, before you start reducing your calorie intake to lose weight, you need to remember that your average calorie count will go up drastically while you’re breastfeeding. Also, for those mothers who are not breastfeeding and are using formula, the calorie count is around 1900 to 2200 calories a day, which is still higher than usual! So, count your calories but make sure to consume the required calories on a daily basis – a calorie deficit for a new mother will only result in fatigue and low energy!

Post-Pregnancy Weight-Loss Diet Plan Step 2:

Stay away from crash diets 

One of the worst things that you can do in order to lose weight after giving birth is going on a crash diet. Not only will this affect your body and your milk production, but it will also affect your child who is still breastfeeding! Instead, you should aim to eat healthier. When you are putting food on your plate, you should fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. One-fourth of your plate should have whole grain carbohydrates such as whole wheat pasta, brown rice, or even oatmeal, all of which are rich sources of fibre. The remaining quarter of your plate should have healthy fats such as walnuts, cheese, fatty fish, or chia seeds. Make sure you’re having your vitamins regularly, either in a natural form or in the form of vitamin pills!

Post-Pregnancy Weight-Loss Diet Plan Step 3:

Know what you’re eating

Eat a whole lot of protein, fruits, and vegetables, healthy fats, and carbs that are rich in fibre. Healthy fats such as avocados, cheese, nuts, and seeds are good for you, but unhealthy fats such as excess oil and butter-loaded cookies should be avoided. Try to eat as many vegetables as you can and lots of whole grains. Basically, think of it as a nutritional balanced diet with a slight focus on protein and healthy fats. Also, try to increase your daily calcium intake – the best way to do this is by having a lot of yoghurt. It is essential that you say no to empty calories. Foods such as sodas and chips do not have any nutritional value whatsoever, so they do not give you energy – something every new mother requires a whole lot of! 

Post-Pregnancy Weight-Loss Diet Plan Step 4:

Drink more water

You need to stay hydrated, especially if you are breastfeeding. A new mother needs to drink at least three litres of water every day. One way to tell if you aren’t drinking enough water is by the colour of your urine. Doctors recommended that you should not have too much coffee after giving birth – so all those black coffees that you’re passing off as water intake won’t really count anymore. One of the best ways to remember to drink water is by putting reminders on your phone or setting alarms every few hours.

Another great way to lose that baby weight is by exercising regularly. You should go for a walk for at least 30 minutes every day. Or, you could always hire a personal trainer who specialises in post-pregnancy weight loss. For example, if you’re living in Clapham, you could easily find a personal trainer in Clapham who could come home to train you or you could look for personal fitness training in Clapham online! If you don’t have the time to go for a walk or you can’t take out an hour of your day for a personal fitness session, you could always try to do some quick yoga workouts or Pilates workouts by looking at videos online. However, you should specifically look for post-pregnancy workout videos so that you do not harm your body in any manner.

At the end of the day, you need to remember that weight loss is a gradual process. As long as you eat right and exercise, you should lose that post-pregnancy baby weight in no time! If you’d like some help, just enter your location here, then use the simple filters to find a local personal trainer with expertise in post-natal diet and exercise. For example, here's a list of personal trainers in London that have expertise in pre- and post-natal training. 

You might also like our articles on the benefits of pre-natal personal trainers, how to find female personal trainers, and how to find online personal trainers (many of whom have experience in pre- and post-natal training).