Losing Weight After Pregnancy
After going through pregnancy, a new mother is caught in a dilemma-- like--how to lose the extra weight she gained during pregnancy, and how long it will take to get back into shape.
One of the first few things that you will learn is that you will still look several months pregnant for sometime even after delivery. Naturally, you may be in a hurry to shed the kilos you have gained. But being a new mom will let you into a new set of problems that will inhibit your plans of losing weight. So it is best to take it slow and easy while you try to lose your weight.
It takes around 6 months for your body to get back to normal. If you are breast feeding, do not be in a hurry to cut calories. The physical exertion of giving birth as well as taking care of your new baby will leave you drained and tired. It will take extra energy, especially in coping with new needs like night-feeds etc. Instead of focusing on weight loss, try and get the required calories and energy for the new demands on your time and effort.
Exercising too hard can damage your health. But you need not be lazy; you can start with gentle exercise as soon as you reach back home. But avoid any energetic exercise till you have had your first post-pregnancy checkup. Take the guidance of your doctor regarding diet and exercise. He will guide you on the right fitness program. Any physical exercise usually does not interfere with breast feeding.
A new mother who is breast feeding tends to produce around 850 ml of milk every day. This necessitates the extra consumption of 500 calories during lactation. Also, nursing your baby requires consumption of other nutrients.
Exercise may be tough during the first few months because you may face problems of exhaustion and fatigue, erratic schedules, time constraints, mood swings and feelings of guilt.
The point is to keep your exercise simple and spread in intervals during the day. Find support from family and friends and focus on your baby and your body.
When you consume fat or calories, the excess is stored as fat by the body, resulting in weight gain. When you eat fat, the body breaks it up into very simple components so it can be stored. Enzymes like Lipase help digest fat in the body. Xenical, a diet pill, when consumed with meals, attaches to the lipases, and stops them from breaking down the fats.
The undigested fat is expelled through bowel movements. By working in this way, diet pills help prevent one third of the fats in your food from being absorbed by your body.
