12 Tips For Healthy Postpartum Weight Loss

Have baby: check!

Lose all the baby weight…nope!

Is there anything harder than losing all those post-pregnancy pounds when you have little free time and even less energy?

Honestly, postpartum weight loss can be tough, but not impossible and I’m here to share some of the easy lifestyle changes you can make to burn of those stubborn postpartum pounds and get your banging pre-baby body back!

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What Is “Baby” Weight Or Postpartum Weight

Gaining weight while pregnant is totally normal and to be expected, because we are carrying a baby, along with a ton of excess cargo that our baby needs to grow and develop. According to research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, pregnancy weight gain consists of:

-the baby (obviously)

-placenta

-amniotic fluid

-breast tissue

-extra blood

-uterus enlargement

-extra fat stores

Everyone is different and therefore will gain differing amounts of weight when they are pregnant, and weight gain can be different from your first baby to your last. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that women within a healthy weight range who are carrying one baby gain 25 to 35 pounds (11.5 to 16 kg) during pregnancy, but your doctor may also have a different recommendation based on your own needs and health history.

Unfortunately, nearly half of all pregnant women gain more than the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy, which can linger on our bodies after we deliver and can be stubborn to lose – what with all the sleepless nights, potential for postpartum depression and potentially bad eating habits that come from the above.

The consequences of keeping on some of this extra weight after pregnancy include:

-increased risk of being overweight

-heightened risk of diabetes and heart disease

-greater risk of complications during pregnancy

-higher health risks for women with gestational diabetes

-lower self-esteem (because we all want to look fab no matter how many babies we’ve had, am I right?)

But not to fret, because there are so many things us ladies can do to lose the postpartum weight in a healthy way and below are 12 ways how!

My 12 Tips For Healthy Postpartum Weight Loss

1 – Be Realistic

We all want to lose weight fast, but everyone’s weight loss progress will be different based on their metabolism, health condition(s), eating habits and just life stuff in general. Set realistic goals for your weight loss and don’t beat yourself up if you are not reaching those goals as expected, because sh*t happens.

It took time to put that weight on and it will take time, lifestyle changes and consistent eating habits to get that weight off again. 1-2 pounds lost per week is considered healthy and maintainable weight loss.

2 – Work With A Dietitian

I’ve talked about this before in my post 5 Weight Loss Tips That Work! I struggled throughout my twenties trying to lose weight on my own before finding a great dietitian who helped me lose 23 pounds in 4 months.

She taught me portion control, how to keep a food journal, how to read food labels and most importantly, gave me positive support. Once I learned how to adjust my eating habits, the weight just fell off, much to my surprise. They can also develop meal plans for you that take into account certain health conditions, like diabetes.

I’m currently breastfeeding so I can’t cut out too many calories, which is something my dietitian is mindful of. While I know exactly what I should be doing to lose weight this time around, I was doing quite the opposite and finding it hard to get back on track with healthy, portion-controlled eating on my own.

If you’re struggling to lose weight, don’t do it alone!

I highly recommend finding a good dietitian that teaches you the fundamentals of portion control and food tracking.

You can also find support in other moms or support groups for people trying to lose weight for some additional motivation!

3 – Track Your Food

Since I’ve worked with a dietitian before, I’m no stranger to keeping a food journal. I originally thought keeping a food journal would be annoying and useless, but every time I stopped using one, I found myself going off the rails.

Food journals are a proven weight loss tool because they make you more mindful of what and how much you are actually eating. If you’re seeing a dietitian, they will most likely as you to keep one and will review your entries.

If you have set yourself a daily calorie goal, tracking your calories will help you determine whether you have hit or surpassed that limit and can also highlight when you are overeating or making poor food choices. I used a food journal to lose weight prior to having my babies and it was a huge help in keeping my eating in check.

If you’re not into keeping a manual food diary, there are a ton of apps out there that help you track your food for the day, so get to downloading one already!

4 – Don’t Skip Meals

During my initial consultation, one of the questions the dietitian asked me was “Are you skipping any meals?”. I admitted to her that I don’t eat a great lunch – I often grab whatever is leftover from dinner the night before or grab junk food, or miss lunch altogether.

Watching two kids every day makes it easy to forget to eat and leaves little time to prepare healthy meals. Missing lunch also means I am A LOT hungrier, which might lead me to overeat at dinner.

To make sure I didn’t skip lunch or make unhealthy choices, she asked if I would consider making a smoothie for lunch. I used to make smoothies all the time before I had kids, so I was actually eager to start making them again.

While I don’t make one every day, I do enjoy them and I feel better knowing that I’m eating a healthy lunch and not stuffing my face with junk. My go-to smoothie is:

1 cup almond milk
1 cup frozen berries
1 scoop whey protein powder
1 tablespoon light peanut butter or 1 pinch cinnamon

5 – Avoid Sugars, Refined Carbs & Processed Foods

Yes, they taste great, but sugar and refined carbs are super high in calories and usually low in nutrients. They will also spike your insulin levels, which can prompt your body to store these goodies as fat. Common foods and drinks in this category include:

-sugary drinks

-fruit juice

-any type of refined sugar

-white flour

-sweet jams and spreads

-cakes, biscuits, pastries

-pasta, noodles and rice

-breads, crackers, sugary cereals and pizza

-processed cheeses

-fast or prepackaged food

-ready meals

Instead, try to eat whole foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, meats, eggs, fish or dairy to keep you feeling satisfied and energetic without the excess empty calories.

6 – Drink More Water

I used to drink a ton of water when I was pregnant, but as the postpartum months went by, I found myself drinking less and less of it. Staying hydrated is important for everyone, especially if you are breastfeeding. Drinking enough water daily can also help you feel full and ward off feelings of hunger that can be triggered when your body gets dehydrated.

Aim to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day to stay hydrated, whether you are trying to lose weight or not.

My dietitian asked me to commit to drinking more water each day, so I pulled out a huge metal canister from my cupboard and started making a point of drinking at least two full canisters of water per day. I find the canister also works as a great visual cue to remind me to stop and take a drink of water. I leave it on my kitchen table and make sure that I’ve finished it before going to bed.

7 – Have Healthy Snacks Available

It’s really easy to reach for a bag of chips or cookies when you’re feeling stressed, tired or run down in general looking after baby, but these foods aren’t going to help you lose the postpartum weight and will just make things worse.

Instead, have healthy snacks like chopped fruits and vegetables or mixed nuts or cheese on hand that you can snatch in a hurry to keep your energy levels up and keep you away from junk foods that will stall your postpartum weight loss progress.

8 – Exercise More, Even For Short Periods

Besides being a great stress reliever, exercise is a great way for your body to burn more calories to aid in weight loss. After delivery, your core muscles will need time to heal, especially if you have diastasis recti (abdominal muscle separation). Some types of exercise are off limits until this abdominal separation has fully healed, so I recommend you read my post on diastasis recti below to find some postpartum exercises that are safe to do until you are ready to take things up a notch.

9 – Get Enough Sleep

Probably the hardest thing to do in this list, but getting enough sleep is super important if you are trying to lose weight. Being tired and sleep deprived often leads to poor food choices and can also increase your cortisol (stress) hormones which can trigger weight gain and stall your postpartum weight loss.

10 – Breastfeeding Burns Calories

Breastfeeding actually burns calories because your body becomes a milk factory for your baby, which requires extra energy. I personally lost all my baby weight during the first three months postpartum because I was exclusively breastfeeding (although I gained all my weight back when my breastfeeding was over, which was a total bummer).

If you can (and not every woman can or wants to), consider breastfeeding your baby for at least the first 6 months. Breastfeeding has been shown to support a baby’s immune system, lower the risk of disease and allergies in infants and reduce the mother’s risk of certain diseases while providing a natural calorie burning effect in the process.

Breastfeeding can also stimulate your uterus to return to its normal size faster, FYI. If you do lose weight while breastfeeding, remember that you will need to reduce your calories to maintain that postpartum weight loss once you stop breastfeeding.

11 – Eat Lots Of Fibre

Soluble fibre is great for keeping your bowel movements regular and for helping you to feel full longer, which can reduce how much you eat in general. Fibre also has a ton of heart-healthy benefits and should be a staple in your daily diet, period.

12 – Make It A Lifestyle Change

Many women think they can lose all their postpartum weight and keep it off with a good old crash diet, but consider making healthy changes to your diet that are full-time lifestyle modifications instead. First of all, after delivering and recovering from having a baby, your body needs proper nutrition to recover as well as sufficient energy to take care of that never-wants-to-sleep baby.

If you are breastfeeding, you will actually require more calories to support adequate milk production, so dropping your calories at this stage of the game is a definite no-no.

It’s also a well-known fact that most people who crash diet regain all the weight, and sometimes more, once they end their diet, so making dietary changes that you consistently follow will more useful to your long term weight loss goals and maintenance.

For healthy weight loss, consider reducing your daily caloric intake by 300-500 calories a day and adjust this target as needed to feel your best.

*if you are breastfeeding, consider waiting until you have finished breastfeeding before reducing calories and always discuss any dietary changes with your doctor first*

12 Tips For Healthy Postpartum Weight Loss

Get pregnant: check!