Most women tend to look upon some or the other celebrity as role models. And it is a fact that celebrities lose their baby fat within no time, the women often get discouraged with their inability to lose weight.
Do not be discouraged. The celebrities are constantly under the scrutiny of the public and their career is at stake, hence they lose the weight after pregnancy in no time. And to achieve this end, they can afford to have all the professional help they want. Most of the celebrity moms have at least a nutrition expert as well as a physical trainer to help them with their workout regimes and diet patterns. Hence all the positive effects in what you consider no time.
It does not mean only celebrity moms lose baby weight and a common woman is stuck with all the weight they gained during pregnancy.
Any woman would gain at least some weight during pregnancy. 25 to 35 pounds of weight gain during pregnancy is considered normal. Immediately after delivery 12-14 pounds are lost, as this would be the weight of the baby and the placenta. She is left with another 12-20 pounds to go.
Follow a regular eating and exercise pattern and you would be able to lose weight in some months. Some points to be kept in mind are
- Be realistic in your goals of weight loss. Aim for a loss of one to two pounds a week. Losing more than this would mean a depletion of nutrients in the body and might affect your well-being as well as breast-feeding of your child.
- Eat a nutrient rich diet. Include a lot of fruits and vegetables for fiber, adequate amount of proteins and carbohydrates. Control your eating habits. Every meal should be adequate to keep up the metabolism, but take care not to overeat.
- Drink adequate amount of fluids. Water is the best fluid you can give to your body. If you do not like the taste of water, you might try having some fresh juice as well. If you do not have any other option but to have canned juice, try diluting the juice with water. This would reduce the number of calories as well as provide fluids to the body. Avoid soft drinks. They are just calories with no nutritive value.
- Be physically active. You require a period of rest to recover from the pregnancy and delivery. After a month or two after the delivery, you can start exercising. Start slowly and at a lower intensity level. You can increase your intensity as you improve your stamina and tolerance. But take care to not overdo the exercise, in order to lose weight in a jiffy. You have a baby to take care of. And your body would need a lot of rest during the first six months after the delivery, to cope with the demands of taking care of a small child.
- Take care to stretch before and after the exercise. Stretching is very important to avoid cramps and soreness of the body.
Involve your family in your efforts of weight loss after pregnancy. They would be able to contribute in small ways to your efforts and might be of great help.