Becoming a mother is certainly an immensely gratifying experience. You may even be thoroughly enjoying life with your newborn but every now and then, excess pregnancy weight has been known to bring many mothers down. Many women yearn to bounce back to pre-baby body and ruefully wonder how long that might take.
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The Week consulted with Dr Praniti Singh, clinical nutritionist at Norvic International Hospital to get some facts about post pregnancy weight loss.
There are lots of things you can do to get into shape again. But it is really important to give yourself a break. Your body has just birthed another being. Things moved around, stretched and grew to make that happen. Don't focus on "getting your old body back" but rather on creating a healthy, happy and possibly slightly differently shaped you.
"There are some new mothers who are desperate to get back into shape and wish to start as soon as possible. While such drive is good, it isn't advisable to begin on with your weight loss goals right away," shares Dr. Singh.
Now some may cite successful pregnancy weight losses by certain celebrities or even Victoria secret models here. It seems they have no problem snapping back into shape in three to four months. But despite how envious their red carpet or runway photos might make you feel, Dr. Singh assures us that isn't healthy.
"The careers of people from the glamorous world depend on their looks so they obviously go through various extreme diet fads perhaps even some surgical procedures and what not. It took you nine months to put on that pregnancy weight, so it is unreasonable to want to shed it all in less than quarter of that time period," says Dr Singh.
You must give yourself at least six months time. Obviously different people lose weight at different speed but on an average it takes a woman six months to slowly start and shed some of their pregnancy weight.
Factors that influence weight loss
Pre-delivery diet
There is still an assumption in our society that you have to eat a lot during your pregnancy. This is not true. Being overweight during your pregnancy is a real risk and it can bring upon various issues such as pregnancy induced hyper tension or gestational Diabetes. It is also these extra kilos that are particularly hard to shed after you give birth. So according to Dr. Singh, 12-15kgs is the maximum amount of weight you should put on during your pregnancy.
"If you go about the healthier way, first trimester sees the expecting mother putting on one or two kilos then from second to third trimester she will put on two kilos each month. The point of eating during pregnancy isn't to gain weight but to receive the necessary nutrients. People should spot the difference and accordingly have frequent but moderate sized meals. This shall help with the weight loss later on as well," explains Dr Singh.
Exercising habits
By now many people are aware that light exercise comes highly recommended during pregnancies. Many people also are of the belief that exercising while pregnant will later on come in handy for their weight loss plans. However, this isn't exactly true. You can't only start exercising after you find out that you are expecting. It is easier for you to lose pregnancy weight, if you have a higher lean body mass which means you must have always maintained a daily exercise routine.
Dr Singh explains, "We only have to look at woman from the rural areas, even though they have given birth to many children, they don't tend to have a tummy or extra weight. This is because their extensive chores give them higher lean body mass. After giving birth, they have no problem shedding the extra weight whereas in the urban scenarios where most women have office and desk jobs, they tend to struggle."
So if you are planning a family down the line, it is best if you start hitting the gym now.
Slow and steady
So is it possible to lose all your pregnancy weight? Yes. Is it possible to lose your pregnancy weight fast? No, it isn't recommended. This is the lesson we have learnt so far.
Dr Singh reiterates, "During pregnancy you are craving and eating a lot. Post birth, if you suddenly stop giving your body that, your body goes into shock. Even if your plan is to resist your craving, it won't last long. After a week or 10 days you are bound to relapse, so patience is the key here."
Five to six moderate meals a day should be the way to go. Also there is no reason to boycott the traditional recipes.
"If you mother-in-law is insisting on a spoon of ghee with your rice or daily chicken soup, don't worry. Again you need those calories and minerals to give you energy. For example to breast feed alone, a new mother needs 300-330 calories. These customs and practices have logic behind them as well. I'd only recommend cutting them off if you had become overweight during your pregnancy," concludes Dr Singh.
Where exercises are concerned, it is advisable to wait six to eight weeks in normal circumstances whereas in cesarean or other complicated cases, new mothers might want to wait longer. Slow and steady is the way to go.
