Lose your baby weight the healthy way
We spoke to Jeddah-based personal trainer Nadia and nutritionist Wedad Alawi who talked to us about the good, the bad and the ugly of losing the weight quickly to look good post giving birth.
Studies show that if new mommies don't lose their baby weight within a year, the extra weight is more likely to become permanent, according to Nadia.
"This means you have a very short window of time to get back to your perfect size, but you need to think slow and gradual to work yourself back to your original fitness level," she said. "Sports is a safe and healthy way to lose weight but mommies should go back to the gym after six weeks of rest and regain their energy by resting and eating a healthy diet," she added.
Women, who want to get pregnant again in a short period, need to return to their healthy weight before they get pregnant. This teaches your body the flexibility of how to lose the weight in a quick and healthy way and of course it is great because you don't need to look extra heavy when you're pregnant with your second," said Nadia. "You have to challenge yourself and learn the best ways to loose weight and I recommend taking walks while the baby is napping or even exercise at home," she added.
Losing weight is not magic, you have to actually work hard on it but you need to have a healthy diet combined with regular exercise. "It is very important to do sports because you will make sure you lose fat instead of muscle. Eat less and be more active, you can do that with your baby while taking a walk around the block with the stroller," Nadia said. "Do shores around the house from doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, cooking and anything that will make you move more. With this I guarantee you will shed weight and gain healthy muscle," she added.
Focusing on eating a healthy diet for the first six weeks after giving birth is essential according to Alawi. "It is impossible to start a diet as soon as you give birth because you need enough energy to take care of the baby and we know you will be sleep-deprived so try to focus on eating healthy dishes prepared with care," she said. "You should take your time when losing the weight and ideally you should take the weight off gradually aiming for one kilo per week," she added.
Celebrities are not doing it the safest way, they also have the financial recourses that enable them to hire nurses for their baby and personal trainers to get their bodies back into shape. "They make money out of looking good so the stress is on for them. They all go on a crash diet and shock their bodies with hunger and live on energy bars," said Alawi. "You need three things to loose your weight in a healthy way starting with sleeping well, physical activity as well as good nutrition and a healthy diet can help overcome some of the exhaustion associated with newborns," she added.
Think before you choose to eat or not eat. "Low calorie diets can help you lose weight quickly but can also lead to a loss of lean muscle tissues and lower your energy levels, which will leave you exhausted and not even able to take care of your new born," said Alawi. "If you are breastfeeding you have to eat healthy and you cannot restrict calories because this will affect the quality of the milk you are feeding your baby, whereas the quantity is based on how much you nurse," she added.
When asked if breastfeeding promotes weight loss, Alawi said it is a myth and it should not be used as a weight loss method because some mothers actually gain weight when they don't pay close attention to their diet. "Breastfeeding will burn some stored body fat, but the body protects some fat for the purpose of breastfeeding and a big percentage of women don't lose all the baby weight until they completely stop nursing," she said.
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Source: ARAB NEWS
