Postpartum Weight Loss - How To Deal With It

A newborn baby brings you a bundle of joy but the changes in your body fill you with a mix of emotions. You are then left wondering about how to deal with the postpartum weight loss. Postpartum weight contributes to serious health consequences and increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases.  Those having normal BMI will find easy to return to the normal BMI. However, those overweight must first return to the pre-pregnancy weight and then continue losing weight. Here are some tips to deal with post-partum weight loss.

Postpartum weight loss tipsBreastfeed

Always remember that breastfeeding is not a quick fix although it helps to lose weight by burning extra 500 calories a day. You will feel hungry when nursing your baby and also need to maintain plenty of calories for sufficient production of breast milk. You also need to be mindful about nutrition as it will impact the nutrition of your baby. If you choose not to breastfeed then you can try other ways of losing weight. This is the common point of emphasis in many maternity wellness programmes. Do not starve yourself because it is not a healthy mindset. Plan to lose weight slowly and steadily but do not compromise on a healthy diet. Healthy fats, fruits and vegetables, and lean meat are very important to give healthy milk to your baby.

Focus on diet and nutrition

A well-balanced diet is important that contains vegetables, lean protein, and fiber. Eating high fiber (10 gm/day) diet helps in reducing weight. Eating soluble fiber is a good way to keep your stomach fuller and reduce appetite hormones. It is important to drink lots of water and have small frequent meals instead of three large meals. These will affect digestion and reduce calorie intake. Eating nutritious food will energize you and make you happier when it becomes a habit.

Avoid highly processed food

To maintain a healthy diet and nutrition it is must avoid processed snacks like chips, baked goods, ready-to-eat food, and sugary drinks. These foods lead to addictive eating behavior and you may confuse with the pregnancy-related cravings. Processed food contains unhealthy fats, calories, and salts that will lead to weight gain. Replace the processed food with the fresh, whole, nutrient-dense foods.

Drink enough Water and avoid alcohol

Drink enough water to lose weight and this strategy is well proven by the researchers. Overweight women can lose 2kg in 12 months by drinking 1-liter water or more per day. Increasing the water intake will increase the number of calorioes burnt and the same is instructed to new mothers via Maternity Wellness programme. Avoiding alcohol is important for weight loss because it provides extra calories without nutrition. Alcohol leads to weight gain and contributes to belly fat. Excessive alcohol consumption reduces the production of breast milk. Also, the chances are high that a small amount of alcohol is passed to the baby with milk.

Fitness goal is more important

It is important to focus more on fitness than on the appearance and weight loss. The best practice is to take a brisk walk, practice belly breathing and/or perform squats. It helps in weight loss. Fitness goals also help relieve anxiety and depression as per the postpartum depression consultants. Besides, losing weight also focus on getting adequate sleep and rest to reduce stress hormones in the body. Both weightlifting and cardio are important for new mothers and the former is quite easy to practice because it requires fewer equipment. Cardio such as jogging, running, cycling not only burn calories but bestow numerous health benefits. Start exercising but do it gently until your body is fully healed after pregnancy.


These are the tips to deal with postpartum weight loss. Hopefully, it was helpful for you and following them regularly will help you fit in your old jeans. Consult a holistic Health coach to know the healthy weight to maintain and how much to lose. Always follow the diet recommended by the Nutitionist in Kolkata to be safe while losing fat. Avoid guilt and comparing yourself with others, which only adds more stress!

Vidhi Beri is an experinced holistic health consultant in Kolkata and is a global educator in the field of nutrition, lactation, mental health counseling. If you are planning to lose weight then consult the holistic health coach who offers a maternity wellness programme that will educate you on multiple aspects of postpregnancy health. You may also consult a postpartum depression consultant to deal with the emotional changes after childbirth.

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