Role of pregnancy

Weight gain in pregnancy is a normal physiological event that is necessary for your baby’s proper growth and development. Postnatal weight loss is a desirable outcome for you to pursue following delivery. Lack of weight gain in pregnancy is an abberation and an abnormality the cause of which you should seek answers to as it could lead to developmental abnormalities and disturb the proper growth of your baby. It also may expose underlying medical conditions in you so ensure you are gaining expected weight in pregnancy.

Weight gain in pregnancy

For proper development you are expected to gain between 11 to 16 kg in pregnancy if you start off with a BMI (Body Mass Index) within the normal range. This weight gain is a combination of your fetal weight, the placental weight, the liquor( fluid in the fetal sac), the fat deposits in the breast, buttocks and other organs and the water retention within the different compartments of your body. All of these constitute your expected gain in weight in pregnancy.

There are several factors that will help you to limit excessive weight gain in pregnancy and maintain weight gain within acceptable limits so that following delivery it will be faster and easier for you to burn these extra fat and weight gain and return to proper prepregnancy levels. These factors are:

• Consumption of foods high in fibre
• Counting your calories
• Preference for healthy proteins especially plant based proteins
• Avoid sugars and refined carbohydrates

Ideally to commence the process of losing weight following delivery the traditional teaching has always been that you wait till after the 6 weeks postnatal visit to the doctor to check your health status. This is no longer necessary if your pregnancy has been uneventful and you and your baby were discharged home in stable condition and in good health. Immediately after delivery your acute weight loss occurs from a combination of factors

• Removal of the baby
• Removal of the placenta
• Removal of the excess water retention of pregnancy.

The fat you gained during pregnancy however is a different issue altogether as it has to be jettisoned slowly and gradually in a manner that is healthy and appropriate for continued maintenance of your health and the health of your newborn baby. The immediate acute weight loss from removal of the conceptus and its associated products will help you to plan your postnatal weight loss regimen.

You also need to realize that the joy and euphoria associated with a safe delivery comes with its own consequences as there is a tendency for you to overeat within this first few weeks and with this the great likelihood to add more weight than necessary during this period hence the advantages of you engaging in a postnatal weight loss plan early on in the postnatal phase than waiting till after the 6 weeks postnatal visit to the doctor.

For your postnatal weight loss plan to have the greatest impact in delivering on the goals of adequate postnatal weight loss and return to prepregnancy levels it has to consist of the combination of a dietary plan and an exercise plan.

The great motherhood diet

For adequate and realistic postnatal weight loss you have to

Be realistic

Set attainable goals

Do not be taken in by people marketing crash diet programs that don’t work as weight loss after pregnancy do take time and effort and not some magical formulas.

Breastfeeding- To breastfeed or not to breastfeed

Breastfeeding is an issue of particular concern to you when are trying to lose weight postpartum. You should be encouraged to do whatever you feel comfortable with as regards breastfeeding whether you are choosing exclusive breastfeeding, non-exclusive breastfeeding, supplemental breastfeeding or not breastfeeding at all.

Breastfeeding can actually contribute immensely to your postnatal weight loss if you combine it with proper dietary measures with avoidance of refined carbohydrates and excess sugars.

Eat foods high in fibre

High fibre foods are low in calorie and is easily filling so when you consume high fibre foods especially natural fibre as opposed to fibre additives you consume fewer calories and you are easily filled helping you lose weight.

Stock up on healthy lean proteins from variety of sources

By using lean proteins to displace fats and carbohydrates in your diet, your body produces more of the satiety hormones and less of the hunger hormones and with the production of less hunger hormones, proteins help you lose weight and also make you eat fewer calories.

Increase your intake of plant based foods, fruits and vegetables

Plant based foods are rich in fibre which helps you to get filled up without adding extra calories. The carbohydrates found in plant based foods contain a lower calorie than equivalent non plant based carbohydrates or fats.

It is also important to control the portion of food you take and avoid the habit of skipping meals in the hope that this reduces the overall portion of food intake. You naturally will over binge on the next meal thereby ultimately increasing your overall calorie per day. You should also endeavor to eat early in the evenings as this allows you time to undertake chores and minor activities before going to bed. This has been found to be very helpful in enhancing your weight loss as it helps to burn calories and reduces the incidence of re accumulation of fat.

Calorie counting

For effective weight loss management following delivery you have to be very conscious of your calories. There are currently many ways for you to determine your exact calories per day so do not use guesswork. The rule of thumb traditionally has been and continues to be that your daily calorie intake should be less than your daily calorie expenditure as this helps your body system to mobilize fat from body deposits to supplement for the deficit from your intake and in the process of this daily intake deficit weight loss is commenced and maintained.

Nutritional supplements

On average it will take you 6 months to fully recover from the effects of your pregnancy and though it must be stated that there is no substitute for a balanced healthy diet and a concise exercise plan for a postnatal weight loss regimen, the nutritional deficiencies that you accrue following pregnancy will be improved on and recovery enhanced by addition of nutritional supplementation to the diet.

You will be given as a matter of routine nutritional supplements for a 6-week period following discharge from hospital before return to the doctor for the 6-week postnatal visit and this supplementation should ideally be extended beyond the 6 weeks and throughout the duration of your weight loss period as nutritional supplements have a tremendous impact on a whole range of factors in the postnatal phase ranging from:

• An improvement in the breast milk quality.
• Replacing the deficits accrued throughout the pregnancy period.
• Enhances proper metabolism helping in proper digestion and assimilation of food.
• Aids in proper breakdown of fats and oils and other nutrients enhancing good cholesterol and ultimately aids in the weight loss regimen.

The Perfect Motherhood Exercise

If you had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery and is feeling very healthy postnatal, mild exercises can commence a few days following delivery. This is especially easier if you have been engaging in mild to moderate exercises during pregnancy. It is recommended that you spend an average of 10 minutes daily when starting the exercise routine and gradually step up to prepregnancy levels or as advised by your provider.

The goal of postnatal exercise as a means to postnatal weight loss are

• Start small
• Have a defined objective
• State your end point and the pathway to achieving it

An ideal exercise regimen for a postnatal weight loss programme will be that which will help you to strengthen the major muscle groups in the body. Do not attempt to over concentrate your exercise regimen to just your abdomen as this seems to be the most affected by the pregnancy as will lead to a cone shaped abdominal wall. Exercises should be started slowly and gradually worked up. It is important to emphasize that you should always do what you are comfortable with and if you feel any unusual symptoms following exercise you should call your doctor immediately.

Walking

Walking, though may sound simple is a very effective starting point for a postpartum exercise plan. You can start from a simple strolling (bringing the baby along helps immensely as aside the psychological lift, the extra weight accentuates the benefits) to a brisk walk up to a power walk.

For maximum benefit the exercise can be grouped into 3 categories

• Upper Body Exercises
  • Neck stretches
  • Biceps curls
  • Shoulder press

• Core Body Routines
  • Deep belly breathing with abdominal wall contraction
  • Abdominal bracing
  • Pelvic tilts
  • Kegels

• Lower Body Exercises
  • Squats
  • Lunges – Both forward and reverse

These should be combined by selecting an exercise from the different categories for maximum effect.

It is important to appreciate the importance of drinking water liberally while engaging in the exercise routines you have chosen to implement.

You deserve a perfect body postpartum

Pregnancy and child birth should not pose a hindrance to your ultimate achievement of your goal of a fit, healthy and trim figure postnatal. Using proper dietary techniques and advice in combination with an exercise regimen that is structured to fit your goals and objectives it is possible to achieve a postnatal weight loss that will propel you to your joy of a perfect body. This dream can be achieved over and over again with each and every subsequent pregnancy without recourse to expensive methods, drills or courses.

mawa

mypostnatalmanagement.com