Postpartum diet: how to lose weight healthily after pregnancy
Many mothers ask themselves, immediately after the birth of the baby, if it is possible to follow a postpartum diet, to lose weight from the excess pounds accumulated during pregnancy. However, doubts arise almost immediately: is it possible to do a postpartum diet while breastfeeding? What should you eat? With our advice you can dispel all doubts and understand how to lose weight after pregnancy.
Lose weight after childbirth: healthy diet and light sport!
How to lose weight after childbirth? Obviously with a combination of a healthy and balanced diet, and physical movement that slowly can become sport and training. Our expert Nanny Simona gives out her advice in this video to get back in shape after a pregnancy, with calm and serenity.
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Puerperium: meaning and duration of the postpartum phase
The post-partum diet and breastfeeding
Experts say that there is no problem in following a postpartum diet even if you decide to breastfeed your child. especially in the early days you will need it a lot. A long-term diet is always the best solution in these cases, perhaps combined with physical activity to eliminate the belly more easily. If you are breastfeeding, following a balanced diet is not a problem, because the quantity of milk and its production depend on hormones, not on nutrition. In any case, you must follow a rich and varied diet, the Mediterranean diet is definitely the more suitable.
What to eat after giving birth?
The Mediterranean diet, as we said, is the best option to lose weight in the long term without losing energy, muscle and skin tone, and thus be able to take care of yourself and the baby. The foods to be preferred are therefore: legumes and cereals, lots of fruit and vegetables, fish, white meat, extra virgin olive oil. You must then drink a lot of water, at least two liters a day, because immediately after pregnancy it will be necessary to drain excess fluids and reduce swelling (especially of the feet and legs).
Foods to avoid
It is better to avoid certain foods during the postpartum diet to avoid some imbalances that could dehydrate you and thus compromise breastfeeding. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, use a little salt and favor spices, to avoid water retention, consume little red meat and try in general not to eat too fatty foods. For example, you should avoid consuming aged cheeses, meats, fried foods and desserts. Then stay away, at least in the first months, from raw fish, molluscs and crustaceans and all foods that could cause allergic effects.
The diet to follow
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Here is an example of a diet to follow after childbirth, respecting the principles indicated above. First, have five meals a day, three full meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and two snacks as needed (one mid-morning, one mid-afternoon). An ideal scheme to follow is the following:
- breakfast: yogurt with fruit and cereals, or some biscuits with milk, or wholemeal rusks with jam and without butter
- snack: a fruit or a yogurt or a cereal bar
- lunch: little pasta seasoned at will, or vegetable and cereal soup, or white meat with raw or steamed vegetables, or rice with peas or other legumes
- second snack: a herbal tea or a cup of tea
- dinner: grilled or baked fish, with a side of fresh vegetables, to be eaten raw or boiled, alternatively white or red meat.
During the day, add spoons of extra virgin olive oil and a few slices of bread.
Tips for improving the postpartum diet
Some additional advice to help you with your diet and not get too tired in following it: if you have hunger pangs, perhaps due to fatigue, favor a fruit over some sweets that are too elaborate or packaged. Choose a herbal tea or a glass of milk, or a cup of tea. Indulge in some food you crave from time to time, such as a pizza (not overdoing the topping) or a bar of chocolate (better as a dessert after a meal, rather than between meals). Then get active, even if at first you can't do even a light sport, try to walk a lot, stay outdoors as much as possible and if you can't sleep at night (especially for night feedings), sleep in the afternoon , as soon as possible (take advantage of the baby's naps!). Sleeping well decreases stress, which is one of the number one enemies of effective weight loss.
