Tips to Lose Weight after your Pregnancy

With pregnancy comes a number of responsibilities. You need to take care of the baby’s needs and while doing that a lot of women tend to forget their own. It is important for a new mother to take some time off, and do something for herself. And the best thing that she can do is lose weight. But one thing that you must keep in mind is that after pregnancy you cannot expect to immediately get your pre-pregnancy figure. Moreover, weight loss after pregnancy can be a stressful experience, as the body takes a long time to start showing you results. So don’t over strain yourself at any cost.

During the first four weeks of your pregnancy, the body is busy adjusting the stomach and the womb to its normal size. Hence, you should not attempt to lose weight during this time. The best time to start your weight loss routine is six weeks post your pregnancy. You should start off by making changes in your diet, and including nutritious but low calorie food. But while dieting, keep it in mind that your body needs to produce the milk for the baby too. So you should eat whenever you feel hungry. Include fruits, salads, milk and milk products into your diet. Drink up a lot of liquids. You can have fresh fruit juice, milkshakes and even smoothies. Do not completely give up on carbohydrates, and have whole wheat sandwiches and pasta once in a while. You cannot go on a crash diet immediately after pregnancy, as it will cause harm to your overall health.

The average weight gain for a pregnant woman is around thirty to thirty five pounds. After birth, the woman loses around ten to twelve pounds. That leaves you with eighteen pounds to lose. You should give yourself reasonable targets, and attempt to lose one pound a week. This way, you will get your original figure back in five to six months time.

Never go for strenuous exercising immediately after pregnancy. Your body won’t be able to handle it. Instead go for long walks in the park. You can take your baby along, and both of you can enjoy some fresh air. You should try taking up yoga. It is not as strenuous as exercising, but it is quite effective in helping you lose weight. You could also consider joining post pregnancy exercise groups. Here you can interact with mothers who are undergoing the same problems as you are. Also, the instructor would be well aware about the exercise routines that are recommended for women who have just given birth. He will ensure that none of you go overboard, in a bid to lose weight.

Always have healthy snack handy. You could have a handful of dried fruits or nuts if you feel a little hungry. When you are sitting all day in your house, you naturally will have an urge to snack. So have some healthy options ready, instead of gorging on cakes and cookies.

So keep these little things in mind, and lose weight in a healthy manner post pregnancy.

Fasting for Weight Loss – Why it’s not a Good Practice

The debate on whether you should fast or not has been raging since ages. Fasting has a number of advocates, as well as nay sayers. But before you delve into the debate, it is important to know what exactly is fasting.

Some people believe that giving up on your favorite food is fasting, while others believe that skipping one meal a day is fasting. Some say that fasting means not eating anything for one entire day, or simply not taking in any solid food.

However, researchers define fasting as not eating anything for twenty four hours, and taking in no liquid with the exception of water. Advocates of fasting say that fasting gives the overworked body a rest from digesting food daily, as well it helps cleanse your body.

However, this theory has a number of loopholes. Firstly, the body does not need rest from digestion. It has been created to digest food; hence there is no need to skip meals. If a person eats healthy food, then the body will not be overworked in the first place. A person should eat well balanced meals at regular intervals to ensure that the body has enough energy to carry on all its functions properly.

Experts say that when a person starts fasting suddenly, the body undergoes a shock. The glucose level of the body decreases by 50 percent within a span of twenty four hours and stresses the body out. This leads to glucose depletion, which leads to reduction of energy levels.

If you fast for more than two days at a stretch, the body gets confused, and goes into a trance like state. It is not safe to fast for three days without any supervision. After you have fasted for around ten to twelve hours, the body starts using the glucose that is stored in the body. When the glucose supply gets over, it starts breaking down protein.

If you wish to lose weight, then instead of stressing out your body, you should reduce the number of calories you consume daily. Incorporate raw vegetables and fruits in your daily diet, and you will definitely lose weight in a healthy manner.

Fasting also reduces the levels of calcium in the body. The long term effect of fasting is reduction in bone density and calcium depletion. This has a very negative effect on the young as well as the elderly. When you are in the age group of 18 to 20, your body is still growing and building muscles, bones as well as the brain cells. Hence, the body needs food regularly. If you are in the age group of forty and above, fasting can have negative impact on your health.

Hence it is advisable to lose weight through exercising and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Fad diets and fasting never have any positive effects, and should be strictly avoided. So eat well balanced meals, reduce your calorie intake slowly, exercise daily and lose weight in a healthy manner.

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