Quickest Way to Lose Weight After Having a Baby

Many women assume they will lose weight fast after pregnancy. And when the weight doesn’t magically fall off, they try going on an extreme diet. But extreme diets are not only unsustainable (most women put the weight they lost straight back on after the diet) but they are also dangerous. Dangerous for the mother whose body needs nutrients to support healing after child birth and monumental change, and they can impact breastfeeding mothers milk supplies.

A healthy and safe amount of weight for a breastfeeding mother to lose post-pregnancy is around 2kg per month. Because non-breastfeeding women don’t have to worry about impacting their milk supply, they can lose weight at a quicker rate, at around 4-6kg per month.

So instead of looking for extreme diets, focus on creating healthy habits as this is a sustainable weight-loss approach. You don’t need to diet - just be healthy. And remember, it took nine months to grow your beautiful bub, and it may take the same or longer to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight safely.

Here are our tips on losing weight in the quickest, safest way after having a baby

1. Focus on your nutrition

The best way to look at your diet post-pregnancy is not about restricting foods but eating an abundance of healthy and nutritious foods that will fill you up and fuel your body. Many women become depleted of vitamins during pregnancy, so focusing on replenishing what’s lost post-birth is super important.

You replenish your depleted supplies by upping your veggie intake. Vegetables are full of fibre which helps to keep us feeling full. To increase your daily intake of vegetables here are some ideas: Snack on veggie sticks with hummus. Try avocado and tomato on rice cakes for a snack. Add spinach and avocado to your smoothie.

Regarding mealtimes, we recommend including a fat, protein and carbohydrate element to each meal. Protein is fantastic for muscle repair, fat helps us to feel full, and carbohydrates provide energy. Below are examples of each of these macronutrients that you can add to each meal to ensure balance.

Protein:

• Fish
• Tofu
• Eggs
• Lean red meat
• Poultry
• Beans and lentils

Fat

• Feta & goat’s cheese
• Nuts and seeds
• Avocado
• Greek yoghurt
• Olive oil

Carbohydrates

• Quinoa
• Brown rice & pasta
• Sweet potato
• Bananas

For quick, easy and healthy meal ideas click here.  

2. Avoid Sugar

Avoiding sugar is one of the best things you can do for weight loss. High-sugar, processed foods rarely have any nutritional benefits. This means that when we eat these foods, not only are we consuming a high amount of energy, but we're also not providing ourselves with any goodness. These types of food won't fill us up, and we'll need to eat even more calories to feel satiated.

Sugary beverages are horrific for weight loss because they're empty calories - they do not have any nutritional benefit. For example, drinking a can of coke, a coffee sweetened with sugar and a wine with dinner could add 600 calories to your daily intake. In comparison, you could have two slices of toast with avocado and cheese, plus a banana and a handful of nuts, and still consume fewer calories.

So, instead, try to avoid sugar in your coffee and tea, replace sodas with kombucha or sparkling water with lemon and save the wine for special occasions.

3. Get Active

Any type of physical activity is beneficial for weight loss. When we eat, we take in calories, and when we exercise, we burn calories. Therefore, we will lose weight if we burn enough calories throughout the day.

The good news is you don’t need an expensive gym membership to lose weight through exercise; walking is the one of the easiest and safest exercises for new mums. For example, you could take your little one for a walk to the playground or catch up with a friend for a walk rather than a coffee. If the weather is not right outside for a walk, try walking in your local shopping centre.

Finding the time to exercise can be difficult for busy mums, so you could split up your exercising in short periods throughout the day. This could be 3 x 10-minute walks throughout the day.

A good tip is to dress in your activewear, so you’re ready to go whenever you get a chance.

4. In Shape Mummy Health Shakes

The In Shape Mummy Health Shake is a meal replacement shake designed specifically for breastfeeding and busy mothers. The shake is designed to support mothers with their additional energy and nutrients requirements, while at the same time aiding weight loss.

How does it work?

Each serve contains 25+ essential vitamins and minerals to nourish and reduce the risk of post-natal nutrient depletion. Each serve also contains over 12g of protein to assist with muscle repair post-birth. In addition, the breastfeeding shakes are enhanced with galactagogues, herbs that have been used for centuries to support milk production. And, to top it off, there’s no added sugar or nasty preservatives. Essentially, each shake is a powerhouse of goodness that tastes incredible.

How do they help you lose weight?

If you’re interested in using the shakes for weight loss, we recommend replacing one meal and one snack per day with an In Shape Mummy Health Shake. For example, you could enjoy your shake in a smoothie for breakfast and on its own with milk as your afternoon snack.

When replacing a meal, enjoy your mix in a smoothie and bulk it up with other healthy nutrient dense foods - for example, banana, oats, chia seeds, avocado, yoghurt and nuts and seeds.

Not only will you fuel your body with goodness but consuming the shakes will also help you avoid unhealthy foods, which is important for weight loss. And the shakes are sweetened naturally with monk fruit, so they hit sugar cravings on the head!