4 Post-baby weight loss tips to keep you motivated

During pregnancy, we ensure we eat healthily, drink our prenatal vitamins and avoid any foods that could be harmful to our growing little ones. We take every care to ensure they get enough nutrients – and truth be told, this is a time where we might indulge ourselves a little too.

However, after your baby is born, there is the small matter of losing the baby weight – and how long it will take to shed the extra pounds. A woman with an average weight usually gains between 25 and 35 pounds – and the average timeframe of losing the extra weight is ideally between six months and a year after your baby’s birth, but this is not set in stone.

Some mums seem to easily lose the weight while others might take a little longer – but don’t get discouraged when the weight doesn’t drop off immediately. After all, it took almost nine months to gain the weight!

Here are four post-baby weight loss tips to keep you motivated. 

1. Set realistic goals

While pregnant, part of the weight that you gain includes fat stores that serve as a source of energy for your baby’s birth and breastfeeding. In some cases, you might gain a little more fat than you should, which means you will have a little extra baby weight to get rid of.

And the fact is, no two mummy's gain the same amount of pregnancy weight! So, set realistic goals for yourself for weight loss. Remember, weight loss takes time!

Don't expect to lose all of your weight in one go - weight loss is a work in progress and by setting yourself smaller, more realistic goals you will be able to achieve the results you want over time. Danielle Armstrong completed five of her twenty one day challenges to help her get back to her post baby weight. Remember persistence is key and if you need that little extra help, or extra little push you can join a support or focus group, just like a twenty one day challenge with Danielle, one of the reasons Danielle hosts these challenges each month is to keep you motivated and prevent you giving up.

2. Eat healthily and exercise where possible

Getting back into a healthy plan will set you on a course of success to losing pregnancy weight, but remember weight loss is all about having that quality nutrition - weight loss is 80% about nutrition and only 20% exercise, which is why we see amazing results from people who don't even have the time to workout but focus on a high quality nutritious diet plan. If you do wish to complement your diet and speed up your process to the maximum, you can try to focus on that 20% with exercise too, taking it at your own pace. As your body eases into recovery, consider activities such as yoga and walking, and pick up the pace as your body heals. Remember to always consult your doctor after childbirth before starting any exercise too. 

3. Try to get enough sleep

In a previous blog (here), we discussed the importance of getting enough sleep and how it impacts your weight loss journey. As many moms know, sleep is often one of the aspects that feels like a pipe dream once a little baby joins the household. However, make sleep a priority! 

Whether you and your partner switch up feeding time responsibilities (especially if you are bottle feeding as well) or divide household activities to make time for sleep, it is important that you get the rest your body needs, for you and your newborn.

4. Drink enough water – especially if you are breastfeeding

Drinking at least eight glasses of water is ideal to help you stay hydrated and assist in weight loss – plus, if you are breastfeeding, drinking water is even more important as you need to replenish the fluids you lose due to producing breast milk. Our products are perfectly safe for breastfeeding too, and will help to give your baby the nutrition they need through feeding - find out from one of our health coaches the product best recommended for postpartum. 

Remember, mum, you’ve got this!

Losing post-baby weight takes time, but if you stick to your goals and take it slow and easy, you will see results soon enough. You’ve got this mom – don’t stress!

*Did you enjoy our blog?

Be sure to check out our next edition, where we will provide some tips for staying motivated to workout!

Remember to keep coming back to check out Danni's upcoming video on how to keep calories simple.