Postpartum Weight Loss

Postpartum weight loss can seem daunting, but here is how to lose weight postpartum, based on my own experience (I was my smallest right after the baby was born!):

• Water weight. During the first week or so postpartum, you will sweat like crazy, especially if you retained extra water. Since your liver and kidneys need to adjust from the pregnancy, and you are probably breast feeding, you will need to drink a lot of water. I found I was drinking upwards of a gallon a day during those first few weeks. Be sure to have a glass ready when you sit down to nurse - as soon as baby latches on, you'll have a desert in your mouth.

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• Breast feed. Your baby eats 500 calories a day of the most perfect food on earth, made just for him or her by your body. As my midwife said, eat all you want and you'll still lose weight. She said, "Eat all the chocolate cake that comes your way. If we could all breast feed every other month, we'd all be super skinny!" But do eat well - you'll feel better and your baby will grow faster, be smarter, and be less fussy for it. Eat when you're hungry, making sure to get plenty of calcium, protein, and fruits n' veggies. You are also ensuring your baby has a lower chance of becoming obese later in life, all while engaging in your own postpartum weight loss program.

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• You have not only a built-in calorie shedder (breast feeding), but you just inherited a living, breathing work out machine! When my baby was born, she weighed eight pounds, five ounces. Now she weighs close to fifteen, and doesn't like to be put down or carried in a sling. Of course I do both at times, but for the most part, I carry her. I have learned to make bacon, eggs, and (decaf) coffee with her in one arm. I load laundry into the washing machine, and then into the dryer, cradling her in my other arm. She likes to face OUT. Leaning FORWARD. That makes it harder - but do I have pecs and biceps like never before.

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• Sometimes I do put her in a sling, and we do housework. I vacuum, dust, wash dishes - you name it, with fifteen pounds of extra weight on my back. My waist and back are STRONG. Wear your baby everywhere. I take her to the zoo or the mall and put her in a sling, then walk. She naps, I burn calories. I feel better, too! Postpartum weight loss machine!

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• Sooth your baby by dancing or bouncing with her in your arms. Take fifteen pounds in your arms and either twist/rock/sway for twenty minutes or more, or sit on an exercise ball and BOUNCE for twenty minutes or more. Nice shoulders, thighs, calves, and butt will follow. And she'll stop crying.

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• Eliminate any food you have trouble digesting or might be allergic to. For me, it's dairy and gluten (wheat, barley, rye) products. Before I was pregnant, I learned that I am intolerant of these foods, indicated by sluggish digestion (you know, the not so pretty stuff) and mild acne. Many people are allergic to these foods, and just don't know it. Other common allergies include soy, corn, tomatoes, chocolate, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts. I thought I didn't have any allergies because there were no hives, no anaphylactic shock, nothing like that. But a naturopath suggested I might have an intolerance, so I followed her advice and cut out wheat and dairy for three weeks.

My skin cleared up, I stopped needing naps in the middle of the day, my tender breasts stopped hurting, and I dropped a bunch of pounds without doing anything else at all.

When I got pregnant, I started eating everything again, and I gained twenty pounds in that many weeks. I stopped eating dairy and wheat, and I gained only moderately, at safe amounts for my baby. In the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I actually lost a couple of pounds.

Then when I had my daughter, I CRAVED dairy. I ate TONS of it. I figured my cravings were a sign of something I needed. But she was a fussy fussy kid, and to avoid feeding her foods she might be allergic to, I cut out gluten and dairy again.

When I was three weeks postpartum I fit into my pre-pregnancy pants. I am not normally a Skinny Minnie, so this was pretty exciting. By now, three months along, I have had to get rid of pre-pregnancy pants cuz I'm too skinny for my pants!

So what's the deal? Well it turns out that we develop withdrawal symptoms with foods we are intolerant of, and we keep eating them till we overeat. Also, we can't digest them well, so they go on as extra pounds. Not to mention the super high fat content of cheese and cream, and the starchy calories of white flour. I still eat pasta - just made from brown rice. I eat sugar, though a lot less than I did simply because I don't want it as much. I drink almond milk, and eat soy or rice deserts. Without noticing it at all, I eat a lot less and can use the calories I consume more efficiently. I eat when I'm hungry, which, since I'm breast feeding, is a lot.

So notice what you crave. Notice what you "can't live without" like cheese or bread. Try cutting it out for three weeks and see what happens.

• Eat plenty of fiber, which pulls fat out of your digestive tract. Whole grains (gluten free are often best), beans (try sprouting them to improve digestibility), vegetables, and fruits are all great sources of fiber, not to mention nutrients you need while breast feeding and recovering from pregnancy. You will loose weight naturally. This goes even when you aren't in the postpartum period.

You will feel better and look great by following this postpartum weight loss program, which makes the hard part of new motherhood a little more bearable. Stay active, eat well, and drink lots of water. Simple but true.