Most common myth associated with pregnancy : Ab tu bahut moti ho jayegi. Well there is good news for all those lucky ladies who are having those little angels. Look at all the celebrity moms like Karishma Kapoor or Shilpa Shetty back to their figure in mere weeks of delivering a child.
First of all we need to understand that you can start working out within 40 days of your delivery. We need to choose what workout we are comfortable with. You can start Yoga under supervision, a brisk walk, daily jogging and even a light gym schedule if you are up to it. If you have a cranky baby who keeps you up all night and leaves you tired, walk for atleast half an hour each day. A woman’s physiology is such that the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is high when you're lactating. So you should take advantage of the situation and lose more weight within first 3 months after delivery.
It is possible to lose up to six kilos as soon as you give birth. The baby, placenta and liquor (amniotic fluid) make up for that weight. Of that weight which is in excess post this loss, 10-20 per cent is fluid retention. So that takes off two more kilos off the ‘to-lose’ list. Rest can be lost like an average of 2 kgs every month which is healthy loss and makes sure it does not affect your lactation.
Now it is vital to understand what we need to Eat and Drink to shed off this weight. Firstly drink a lot of water. Drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated helps boost your metabolism and keeps your stomach full. Avoid staying thirsty all the time. If possible meditate for 5 minutes everyday since reducing post pregnancy stress helps in easy weight reduction.
Now we need to understand what to eat during the lactation period. You need to eat small frequent meals to ensure sufficient milk supply. Do not starve. Eat plenty of fruits, Vegetables, Home made vegetable and chicken soups, nuts such as almonds, walnuts and Steamed Pulses or sprouts in 2 hour gaps. Make sure to drink plenty of toned Milk in the form of Milk, Curd and cottage cheese during the day, but strictly avoid adding sugar or sweet additives like chocolate flavoured mixes to this. Also use only healthy oils such as rice bran, olive, canola for cooking and do not cook vegetables entirely in ghee.
Also it’s a myth that hogging on ghee laden panjiri mixture gives you strength. Kindly just a spoon of this mixture with your breakfast and that’s all you need to make you strong. Please control intake of ghee, its better left a little on chapatti or dal tadka that’s it. Say no to sweets, chocolates, white sugar, bakery products, namkeens, junk food and aerated drinks.
So a little workout and a little healthy eating sense will make you slim and trim within the first few months after your delivery. But please keep in mind that seeking professional help for workout and diets for shedding weight is a very important concern during this period so that you are sure that the health of the mother and the newborn is taken care of. Looking the same old beautiful and slim you, It’s a dream ready to come true, all you need to do is to make the right choice and go for it.