Are you struggling with losing weight after pregnancy? Have you wasted your hard-earned money on a personal trainer for a couple of months or expensive gym memberships? Only to look or feel like your three months pregnant even though you gave birth already. It can be very frustrating for new mothers who want to show off their adorable baby to everyone but they are nervous about their weight. However, you need to remember that it took 9 months to put the weight on in order to grow a healthy baby. Give your body time to heal before you focus on losing the baby weight.

The average mom normally gains anywhere to 15 to 35 pounds over the course of the pregnancy. However, you may even gain more weight than your doctor recommends and while it isn't a huge deal, It can lead to complications such as extreme pelvic pain, gestational diabetes, or preeclampsia.  Your physician will most likely recommend that you avoid doing any strenuous exercises while you are pregnant and shortly after giving birth so that your body has a chance to fully recover.

You should always keep in mind is that you just had delivered your baby and enjoy your newborn. It is best to take a slow approach to lose the baby weight.  Restricting calories can cause you to sacrifice a lot of valuable nutrients, and it may affect your baby in some way in the long run if you are breastfeeding. If you plan on breastfeeding your baby, remember that you will have to eat an additional 300 to 500 calories a day so that you can properly produce milk for your child. Also, you should wait until your milk supply is established before you try losing weight. Your milk production should stabilize around 4 months postpartum.

Here Are Some Tips That Can Help if You in Losing Weight after Pregnancy

• Eat foods that are rich in vitamins and nutrients – Since you are breastfeeding; it is best to eat foods that are rich in nutrients so that your baby can benefit from it. Avoid eating foods that contain a lot of calories and fat. For example, it is recommended for mothers who have just given birth to eat seafood. Adding foods such as fishes to your diet can help enhance the rate of your weight loss. Seafood contains enough protein and helps your body to recover faster. Plus, it is packed with DHA which is an essential omega-three fatty acid. DHA  helps develop your baby’s nervous system and brain.
• Continue Breastfeeding – Breastfeeding your child has been known to help mothers in losing weight after pregnancy. According to studies, breastfeeding helps in burning calories as well. So even if you are doubling your calorie intake to support both you and your child, you are burning over 500 calories each day if you are feeding your baby breast milk and not supplementing with formula. Some moms, don't lose weight while they are breastfeeding for whatever reason. If this happens to you, don't get discouraged. Your body knows what it needs in order to feed your baby. Once you stop breastfeeding, often times the weight will come off easier.
• Rest and Sleep More – With your child’s demanding need of attention for almost 24 hours a day, take the time to relax or even take a nap. When your body is exhausted from caring for a new baby and maintaining a household, it causes your body to release stress hormones that contribute to weight gain. According to studies, women who just gave birth usually sleep less than 5 hours a day are more likely to have the same weight as what they were when they are pregnant than to those women who sleep for 7 hours a day. The newborn phase is very tiring but there is light at the end of the tunnel. It does get better as your baby gets a bit older because they can go longer between feedings.
• Do Light Exercise – Getting up and tending to your baby’s need is already trivial exercise. Try to take some brisk walks together with your baby. Put him or her in a stroller for at least 15 to 30 minutes a day. Getting outside and getting some fresh air is good for you and your baby.
• Food for Thought – It is hard to lose weight but if you continue eating the foods that you ate during your pregnancy like ice cream, cravings, etc it will make it harder to lose weight. Yes, don't be hard on yourself if you can't cut off your cravings cold turkey. Keep in mind you were used to eating that way for the past nine months, but if you are serious about losing weight after pregnancy, then you may want to stop eating high-calorie foods or eat the things you enjoy in moderation.

Losing the baby weight can be super frustrating especially if you aren't getting the results that you were hoping for after you had your baby. I remember after I had my daughter, the weight wouldn't fall off. But looking back, my lifestyle was super sedentary and my eating habits didn't change. I tried to watch my eating habits when I got pregnant with my boys. I found that it was so much easier to lose the baby weight after I had them. I didn't gain as much weight with them. Don't worry they were super healthy and my doctors were monitoring my weight carefully. Good luck on losing the baby weight and congratulations on your new bundle of joy. 

Are you having a difficult time losing weight after pregnancy? Which tip do you think would benefit you the most?