Losing weight quickly after giving birth

CHANGES to your body during and after pregnancy are quite normal. However, it can be quite frustrating when mothers realise that there is barely any change in the size of their abdomen several weeks after giving birth. The stress levels heighten when they realise how quickly women like Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé and Yendi Phillipps return to perfect form shortly after childbirth.

But don’t panic; there are natural and other ways of losing weight quickly after giving birth.

Activities such as breast-feeding, and even running behind your little one when they get older, can result in some weight loss.

According to fitness instructor Kingsley Gordon, exercise is very important to the holistic recovery of women after they give birth.

“Fitness is a major pillar to weight loss and the overall wellness of women who have recently given birth, because if left unattended, fat may become permanent and may later result in obesity,” he explained.

Gordon added that weight loss after pregnancy can prove more difficult for some women than others.

“Even for those with a strict fitness routine, it can be challenging because of body type. A woman who has a higher metabolic rate will lose weight faster, since fat burns quicker in these women than those with a lower metabolic rate.” However, he said that while women with higher metabolic rates may shed fat gained in pregnancy without introducing exercise to their day-to-day activities, they may still be unfit.

Gordon said myths, including that exercise will alter the nutritional quality of the breast milk or that exercise can cause the supply of milk to dry up, are unfounded.

“Don’t believe everything that you hear. We do not recommend strict rigid exercise sessions, but it’s good for women to try to work out for a few minutes each day, not immediately after childbirth, but don’t wait too long. Additionally, fitness and weight loss cannot be achieved if the woman is not willing to eat healthy and rest. It is useless doing one without the other.

“If you are going to take weight loss seriously, you must understand that eating on time is imperative to weight loss in the same way that eating food in the correct proportion and resting are.”

He said that while he understands the time constraints that motherhood presents, it is not healthy for women to force their bodies to operate on one or two meals daily.

“I recommend the consumption of protein bars, tuna sandwiches, fruits and water as healthy alternatives when it is impossible to make a warm meal,” he suggested.

Gordon said that once mothers acknowledge meal times, rest and follow through with their fitness routines, then they are on the way to recovery.

He added that there a number of routines specifically designed for women after childbirth.

“Women can stay at home and do squats, kegels, crunches, skipping, walking and light jogging. An extensive log of these videos are online, so women can load these and use them as a guide.”

He said once women are committed to their routines, conform to healthy eating habits and rest, then the Kardashian recovery can be achieved.