Why is it so difficult to lose weight after giving birth? Perhaps the question we should be asking is ‘why do people think it is difficult to lose weight after birth?’. And here’s why:
Most people, including new moms more often than not have the wrong idea on how to go about to lose excess weight. When asked to describe their plans, they would come up with the typical ‘eat less’ answers or something along that line. To some doctors’ horror, their patients have started exercising even when their wounds have not healed properly.
Then, what is the best way to lose weight for a new mother, when there really is not much options to explore? The answer is simple, and so is the execution: confinement diet planning.
This, unfortunately, is one of the most overlooked aspects of new parents. It is not the biggest deal per se, but if you just know how much better you could do with a good diet, all moms would put in more effort planning their postpartum or confinement diet. Having the right meals on a daily basis will hasten your recovery, improve lactation, and help you slim down – to mention a few.
Following a proper confinement diet is not as hard as you might think it would be, and your daily meals do not have to be all ‘herbal’, bland, and strong-tasting. In fact, you can still enjoy various kinds of dessert and snacks! You only need to make sure that you are receiving all the important nutrients
There really isn’t any reason for you to distinguish your breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals as your sole purpose during this time is to recover smoothly from your delivery. If you wish to lose weight, you can consume less carbs for dinner instead of lunch as you still need carbs to regain strength and energy.
To help you look into it, here are some of the superfood you could have for dinner after delivery!
- Lean Meats
- Brown rice
- Oatmeal
- Carob-coated bananas
Lean Meats
Lean meats are simply meats with low-fat content. This is something you can easily modify in the kitchen or have the person cook for you do it. When you are cooking up poultry like chicken and turkey, leave out the skin. If you feel like having red meat like pork, make sure the fat is trimmed off. This ensures the meats to have much lesser calories. Thus, lean meats are suited to be eaten at night when you would not be doing a lot of activities to burn calories.
Brown rice
As mentioned earlier, you still need to maintain a high energy level after giving birth. You will be needing the energy to recover, care for your baby, and breastfeed them. The last one, in particular, can cause you to be dehydrated and experience constant thirst. As a substitute for plain white rice, brown rice is one of your best options out there.
Oatmeal
You might be surprised by how long this tasty, seemingly light snack will keep you full! Made of whole grains, it is a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fibres, and antioxidants. Among the benefits include preventing and relieving constipation, which is great for speeding up your womb recovery. It will stimulate and increase your breast milk production, improving your overall breastfeeding experience. Many new moms claim that they have lost weight much faster when they breastfeed, compared to if they do not. While not all mothers can agree to this, breastfeeding and the production of breast milk do significantly burn calories. If you would like to stick to a routine, have at least one bowl of oatmeal a day.
Carob-coated bananas
We cannot possibly end this list without adding a delicious, finger-licking dessert! A healthy, nutritious dessert so you can still enjoy sweet food while you are in confinement. Carob is the sweet substitute for chocolate with a little nutty taste. It is caffeine-free, so if your sleep is often affected by caffeine, this will do you a huge favour in helping you to sleep better. Plus, it contains three times more calcium than cocoa powder! On the other hand, bananas contain potassium which is good for heart health and blood pressure. They aid digestion, beat gastrointestinal issues, and most importantly give you energy throughout the day.
To save both your time and energy, here are several options for you! First, you could have your partner prepare confinement food for you. Other family members who are living with you could do too, as long as you are certain they have the time and are willing to. Otherwise, you may leave it to the hands of the professional. Again, the options for this are endless. You can seek a nutritionist, plan your diet and what foods you would like to have on your own, and hire a chef. OR you can book for confinement food delivery! Such service typically provides confinement food for dinner AND lunch, so you can fully focus on resting and recovering!
