What To Eat for Pregnancy Weight Loss
For many women, returning to their post-baby weight after pregnancy can be a real struggle. What’s more, the pressure placed on women by social media to ‘bounce back’ can be cruel.
Firstly, the body has gone through incredible changes to grow and deliver your baby, both physically and mentally, and that takes time to repair and restore. According to research, it takes 1 year for women to physically and emotionally recover from birth. However, sometimes it is not as simple as eating healthy as there may be underlying hormonal imbalances and nutrient deficiencies that need addressing
Reasons why you can’t lose weight after having a baby:
Underlying nutrient deficiencies, especially zinc, iron, iodine and vitamin D
Postpartum thyroiditis
Postpartum depression
Hormonal imbalances
Issues with your gut and digestive system
Adrenal imbalances
Thankfully, there is a lot you can do to support healthy weight loss after having a baby. These include:
Avoid restrictive diets. Your body needs time to repair itself. A low-calorie diet usually lacks key nutrients and will probably leave you feeling exhausted. This will deplete your body of several nutrients and will create havoc in the body, having an impact on your mood, thyroid, energy and adrenal stores.
Breastfeeding burns calories (approx. 600 -800 per day) and support healthy weight loss. Eating to support adequate milk supply is important. Lactogenic food, include oats, sesame seeds, flaxseed and certain grains. These can improve milk supply and help support weight regulation postpartum. Breastfeeding also helps the uterus contract after birth, supplies your baby with its all its nutritional needs and helps to build your baby's immune system.
It’s important to consider nutrients deficiencies. Certain nutrients are important for postpartum weight loss. These include vitamin D for bone and weight regulation, iron if you are suffering from anemia; zinc for stabilising copper imbalances and iodine for your thyroid.
Avoid processed foods like chips and chocolate. Instead, fill your diet with a diverse range of fruits and vegetables. Aim for lots of colour in your diet by eating red, blue, green and yellow vegetables. These are high in antioxidants, polyphenols and also provide fuel for our gut bacteria.
Include protein with each meal by adding eggs, fish, organic lean meat or legumes. Protein is crucial for building and repairing your tissues. It also helps to suppress appetite by increasing our fullness hormones.
Get organised and batch cook soups or have the ingredients for smoothies on hand. Having a newborn can be stressful, and cooking is the last thing you may feel like doing. Add berries, organic yoghurt, almond butter and flaxseeds to smoothies. Or use vegetables and organic bone broths in soups. Bone broth contains high levels of collagen and essential minerals, and can be extra supportive after birth as it aids and repairs connective tissues.
Aim to eat healthy low glycaemic snacks to keep your blood glucose levels in balance. If you were up the night before and feeling sleep deprived, you might be tempted to make poor dietary choices when it comes to snacking. This is because sleep affects two hormones that influence weight regulation. These are leptin and ghrelin, and they play an important role in controlling feelings of hunger and fullness. Of course, it is hard controlling how much sleep you get with a new-born but you can be organised and have healthy snacks on hand ready to go. Suggestions include, carrots and hummus or nut butter, hard-boiled eggs or whole-wheat crackers.
Start exercising, but go slow. You may feel pressured to start getting back into your pre-pregnancy gym routine but depending on your birth, your pelvic area and stomach does need time to heal, especially if you had a c-section. Start with gentle walking and get out with the buggy in daylight. Increased exposure to sunlight (increases melatonin) and can help regulate your baby’s sleeping patterns, and help lift your mood too.
If you need support with postpartum weight loss it’s important to rule out any underlying health conditions that might be preventing you from going back to your post-baby body. A Registered Nutritionist Therapist will look at your blood-work, alongside your personal health history and determine the best protocol to support you in achieving your weight loss goals. To find out more about how nutritional medicine can support you