How To Lose Pregnancy Weight, Without A Diet Plan And Without Hitting The Gym?

Being a mother is a blessing. It’s nothing less than an achievement. You go through 9 months of change in your body, often face bouts of nausea, discomfort and pain to finally welcome your angel. There’s no one out there who can deny that. Not even you. So stop fretting about the excess weight and celebrate your joy with your baby. Remember you're creating memories that will last longer than your worry about losing weight.

• Sharing your joy with your kid strengthens the mother-child bond, and surprisingly- helps you to shed kilos.
• Scientific research conducted in America points out that a good laugh for 10-15 minutes daily, can burn 10 to 40 calories per day.
• Do the math. This means you've a chance to lose up to 2 kg annually. You may not be able to do that with a 1-4 months old baby, but laughing often will help you even keep postpartum depression at bay.

• If you've been eating 2-3 large meals, it's time to break those meals into small-size bites.
• So instead of having your breakfast, lunch and dinner, eat every 2-3 hours.
• Eat 5-6 small meals everyday.
• A small meal can be anything from a bowl of fruits, soup, vegetable smoothies (without sugar) to an assortment of nuts like almond, walnut, pistachio, peanuts (if you can't live without it) and a bowl of oatmeal. Or a small bowl of rice (preferably brown or red) with lentils or roasted chicken or veggies.

• Stick to a light dinner. And don't eat after dinner.
• If you feel very hungry, eat a fruit.
• Eat a protein-rich breakfast. You can make an omelet with 2-3 egg whites or a quick scramble, with egg whites again. Studies show, eating eggs for breakfast, can control your tendency to overeat during lunch.
• Eat a high fiber, high protein, and a high calcium diet. Include chicken, eggs, lean dairy, nuts, and veggies like carrot into your diet.
• Drink enough water to keep your body hydrated.

• Don't chat on the phone when you eat.
• Don't watch t.v.
• Don't browse for information on your smartphone or tab.
• Don't bond with your husband over dinner. Bond over a cup of green tea after your dinner.
• Don't text your colleague.
• Eating in silence helps you enjoy your food and digest it better as you focus on chewing alone.
• If you're struggling with portion-control, this may do the trick. Listen to your body and stop eating when it tells you to.

If you love that park next to your house, you should consider taking your baby for a walk. When you shop for your weekly groceries, take your infant and walk inside the store. You'll not regret it.

• Walking is an easy way to exercise your heart and prevent heart attack.

• Walking for 30 minutes, 5 days a week can also prevents type-2 Diabetes, reduce the risk of breast cancer, alleviate signs of depression and increase your cognitive functions.
• For a mother recuperating after c-section, walking could be best form of exercise. Do consult a physician to get a fair idea about your fitness level, before you start.

If you can't do without your cup of coffee or tea, start with drinking 1 cup of green tea in the morning. Make it 2 cups in a week and graduate to 5-6 cups in a day.

• Drinking green tea cleanses your body and helps you to reduce weight. It contains the most antioxidants and beneficial poly-phenols.
• It also helps reduce your risk of pancreatic, breast, ovarian and stomach cancer.
• It reduces stress and fatigue. That's why you'll often hear green tea drinkers say that drinking green tea calms them down.

With a new-born in tow, sleeping at night could be your major challenge for the first 6 months. During this time,try to sleep when your baby sleeps. Once your baby develops a regular sleeping pattern, make sure you get your shut eye in the night.

Why sleep deprivation leads to weight gain?

• Our metabolic processes become far less efficient with sleep deprivation.
• So we eat more, our stress levels remain elevated—and we gain weight.

• Studies show that women who breastfeed reduce their pregnancy weight faster than women who don't. Typically, women who breastfeed burn about 300-500 calories.
• But to create breast milk, your body requires energy. To produce that energy you'll need to eat high fiber, high protein meals.
• Consider the other benefits of breastfeeding for a mother- it reduces your stress level and chances of postpartum depression.
• When you nurse your baby, your body produces a hormone called oxytocin which makes you feel relaxed.
• It also reduces your risk of having breast and ovarian cancer.
• More than a mother, a baby benefits through breastfeeding.
• Studies show that babies living on exclusive breastfeed(no solid food, formula, no water or cow's milk) for the first 6 months, have lower chances of having stomach viruses, respiratory illnesses, ear infections, and meningitis.
• It also protects your baby from allergies, obesity and sudden infant death syndrome.

Remember, if you can't breastfeed, it's fine. Even by taking care of your baby you're exercising.

Some other ways to lose weight smartly

• Integrate household chores into your daily exercise.
• Don't penalize yourself by starving. Your body needs food to convert into energy,so that you can take care of your baby- without feeling tired.
• Don't celebrate with junk food (fried or oily food and food high in sugar and flour). Eat delicious, flavorful, healthy food.
• Play with your child to bond and de-stress.

Remember, weight loss is not about crash diets or doing cardiac-exercises for 2 hours. It's about making simple changes in your lifestyle to get fitter, slimmer and happier. And after becoming a mother it's also about having realistic goals.

So, don't lose that smile when you step on the weighing scale. With time and patience, the numbers on your scale will change.

• Your body needs time to recover from childbirth. Don't try to lose weight too soon after childbirth.
• Give your body some time to heal. Wait until your 6-week checkup before trying to slim down.
• If you are breastfeeding, wait until your baby is 2 months old before you lose weight.
• Aim for a weight loss of about a pound and a half or 500 grams a week.
• Embrace your body and have realistic goals. After child birth you may have a softer belly, wider hips, and a larger waistline. Your new goals must match your new body.