How can I lose weight after my pregnancy?

It's common for women to gain some weight during pregnancy. Right after delivery, you'll lose about six kilos as your baby, amniotic fluid, and membranes leave your body. After that, you might notice you still have a few extra kilos compared to before pregnancy. This isn't a big deal at all, but you might want to get rid of them. This article contains some useful tips you can use to achieve the best results!

Don't want too much

It's important not to want too much too soon; your body still needs to recover for at least six weeks after pregnancy. When losing weight, expect to lose about 0.5 kg per week. If you're still breastfeeding, you shouldn't have too large of a calorie deficit. You should aim to consume about 500 more calories per day. So, don't live in a calorie deficit where you consume 1500 kcal per day; eat at least 2000 kcal so you can lose weight while still breastfeeding healthily.

Lose weight by eating healthily

You shouldn't start dieting immediately after pregnancy, as your body still needs to recover. Six weeks after delivery, you should have a follow-up appointment with the midwife, during which you can discuss whether you're ready to lose weight.

After pregnancy, you often have little time to cook; you're busy with your baby all day, and when you have some time for yourself, you usually don't feel like cooking. This often leads to eating unhealthy food, which you can avoid by making sure you always have food prepared. Ask your friend if they want to cook, freeze these meals, and that way, you always have something healthy at home.

Exercise after delivery

Just like with diet, you also need to wait a while before exercising until your body has fully recovered. When you start exercising, you need to build it up slowly. Do you notice something taking too much energy? Then stop the exercise and rest, as your body may not have fully recovered yet. Exercise is one of the most important things if you want to lose weight, but you shouldn't go too hard; it can cause injuries, and then you'll be out of commission even longer.