What Every New Mum Needs to Know About Weight Loss
I hesitated to write a blog post about weight loss after giving birth. Why? Because I didn’t want to add to the screaming masses making women feel like the body they have right now isn’t exactly the body they need to nurture and nourish themselves and their baby.
But it’s a question I get ALL the time. So I’d be blind to pretend that it’s not a question weighing heavily on most new mums’s mind.
Why you should love your body
Before I get into the whys and hows of weight loss though, I want to make one thing clear.
It took nine months for your body to grow an actual human being. NINE months. To GROW. A HUMAN BEING.
Just take a second to really take that in.
Because in growing your baby your body had to change in so many ways. Yes your skin and muscles have stretched. But also your bones and ligaments have shifted. Your breasts have grown bigger. Your bum and thighs have got curvier. In fact, your body lays down fat on your bum and thighs SPECIFICALLY so that you have reserves to draw on while you feed your baby.
Yes, your fat is there for a reason. Your body has changed in so many ways to make giving birth and feeding your baby possible for you. Your body stretched and grew specifically so that your baby could be nourished by you.
You only get one body. We are born into it, and we will die in it. It is yours, all yours. But it can be so difficult to actually love your body and appreciate what it’s done for you and your baby when there is so much noise out there telling you to snap back into shape. When everyone seems to judge and objectify your body, putting pressure on you to conform and look a certain way by a certain time after giving birth.
It’s bullshit.
It takes nine months to grow a baby and for your body to accommodate it. It will take nine months at least for your body to works its way into your natural motherly shape. It might not be the same as the one you had before you were pregnant, but perhaps it’ll be one that doesn’t make you look pregnant anymore. And hopefully, one you can look at in the mirror and touch with awe and gratitude and wonder at what it did for you and your baby.
OK, but I do have extra weight to shift.
Having said that, you will have gained some weight over pregnancy that might need some help coming off to stay within a healthy range. Some women are able to breastfeed it off, but for many new mums it can be a struggle.
The speed of weight loss can depend on many factors such as how much weight you put on in pregnancy and whether you are breastfeeding. It’s also affected by the fact that you’re likely not doing as much physical activity as before (quite rightly as you are spending a lot of your energy feeding and growing a baby), hormonal changes and fluctuations, disrupted and broken sleep, thyroid and adrenal issues (which are very common postpartum) and lack of time and energy for cooking good quality food and drinking enough water.
My advice to clients is always to focus on healing and recovery in the first three months. This is a really important time to step away from the scales and show your body some love and gratitude. It takes at least three months for your body to rebuild nutrients, cells and tissue that have been affected by pregnancy and childbirth, and the continuing efforts of feeding and looking after your baby.
I then recommend clients to focus on nourishing and nurturing themselves in the following three months, especially if they are breastfeeding. By this time your baby will be starting to get into a slightly more predictable routine of feeding and sleep, your milk supply will be relatively settled and your hunger levels may be starting to normalise again. At this point, the focus can shift slightly away from your baby and towards yourself a little bit. This is when you want to start working on rebuilding strength and restoring your own health and wellbeing.
Once your baby is a bit older and is starting on solids, he might start feeding less or going longer between breastfeeds; in addition your body is much more efficient at making milk which means you start feeling less hungry all the time. At this point you can start thinking about working on any excess fat you might still be carrying around.
Start with food
I find that many mums think that they’re too sedentary when they’re looking after their newborns and that they need to start with exercise, especially as they’re eating more than they think they should. But that’s often because they are genuinely hungry. And if you’re hungry, it’s probably because your body really needs the fuel! You are using a lot of energy when breastfeeding - you are eating more because you need to. You probably don’t need to exercise it away.
But when it comes to looking at your food, start with quality, not quantity. Very often new mums turn to quick, fast food as it’s so much harder to find the time to prepare food. They can often end up eating a lot of refined food that offer a pick-me-up, but are quite low in nutrients and not particularly supportive of ongoing energy levels.
That’s another reason why I suggest waiting until you are starting to wean your baby onto solids, because you likely want to offer a good example to their children. Plus if you're spending time on your baby’s food then you might as well spend the time on your own! (But that can also be an added stressor if you are doing traditional pureed weaning; I personally recommend baby-led weaning for a whole host of health benefits to the baby.)
As always, I prefer a slow and steady approach to nutrition, rather than a complete overhaul. I want you to stick to it for good, not just for a few days until you get tired of resisting fudgy chocolate cake!
Have a look at what you’re eating over the course of a few days. Is there a lot of refined carbohydrates in your meals? Are you supporting energy levels with good quality fat and protein at every meal? What do your snacks look like? I find keeping a food diary or taking photos of your food for a few days helpful. Don’t get obsessive about it, just keep a note for a few days and see what comes up.
Here are some easy swaps you can make. Choose one at a time and do it for a week or two before adding a new one in:
Have a handful of trail mix instead of a bar of chocolate or biscuits (add some chunks of dark chocolate if you like - there’s good nutrients in good quality dark chocolate too!)
Swap cereal for granola with nuts and seeds or eggs on toast
Swap white pasta for brown, or even better, lentil pasta
Add grated courgettes and lentils to a bolognese and chilli
Add some turmeric, cashew nuts and a tablespoon of butter or coconut oil to a pot of rice
Make some mackerel pate using a tin of mackerel and have it on crackers or with veg sticks for a snack
And think about where you eat too - do you sit down with a knife and fork and a good posture? Or are you curled up on the sofa with a bowl and a fork eating while watching TV? Your posture and attention when you eat can make a huge difference to how you digest your food, and thereafter whether you store it or use it.
What else to think about
For exercise, put your baby in a sling and go for long walks as often as you can, preferably early in the morning so you feel energised and get it done first thing. The extra weight by carrying your baby will work muscles you wouldn’t otherwise work if you had him in a pram, and if you go at a good pace you’ll increase your heart rate. These are both brilliant ways to use energy and get your metabolism going. The best thing about the sling is if you keep it up, you’ll naturally become increasingly challenged as your baby gets heavier as he grows!
And then think about the other factors too. How’s your sleep? Likely broken if you have a child under 4, but what is the quality of your sleep when you are asleep? Are you getting to bed before 10.30pm? Are you using your phone in the hour before bed? Are you relaxed before bedtime or do you have racing thoughts?
How stressed out do you feel? Do you ever have time to breathe or have a cup of tea on your own? How much time do you spend connecting with your partner on a deep level, talking about something other than the baby?
And finally, if you feel low in energy and motivation, have some blood tests done to check for vitamin D, iron and thyroid function. An underactive thyroid is really common in mums in the first year postpartum, and can be a major reason for feeling tired, fatigued, low in energy, holding on to weight and generally feeling low.