Our body has just experienced an incredible upheaval, which ended with a memorable moment: the birth and the long-awaited birth of our baby. And now a question haunts us. How long does it take to lose all those pounds gained during pregnancy? What there is to know.
After childbirth: when will I find the line?
When will I get back to my pre-pregnancy weight? This is the question that all future and new mothers ask themselves. Amandine was able to put her jeans back on just two months after giving birth. Mathilde, despite an average weight gain of around 12 kilos, is struggling to get rid of her last two kilos, yet she was told that you lose weight faster when you are breastfeeding. In terms of weight and pregnancy, it is impossible to establish rules as each woman is different from a physical, hormonal and genetic point of view.
How many pounds do you lose on the day of delivery?
On the day of delivery, we do not lose more than 6 kg! The loss of pounds begins first with birth, but do not expect miracles. Some women will tell us that when they got home, the scale showed ten kilos less. It can happen, but it is very rare. On average, the day of delivery, we will lose between 5 and 8 kilos, which include: the weight of the baby (on average 3.2 kg), the placenta (between 600 and 800 grams), amniotic fluid (between 800 grams and 1 kg), and water.
Silhouette: The weeks after childbirth, we still eliminate
The whole hormonal system changes during childbirth, especially if you breastfeed: you then go from a state of pregnancy where you build up fat reserves to prepare for breastfeeding, to a state of breastfeeding where you eliminate these fats, since now they are used to feed the baby. There is therefore a natural fat reduction process, even if you are not breastfeeding. In addition, our uterus, greatly enlarged by pregnancy, will gradually retract until it regains the size of an orange.
Water retention
If you retained water during pregnancy, it is also a safe bet that all this amount of water will be eliminated easily and quickly.
Breastfeeding only makes you lose weight under certain conditions
A breastfeeding woman burns more calories than a non-breastfeeding woman. It also restores its fat mass in milk, which is very rich in lipids. All of these mechanisms contribute to promoting her weight loss, provided that she breastfeeds over time. Studies have shown that a young mother can thus lose between 1 and 2 kg per month and that, in general, breastfeeding women tend to regain their original weight a little faster than others. But we can not say that giving the breast makes you lose weight. We will not lose weight if our diet is not balanced.
Going on a diet after pregnancy why is it really not recommended?
After a pregnancy, the body is flat, and if we breastfeed, we must rebuild reserves to be able to feed our baby. And if you don’t breastfeed, you’re just as tired! In addition, baby does not always sleep through the night… If we start a restrictive diet at this time, we risk not only not transmitting the right nutrients to baby if he is breastfed, but also further weakening our body. The best way to lose weight is to adopt a balanced diet, i.e. eat vegetables and starchy foods at each meal, protein in sufficient quantity, and limit sources of saturated fatty acids (biscuits , chocolate bars, fried foods) and sugar. When breastfeeding is finished, we can have a slightly more restrictive diet, but be careful not to generate deficiencies.
How to lose weight after pregnancy?
Weight loss after pregnancy: physical activity is essential! A proper diet alone is not enough to regain a toned body. It must be associated with physical activity in order to increase muscle mass. Otherwise we risk regaining our original weight after a few months, with the added sensation of a limp and distended body! As soon as the rehabilitation of the perineum is completed and we have the doctor’s agreement, we can start performing appropriate exercises to strengthen our abdominal muscles.
How celebrities lose pregnancy pounds in a short time…
It’s infuriating. Not a week goes by without a new celebrity recently giving birth showing off an almost perfect post-pregnancy body! Grrrrr! No, people do not have a miracle cure to hunt pounds. They are people who are followed closely and who are most of the time supervised by a coach during and after their pregnancy. They also have sports habits that allow them to regain a toned body very quickly.
Postpartum: what do the studies say to lose the pounds of pregnancy?
It is certainly necessary to give yourself the time, not to put pressure on yourself, to avoid losing weight too quickly so as not to endanger your health. However, it is well known that the longer we wait, the more we risk letting all those rebellious pounds settle in permanently. Especially if we go on to a second pregnancy. An American study published in 2013 showed that one in two women remained 4.5 kg overweight one year after childbirth.
