Breastfeeding Will Promote Weight Loss
Breastfeeding your baby comes with several benefits. For one, you get to bond together as you provide them with ideal nutrients and strengthen their immune system. That said, breastfeeding also plays an important role in postpartum weight loss.
You can lose as much as 300-500 calories daily when breastfeeding . This will ultimately speed up weight loss and, by extension, reduce the after-pregnancy belly pouch.
Understanding Your Post C
Having a post c-section belly is discouraging if you once had a flat tummy. However, following any major abdominal surgery, the pooch that remains is usually not just fat. There is swelling with fluid accumulation. In addition, the uterus takes time to shrink back to its normal pre-pregnancy size. Also, the abdominal muscles have been severed so they must heal before they can again retighten. Sure, there might be some weight loss after a cesarean section required to gain the body you once had, but overall, it is a combination of factors that contribute to your post c-section belly.
But After That We Need These 2 Things
1 – control
2 – integration
Working any muscle in isolation is limiting. If you have ever had rehab on any other part of your body, you know that its important to train it back into movement as soon as you can – and train it correctly. The abdominals are no different.
90% of the 3000 women we surveyed last year didnt know how to activate their pelvic floor adequately in order to prepare them for being able to move leak free, pain free.
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Hanies Amazing 22kg* Weight Loss Journey
Stephanie Marriott you look absolutely incredible! This motivated mum has managed to transform her body, embrace healthy eating and prioritise exercise with the support of The Healthy Mummy.
Stephanie says: On the left, this is me is at my heaviest, 80kg, 9 months after the birth of my first baby. The next picture is 14 months after the birth of my 3rd baby at 58kg.
How Can I Reduce Belly Fat Naturally At Home
So we cannot hit the gym as our babies are small and body too weak to take on intense workouts. Add to that lack of sleep and constant fatigue and tiredness. And since most of us spend maximum time at home with our babies, it is important to know ways and remedies that work well in losing tummy fat and implement them in the comfort of our homes. I mean, what is better than getting back to shape sitting right in your own home or even bedroom? Great isn’t it? Use these simple, easy to follow home remedies to knock down that tummy fat.
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Focus On Core Strength
Due to the nature of pregnancy, women’s core muscles that support your trunk movement becomes compromised from stretching to accommodate your growing baby. The weakened muscles can lead to back pain and a loss of mobility.
While there isn’t an exercise you can do to target stubborn belly fat, strengthening your core muscles will help reduce the appearance of fat by building up the muscles underneath it.
Before you take your post-pregnancy workout routine to the next level, check you for symptoms of diastasis recti. Some core strengthening exercises can potentially expand the gap between your abdominal muscles, which can cause further injury.
You can check out these exercises that will help you gradually recover your core strength.
Exercise May Help But You Cant Talk About Repairing Dr Without Talking About The Pelvic Floor
The clinicians I interviewed who have diagnosed and treated hundreds of DR cases collectively agree that it can be treated. But they stress that the abdominals are only part of the equation. McGurk coaches women to reconnect to their pelvic floor and their transverse abdominis muscles, which can essentially turn off during pregnancy and childbirth.
The transverse abdominis and the pelvic floor are best friends that need and cant work without each other.
Abdominal exercise, coaching, and visualization that incorporates the pelvic floor and proper breathing techniques can reestablish the connection between the muscles and the brain and strengthen not only the abdominals but also the pelvic floor, she says.
“Stabilizing diastasis during pregnancy and postpartum is all about reconnecting the brain with the deep abdominal layer called the transverse abdominis,” says Willoughby. The transverse abdominis and the pelvic floor are best friends that need and cant work without each other.
A 2014 review of eight studies evaluating what impact exercise has on preventing or healing diastasis was inconclusive. Recentstudies have tested two specific exercises on DR abdominal crunches and an exercise called drawing in.
Drawing in involves inhaling to fill the belly with air, then exhaling and moving the belly back toward the spine. But in the study, the subjects were only measured doing the exercises in a lab, not over a period of time.
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Home Remedies To Lose Stubborn Belly Fat After Delivery
Since most new mums breastfeed, there are lots of things you can do in terms of dieting and exercising but these would be a better option right after the first 6 weeks. Here are things you can do just after baby delivery…
- Regular Massage: Get a tummy massage to work on the cellulite and dilute it so that it is easy to burn by the body. Massage will also help you feel energetic and relaxed. There are several experienced ladies who do after-delivery massages to help uterus get into original shape
- Eat Cabbage: It has been seen that eating cabbage helps in decreasing belly fat and gives a boost to your metabolism so that your body can process and digest food easily without accumulating any fats
- Avoid Stress: Taking too much stress can lead to weight gain. This is why you need to be happy and stress-free all the time, around your baby and keep your hormones in balance
- Exercise: Indulge in some easy tummy exercises in your home. Sit-ups, yoga, squats, leg raises, etc are highly beneficial and effective in cutting the fat around the stomach. Do them several times a week and increase the frequency when you feel the body is ready. Do not stress the body
- Follow a Diet Plan: Talk to your doctor and follow a plan without compromising baby health. Start by including healthier foods that increase metabolism rate and stop pilling up of fat in the body. Remember, you must not compromise the health of your baby in order to get into shape by following a diet
Top Three Home Remedies To Reduce Your Tummy After C
There are home remedies to reduce your tummy after c-section. Many of the remedies have been used for centuries to lose unwanted baby belly fat. Yes, weight loss after a cesarean section is often more difficult, but if you focus on keeping your body healthy then you will eventually regain your pre-pregnancy form.
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How To Test For Diastasis Recti
There’s a simple way to see whether you have diastasis recti:
In rare occasions, the tissue in the abdomen isn’t just stretched, but it is also torn a bit. This can cause a hernia, Sharma says.
“If there’s a defect in a layer of tissue called the linea alba, then the bowel can poke through,” Sharma says. “That’s going to be more dangerous.”
A hernia may require surgery. “So I will refer patients to a general surgeon to have a CT scan if there’s really a true concern about a hernia,” Sharma says.
Diastasis recti arises during pregnancy because the growing fetus pushes the abdominal muscles apart specifically the rectus abdominal muscles.
“These are the muscles that give you a ‘six pack,’ ” says Dr. Linda Brubaker, an OB-GYN at the University of California, San Diego. “People think these muscles go horizontal across the belly. But they actually go vertical from head to toe.”
The rectus abdominal muscles should be right next to each other, on either side of the belly button, Brubaker says. “There shouldn’t be much of gap between them.”
To flatten the area, women have to get those abdominal muscles to realign. And that is where the exercises come into play.
You Need To Determine If You Have Diastasis Recti
The first thing you need to do is determine if you have diastasis recti . Research has shown that up to 60% of women will have it postpartum. You could also get diastasis recti after a c-section.
Finding out if you have DR is important because if you do certain types of abdominal exercises, you can actually weaken the connective tissue there and worsen your abdominal separation.
If you would like to learn more, check out: How To Tell If You Have Diastasis Recti.
It goes over one simple test you can do to see if you have a gap in your rectus abdominis. It also goes over why you need to take care of it from a medical standpoint.
If you determine that you have DR, you should focus on closing your abdominal gap and strengthening your core muscles as soon as possible.
But in the meantime, you can also work on Steps 2 and 3 below.
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Cut Down On Alcohol Consumption
Alcoholic drinks are unhealthy in a lot of different waysand cutting them out of your diet is especially crucial after pregnancy.
Most alcoholic drinks are full of sugar or other added sweeteners. Its also harmful in that it can interfere with your levels of hormones. This might lead to your body to prioritize fat storage over other tasks.
The most well-known risk with alcohol is that it lowers your inhibitions. Not only can this be hazardous for your kids, but it might lead you to make poor diet choices. When you drink alcohol, youre more likely to reach for fat heavy and sugar loaded snacks.
How Long Does It Take For Your Stomach To Shrink After Pregnancy
Sure, you now have that belly pouch. Now the question left is how you can lose it. Most importantly, how long will it take for you to get rid of it completely? Lets find out.
First off, you must understand that these are just general guidelines. Its not assured that everything will happen within the stipulated time frames. Sometimes it may happen earlier or later. Remember, your body is unique, and so is your experience. Dont beat yourself over the head if the process takes a little longer.
Based on your Body Mass Index , you should expect to gain anywhere between 5-8 kilograms if youre expecting one baby. If youre pregnant with twins, the range is between 11-28 kilograms . Make sure to follow your doctors advice when it comes to pregnancy weight gain.
However, you will lose some of this weight immediately after delivery. Why is this? Well, for one theres your babys weight that is gone. Then some kilograms are also lost in the amniotic fluid and blood that is shed during delivery.
During the first week, its very likely that youll be using the bathroom more frequently. You may also find yourself waking up at night soaked in sweat. The increased sweating can be associated with a drop in your pregnancy hormone levels.
Youll therefore find yourself losing a few kilos by the end of the first month without much hassle . 2 weeks later, your uterus will be approaching its original size, making your tummy look flatter.
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Summing Up: Reducing Belly Fat Naturally
Beyond the desire of getting rid of that baby belly fat and getting your flat tummy back, you need to think about all of these strategies as a whole.
Whenever possible, give your body its needed restorative time. We know this may seem impossible, but it’s important to take rest, meditate, practice deep breathing, and patience with your body.
Staying motivated is a very essential part of the recovery process. Remember the incredible miracle your body had undergone through to bring your child into the world, and be kind to yourself. Whatever you’re experiencing during your recovery, you’re not alone you got this, and Bellefit is there with you through every step of the way.
Why Getting Rid Of Belly Fat Is Of High Importance
I want to finish this section by talking about why you need to take mommy tummy seriously.
First of all, there are two types of belly fat.
- Subcutaneous fat which is located directly underneath your skin. This is the type of fat most of us can see,
- and Visceral fat, which is deeper. This is when additional fat deposits are located inside of your abdomen, surrounding your internal organs.
If you have a lot of lower belly fat, you may also have a lot of visceral belly fat as well.
Why is this an issue?
Visceral fat is associated with a host of serious medical co-morbidities. These include:
This is why getting a panniculectomy or liposuction wont help you decrease your risk.
So getting a flat stomach is not just aesthetic, it will improve your overall health dramatically!
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Correcting Your Posture After Pregnancy For A Flat Belly:
Your posture and alignment is really important to engaging your abs and pulling those in. Youve seen the photos on Instagram of flat bellies when they are contracting, verses relaxed. Your belly looks completely different depending on how you are standing. As we go through pregnancy, our bodies compensate for the extra weight and make alignment changes without us even realizing. This then continues into after birth, where we dont fix the alignment issues after pregnancy, and continue to find ourselves in awkward breastfeeding positions, holding a baby on one-side and ultimately not helping our body get back in proper alignment. In practical terms, our chins start coming forward, our shoulders hunch down making our tummies pooch out, and our butts tuck under. Here are some things you can think about each morning, in order to correct your posture and flatten that belly after pregnancy:
- Roll your shoulders back and lift your chest. Imagine a rope pulling you up from right in between your breasts.
- Take a deep breath in, as you exhale, pull your tummy in from your belly button.
- Do not tuck or squeeze your glutes under. Keep a small arch in your lower back. This is called neutral position.
- Hold this position for a few minutes in the morning to set you up for success. Practice as often as you can!
Using a wrap like mine, as I mention in the video is a great way to remind yourself and re-train yourself how to stand all day!
Why Is My Stomach So Soft After Pregnancy
From the moment your baby is born, hormonal changes cause your tummy to decrease in size. However, it takes another six to eight weeks for your womb to contract to its pre-pregnancy size . The extra fluid that built up in your body during pregnancy will gradually decrease, reducing swelling and bloating .
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Why Some People Object To Calling It Mummy Tummy
DR can give the belly a soft, protruding appearance. It can push the bellybutton out, or look like a visible gulch at the midsection when a woman bends or does an abdominal curl.
Courtney Wyckoff, the founder of the Momma Strong workout program, suffered from a large DR and related pain after pregnancy. But she argues the focus around DR should be on mobility and function, not aesthetics. For instance, can a woman bend and touch her toes? Can she wake up without pain? Is she peeing herself?
But most of the DR advice out there is on how to flatten the tummy and bounce back after pregnancy rather than how to strengthen the function of the core, pelvis, muscles, and organs. A recent NPR story, Flattening the Mummy Tummy With One Exercise 10 Minutes a Day, elicited a huge response, both positive and negative. Some women felt it reinforced the problematic cultural standard that women should have flat tummies. A follow-up NPR story addressed some of the comments and recommended additional exercises.
Still, few studies have evaluated DR treatment thoroughly enough for there to be definitive clinical guidelines about how to treat it.