For some, the weight gained during pregnancy seems to melt away, for many others that stubborn baby weight sticks around.
New motherhood is a time of utter exhaustion.
Every second is allotted to caring for your new tiny human, and losing the baby weight may seem tough if you can’t find the time or energy to prepare healthy food or exercise.
Another important factor to consider when attempting to lose weight is doing it in a way that doesn’t negatively affect your milk supply.
It is important to keep your milk supply high and your milk nutrient-dense to grow that tiny human up strong.
I have 5 priceless tricks that you are going to love for effectively losing the baby weight in a safe way without losing your milk supply!
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Table of Contents
1. Include a nutrient-rich protein shake into your diet.
When trying to drop the baby weight and lead a healthy lifestyle protein shakes are key!
Both vegan protein shakes and whey protein shakes are wonderful for breastfeeding moms.
There are some absolutely delicious options of protein shakes safe for breastfeeding mothers that are packed with natural galactagogues to increase milk supply and nutritional content.
Supplementing meals or snacks with tasty protein shakes is a great way to get a nutrient-filled, low calorie, easily digestible meal.
Plus they are so fast and easy to make! When you have a new baby, fast and easy healthy meals is key!
You can easily turn a protein shake into a super milk boosting smoothie by adding 1 tbsp. each of 3 simple ingredients to the blender.
- oats
- flax meal
- Brewer’s yeast
Those three ingredients are all galactagogues well known for increasing breast milk supply.
Toss in a few of your favorite fruits and veggies and you have a delicious meal all in one glass.
Loaded with the energy and nutrients you need while breastfeeding postpartum.
Protein smoothies are filling, but light enough to help you lose the baby weight in a healthy way.
2. Learn to exercise with baby
We all know weight loss comes from diligent diet and exercise.
There are no magic pills that are safe while breastfeeding or work long term.
But when you are a new mom, finding time to exercise can seem impossible.
You often don’t even have a single minute without that little bundle in your arms or at your side. And once you finally do, you’re exhausted and you need sleep!
Your exercise routines may never be the same postpartum.
The secret to learning how to exercise as a new mom is learning how to exercise WITH baby.
Be sure you’ve gotten clearance from your trusted medical professional before beginning a new exercise routine.
Babies actually love being jogged in the stroller, getting outside, and following along as you make silly faces or sing to them while getting in a stroller exercise routine.
Babies also adore being worn in a baby carrier close to mom while you’re exercising.
It isn’t too different from all the bouncing and jostling they felt for nine months in the womb!
Be sure to get an ergonomic baby carrier and to follow all the safety directions on your carrier so that baby stays safe and secure while you lose the baby weight!
The Best Stroller Exercises for Losing Weight
- Walking Lunges
- Squats
- High Knees
- Reverse Leg Lifts
- Pushups (On the front end of the stroller when securely locked)
- Tricep Dips (On the front end of the stroller when securely locked.)
THE BEST Baby Carrier EXERCISES FOR LOSING WEIGHT
- Walking Lunges
- Sumo Squats
- Standing Leg Raises
- Deadlift
3. Stop Eating Sugar
Easier said than done I know. Our society of processed foods and sweets is absolutely inundated with sugar!
According to Healthy Eating the Average American eats about 22 tablespoons of sugar per day.
Sugar is hidden in low fat foods, sauces and marinades, pasta sauce, oatmeal, cold cereals and ketchup.
When you are sleep deprived, as every new mom is, you crave sugar.
Your body is seeking the energy the sugar provides.
We all know the energy burst is fleeting.
Most all breastfeeding moms also crave sugar!
It becomes awfully hard to lose the baby weight when you crave sugar all day long.
Sugar cravings while breastfeeding often stem from nutritional deficiencies in your diet.
Your body is usually telling you it needs more healthy fats (coconut oil is ideal), protein, or magnesium.
You can supplement this sugar craving by keeping healthy desserts on hand at all times!
Oatmeal and coconut oil based energy balls sweetened with stevia are perfect to keep on hand as a breastfeeding mom.
Healthy desserts help you kick the sugar habit, boost milk supply, and help you stay full and satiated so you can lose the baby weight.
Another tasty and healthy dessert to keep on hand are chocolate and coconut oil based fat bombs sweetened with stevia.
If you are familiar with the Keto diet you know what fat bombs are. If not: fat bombs are a sweet (and sometimes savory) sugar free, high fat snack.
Both of these snack ideas are perfect to help you lose the baby weight because they are so fast and easy to make in large quantities so you always have them on hand.
Because who has time to make healthy snacks for themselves every day when you’re a mom?
I know I don’t. Make a batch or two one day a week and you’ll never have to reach for that candy bar again.
Just be careful not to overdo it on even healthy desserts.
A couple a day is just fine! But even eating far too many healthy desserts can compromise your weight loss efforts during breastfeeding.
4. Rest when you can.
New motherhood is going to be one of the most exhausting times of your life.
While in a whirlwind of diaper changes, spit ups, breastfeeding, and baby firsts, sleep becomes foreign.
Most babies do not sleep through the night for a long time.
Work, school, your other kids, and household chores may have you pulled in a million different directions.
But getting adequate rest should be a priority.
Maybe not the most realistic sounding one, but a priority nonetheless.
According to Hormones Balance it only takes a few weeks of stress and exhaustion to cause adrenal fatigue.
When your adrenal glands you can suffer from high or low cortisol levels.
Either can cause you to retain excess weight even if you eat correctly and workout often.
When you are sleep deprived you once again crave sugar. New motherhood can seem set out to sabotage your efforts to lose the baby weight!
So attempt to rest when baby rests.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Ask your husband, friends, or family to come watch the baby even for an hour or two so that you can catch up on rest.
5. Drink more water
It is of the utmost importance to remember to stay hydrated when you are breastfeeding.
Breastmilk is mostly water.
Your baby is literally sucking the fluids from you.
It is a good rule of thumb to have a glass of water every time you breastfeed.
Our bodies can sometimes mistake the feeling of hungry with the feeling of thirsty.
During this whirlwind of new mom exhaustion be sure you identify your bodies true needs to help you lose the baby weight.
If you feel hungry, drink a glass of water.
You may have just been really thirsty! After all, breastfeeding does take a lot of liquid from your body.
If after that you are still feeling hungry, dive into a healthy snack or whole food meal to nourish and energize you.
If you don’t love drinking water, picking up a really cute reusable water bottle that you love can make it easier. Or you can zest up your water by infusing it with fruit or making tea.
Remember the best ways to lose the baby weight while breastfeeding are through nutrition and diet.
Focus on eating whole foods and eliminating processed foods and sugar.
Be sure to allow your body time to heal after childbirth. Try to stay active and exercise regularly.
Keep healthy snacks and desserts on hand at all times so that you don’t slip into grabbing something processed and sugary.
Rest when you can. And always remember to stay hydrated. What is your biggest hurdle with losing the baby weight?
The Easy Way to Lose the Baby Weight
If you’re postpartum and want to heal your body after your baby is born and shed any existing baby weight, you will want to check out this program called The Postpartum Cure. It is AMAZING.
When I heard about it, I just had to check it out.
Katie, who created this course, had a very real struggle postpartum too.
She will help you figure out how to regain your core strength, fix your pelvic floor, what you should eat to heal faster and even how to hold your baby and fix your posture so your not damaging your body worse postpartum.
The program will help you lose that baby weight, while keeping your milk supply!
She also has recipes, printable grocery lists and gives you tips to make the process as easy as possible!
This was a guest post by Allie at Vigor it Out. Allie is a certified personal fitness trainer who’s also certified in childhood nutrition and cooking from Stanford University of Medicine.
She’s a homeschooling mother of 2 little ladies and a natural living health nut!
She aims to help moms master motherhood through nutrition, health, and fitness.
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