How to Lose Pregnancy Weight - Practical Tips to Help You Shed Those Pounds

During your pregnancy, I know you probably cringed a little every time the Doctor weighed you, but it was OK because the extra weight was necessary for your little angel growing inside you. Now that your baby is here, that extra weight isn't as necessary (although it still is a little is if you are breastfeeding) and if you are like 99% of the Moms out there, you really want to lose that weight and get your body back to the way it was before you became pregnant. In this article, I'm going to give you some easy ways to lose your pregnancy weight and start getting your body back to normal.

One big difference between losing weight after pregnancy and just losing weight in general is you really need to take baby steps (no pun intended). Dropping weight too fast too soon after birth can be harmful to your body. Remember, your body is trying to balance out your hormones, so rapid weight loss can actually be a shock to your system and make it more difficult to lose weight.

Here are some easy ways you can get your body back on track and start losing all the baby weight that you gained.

1) Breast Feed Your Baby - Aside from the obvious benefits of breastfeeding for your baby, you actually will burn about 500 calories a day from breastfeeding alone. Be diligent about reducing your food intake (from when you were eating for two) to about 2200 to 2500 calories a day. Don't reduce too much, as your body's calorie priority is to make milk for your baby (just like during pregnancy,) so too much of a calorie drop can be seriously detrimental to your health.

2) Drink Plenty of Water - Right after birth, your body will expel as much at 3 liters of extra fluid that you were carrying around (If you notice that you are running to the bathroom a lot, it is completely normal.) It is vital that you keep your water intake up, like 8-12 glasses a day. Keeping well hydrated increases your metabolism, helps keep you less bloated (better known as water weight) and will help your body function much better overall.

3) Moderate Exercise is the Best Right Now - Exercise is still very important in the weight loss equation, but low impact exercises are vital to your healing body. Walking or swimming are great low impact, calorie burning exercises. Even just walking 30 minutes a day will help you lose weight. The key is consistency. Get in the habit of going out at least 4-5 times a week. Swimming will burn more calories, but can be more difficult to keep up since you then have child care issues and the potential of having to join a club.