Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Looking For The Best Pregnancy Diet, Don't Make These Mistakes

Now that you've had your baby, you'll want to get back to being that slim, sexy woman you were before. There are a few things to learn about losing that extra weight that will help you avoid the most common mistakes made by new mothers. The best pregnancy diet is what you're looking for and it's really composed of three main elements. Making healthier food choices, doing enough exercise to burn calories and making the choice to breastfeed are the three most effective ways to get rid of excess baby weight. It's more than that, though. It is really about making a lifestyle change. It will work for you too.

The most common mistake new mothers make is to continue eating in the way they did before their baby was born. When you got pregnant, you gained weight. After your delivery, you saw the need to get rid of the extra weight. With a good pregnancy diet and your postnatal advice, a high fiber, high protein diet is recommended. Fruits and vegetables top the list for fiber and vitamins. Salads are good if you watch those dressings. Lean meats, skinless chicken and fish add needed protein. Low fat dairy products like yogurt add protein and vitamin D. This allows most of the foods you want to eat as long as they fit in the guidelines of your healthier diet. But the best advice is to drink lots of water. It gives a full feeling and it flushes the toxins out of your system.

Another common mistake is the belief that you must wait for six to eight weeks before exercising. It just isn't the best advice. Your Doctor says that if you had a normal vaginal birth without complication, then you can start whenever you want. What most new mothers do is to get a baby stroller and push their babies around for a few minutes each day. Whether they know it or not, they are exercising their arms, legs and abdominal muscles. It's a good start. The object here is to increase your metabolism by increasing your heart rate and breathing. That burns calories. There are many good exercise plans for new mothers out there. Pick the one that's right for you and get going.

Some mothers are surprised to learn that breastfeeding will cause them to lose weight. It would be a big mistake to pass up such an easy opportunity to lose baby weight. When you begin breastfeeding during your postpartum phase, you body starts a hormonal change that starts breaking down your own body fat into the nutrients that go into your baby's milk. That's a 500 calorie loss every day. A good pregnancy diet recommends combining that with diet and exercise to achieve a weight loss of at least a pound every week. It's important to eat at least 1500 calories every day when you breastfeed. Your baby is counting on you for adequate nutrition.

To conclude, the best pregnancy diet will include eating a healthier diet, getting enough exercise and breastfeeding in an overall plan to change your lifestyle. Those three tools are the most effective way to lose baby weight yet devised. They will work for you too. After all, you now have a family to take care of.
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Of course this is just a few tips on the best pregnancy diet. Many people ask us how they can lose that baby belly and we help many by sharing what worked for us. More questions? losing-baby-weight.com