We live in a society that is obsessed with diet culture. In many ways, this infatuation with fitness and weight loss has crossed the line into toxicity, with more and more American women and men flirting with disordered eating habits each year. The pursuit of thinness is one of the most harmful things we can put our bodies and minds through. While a healthy approach to weight management is definitely a good thing, the line gets blurry very quickly with all of the new diet fads on the market.
Postpartum women are at a heightened risk of feeling like they need to jump on the fad diet bandwagon. There seems to be a rush for postpartum women to get back to their 'pre-pregnancy weight', though many experts don't advise dieting or exercising for at least the first 6 weeks after giving birth. A woman's body has to heal from the extreme strain put on the body from pregnancy and childbirth. It is not a time to be depriving or pushing your body to perform exercises.
There are, however, several ways to manage your postpartum diet, which will assist in shedding some of the extra weight. Keep in mind, you should consult with your doctor before making any drastic changes to your diet. BabyGaga spoke to industry experts who helped clear up why cutting carbs is not a good idea in the postpartum phase (you need them!).Read on for more tips on how to approach your nutrition management after bringing home baby.
One thing that postpartum women must realize is that their postpartum bodies took nine months to evolve and change to the size and shape that they are currently in, and there is no quick way to erase those nine months of changes! Patience and love for your body are critical in this phase, as you will already be struggling with exhaustion and stress, and body related pressure won't help matters.
BabyGaga spoke to Gina Waggott, the founder of popular online site Pregnancy Food Checker. As a certified pregnancy diet expert, her and her team of registered dieticians offer nutrition advice and guidance to pregnant and postpartum women.
RELATED: Your Diet Postpartum Also Helps With Your Baby's Health
Gina explained, "Giving birth is often seen as the 'finish line' after a nine-month marathon, but it's actually only the first lap! Many women are surprised that the classic diet advice during pregnancy - whole foods, healthy eating, and avoiding high mercury fish or alcohol, for example, also extends to post-birth breastfeeding, too. Women who can't wait to lose the pregnancy 'pooch' mistakenly start dieting and cutting carbs, when they actually need to eat more (healthy) calories."
She continued, "I like to think of pregnancy diets as a gentle bump that should grow just like your baby. Start the healthy eating when trying to conceive, then it's 200-300 extra calories a day during the second and third trimesters, and ending with 400 - 500 extra calories a day when breastfeeding, and then it tapers off again as the baby moves to solid food."
One thing to consider in the postpartum rush to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight is whether or not you are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a real sport, and burns a ton of calories! It also means you need to be consuming much more food than if you were not breastfeeding. It's really important that women be mindful of this, so that they aren't undereating, thus affecting their milk supply, or just not being energized enough to get through the days.
Andrea Tran is a lactation consultant and registered nurse, who runs the website Breastfeeding Confidential, where she offers breastfeeding guidance and support to women across the country.
Andrea reiterated that breastfeeding women need to consume more food, not less,
"If a woman is breastfeeding she is supposed to consume 500 calories above her pre-pregnant diet."
She explained to BabyGaga that a breastfeeding woman will need to eat similar amounts to what she ate in pregnancy, 'During pregnancy and breastfeeding women usually notice an increase in appetite and that will go away after birth if they are not breastfeeding. If they are breastfeeding they are encouraged to make the same type of food choices they did during pregnancy.'
While cutting carbs seems to be a theme in diet culture, it's not a great idea. Carbohydrates are an important food group, and completely cutting them out is not conducive to overall health. While cutting out potato chips, cookies, and donuts is probably a good idea, there are plenty of healthy carbs to keep in your diet. Wholegrain pasta, sweet potatoes, greens, and apples are all carbohydrate-based foods!
Dr. Kristin Sears is the creator of The Zone Diet, an eating plan that focuses of consuming 40% carbohydrates, 30% fats, and 30% proteins to prevent cellular inflammation, a risk factor in obesity and other illnesses. She explained to BabyGaga the importance of balancein the postpartum phase, "A balance is always the key. Losing excess fat will be accelerated by replacing grains and starches and non-starchy vegetables and limited amounts of fruit while maintaining adequate levels of protein."
While it's quite normal for postpartum women to feel very emotional about the way that their bodies have changed (and then changed again!) during and after pregnancy, the approach to weight loss needs to be gentle. The first 6 weeks after giving birth are when a woman's body will be repairing and healing, and eating plenty of nutritious foods and staying hydrated will help your body bounce back faster.
Keep in mind that if you feed your body well, you will get stronger, which will lead you to having more energy and enthusiasm when you do get the clear from your doctor to resume physical exercise. Take smalls steps towards complete wellbeing each day, and you will reach your goals in no time.
NEXT:Expect To Change Your Diet Before, During, & After Pregnancy
SOURCES: Pregnancy Food Checker, Breastfeeding Confidential, Zone Labs
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Ariane Signer has been writing her thoughts, fears and dreams in journals since the early 90's. A personal development and self-help junkie, she has been working as a creative freelance writer since 2016. A native Canadian, she has found her home in small town Switzerland, where she lives with her husband and two young sons. She published her first book, Things That Shine: Poems, in 2019.
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Losing Weight After Pregnancy: More Than Just Cutting Carbs - BabyGaga
