^

Diet after pregnancy

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
Fact-checked
х

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Diet after pregnancy is primarily aimed at stabilizing the weight in the mother, as well as providing her body with all the necessary microelements, nutrients, vitamins for the full production of breast milk.

Certainly, a woman who has gained weight over a long period of pregnancy will want to quickly get rid of extra pounds, but nature is so arranged that it is almost impossible to avoid an increase in body weight during the period of gestation. In order to return to the old form and achieve the desired results as soon as possible, the woman will need to work hard on herself.

trusted-source[1], [2]

Diet for weight loss after pregnancy

Diet for weight loss after pregnancy is necessary for all giving birth to women, but it is especially important for those of them who did not follow the weight gain before delivery. One important factor must be taken into account: after the birth of a child, the body of a woman is in a state of stress and needs to be restored. This is due, first of all, to the hormonal restructuring of the female body in the postpartum period. At this difficult stage, doctors do not recommend mothers to take decisive action in relation to rapid weight loss and even more so to use debilitating diets, starvation and too strict a diet for this purpose. Diet after pregnancy should be directed only at systematic control over proper nutrition.

What should a woman do in the postpartum period, so as not to gain extra pounds and not to harm diets to her baby?

Among the basic and most important rules of a rational mother-to-child delivery in the first two or three months of caring for a baby, one can single out the following:

  • Caloric content of food. It is necessary to take into account the fact that in the postpartum period the woman spends much more energy and energy than in her usual state. Therefore, the caloric content of food consumed by it should be accordingly higher, on average, by 500-600 calories per day. At the same time, the total calorific value of the total volume of food is about 3000 calories.
  • Power balance. After giving birth, it is very important to take care that the female body does not experience acute deficiency in the microelements necessary for a full-time life, various vitamins, and also nutrients. Therefore, the daily maternity menu must necessarily include the following foods:
    • milk and sour-milk products: low-fat milk, fermented milk, yogurt, kefir (in calculation not less than 0,5 l);
    • vegetable oil (about 20-30 g).
    • cottage cheese or curd products (approximately 50-100 g);
    • lean meat (best of all - beef or chicken) - 200-250 g;
    • fresh vegetables (500-800 g);
    • fruit (about 500 g);
    • eggs and butter (50 g);
    • bread (300-500 g).

Diet for weight loss after pregnancy excludes the use of excessively high-calorie, fatty foods. These include, first of all, cream, sour cream, fatty meat (pork, goose, duck), potatoes, mayonnaise, nuts, buns, as well as sweets and sugar-containing products. In the postpartum period, a woman should use with extreme caution the products that can cause an allergic reaction in the child's body, in particular citrus fruits, strawberries, honey, as well as chocolate, various pickles, canned food, fish, smoked sausage and the like. It is strictly prohibited for a woman to take alcoholic beverages, including beer, during this period.

  • Frequency and number of meals. Postnatal diet means eating meals in divided batches. The woman giving birth should be eaten in small portions at least 4-6 times a day. Such a nutrition system will favorably affect not only its shape, but also the quality of lactation. In this case, it is not necessary to tolerate overeating, random snacks, and also to eat just before bed. The most correct solution to the problem of excess weight will be a uniform distribution of the entire volume of food throughout the day. In extreme cases, when you feel a strong hunger before going to bed, you can drink a glass of warm milk or eat an apple.
  • Water regime. It is important for a woman who has given birth to remember the sufficient consumption of water, the amount of which is at least 2 liters per day. An exception can only be those women in labor who have increased lactation.
  • Separate food. An excellent way to normalize weight control is to observe important rules of so-called "separate" nutrition. Features of such nutrition consist in the fact that in one step it is impossible to combine products that contain proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Such a regime absolutely does not hurt the baby and will allow a woman to gradually reduce weight.

In addition to proper nutrition in the postpartum period, it is important for a woman to control weight with the help of various physical exertions carried out within reasonable limits. Walking and stretching exercises will be useful and effective. Naturally, the exercises on the simulators in this case should not be resorted to. To quickly recover and type the desired form, the woman in labor should remember regular rest and full sleep. Nedosyp provokes an increase in body weight, and a normal sleep in the regime of 8-9 hours will favorably affect the normalization of weight.

At the end of two to three months after delivery, a woman can gradually increase the number of actions and activities aimed at effective weight loss. However, one should not strive for too rapid weight loss. The best method is still the choice of a specific system of rational nutrition, which will reduce the weight of women gradually, combined with an increase in certain physical exertion.

More severe diets aimed at reducing body weight after childbirth can be applied no earlier than after 9 months and only if the woman does not feed the newborn baby. However, it will be most rational to develop and use our own system of rational nutrition, which will need to be adhered to throughout life. Thus, you can achieve optimal results in reducing weight and gaining the old harmony and beauty.

trusted-source[3],

The menu of a diet after pregnancy

Diet after pregnancy is directed, first of all, to the full production of breast milk from a young mother and the restoration of her vitality. Therefore, in the postpartum period, a woman needs not only to carefully monitor the diet of her diet, but also try to use only the food that will benefit both herself and the baby. Of course, after birth, weight control is more difficult, so a correctly formulated diet menu after pregnancy will become a guide for a nursing woman on the way to weight loss and control.

In the first few days after the birth of a young mother, with the goal of a variety of hospital meals, instead of fruits, juices and biscuits, it will be more delicious to eat baked apples, a home soup or vegetable stew, and a useful compote of dried fruits.

The main task of a woman who has given birth is to restore strength and vitality after the birth stress and ensure a proper rest, so that weakness and fatigue pass as quickly as possible. Naturally, you should also plan your diet correctly. Food for a young mother, in the first place, should be easily assimilated, low-calorie and work-friendly digestive system. For such purposes, the following products are quite suitable: hard cheese in small quantities, low-fat kefir, buckwheat or oatmeal, yogurt without dyes and food additives.

Diet after pregnancy includes eating foods rich in iron (fresh apples, beef) and vitamin C (rose hips, apples, potatoes, black currants). Nursing mother should remember the useful folic acid, which is contained in the bread of coarse grind, as well as spinach, celery.

In the first two to three weeks after the birth of a child, the youngest mother is best restricted to eating whole milk, as well as fresh berries, fruits and vegetables. The thing is that raw food of this kind can contain microorganisms that are harmful to the human body. In addition, such food can cause indigestion due to poor digestion.

In the postpartum period, it is useful for a woman to eat porridges cooked on water with a minimum amount of salt, with the addition of a piece of butter (20 g). Raw cottage cheese is better to replace with alternative products: cheese cakes or curd casserole. In such dishes you can add a little raisins and nuts.

To normalize the weight should prefer salads, vegetable soups, as well as ragout. From meat it is best to choose boiled beef, rabbit meat, chicken or mutton. Approximately 7-10 days after the birth of a child, a woman is allowed to enter non-fat fish into her diet. To improve the taste of the prepared dishes, they can be seasoned with herbs.

Diet after delivery should be carefully expanded. Begin with the safest foods, while constantly monitoring the baby's chair. New products must be entered in the menu of the young mother at intervals of two to three days.

Prohibited products for breastfeeding are the following:

  • chocolate, sweets, honey, cakes and condensed milk;
  • processed cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup, sauces, and spicy seasonings;
  • citrus, tomatoes, cabbage, red berries, kiwi, garlic;
  • products containing dyes, flavors, fragrances and preservatives;
  • semi-finished products, all kinds of smoked meat;
  • carbonated drinks.

The above products can cause allergic reactions of the child's body, so a young mother in this case should not take risks. In addition, to prevent the occurrence of colic and bloating in a newborn, nursing mother, you must completely exclude from the diet of mineral water with gas, baking, legumes, corn, grapes, cucumbers, radish, sweet pepper.

Measures aimed at losing weight, it is recommended to start about 7-10 days after the birth of the child. The diet for weight reduction should not be strict and to deprive the woman of tasty and various food. The main thing with such a diet is observance of the measure! You can have a special food diary and write down every piece you eat. The most effective and proven way to lose weight is the classic five-time divided meals. Thus, the body will not suffer from hunger and will get enough of the necessary nutrients for normal functioning.

The menu of a diet after pregnancy can be approximately that:

First breakfast:

  • Carbohydrate. Porridge on water or milk (0,5%) with the addition of grated carrots, apples or ripe berries. (The best option before training or physical exercises).
  • Protein. Low-fat cottage cheese with added fruit, or a protein omelet with added vegetables.

Second breakfast: several slices of low-calorie cheese with vegetables, a small amount of dried fruit with a hot drink, fruit (1 pc.), Yogurt (without dyes and additives).

The first dinner. Buckwheat porridge, chicken breast, vegetable stew, tofu, baked potatoes, fish, vegetable soup, brown rice. The use of semi-finished products (dumplings, sausages, cutlets) is excluded.

Second dinner. Yoghurt, milk, cottage cheese (100 g), fruit (1 pc.), Tea.

Dinner. Stewed vegetables, vegetable soups, mashed potatoes, a small portion of boiled fish or meat, cottage cheese.

Eaten at night food, containing a large number of protein and fiber, helps in the process of losing weight. To ensure that the diet after pregnancy does not cause a sense of limitation and suffering in a woman, it is necessary to perceive it as a game, to look for low-calorie analogues of delicious favorite dishes, to cook with pleasure and combine maternity with physical exercises and sports.

Translation Disclaimer: For the convenience of users of the iLive portal this article has been translated into the current language, but has not yet been verified by a native speaker who has the necessary qualifications for this. In this regard, we warn you that the translation of this article may be incorrect, may contain lexical, syntactic and grammatical errors.

You are reporting a typo in the following text:
Simply click the "Send typo report" button to complete the report. You can also include a comment.