By Mehreen Syed
After giving birth, many women obsess with returning back to their pre-pregnancy weight. With all the changes that come into your life after having a baby, losing baby weight is the first thing on your mind but can often end up on the bottom of your to-do-list. There is no secret to losing baby weight it’s a combination of different elements for different women. Diet, exercise, sleep, hormonal shifts, metabolism and genes all play a role in getting your body back. If you started off at a normal healthy body weight and gained the recommended amount of weight during your pregnancy it will take more than a couple of months to get your pre-pregnancy body weight back with healthy changes in your diet and exercise.
Every new mom wants to look like her old self again but be patient with yourself and remember you’ve just had a baby! It took you 9 months to get your body where it is so it will take you time to get your body back to where you want it. Celebrities have a lot of professional help and facilities which help them bounce back quicker. Don’t compare yourself to them, listen to your body and take your time. You will get there.
Being a model, it was important for me to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. It took me 3.5 months which was quick but it wasn’t with the help of my genes, I had to work really hard for it! I was skinny before my pregnancy, I weighed 47kg and by the 9th month of my pregnancy I was 66kg. I gained 19kg.
Some habits which I believed helped me during my pregnancy were taking lots of proteins along with meat, vegetables and taking the right vitamins. I took Zeta West Vitamins during my pregnancy which gave me all the nutrients I needed.
It’s normal to gain 8-15 kgs in your pregnancy but I think it’s more important to focus on what your eating which will then directly help you control how much weight you are gaining. If you avoid junk food and eat healthy its good for your health, good for the baby and you won’t gain excess weight. Eat as much as you need to fulfill your nutritional requirements according to your weight and height and its important to get advise from your doctor as to how much your body needs.
My first Trimester
After a photo shoot for Asiana in London during my last trimester
During my pregnancy I would eat very small meals but every two hours I would eat so I was never hungry. I had vomiting from the first day along with constipation which caused a lot of acidity. Because of these issues I had to really take care as to what I was eating. My first step was seeing a nutritionist for advise on multivitamins according to my weight and what my body needed. .
Typical Day Meal Plan During Pregnancy
Morning
1 egg with paratha
Snack
Fruits (but without citrus), Soup or Lots of Vegetables especially red cabbage as its very good for constipation
Lunch
Meat and sometimes dal with roti
Snack
Fruits (without citrus), Soup or Lots of Vegetables
Dinner
Red beans and meat (cooked with very less oil)
Vegetables (I’d put green chilli but never red chilli)
Once a week I would have fish and soup whenever I felt like it. I also took my multivitamins with every meal as prescribed by my doctor. I drank lots and lots of water 3-4L of water everyday.
Family Selfie at the hospital <3
My daughter Amun was born at 5.6 pounds mashallah delivered by c-section. Because of my c-section I couldn’t begin working out immediately after birth. I started to mobilize after one day and by my third day I started my bed exercises. After 3 weeks I started light exercises without weights by the advise of my doctor. After 4 weeks I started my proper exercise with light weights. I made sure my doctor was involved in every step.
I work out everyday. Its not only important for your weight but for your health! I do 40-45 minutes and I think it’s more important to be consistent then to work out for hours and hours. It’s very important to understand that after your deliver you need the process of working out to be gradual. You don’t want to end up harming your body by doing exercise that you are not ready for. I started after 3 days of my delivery with 2 minute exercises every 6 hours. After 1 week I increased it to 5 minutes then 8 minutes then 15 minutes every 6 hours. After 4 weeks I was doing 25 minutes of exercise a day. At 8 weeks 35 minutes of exercise a day and then after 12 weeks I started 45 minutes of exercise daily. I wasn’t doing any cardio in the beginning but I incorporated it into my routine closer to 8-12 weeks after my delivery.
Its common for mothers find it hard to find time to workout. For me I’m a morning person and I set my working out timings according to my daughters schedule. I have a home gym so that really helps that I don’t have to go anywhere. I generally hit the gym at 7:30am everyday. If you can afford a personal trainer, it’s a good idea to hire one because the trainer knows how to help you to achieve the body that you want and how to lose weight correctly. It’s very dangerous to exercise with weights after your delivery, so the trainer will guide you as to what is safe and how to work out safely. For me a trainer also provides a lot of motivation.
Everybody has a tendency to gain weight but differently. Some gain weight only on the tummy or thighs. Some people look skinny but have a tummy. I am skinny but I gain weight on my chin and tummy. After delivery I realized that even skinny people can gain a lot of weight! After having my daughter, I didn’t change my diet significantly from when I was pregnant but I added mint tea and my green drink which I blogged about earlier. You can read my blog on the green drink recipe here: Green Drink I also didn’t stop taking my multivitamins.
I’m human, I still eat chocolate, parathas and other food that I crave but not everyday and I balance it. If I’ve cheated one day the next day I eat very well.
Getting back to the old me!
You’ll hear about tummy corsets or different bands you wear on your stomach after delivery to help it get flat quicker. If you have had a normal deliverer it’s fine to use one from the 2nd day but by the advise of your doctor. I used it after a week and since I wasn’t comfortable I’d wear it for 1 hour then after an hour I’d take a break and so on. I didn’t wear it at night, only during the day. But it’s important to never try these things without first consulting your doctor to avoid any other issues. Massage is also really important for your body, I massaged my body everyday during and after my pregnancy. Use a good toning lotion and a good moisturizer.
Everyone has their own journey with their weight. Listen to your body and get advice from doctors and nutritionists who can give you the right advice – everyone is different. Let the process be gradual and while you are on your journey don’t feel alone know that there are millions of women in the same shoes as you. Don’t obsess over your weight, make a plan, stick to it and know it will take time. Confidence and happiness is key so love yourself and the skin you’re in. Enjoy each moment with your new bundle of joy because it goes by so quickly. Be happy, eat well and exercise – everything else will fall into place.
Comment below if you have any questions and I’ll try my best to respond.
What is your reaction?
Leave a Reply