Pregnancy is a wondrous time for a woman and the family. But the reality is, once you give birth to your beautiful and healthy baby, you are left with a flabby belly. Although it is challenging to lose fat from the belly area, with proper diet and right exercises, you can reduce belly fat after delivery without affecting your health adversely. This article provides you with the tips and activities you can adhere to reduce belly fat after delivery.
Causes for Stomach Fat:
Here are some of the reasons why there is a flab around your tummy. Let us have a look:
1. Hormones:
Regulation of hormones is vital in maintaining a healthy body. They play an essential role in nurturing your baby during pregnancy and help you recover from the birth process. The excess production of estrogen during pregnancy results in the flabby belly and sometimes thighs too. Although a lack of elasticity in your tummy area can also cause a fat belly.
2. Pregnancy:
Pregnancy brings a lot of physical and emotional changes in our bodies. The uterus expands enough in 9 months so that it can house the baby. Fat is also accumulated around the tummy area due to the intake of carbohydrates that help your baby thrive.
3. Stress:
Stress is a significant contributor to fat accumulation in our bodies these days. A new mom is under a lot of pressure to fulfill all the needs of the newborn, which results in a flabby tummy. Your body produces cortisol to combat stress during such situations and excess production of cortisol results in fat around the stomach area.
See More: Does Green Tea Reduce Belly Fat
How To Reduce Women’s Belly Fat After Delivery:
1. High Fiber Diet And Protein:
Once you have decided to shed those extra kilos, making some changes to your diet to reduce belly fat after delivery is a healthy way to move forward. Maintaining proper digestion is the core of a healthy body that can be achieved by consuming soluble fiber. Another way to provide nourishment to your body without adding extra kilos is by eating eggs, fish, dairy, and lean meat, which are high sources of protein. Both fiber and protein reduce your calorie intake and boost the metabolism of your body.
2. Drink More Water:
Water plays a prominent role in maintaining a healthy body both during and post-pregnancy. Keeping yourself hydrated is essential and one of the easy ways to reduce belly fat after delivery. All you need to remember is if the urine output is yellow, that means you need to drink more water, and if the colour of your urine is clear, then all is well. Keep an eye out on the transparency of your urine output.
3. Small and Frequent Meals:
Maintaining proper timing and the amount you eat plays a pivotal role in reducing belly fat after pregnancy. Instead of eating three large meals a day, you should take five to six meals at regular intervals. Many women coordinate their meals according to their baby’s feeding schedule. Eating while you feed saves time and nourishes your baby too.
3. Early Dinner:
Maintaining proper timings for your meals is essential, too, especially dinner. Whatever you eat, there should be a gap of two hours gap between dinner and the time you go to bed. You can have fruits in between if you have hunger pangs. Early dinner helps your body digest food well, providing the nourishment it needs. It also helps burn belly fat after delivery by utilizing all the calories.
4. Avoid Taking Outside Foods:
One of the things that affect any person’s health is eating processed food. All these foods that are bought from outside contain high sugar, salt, and calories that build up fat in your body. Sometimes the available food out has chemicals or additives that may not be good for a baby, especially if you are breastfeeding. If you want to lose belly fat after delivery, then including vegetables, complex carbs, protein, and fruits is a healthy way.
See Also: How To Reduce Belly Fat Without Exercise
5. Limiting Sugar, Salt, And Carbohydrates:
It is necessary to look out what you eat, especially when you want to reduce tummy fat after delivery. Although refined carbs and food high in sugar provide the energy you need, all they have is empty calories that do not have any nutrients. Many instant beverages, cookies, and cakes available in the market are also pumped full of sugar and carbs that cause health issues like diabetes, heart health issues, etc.
6. Breast Feed:
Breastfeeding is an all-natural and ultimate solution to get rid of belly fat after delivery, whether you have delivered naturally or through c-section. Your body burns the extra fat in your body in response to your baby breastfeeding, which results in milk production. This whole process helps your belly shrink. Unless there is a medical condition that keeps you, doctors recommend breastfeeding your newborn for at least six months. (1)
After Delivery Exercise To Reduce Stomach:
1. Forearm Plank:
This is a part of yoga asana that can be done in the comfort of your home. The muscles in your hips, thighs, abs, and obliques are targeted during this stretch helping in tummy reduction after delivery.
How To Do:
- Get your body into a plank position.
- Keep your hips up and abs tight.
- Try to maintain the position for 30 to 50 seconds.
- Make sure your knees are straight and not touching the floor.
- Slowly bend your knees and rest for 30 seconds.
- Repeat this process for 4 to 5 times.
2. Reverse Crunch:
The reverse crunch is one of the intermediate exercises you can try where transverse abdominal are the deepest muscle affected that helps cut belly fat after delivery.
How To Do:
- Get into a sleeping position, hands on the sides, and knees straight.
- Keep your palms facing down and slowly lift your legs, bending your knees.
- Now, put up your legs, lifting your hip and feet facing the ceiling.
- Try to remain in this position for 20 to 30 seconds and then slowly bring your legs to resting place.
3. Scissor Kicks:
The core muscles are targeted while you perform scissor kicks. It is an exercise to lose belly fat after delivery that you should include in your workout session. You can perform this stretch two to three times a week.
How To Do:
- Get into a sleeping position, hands on the side, and palms facing down.
- Keep your pelvis glued to the floor throughout the exercise.
- Slowly lift your right leg, which starts the scissor motion.
- Lift your legs alternatively, for 10 to 15 times.
- Repeat the process 2 to three times.
4. Cycling:
Cycling is an easy and fun way of losing belly fat after delivery. It helps reduce volumes of belly fat by burning all the extra calories in your body. Unlike other exercises, cycling gives you a chance to get out of the house to get a ride for fresh air.
5. Walking:
Walking is one of the simple yet effective ways to stay fit. The wonders a quick walk will do to your body are undeniable. Starting with an easy walk will do the trick, and you can slowly increase your speed that will help reduce tummy after delivery. You can also take your baby in a stroller for an evening walk; the extra weight gives your body the much-needed pressure.
6. Aerobics:
Aerobics is another best way to reduce belly fat after delivery. You can get stabilized metabolism by burning calories with the help of consistent aerobic work out sessions. You can get right with practice and by performing aerobics at least three times a week.
Do Post-pregnancy Belts Help Reduce Belly Fat After Childbirth?
New mothers prominently try to reduce tummy after delivery with belts, which are prominently called post-pregnancy belts or maternity belts. These belts help create a wrap around your abdominal muscle and organs that help put them into place. Many doctors suggest you wait a few days before you can use these belts for a woman who delivered her baby naturally—at least six to eight weeks waiting time for women delivered via c-section since the c-section wound takes time to heal.
With a beautiful baby in your hands, done with the pregnancy bliss, many women are left with a flabby tummy after delivery. The details about the changes you can bring in your diet along with a regular exercise regimen will help you get back in shape in no time. Follow these simple tips and reduce belly fat after delivery effectively.
Disclaimer: This article gives you some quick and easy ways to reduce belly after delivery, but is not a replacement for professional advice. The opinions mentioned here are mere suggestions, and it is better to talk to your doctor before you start anything new.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How Long Does it Take for You to Get Back in Shape After Delivery?
Ans. It takes nine months of constant nurturing for a baby to grow and get delivered healthily. Losing all the fat cannot be achieved in a jiffy, it takes some time and patience. With proper diet and regular exercise, you can reduce belly fat after delivery and quickly get back in shape.
2. What are the Precautions You Need to Take While Losing Fat From Your Yummy After Delivery?
Ans. First of all, you need to get an ok from your doctor before you start any new diet or workout session. Even with simple exercises, make sure you don’t overexert yourself and drink plenty of water along with enough rest. If you want to reduce tummy fat after delivery, there are a ton of options that can be effective only if self-care is followed too.
3. How Can I Keep a Count of the Calories Consumed?
Ans. Calories are essential, especially postpartum, as your body prepares nourishment for another human. But with proper maintenance of calories and having a count of them will help you fulfill the need along with not adding any extra fat to your body. There are many apps available that help you keep a count of your calorie intake to reduce belly fat after delivery.
