Losing Pregnancy Weight- Especially For Women Over 40
Losing Pregnancy Weight- Especially For Women Over 40
During pregnancy mothers acquire a lot of weight: 25-35 pounds on average. During giving birth, mothers typically lose 12-14 pounds- so there are 12-21 pounds left. It pays to lose this weight permanently:
“It’s very critical that you do get the weight off, because if you don’t it has been associated with overweight and obesity 15 to 20 years later in life,” says Debra Krummel, PhD, RD (endowed professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Allied Health Sciences).
Many women want to get their pre-pregnancy weight back as soon as possible- and that’s understandable. You shouldn’t be too anxious though. Having a baby includes new problems and responsibilities, leading to changes in life. Often it is harder to follow a strict weight loss plan. The situation of a new mother can be very stressful. All your free energy might be required. Allow yourself a 3-month recovery period after giving birth.
If you are a new mother, you might face a lot of problems when it gets to regular exercising. Some of them are:
An erratic feeding schedule. Feeding times might vary often, so you can not plan correctly.
Time constraints- Frequently you only have a couple of minutes for yourself. Although you might used to do your physical exercise routine without interruption, you might have to rearrange things: If you are exercising for several minutes in a row, these can add up too- and they are simpler to have when you are busy. Don’t get too fancy with the workout program. It’s more powerful to do it at all than to do fancy stuff.
Mood swings- Your hormone system changes what might lead to having ups and downs. When you are physically active, you will feel better though. Therefore, even if you do not feel like it, give it a try.
Guilt- You might concentrate all your attention on your child. But: You’ll be better able to care for your baby if you are strong and healthy. Try to free some time for yourself.
Many women like to work out in a group- and your schedule might now not fit into the schedule of the group. You might search for other mothers in the same position to work out together.
If you are nursing, you might feel worn-out much easier and not as high-energy. Of course, since breast feeding demands roughly 500 additional calories per day, it helps you to lose weight after your pregnancy. It might exhaust your free energy. Assess your energy level and only do what you can do at a given moment.
It took many months to acquire the pregnancy weight; you should allow yourself at least the same time to lose the weight again.
By: Perry Permann
Are you a woman over 40? I’ve created a free, personalized program for women over 40 who want to lose weight permanently. Sign up at www.loseweightpermanently.com/ForWomenOver40
Perry Permann
You can read another article from Perry at Characteristics of Successful Weight Loss Programs For Women Over 40