Getting your body back into shape after childbirth

Most women find it hard to lose the excess weight gained during pregnancy, after the baby is born. As a new mum, it’s important to look after yourself, so fad diets are a definite no no, especially if you’re breastfeeding. Regular exercise is good but as a new mum, you probably don’t have time to hit the gym, or to participate in a regularly scheduled exercise class. Thank God for the internet because there are plenty of professionals available online, to help you get your body back in shape after childbirth.

While it’s healthy to gain extra fat stores during pregnancy, it’s not healthy to gain more weight than your body needs for childbirth and breastfeeding. Excess weight gain during pregnancy (baby weight) and after childbirth, can rob of you of much needed energy and make it harder to shift the weight later on.

It’s not unusual for mothers to become overweight, or even obese, in the months and years after giving birth. But excessive weight gain can put you at risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and other health problems.

If you have gained too much weight, don’t waste time beating yourself up, use that time to find some healthy and realistic solutions to your weight problem – and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it – whether that’s from a dietitian, an evidenced based weight loss program, or an online personal training and fitness coach at UP online.

We could offer you tips and advice about weight loss and fitness, but we think it’s better to leave that to the professionals:

Diet and Exercise After Childbirth

Fast weight loss is a complete waste of your time and energy. Crash dieting and fad diets are a big no no, especially if you’re breastfeeding. Not only are they really unhealthy, they don’t really work because they are unsustainable and you just gain all the weight you lost as soon as you start eating regularly again. In some cases, you end up heavier than when you started.

In Australia you can see a Dietitian for free. If you have a Medicare Card, you ask your GP to refer you to a registered Dietitian and Medicare will cover all or part of the cost, depending on how much your choice of Dietitian charges. You can find an Accredited Practising Dietitian on the Dietitians Association of Australia website, the only Medicare approved dietitians in Australia.

Commercial weight loss programs can be a minefield. When choosing a weight loss program, we suggest you stick to evidenced based programs like Weight Watchers and the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet. Evidenced based programs like these have been subject to scientific research studies and proven to be more successful than dieting on your own. While there are many weight loss programs being offered online, most are not credible alternatives to the evidenced based programs – and the only place you’ll lose weight, is in your wallet.

Not just any exercise program will do. A personal trainer can be a great addition to your life. They can design a safe and personalised exercise program for you and more importantly, keep you motivated – this is really important because most people find it hard to keep motivated when they start to exercise. With advances in technology and faster internet speeds in Australia, you can choose an online personal training and fitness coach – but buyer beware because anyone can hold themselves out to be a coach on the internet. What you need is an online personal training and fitness coach who has the knowledge and skills to get you the results you want like Ultimate performance Sydney.

Of course, you can always go it alone and a small number of people have done so successfully. However, research shows that most of us need help and support with our diet and exercise. But it’s important to remember to do your due diligence when looking for help because a little bit of online research today, will save you a whole lot of grief tomorrow.