Diet for nursing moms for weight loss

Diet for nursing moms for weight loss is a rather difficult problem, because during the feeding period a woman needs to take more care of the health and full development of the child than about the slenderness of her own figure. Nevertheless, the desire of many nursing mothers to combine this important process with the restoration of the former graceful forms arouses respect and worthy of a detailed answer to the problematic question. In order to solve the problem of losing weight, you need to understand the reasons for the appearance of extra pounds.

Causes of weight gain

If a pregnant woman does not gain weight, this is, firstly, not physiological, and secondly, it indicates a hidden pathology in the body of a future mother. Pregnancy provokes activation of estrogen production, which creates "reserves" of fat in the abdominal area - the abdomen, waist, upper thighs. Such measures provide amortization of the fetus from various external injuries and injuries. There is a theory that says that fat stores subsequently create the right calorie content in breast milk. There is also a version that the future mother is gaining weight thanks to the genetic memory of those ancient times when food was scarce and it was necessary to store energy and fatty layers for future use.

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Why is losing weight after childbirth slow?

Even if the diet for nursing moms for weight loss will be made by a specialist dietician, and a woman will begin to strictly comply with it, it does not guarantee the neutralization of kilograms and the return of the previous proportions for the month.

In addition to extra pounds, there is also the problem of skin and muscle stretch marks, which need time to restore the former shape, elasticity. If we take into account that the weight was accumulated gradually during the entire period of gestation, that is, nine months, it is logical to assume that the normal process of losing weight should also take at least 7 to 9 months. Weight reduction in this way will be physiological for the whole organism, adequate to the period of restoration of hormonal balance and total metabolism.

How can you combine the fulfillment of the baby feeding mission and the minimum calorie intake in your diet? 

The first help in such cases is the debunking of myths that the nutrition of a nursing woman should be more abundant and more caloric than a regular menu. Meals should be so large as to provide full-fledged breastfeeding and create an energy reserve in the mother's body. 

Nutritionists have long come to the common opinion that nutrition in the first place should be diverse, fractional and balanced. Fats of animal origin are better to exclude, as they can provoke weight gain, in addition, fatty mother's milk is poorly absorbed by the unprepared digestive tract of the baby. Fragility of eating is easy to follow, you need to eat as many times as the feeding is provided for the child, that is, at least five times a day. 

Help to keep the caloric content of milk and not to add weight to ordinary soups, a variety of which is great. Soups fill the stomach, providing a normal process of digestion due to liquid consistency, in addition create the necessary volume of liquid for lactation, and the calorie content of such dishes is very low. 

Diet for nursing moms for weight loss involves a sufficient amount of fluid. It is good to drink at least half a glass of ordinary purified water before each meal. Water "starts" the process of digestion, preparing the stomach for food, creates a feeling of fullness. In addition, this method prevents constipation, which is often observed in lactating women. 

The habit of "eating up" the remnants of vegetable mashed potatoes, cereals, in short, a child's lactation can lead to an increase in calories in the daily diet. Some women justify such actions by either saving or by replenishing the lack of vitamins and nutrients in their own menu. This is inappropriate, since it is this habit that leads to a slow but sure set of extra kilograms. 

Diet for nursing moms for weight loss is the balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, which should be approximately in equal proportions with a slight preference for proteins. It is protein (meat) food contributes to rapid saturation, provides the body with the right energy and contains far fewer calories than carbohydrate or fat.

The recommended combination of various products for one day is as follows: 

• Protein - 250-300 g; 
• Fats (preferably of vegetable origin) - 100 g;
• Carbohydrates - 200-250 g; 
• Not less than one and a half liters of liquid; 
• Calcium (cottage cheese products, cheeses) - 200-250 g; 
• Phosphorus (sea fish) - 200 g; 
• Vitamin complex (juices with pulp, boiled vegetables, fresh fruit, except for citrus fruits and bright red) - up to 500 g.

There is a formula for calculating the rate of protein intake in a diet for losing weight to a nursing woman. We need to weigh and calculate the amount of protein food as follows: 2-3 grams of protein per kilogram of weight. For example, the weight of a nursing mother is 60 kilograms, hence, proteins should be from 120 to 180 grams at least. If the nursing mother wants to neutralize excess weight and return to the former proportions, then a little decrease in the amount of carbohydrates, and minimize their replenishment with proteins. For example, the norm of carbohydrates is 250 g, if they are reduced to 150 g, then the protein should be 100 grams more, respectively, based on the 60-kilogram weight of a woman, the proteins can be 280 grams.

Also, a diet for nursing moms for weight loss involves consuming a large amount of vegetable fiber, but not in raw form (can provoke flatulence and colic in the baby), but in a boiled, baked or stewed. Excellent proven in the quality of a product promoting weight loss, cabbage is not suitable for the nursing mother's menu. Regular cabbage should be replaced with colored cabbage, broccoli or Brussels sprouts. These types of cabbage contain a large number of trace elements and vitamins, are also not high in calories, but their fiber is less rough and does not cause irritation from the digestive tract.

Observe the rules of fractional and reasonable nutrition helps maintain special records - a food diary. This action is useful not only to monitor the dynamics of reducing your own weight, you can record for yourself and the child at the same time. With this simple technique, you can observe that the diet is not monotonous, plan meals in advance, and therefore buy products.

Diet for nursing moms for weight loss should fit within a framework of 2000 calories per day and can be as follows: 

• Morning.15-20 grams of cheese, one cracker or 50 grams of oatmeal, an apple. Alternatively, you can cook a boiled egg for breakfast and add a banana. Another option - 50 grams of boiled fish and biscuit. 
• Day. 100-150 grams of boiled potatoes, 20-25 grams of cheese, salad from boiled cauliflower and greens (no more than 100 grams), apple. Option the second - 150-200 grams of boiled meat, 100 grams of chopped lettuce leaves, banana. Another option - 150 grams of boiled or stewed sea fish, cracker, apple. These options can alternate with a variety of lean soups cooked on the water with the inclusion of vegetables and boiled meat or fish. Soups can be consumed up to 500 milliliters. 
• Evening (not later than 18.00). Boiled colored or Brussels sprouts (150-200 grams), sprinkled with grated cheese (20 grams). Option - a portion of boiled potatoes (150 grams) with cheese or 200 grams of boiled meat with lettuce leaves. Another option - pasta from hard wheat varieties (150 grams), sprinkled with grated cheese and lettuce leaves. It is good to alternate the dishes offered with a piece of liver, stewed in milk or cooked on a grill (100-150 grams).

To ensure that the diet for lactating mums for weight loss is varied, meat and fish dishes should alternate with porridges (buckwheat, rice, millet or oatmeal). The volume of servings from porridges can be increased by 50 grams. To observe the rule of fractional nutrition in between three main meals you can drink liquids (water, juices, compotes), dividing the required volume into 2 liters into a uniform amount, for example, by 10 times. Thus, the liquid is consumed in the volume of the glass in 200 milliliters for half an hour before breakfast, during breaks between breakfast and lunch, half an hour before lunch and so on. The remaining volume can be drunk after half an hour after dinner at 18.00 until the last night feeding.