How can you lose weight while maintaining the energy you need? When can you start? And, should you be cutting calories, stepping up your exercise routine, or both? With the help of Toronto-based doctor of naturopathic Medicine Jaty Tam, here are some simple steps to shed that extra weight in a stress-free, safe and healthy way.
Listen to your body
For starters, don't do too much too soon, says Tam, pointing out that an extremely rapid weight loss can do more harm than good for one's health. She says it's particularly important for new mom's to listen to their own bodies, and only start tackling the baby weight once they feel they've regained their strength and feel ready to focus on the extra pounds.
"After going through the physical and emotional journey of pregnancy, labour, and moving on to the phase of breast-feeding, the post-partum time should be focused on celebrating the birth of a new child and of nurturing the baby," she says. "Weight loss should not be attempted until the mother has recovered physically and emotionally from the labour, the exact length will vary for different women."
Focus on nutrition, not calorie restriction
Once a new mom is ready to try losing weight, Tam stresses the importance of maintaining a healthy caloric intake (she recommends between 2,000 and 2,200 per day) to keep your body in top shape and able to support all of your nutritional requirements. This is particularly important if the mother is breastfeeding, as the body requires an extra 700 to 1,000 calories a day just to produce breast milk.
"When a woman is lactating, there are a number of important nutrients as well as calories that go towards breast-milk production," she says. "Going on a restrictive diet, especially one that may reduce intake of essential nutrients, can be harmful to the mother and the nursing infant. Consuming less than 1,800 calories per day will interfere with the body’s ability to produce breast milk."
For a woman who wants to start losing weight several months after giving birth, Tam would recommend a diet centered around eating healthy whole foods which can provide the nutrition needed to support lactation and the woman's health.
"A whole foods diet is exactly as it sounds: eating whole foods like whole grains and fresh fruit and veggies - which tend to be more calorie-light but are chocked full of healthy nutrients – instead of processed foods," she says.
Tam also recommends a continuation of pre-natal vitamins while a woman is breastfeeding, because many of the vitamins needed during pregnancy are also required in higher amounts than normal while a woman is lactating.
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