5 Mistakes to Avoid When Trying to Lose Your Body Weight

1.     Being Impatient

It is one of the most common mistakes I see. Everyone wants to get back to their pre pregnancy weight as soon as possible. Unfortunately that mindset can lead you to make decisions that favor quick, unsustainable weight loss. It can take 6 months or more for your hormones to re-adjust post baby. These hormonal shifts can wreak havoc with your metabolism and your ability to burn fat. From an evolutionary standpoint, your body does not want to give up those extra fat stores too quickly incase you need them to boost milk production. 

Be patient and give your body a chance to fully heal.

Once you reach the 6-month point, take a step back and reassess if there are any simple lifestyle and diet changes that can burn some extra calories. For example, cut down the extra tablespoon of sugar in your coffee, choose skim over whole milk, avoid that late night snack or go for a walk in the evening instead of watching Netflix. Adjusting your calorie and macronutrient intake to your body can also make a significant difference - this one of the key principles I use in my 1-to-1 nutrition counseling.

2.     Not Eating Enough

Creating a calorie deficit, whether by eating less or exercising more will lead to fat loss over time. HOWEVER, it is important to recognize that cutting calories too low and too fast can backfire. While you might lose weight initially, you are likely to regain that weight (and possibly more) in the long term. The reason for this is to do with metabolic adaption. When we lose weight, our resting metabolic rate (RMR) will also fall - this is the number of calories our body burns at rest. Lighter things take less calories to move around. That is normal. The problem is that if you drop your calorie intake too low, too quickly, you will lose weight but your metabolic rate will also fall disproportionately. The result? You will have to eat less food in the longer term to maintain that lower weight point.  If you are breastfeeding eating too little can also reduce milk supply.

Listen to your hunger and satiety cues. Your body is well adapted to tell you when it needs more food (same goes for water). Try and eat a few servings of high-quality protein every day – this will keep you feeling full and maintain or build muscle. Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in the body so it is important to fuel that growth over time to keep your metabolism firing.

3.     Mindlessly Grazing

Mindlessly grazing on snacks throughout the day and night is super common during the postpartum period. Contributing factors include being at home all the time, not having a set schedule, sleep deprivation and stress! When your circadian rhythms get out of whack that can mess with your hunger and satiety cues making it difficult to differentiate between genuine hunger and boredom/ stress/ emotional eating.

To combat this, try to get outside at least once or twice a day. This can help to lessen the impact of sleep deprivation by lowering melatonin and it will also distract you from peeking in the pantry. Try to have three full meals per day (balance of some protein, carbs and fats) and two healthy snacks in between. Examples can be an apples with a tbsp peanut butter, raw veggies dipped in hummus, a hard boiled egg or a slice of whole wheat toast with some smashed avo.  The protein and fat will help to balance your blood sugars and carbs will give you some energy and fiber.

4.     Setting Unrealistic Goals

Setting yourself unattainable weight loss goals too soon after delivery is destined to result in frustration and disappointment. Just remember – it took 9 months to grow a baby and it could take just as long (or longer) to lose that extra weight. Be gentle on yourself. If you breastfeed, your body will be burning around 350-400 kcals extra each day compared to before pregnancy. However, it’s important to note that your  levels of prolactin will also be higher (the hormone that stimulates milk production). Prolactin is an appetite enhancer which means that weight loss will take longer.  I suggest waiting until at least 6 weeks after delivery to start thinking about setting any specific weight loss goals. A good rule of thumb is a 0.5-1# loss per week.

Cara D’Orazio  from C.G.M. Fitness at www.cgmfit.com, urges new moms to take their time getting back into fitness. There is no rush! Start with baby steps. Maybe just walking for 10-15 minutes and then adding back small bouts of strength training until able to commit to a full 30 minute workout. You need to listen to your body! What may work for one new mom, may not be the correct routine for you. Start slow and gradually add on.”

Ideally this loss would come from increasing light exercise rather than reducing calories. Any more weight loss than that and it becomes harder to keep the weight off (and most importantly retain and gain muscle). 

5.  Not Planning Ahead

Trying to eat a healthy diet while looking after a newborn is next to impossible! In my mind – failing to plan, is planning to fail. Spend some time in your third trimester (or earlier if possible) thinking about how you are going to stay well nourished.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

·       What are some of my favorite meals and snacks? Do they nourish my body or are they just ‘filler’ foods? Can I stock up on these now?

·       Who is going to help me prepare food before and after delivery? If you don’t have a good support network – which restaurants or meal delivery services can you utilize?

·       Can I spare some time to cook and then batch freeze some meals before I deliver?

Looking for more support with healthy eating postpartum?

Book a one-to-one virtual nutrition session with me! You can find more information about my process and rates here

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