During my first pregnancy, I put on 20 kgs! But I managed to lose all of it within first 4 months.
During my second pregnancy, I put on 18 kgs. And lost all of it within first 6 months.
And when my younger kid was 18 months, I lost another 5 kgs within 2 months.
So much of loss resulted in gaining lot of admiration from people around me. Till some days ago, I enjoyed all the compliments I got but shrugged them off and did not let them get into my head. Until a friend, 15 years older than me who looks as much young and much fitter, mentioned that I need to write about how I managed to lose so much weight. She said, it will help others who are trying to get back to their pre-pregnancy & pre-marriage weight!
They say breast feeding infants burns lot of calories. It does. Both my sons were on TBF for 5+ months. And while you feed them, they get healthier and you get fitter. 3 months of TBF will just suffice you and your kid. Its how much beyond 3 months that you can feed will help you lose weight. I really urge all those out there to TBF for upto 6 months. The older generation at home may confuse you saying that the milk is not sufficient for the kids. If you also feel so, then improve your diet!
When my older kid was 3 months old it was February and the weather had started getting hotter. I went swimming for a month. Elder people disliked this activity of mine - a "new born mother" should stay inside and stay warm, they said. But you know your body better than anyone. If you are putting on weight, it just means you are getting more than you deserve! Yes you must eat well and remain healthy for your kid - but dont overdo those old advices.
When my younger kid was 2.5 months, I participated in Ganapati dance. We practiced for 1 month. It was a 30 min cardio daily. Again, there were critics in my colony who felt I was crazy to dance when my baby was not even 3 months. But then, don't so many women go to work when their kids are 3 months?
With my experiences I strongly believe one must indulge in some moderate physical activity soon after pregnancy. It helped me realise how inflexible my body had become and also helped me relax, get refreshed and I gradually felt fitter!
Upto a year after pregnancy I did not control my diet. I ate lot of food. Infact I ate too much, but it all got consumed! Read on to know how...
Choose Healthier Alternatives.
Thankfully, I have never been a foodie. Not that I can eat anything. But I do possess sufficient self control to say "No" to unhealthy food. How? This has to be worked upon. Try to figure out a pattern about when you crave that chocolate cake or that pizza! Its usually when you are bored, depressed, stressed or tired. Your body will give you a signal before you actually reach that stage - if you can catch that signal - awesome! But if you suddenly start craving for such foods, you can implement creative solution - prepare a quick, healthier version of your craving. Eg - Eat jaggery, ghee & roti instead of other sweets. Or prepare a spicy or tangy veg dish at home which will satisfy your craving.
Regular Cooking
To choose healthier alternatives you always need to have them available. But how can you manage to cook it all? Don't you get bored of the same daal-rice-roti cooking everyday? There is a solution for this. Define a PROCESS for all the redundant but necessary cooking tasks. In my case, I have a maid who cooks. My mother-in-law helps too. (Well, there can be another blog on how to like mother-in-law's help! :D ) So we always have daal-rice-roti-veg-salad on the menu.
Busy Mother Role
Welcome to the new busy role and bye bye to the time for exercise! "No time" is the common excuse for not exercising. I believe its not an excuse but a fact. But... isn't being a busy mother an exercise in itself?! Run around the kids, play with them. Walk, run, bend, jump while you do your job at home. Combine exercise with your work - that's the key to exercising when you are busy!
With all this I came back to pre-pregnancy weight & fitness. Next challenge was getting back to pre-marriage weight and fitness. This was the most challenging part for me. What worked for me was a diet as below for 2 months!
Breakfast - 2 mugs of rice water. (Cook 2 tbl spoon rice in 4 mugs water till it becomes 2 mugs)
Lunch - It was a sumptuous affair with no limit. Skipped only rice.
Snacks - Easy to digest snacks. Roasted items. Eg - Shira, upma, chiwda, wheat flakes, jowar flakes. Any quantity. Eat before 7pm.
Skip dinner.
Lastly - To look fresh, younger and for a glowing skin, nothing can replace a 15 min workout everyday. I am still struggling to find this time, but whenever I can, I go and run!
During my second pregnancy, I put on 18 kgs. And lost all of it within first 6 months.
And when my younger kid was 18 months, I lost another 5 kgs within 2 months.
So much of loss resulted in gaining lot of admiration from people around me. Till some days ago, I enjoyed all the compliments I got but shrugged them off and did not let them get into my head. Until a friend, 15 years older than me who looks as much young and much fitter, mentioned that I need to write about how I managed to lose so much weight. She said, it will help others who are trying to get back to their pre-pregnancy & pre-marriage weight!
They say breast feeding infants burns lot of calories. It does. Both my sons were on TBF for 5+ months. And while you feed them, they get healthier and you get fitter. 3 months of TBF will just suffice you and your kid. Its how much beyond 3 months that you can feed will help you lose weight. I really urge all those out there to TBF for upto 6 months. The older generation at home may confuse you saying that the milk is not sufficient for the kids. If you also feel so, then improve your diet!
When my older kid was 3 months old it was February and the weather had started getting hotter. I went swimming for a month. Elder people disliked this activity of mine - a "new born mother" should stay inside and stay warm, they said. But you know your body better than anyone. If you are putting on weight, it just means you are getting more than you deserve! Yes you must eat well and remain healthy for your kid - but dont overdo those old advices.
When my younger kid was 2.5 months, I participated in Ganapati dance. We practiced for 1 month. It was a 30 min cardio daily. Again, there were critics in my colony who felt I was crazy to dance when my baby was not even 3 months. But then, don't so many women go to work when their kids are 3 months?
With my experiences I strongly believe one must indulge in some moderate physical activity soon after pregnancy. It helped me realise how inflexible my body had become and also helped me relax, get refreshed and I gradually felt fitter!
Upto a year after pregnancy I did not control my diet. I ate lot of food. Infact I ate too much, but it all got consumed! Read on to know how...
Thankfully, I have never been a foodie. Not that I can eat anything. But I do possess sufficient self control to say "No" to unhealthy food. How? This has to be worked upon. Try to figure out a pattern about when you crave that chocolate cake or that pizza! Its usually when you are bored, depressed, stressed or tired. Your body will give you a signal before you actually reach that stage - if you can catch that signal - awesome! But if you suddenly start craving for such foods, you can implement creative solution - prepare a quick, healthier version of your craving. Eg - Eat jaggery, ghee & roti instead of other sweets. Or prepare a spicy or tangy veg dish at home which will satisfy your craving.
To choose healthier alternatives you always need to have them available. But how can you manage to cook it all? Don't you get bored of the same daal-rice-roti cooking everyday? There is a solution for this. Define a PROCESS for all the redundant but necessary cooking tasks. In my case, I have a maid who cooks. My mother-in-law helps too. (Well, there can be another blog on how to like mother-in-law's help! :D ) So we always have daal-rice-roti-veg-salad on the menu.
Welcome to the new busy role and bye bye to the time for exercise! "No time" is the common excuse for not exercising. I believe its not an excuse but a fact. But... isn't being a busy mother an exercise in itself?! Run around the kids, play with them. Walk, run, bend, jump while you do your job at home. Combine exercise with your work - that's the key to exercising when you are busy!
With all this I came back to pre-pregnancy weight & fitness. Next challenge was getting back to pre-marriage weight and fitness. This was the most challenging part for me. What worked for me was a diet as below for 2 months!
Breakfast - 2 mugs of rice water. (Cook 2 tbl spoon rice in 4 mugs water till it becomes 2 mugs)
Lunch - It was a sumptuous affair with no limit. Skipped only rice.
Snacks - Easy to digest snacks. Roasted items. Eg - Shira, upma, chiwda, wheat flakes, jowar flakes. Any quantity. Eat before 7pm.
Skip dinner.
Lastly - To look fresh, younger and for a glowing skin, nothing can replace a 15 min workout everyday. I am still struggling to find this time, but whenever I can, I go and run!
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