Just lifting your wee one can help you get in shape—gently.
Baby fat is so cute—when it’s on a baby. But new moms often yearn to shed their own post-pregnancy dimpled bottoms faster than they can scream, “Get me the epidural!” They shouldn’t. Carrying extra weight for several weeks after delivery is normal, and probably healthier than shedding that fat.
Six weeks after delivering their babies, fully two-thirds of women weigh 6 to 15 pounds more than they did before getting pregnant, according to a 2005 review by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. And that’s OK because new mothers may be breast-feeding and need as many as 500 extra calories a day, says review author Lorraine O. Walker, RN, EdD, a nursing professor. Others may be struggling to reestablish healthy habits, while some may be less active because they’re healing from a C-section. Consider also the strain of staying up overnight with an infant. “Do we want to add the stress of dieting on top of that?” Walker asks.
Of course not, says pediatrician Jay Gordon, MD, a Santa Monica, California, expert on parenting newborns. Weight loss should be gradual, he says, as mom’s body adjusts to its new roles.
New moms shouldn’t blow off eating right and exercising, though. Gordon suggests wearing your baby in a sling to burn off extra calories as you go about your usual routine. But remember: Your body’s been through a marathon, so take baby steps.
by Leslie Goldman
Comments (1)
You would be surprised how many calories are burned just by carrying your little bundle of joy
To lose 1 pound of “babyfat” per week, you need to burn an extra 500 calories per day.
Carrying baby burns 500 calories in:
Average American Female: 161 minutes or 2 and 2/3 hours
To accurately calculate your individual time:
Multiply (Avg. female wt.) x (Avg. female time) and divide that by your weight.
Ex. 122 lb. female: 164 lbs x 161 min / 122 lbs = 216 minutes
185 lb. female: 164 lbs x 161 min / 185 lbs = 143 minutes
Other ways to burn 500 cal – http://healthhabits.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/10-ways-to-burn-1-pound-of-body-fat-vol-1/