Ok, so you’ve gone ahead and had your beautiful baby. Perhaps you have recently had or this isn’t your first child. And you’ve noticed there is just one problem .. that awful gut that the ladies at the gym are totally envious of. I know I did…
My postpartum belly was something that made me very anxious. I had seen countless postpartum snapbacks, even of women who had had multiple pregnancies – yet there I was, months later and the pouch hadn’t budged.
Postpartum belly is a normal part of the post-pregnancy process. And while it may not be what you want to see when you look in the mirror, there are things that can help speed up the process.
A study by an obstetrician has found some natural ways to get rid of your postpartum belly and here they are:
1. Drink Plenty of Water
This will make your stomach feel less bloated and improve digestion. You have probably heard it 100 times before, but our bodies are 70% water.
We also retain more water when we aren’t drinking enough, strangely. And similarly, we retain a lot of water while breastfeeding.
2. Do Some Exercises
Once you have been given the green light from your GP or you are feeling up to it. It is okay to start doing some exercise.
You do not need to go crazy with it, but doing a few minutes of cardio or resistance training will help you to lose the belly fat quicker than doing nothing at all!
Some studies have found that breastfeeding moms who exercise even 10-20 minutes per day for 12 weeks can see up to a two-inch reduction in their waistline. This brings me to my next point…
3. Breastfeed, and Often!
Mothers who breastfeed their babies can burn up to 500 calories per day, which can lead to a weight loss of up to 10 pounds in the first six months postpartum. Now that isn’t something to brush off!
Breastfeeding has always been instrumental in helping me shed my pregnancy weight. I actually remember giving myself a mental pep talk each time it was time for my little ones to feast right after giving birth. Having to endure the pain of my uterus contracting all over again knowing it was also helping to shrink it faster.
So breastfeeding helped me shrink my uterus and that bulge down faster and then helped me burn a tonne of calories each day. Of course, this is not the only reason I breastfeed… but what an incentive!
4. Find What Works For You
Some people love doing Pilates or other low-impact classes and some prefer going on walks with their baby. There are so many things that will help your body get back into shape, all it takes is a little bit of time and effort!
Just know that when people say, “get active”, there is no one way of doing things. Whether going for brisk walks or tap dancing in your living room. Every little helps!
5. Stomach Exercises
Everyone is going to tell you that the number one way to get rid of a postpartum belly is with crunches. But guess what? That isn’t going to do the trick. What you need to focus on is strengthening your TVA muscles. Your TVA muscles are located in your abdomen and wrap around the spine.
Strong TVA muscles can help flatten out that postpartum belly. The best way to work your TVA muscles is to plank. Both high and low planks work, so find a way to work them into your day.
6. Push-ups
Another exercise for toning up those tummy muscles is push-ups. These exercises are easy to do anywhere and will strengthen your upper body and abs at the same time!
It might not seem like push-ups would be beneficial for flattening your tummy as when we think of pushups we think of chest and arms.
But when you are doing push-ups you are also planking! Get creative with these by holding in between reps.
I could probably sit here and list a bunch of exercises but I am sure you understand that exercise is part of the process. Instead, I will mention something you might not be familiar with…
7. Fasting
Fasting, intermittent fasting, specifically is my postpartum magic trick. People always marvel at how easy I have been able to snapback after each birth and I have no shame in attributing 90% of that success to intermittent fasting.
But what is intermittent fasting and why would it help me to get rid of my postpartum belly?
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of unrestricted food consumption and fasting, skipping or limiting a meal.
It’s based on the understanding that if you’re eating all day every day then it becomes really hard to lose weight because your body doesn’t have time to go into fat-burning mode for more than just a few hours.
One study found that intermittent fasting decreased postpartum belly fat in women who ate normally, which means they never had to stick to any crazy, restrictive diets.
Again, this is why Intermittent Fasting (or IF) is my weapon of choice when it comes to losing my postpartum belly. There is no huge sacrifice I have to make, I just have to eat in a designated time slot and then stop eating.
So, those are some of my tips for getting rid of your postpartum belly, let me know if you try any or all of these and your feedback in the comments!
