It is normal to have a little bit extra pounds added to your overall body weight after 1 to about 12 months of childbirth. But then again, if this added pounds still remains after the maximum of 12 months, then it becomes more of a worry to most mothers.
If you find yourself in such a situation, it is important to recognize that there are a couple of reasons as to why you may not lose baby weight after a pregnancy or may even gain weight. It is entirely possible your weight problems are not entirely your fault.
Below are a list of 6 reasons why you find it so difficult to lose weight after having your baby.
1. Lack of enough sleep
It comes as no surprise that both the pattern and duration of a mother’s restful sleep becomes instantly compromised when a new baby arrives home. When your sleep decreases, cortisol levels increase, which in turn results in a mom’s inability to metabolize calories efficiently. Unfortunately, this is unavoidable and an honest expectation of new motherhood. To keep cortisol in check, make sure you diminish cortisol spikes from other possible sources, for example caffeine, stress and overexertion in the gym too soon after giving birth.
This brings me to my next reason-Stress.
2. Stress
This is more of a medical reason as to why you’re finding it hard to drop those few extra unwanted pounds. Stress not only affects your sleep, but also raises your cortisol level to a substantial amount on a daily basis. Cortisol on its own has the ability to increase appetite and cause the body to store more fat around the mid-section, which also happens to be where most postpartum mothers have that lovely mom pouch. Many women also have formed a behavior tendency to eat in reaction to stress and may not even notice they are doing so.
3. The Wrong Postnatal Workouts
Any tired, new mom is lucky enough to have the energy, let alone the time, to make it to a workout. Most postnatal women who have had vaginal delivery are urged to wait at least 6 – 10 weeks before beginning any postnatal exercise program, but it’s also crucial to get medical clearance from a doctor prior to starting back into a fitness routine. Doing too much, too fast, can lead to any number of complications, including Diastasis Recti–separation of the abdominal wall–or simply exercise overexertion, which itself can hinder all of your efforts.
Once you’re approved for exercise after giving birth, your next important step should be to consult a fitness expert to get educated on what formats and exercises are appropriate for most postnatal moms, and which ones should be avoided.
4. Obsession over losing weight
The kind of thoughts you have about losing weight can affect the rate of your weight loss. Being too obsessed about something can lead to a lot of negative thoughts. Don’t put yourself in a position of being too obsessed about your body weight, this is why it is important to have a good personal trainer who can create a training schedule for you, so that you won’t end up with exercise overexertion.
5. Medical Syndromes
Finally, there are also several syndrome’s that can cause weight loss issues that are not pregnancy related but may become more prevalent during or after pregnancy including:
-Cushing’s syndrome, which also releases cortisol.
-Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which causes severe hormone imbalance.
-Syndrome X or insulin resistance, which causes hormone inefficiency.
CONCLUSION
This brief look at a few reasons you may be unable to lose weight or would even gain weight after a pregnancy is not meant to suggest you cannot lose weight after having your baby. You can do it, don’t give up hope. Rather it is to address issues that may be standing in the way of your goals. Remember, it took 10 months to gain all that baby weight, give yourself at least that to lose it.
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