Healthy Meals vs Workouts: What’s Best For Post-Pregnancy Weight Loss?
Pregnancy is a tough time on any woman. Your body changes and therefore it is important to adjust or alter your pre and post pregnancy exercise routine in order to support and assist your body, as well as your mindset throughout the journey of pregnancy.
The 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge is a safe way to introduce activity and movement back into your days post-pregnancy. Here we discuss healthy meals and working out and which one is best for post-pregnancy weight loss.
Skip ahead to the section that most interests you:
- Many mums deal with extra weight after pregnancy
- “Abs are made in the kitchen” – Is that really true?
- Instead of choosing one over the other, do both
- 3 tips to use food to lose weight
- 5 exercising tips for every mum
Many mums deal with extra weight after pregnancy
After growing a human inside you for 9 months, your body without a doubt is going to feel, look, and act differently. That, we all know is inevitable.
Every woman’s body is different and reacts differently to pregnancy. Some may take longer to start to feel like themselves again and others will start feeling a bit ‘normal’ more post-pregnancy sooner. The pressure put on women and women put on themselves can sometimes see a drastic change in weight loss or weight gain due to unrealistic expectations.
The recommended weight a healthy pregnant woman should gain is 10-15kg. Losing this after baby can be really challenging. On top of being a new mum or a second or third-time mum, weight loss motivation is not at the top of a busy mum’s priority lists.
It can be overwhelming trying to lose weight
Faced with dirty nappies, a crying baby, sleepless nights and not to mention everything else a normal day in life brings, it can be overwhelming to lose baby weight. Finding weight loss motivation is a struggle and trying to find the time between everything else can put mums off trying altogether.
With new responsibilities and the old ones, you might find it hard to adjust
Washing, cooking, socialising, thinking. These are some responsibilities of a human. Caring, staring, ogling, wiping, not sleeping, smiling, and loving. These are some responsibilities of a new mum.
Finding a balance between new responsibilities and your old is an adjustment and finding weight loss motivation falls into this adjustment. Maybe you don’t know where to start, what to cook, you don’t even have time to cook! Don’t worry.
We are here to help you
The Healthy Mummy has been helping busy mums reach their weight loss goals for eight years! Created exclusively for mums, by mums, you will be given customisable healthy meal plans, personalised workouts and more support than you would have thought possible.
We understand how demanding being a mum can be and sometimes the last thing you want to do is a workout or meal prep. The Healthy Mummy and the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge makes it EASY for you to fit it all seamlessly into your lifestyle.
“Abs are made in the kitchen: – Is this true?
Many people base their weight loss motivation around getting abs. They think they have to do 1000 sit ups and burpees to get this. Although these exercises are a great tool, this is not the way to get abs or lose tummy fat.
Yes and no – Here’s why
So, are abs made in the kitchen? Put simply, yes! Abs are made in the kitchen. If you really want to get rid of the fat or bloat around the tummy, then make sure your food is clean and don’t skip meals.
But healthy meal plans aren’t the only thing you need to do in order to get that six-pack, you also need to get moving with exercises that target the belly area.
The main way to lose fat is with your diet
The healthy meals in the Challenge Hub are filled with perfect well-balanced recipes that will provide your body with the nutrients and energy that it needs! There’s no need to cut out your favourite foods, but rather swap them for a healthier alternative.
Instead of refined carbs found in white bread, pasta and white rice, switch to sweet potato, brown pasta or quinoa. Stay away from soft drinks and added sugar. Sugar is a major contributor to belly fat! Don’t eat to FILL your body, but rather to FUEL your body.
But, you burn calories and tone your muscles with exercise
Exercise is great for burning fat and then as a result of this, showing your abs. Exercise can not alone reveal your abs! One needs the other in order to find balance and work together.
There are however some exercises that are better than others for burning calories and toning muscles. Find your weight loss motivation in HIIT exercises! Great for reducing the fat around the stomach as well as building muscle!
Instead of choosing one over the other, do both
Combining exercise and a healthy meal plan that is all-inclusive means you can successfully achieve weight loss. Not only can you lose baby weight by doing this, but you can also maintain your weight loss as you are not crash dieting, and you have balance in both activity AND nutrition.
Healthy meals prepares your body by:
Providing the necessary nutrients for your day
Without nutrients, we have no motivation, energy, healthy immune system and so much more. Providing your body with the necessary nutrients means you will have energy and weight loss motivation to keep going.
Whole foods and including all food groups into your meals will ensure your day is nutrient-rich.
Speeding up your metabolism
There are many natural ways to speed up your metabolism, with number one being to eat consistently! Skipping meals lowers your metabolism as your body doesn’t know when it’s next meal is coming, and you will hold on to fat.
Having breakfast every morning is also a good habit to get in to. Not only does having breakfast start your metabolism every morning, but it also allows your body to have the energy to get through the day. You can then use that energy to find your own weight loss motivation.
Another way to speed up your metabolism is The Healthy Mummy metabolism tablets. The Healthy Mummy Metabolism Support Formula has been formulated to contain nutrients involved in energy production and the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the body.
Exercising also speeds the weight loss process
When it comes to healthy eating over exercising in order to lose weight, the ratio is approximately 30% exercise and 70% food (although this can slightly vary between people). This means while eating a healthy meal plan, exercising also speeds up the weight loss process by burning the calories consumed.
However eating a huge, not so healthy meal and then vowing to burn it off at the gym, justifying your meal choice, is not what we mean here. It’s all about the balance of calories in and out.
Burns calories
Burning calories is really important in order to lose weight. Calories are units of energy found the food we consume, and in order to lose weight, we need to burn this energy through movement.
The amount of calories you are meant to consume in a day varies depending on a range of factors. This would mean it would be best for you to be aware of how many calories you should be consuming before focusing too much on how many you are burning.
Strengthens your muscles
Using your muscles actually burns more calories than six hours on the treadmill. Building and strengthening your muscles means you shred fat faster which is great weight loss motivation. Don’t let the scales deter you, as remember, muscle weighs more than fat!
Tones your muscles
Once you’ve found your weight loss motivation, you may want to start to tone. Toning your muscles can mean less cellulite, feeling lighter and tighter and ramping up your fitness level.
3 tips to use food to lose weight
Aim for all-natural foods
Limiting processed food will only mean your body will feel better and react to healthy, nutritious food more quickly. By consuming foods closest to their natural state will assist your body when it goes to break down the food, convert the food into energy and so much more.
Choose low sugar
Using natural sugar alternatives such as fruits, dates, coconut sugar and rice malt syrup are a whole lot better than using refined sugar. These natural sugars are just that, natural and won’t give you that huge sugar spike and come down.
Eat food that is high in fibre
High fibrous food is great for your insides, to move everything around and make room for your next meal. Fibre also revs up the metabolism and gives you a whole lot of energy!
5 Exercising tips for every mum
Start with low impact exercises
Starting small, especially if you’ve just had a baby, is the right way to introduce exercise back into your life. By following a sensible and healthy post pregnancy exercise and weight loss plan you can safely start to work on your weight loss goals.
Get your partner to exercise with you
Enlisting the support of your partner when trying to get back into exercise, post-pregnancy can help weight loss motivation. Getting your partner to physically exercise with you can mean you are held accountable, you’re more likely to complete the exercises, you can motivate each other and it’s more fun!
Get creative at home
If you’ve just had a baby you may think the idea of going to a gym or simply leaving the house is not in the slightest bit appealing. The great thing about the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge is you can work out from the comfort of your own home!
Exercise with your kids
When you have a toddler hanging off you, demanding to be held and another child not doing what you’ve so nicely asked them, it can be hard to even fit the time in to exercise. Not to mention your weight loss motivation when you’re exhausted.
Find other mums to exercise with
Friends with the same mindset and goals as you can really make the difference between reaching your weight loss goals and not. Enlisting the company of a friend on your daily jog not only will give you weight loss motivation, but it also holds you accountable and will get you wanting to exercise every day, think of it as a moving catch up session, sans the coffee!
Join The Healthy Mummy Private Support group to find your weight loss motivation amongst other mums who are going through a similar journey as you.
Finding weight loss motivation after you’ve had a baby is no easy feat. With the right support, motivation and determination, it is possible.
Developed by experts. Postpartum safe exercises, recipes and 24/7 support so you can get back to what you love.
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