Most women lose around 13 pounds (6 kg) right after childbirth, which includes the baby's weight, as well as the weight of the amniotic fluid and placenta. When it comes to fat loss, with a healthy diet and regular exercise, you may lose about 1 pound (0.5 kg) a week.
They found most women did not start losing weight immediately after birth - eight out of 10 had higher weight three months after the delivery than before they became pregnant. Between three and 12 months after birth, 75% of the women lost weight.
Your body is still healing.
“Many women gain a large amount of gestational weight. And after the baby comes, you have less time to exercise, less sleep, and your body is still healing from pregnancy and delivery,” explains Laura Arndt, a pre- and postnatal expert and the CEO of Matriarc.
After your postpartum checkup (6 weeks after the birth) you can start to lose weight gradually at the rate of about 2 to 3 pounds per month. If you're considerably overweight, you may lose weight faster.
A safe, healthy, and realistic goal is to lose 0.5-to-1% of your body weight per week, which is around 1-to-2 pounds of weight loss per week for most people. In other words, you can expect to lose 12-to-24 pounds in a 3-month period.
Break up your 10kg weight-loss agenda across a three-month time period and monitor twice a week. We suggest 4kg in month 1, 3.5kg in month 2 and 2.5kg in month 3 - the more weight you lose, the harder it is to lose the rest, so higher targets at the beginning are more effective.
Low-calorie foods such as fruits, legumes, whole grains, lean meats, and poultry. For sustainable and long-term weight loss, try reducing calorie intake 500–750 calories below baseline to lose about 0.45–0.9 kg per week. 1.2.
Most women lose around 13 pounds (6 kg) right after childbirth, which includes the baby's weight, as well as the weight of the amniotic fluid and placenta. When it comes to fat loss, with a healthy diet and regular exercise, you may lose about 1 pound (0.5 kg) a week.
Expect it to take around six weeks for your uterus to contract fully. At six weeks, you may have already lost the weight you gained during pregnancy. This is especially true if you're breastfeeding.
You should plan to return to your pre-pregnancy weight by 6 to 12 months after delivery. Most women lose half of their baby weight by 6 weeks after childbirth (postpartum). The rest most often comes off over the next several months. A healthy diet with daily exercise will help you shed the pounds.
However, a belly bulge that doesn't go away for months after delivery can be a sign of diastasis recti—a separation of your abdominal muscles. The normal separation between your abdominal muscles is about 0.5 – 1 centimeter or about one finger width.
Regular exercise after you've had a baby will help you lose weight and strengthen and tone your muscles. Exercise is also good for your mental wellbeing. It's best to wait 4 to 6 months before returning to your previous level of physical activity.
Holding onto to some extra pounds after pregnancy is normal
Most women who gained the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy, remain 2-5 lbs. above their pre-pregnancy weight a year after giving birth. A sizable minority, 15-20% of women, will hold onto 10 lbs or more.
You may be losing weight and gaining muscle
If you're losing inches but maintaining your weight and you regularly strength train, you may actually be losing fat and gaining muscle. The process of gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time is called body recomposition.
"You'll have to slowly build up post-pregnancy to your usual fitness level which may take time to rebuild any lost muscle mass. Muscle mass directly affects metabolism so this may decrease the rate at which you lose weight until you build up your muscle again," says Shapiro.
Exercise, a nutrient-rich diet, and a solid amount of grace and patience are the best ways to approach any goals you may have to get rid of your postpartum belly. While many moms may believe that breastfeeding is the best and quickest way to lose baby weight, research doesn't completely back this.
Often, excess or rapid postpartum weight loss is due to lifestyle issues and the pressures of new parenthood (like being too tired to eat), other times there may be a health concern that needs treatment. Either way, help is out there. So, if you're worried about losing too much weight, contact your doctor.
Six weeks after giving birth: Depending on whether you had a cesarean (C-section) or vaginal birth, weight loss will vary based on activity level and diet. However, it's recommended that you don't lose more than a pound or two per week. More than that may be unsustainable and can lead to health issues.
Many believe that it's easier to bounce back to pre-pregnancy form after a first delivery, and that it gets more difficult in subsequent pregnancies to get back to “normal.” Still, for other moms, they feel better prepared to get back in shape after giving birth to their second child.
Commit for a period
It takes time for the body to deplete fuel stores and mobilise fat stores and as such ensuring you are giving yourself enough time to lose weight is important. As a general rule of thumb, you will need at least 3-4 weeks to drop 3-5kg and up to 3 months to lose 10kg.