How to lose weight after childbirth so as not to disrupt lactation and not harm your newborn baby: the basic principles of a diet for nursing mothers. Diet in the postpartum period

For weight loss, mothers are very worried. Many dream of returning to the sizes of clothes that they had before pregnancy. The issue is especially acute during the period of breastfeeding, because some at this time, alas, begin to gain weight even more rapidly than during childbearing. This should be taken seriously, because the child is sensitive to qualitative changes in breast milk.

The wrong postpartum diet for weight loss can lead not only to a lot of health problems for the mother, but also to have no effect. Therefore, it is important to remember the simple rules:

The basis of success is persistent desire and motivation. Without these factors, attempts to lose weight will never turn into a system, which means they will not bring results.
Synchronize your daily routine with your baby's routine.
Complete rest. Scientists have proven that if you sleep less than 7-8 hours a day, then even intense exercise and diet will not lead to rapid weight loss.
Keep a balance in your quest to get in good shape. On the one hand, when breastfeeding, rigid diets are strictly prohibited, which significantly cut the calorie content of the diet, as well as making it unbalanced. On the other hand, many young mothers rely on "miraculous" feeding, during which you can eat everything, and the weight will go away by itself. Remember: the process of lactation burns only 500-600 calories during the day - this is a little more than one chocolate bar, so there is absolutely no reason to "inflate" the diet.

sample menu

So, what should be the diet after childbirth, so that the milk does not disappear, and health does not harm, and lose weight. We have compiled a sample menu for one day. It is important for mothers to remember that the diet should be varied, include fruits, vegetables, cereals, dairy products, meat.

Breakfast: 100 g bread with a thin layer of butter, a slice of low-fat ham, grapefruit.
Lunch: boiled chicken fillet (200 g), cut into strips and mixed with almonds (50 g), fried in butter. Season everything with salt, pepper, pour lemon juice and mix with parsley. Arrange on lettuce leaves and drizzle with soy sauce. For garnish - 200 g of any vegetables.
Dinner: 200 g of stewed or boiled fish, 150 g of boiled asparagus beans, warmed up in 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vegetable oil mixed with 2 chopped cloves of garlic and chopped cilantro, 1 cup of tomato juice.

For a woman who has recently become a mother, it is very important to eat right, as not only her health, but also the health of her child depends on it. With the help of a dietary diet, the mother's body receives all the necessary vitamins, as a result of which the quality of the milk produced by her body improves.

Features of the postpartum period in women

Most often, after the birth process, a woman becomes 5-6 kilograms lighter. But, to restore the former forms of this lost weight may not be enough, since approximately more than four kilograms of excess fat still remains. They accumulate during pregnancy to provide the body with the necessary energy that will be needed during childbirth and in the period after them.

All women recover sharply after pregnancy or, on the contrary, lose weight, and some return to their former form. All changes in a woman's body weight are associated with the ratio of hormone levels in the body, as well as with the diet and lifestyle that the woman in labor will introduce. Do not worry too much about this temporary phenomenon. If you adhere to proper nutrition and exercise, then excess weight will disappear over time, and a woman will be able to acquire the desired shape of her figure.

Immediately after childbirth, it is strongly not recommended to follow a strict diet. This is especially true for women who breastfeed their babies. In this case, how a young mother eats completely affects the quality of milk. If breastfeeding is supported, then it is worth waiting about 1.5 - 2 months until full recovery after childbirth and only then limit your diet.

The need for a diet after childbirth during lactation

Dieting while breastfeeding is very important. The main reasons why you should not eat certain foods include:

bloating in a newborn;
manifestation in the baby of an allergic reaction in the form of diathesis;
influence on the taste of milk;
the appearance of constipation in the baby;
excitation of the nervous system of the child.

Prohibited products

The main foods that should be excluded from the diet, preferably for the entire feeding period (but not less than 6 months): strong tea, coffee, any kind of chocolate, spicy, smoked, fried foods.

Diet after a few weeks after childbirth

It is necessary to follow a strict diet 2 to 3 weeks after childbirth. During this period, it is already possible to gradually and carefully, observing the reaction of the child, introduce the following products into the diet:

sour and sweet;
raw vegetables and fruits, especially cabbage in any form;
pickles, pickled vegetables;
milk;
liver and other offal;
eggs, cottage cheese;
carbonated and mineral drinks;
bean plants.

Necessary for the body of a young mother during this period are:

soups that do not contain cabbage, non-sweet cereals cooked in water (oatmeal is especially useful);
fish and meat boiled or stewed, excluding canned food;
a large number of vegetables and fruits boiled, stewed or baked (beets are very useful);
pasta and potatoes;
hard and processed cheese, sour cream;
walnuts, seaweed;
white roots are white in moderation.

Eating raw vegetables requires special care, it is best to start with beets. Liquids during the first days after it is necessary to consume quite a bit - from 1.5 to 2 liters per day, since with a larger volume it is difficult for nursing mothers to cope with the flow of milk.

The daily diet for a nursing mother looks something like this:

20 grams of cheese;
meat, fish 100 grams;
sugar not more than 50 grams;
cottage cheese 100 grams;
milk and dairy products not more than 1 liter;
vegetables 500 grams, including potatoes in the amount of 200 grams;
fruit 300 grams;
eggs 1 pc.

The amount of fluid transported into the body is approximately 2 liters - this calculation is based on the amount of soup, juices, tea, and dairy products consumed. A mother who is breastfeeding should definitely drink a small amount of liquid 20 to 30 minutes before the baby starts feeding (for example, a glass of warm milk) - this improves the secretion of breast milk.

Particular attention should be paid to products that may cause allergies in a child. These include: citrus fruits, honey, strawberries, chocolate, canned food, coffee. Also, do not get carried away with eggs and sausage. It is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol during the postpartum period.

In the case of rapid weight gain, it is necessary to exclude foods that have a high calorie content from the diet of a young mother. It can be fatty meat, cream, sour cream, sugar, sweets and chocolate, mayonnaise.

It is worth analyzing whether a woman eats well, because in order to produce the required 800 ml of milk per day, her body needs to receive 20 grams of fat, 45 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of protein (this corresponds, for example, to a serving of stewed cabbage with a cutlet and a glass of milk or jelly ). Over the entire period of feeding, the mother significantly increases the need for minerals and vitamins by about two times.

Most women experience problems with lactation, usually this happens in the third month of a child's life. In this case, you should not lose heart, but it is recommended to reconsider your dietary diet again, increase the time allotted for sleep, and shift some of the responsibilities for caring for the baby to relatives or to the father of the child. Also, if the baby is applied to the breast as often as possible, this also contributes to the appearance of milk again.

The appearance of a child in the house is always happiness and joy, especially for a newly-made mother. However, after the first pleasant hassle and walks, the woman begins to pay attention to what changes have occurred with her figure. It is not far off and postpartum depression against the background of stress, problems and the appearance of wrinkles, stretch marks, cellulite.

Many girls are in a hurry to go on the very first strict diet in order to quickly lose the gained 5-15 extra pounds and return to a youthful figure. However, in no case should you do this, because now you are not just a flirtatious girl, but a mother who is responsible for the well-being of the child. Of course, if you are no longer breastfeeding your baby, then your hands are more untied, and you can choose any diet you like. But here it should also be remembered that after pregnancy and childbirth, the body has undergone a lot of visual, hormonal and structural changes, so fast, unbalanced and rigid diets can greatly affect your health and even have the opposite effect (get an extra couple of kilograms and gastritis to boot) .

In this article, we will present you with professional medical diets that allow you to gradually but completely lose weight for both nursing and non-nursing mothers.

Let's talk about the diet for breastfeeding women. Their diet should be designed in such a way that the menu is full of hearty, nutritious, healthy and natural products without chemicals and industrial processing. Also, the diet may not seem restrictive enough at first glance, but you must remember that proper and regular breastfeeding allows you to lose a significant amount of calories anyway.

The menu of women who are no longer breastfeeding can be low-calorie, but still healthy and healthy, so as not to lead to unpleasant consequences. Also, mothers can start resorting to physical activity - morning exercises, yoga, morning walks with a stroller for several hours, light fitness on the steppes, etc.

the system of frequent and fractional meals in small portions begins to operate (4-5 snacks the size of a standard saucer);
the daily diet should include animal foods (lean fish, meat, poultry, offal);
it is recommended to observe the drinking regimen and consume 1.5-2 liters of useful liquid per day;
moderate physical activity, sports, dancing, swimming, running, yoga, participation in dynamic games are recommended;
fasting is forbidden, as well as overeating, for the duration of the diet, one should also forget about festive feasts and hearty gatherings at a party;
it is forbidden to eat at night, the last meal is 3 hours before bedtime, and before going to bed you can drink a glass of juice or a sour-milk drink;
no matter what a balanced and rational diet is, be sure to take multivitamin and mineral complexes, essential food components, antioxidants;
all products should be cooked with minimal heat treatment (stew, steam, boil), and it is better to consume fresh altogether;
low-calorie non-acid dressings can be added to products: low-fat sour cream and yogurt, vegetable oil, diluted apple and wine vinegar;
the diet should include a sufficient amount of vitamin and protein foods.

Additional requirements for breastfeeding women:

you should categorically refuse acidic foods (citruses and other fruits, vinegar), fried and fatty foods, fatty sauces and oils, alcohol, smoked meats and chocolate products;
a more satisfying and balanced diet, because fasting can provoke a decrease in lactation or its complete cessation;
the menu of a nursing mother must contain dairy and sour-milk products, animal and vegetable proteins, soups, nuts and seeds, boiled vegetables, baked and dried fruits;
physical activity should be minimized: walks, morning light exercises, short yoga classes, but it is forbidden to wear weights;
in the first week of breastfeeding, fresh vegetables and fruits (only thermally processed), any cabbage and legumes, pickled and pickled foods, pickles, canned food, pastries and bread, chicken eggs should be excluded from the diet. All this is necessary to avoid bloating, diarrhea or constipation in an infant, as well as allergies to certain foods in the form of diathesis, redness, etc.

The main advantages of the diet after childbirth:

the possibility of losing weight without consequences for the body and health, including for lactation;
the effectiveness of the diet - the loss of up to 5 extra pounds per month;
there are no restrictions on the duration of the diet, you can stick to it exactly as long as the situation and your expectations require;
the diet for a woman who has given birth is balanced, satisfying and tasty, which will allow you to cook meals for the whole family at once;
all diet products are available on the market, do not require much time and effort to prepare;
the diet is compatible with moderate physical activity and does not provoke muscle wasting;
not accompanied by unpleasant consequences and health problems;
practically has no shortcomings and contraindications;
there is no need to count calories, study the qualitative composition of food, weigh portions;
the diet will improve the appearance, make the hair silky, nails strong, and the skin radiant and supple;
metabolism and water-salt balance are normalized;
the immunity of both the nursing mother and the child is strengthened;
helps to reduce the volume of the stomach, so you will eat up in very small portions;
develops healthy eating habits: fractional and frequent meals, the absence of night gluttony, drinking plenty of water, choosing exclusively healthy and natural products.

A set of products for a diet after childbirth, examples of menus for nursing and non-nursing mothers

As we have already mentioned, the menu of women after childbirth should be nutritious, healthy, natural and, of course, delicious foods. True, some of them are not suitable for nursing mothers. Let's take a closer look at what products the postpartum menu should be made of:

cereals and cereals (brown rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, pearl barley, barley and wheat porridge, limited semolina);
whole-grain bread in the form of toasts and toasts (bran, rye) - no more than 2 pcs. per day;
vegetables and garden greens, mushrooms (remember the exceptions for nursing mothers);
legumes, lentils, peas, corn (nursing women exclude their first weeks);
soy products;
fruits and berries, dried fruits (for pregnant women only sweet and sweet and sour);
vegetable oils (olive, sesame, linseed);
nuts, seeds, seeds (no more than a handful per day);
dairy and sour-milk products of minimum fat content;
red meat (veal, lamb, nutria, rabbit, lean pork);
poultry (quail, turkey, chicken) without skin;
offal (eggs restricted for lactating);
fish (preferably lean sea) and seafood;
any low-fat soups;
natural sweets (marshmallow, jam, honey, marmalade, meringue, jelly), but we strongly limit homemade cakes and chocolate;
healthy drinks (herbal and green teas, ginger drink, rosehip broth, natural coffee and cocoa, vegetable and fruit juices, nectars, berry smoothies and fruit drinks, compotes, uzvar, mineral unsalted water).

For the period of the diet, be it a month, two or more, you should give up processed foods, fast food, fast food from bags, snacks, smoked meats, fatty and fried foods. We also remove canned food, marinades, industrial sauces and dressings, mayonnaise from the diet. You should limit the use of confectionery, pastries, pasta, cookies, salt and sugar in its pure form, as all this greatly slows down the process of losing weight. And, of course, no alcoholic drinks, energy drinks, sweet soda, as well as packaged juices, coffee and other drinks from sticks.

We proceed directly to the options for losing weight after childbirth.

Diet weight loss program for nursing mothers. It is designed for a longer time, includes only products that are healthy for mom and baby and have a low content of allergenic ingredients. The program is scheduled for 6 weeks, after which you can slightly revise the diet (make it more satisfying or less high-calorie), depending on the results and expectations.

Below are examples of diets for each specific week. Focusing on the indicated volumes and components (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids), you can create your own diet from allowed foods to make food more varied and interesting.

First week.
Breakfast includes steamed buckwheat porridge on the water, 1 toast with a thin layer of butter or olive oil, green tea.
Snack - natural unsweetened yogurt plus 3 tablespoons of bran.
For lunch, we eat vegetable soup, pumpkin puree and veal stewed in low-fat sour cream. We drink apple juice.
Snack - harvesting nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts) with tea.
Dinner consists of vegetable stew (carrots, zucchini, sweet peppers, tomatoes). For dessert, a glass of low-fat milk with the addition of muesli is put.

Second week.
Breakfast includes 1 boiled egg, 2 baked apples and servings of oatmeal on the water. We drink everything with herbal decoction.
Snack - bran toast with a thin slice of hard cheese. We drink peach nectar.
Lunch includes mashed potatoes, zucchini, celery and tomato soup. We also eat a small portion of boiled brown rice with a steamed fish meatball.
Snack - cottage cheese casserole with berries, a glass of kefir.
For dinner, we cook baked vegetables with pieces of chicken fillet. We eat 1 pear and drink everything with a ginger drink.

Third week.
Breakfast includes muesli with dried fruits boiled in water, rye toast with a piece of fillet. We drink everything with natural cocoa.
Snack - 2 baked pears.
For lunch, chicken soup with vegetables, a portion of baked fish. Washed down with carrot and beetroot juice.
Snack - a salad of low-fat cheese, boiled eggs and carrots.
Dinner includes a portion of cottage cheese with banana and honey. We drink everything with bifidok.

Fourth and fifth weeks.
Breakfast includes rice porridge with raisins and saffron, a piece of cottage cheese casserole with fruit. We all drink tea.
Snack - bran toast with cheese, a glass of fermented baked milk.
Lunch consists of noodle soup with beef broth. A seafood salad is also laid (low-fat fish, mussels, squid, kelp, boiled carrots, lean sour cream).
Snack - a glass of natural cocoa and 2 marshmallows.
Dinner consists of steamed vegetables with boiled veal, 1 fresh cucumber and tomato. We drink everything with herbal decoction.

Sixth week.
Breakfast consists of any porridge on the water, 1 boiled egg, tea or coffee.
Snack - 1 fresh apple and a glass of bifidok.
Lunch includes fish soup, baked fish and rye toast. We drink berry smoothies.
Snack - a salad of boiled carrots, beets and walnuts.
Dinner includes steamed brown rice with chicken fillet and vegetables (no more than 250 g). Drink warm milk with honey.

As we mentioned, dietary nutrition can be followed until the goals are achieved. But an important condition for a nursing mother is the inclusion in the daily diet of animal proteins (meat, poultry, fish, seafood, offal), as well as fermented milk and milk drinks. Fresh vegetables and fruits should be consumed with caution, as they can adversely affect the baby's digestive tract.

Postpartum diet for non-breastfeeding women. This diet option is lower in calories and may include foods that are not recommended for lactation. It is also shorter, because the result in losing weight is more noticeable. Plus, regular (if possible) sports are beneficial to metabolism and weight loss in general. For a month of such a diet, you can lose up to 7 extra pounds.

Menu option number 1:
Breakfast includes oatmeal with grated apple, seasoned with milk. Also put 1 chicken egg and green unsweetened tea with lemon.
Snack - Greek salad, chicken noodle soup (200 g) and whole grain toast. Drink grapefruit juice.
Snack - a couple of slices of pineapple, 100 g of fermented baked milk.
Dinner is steamed vegetables with fish or chicken. Jelly for dessert. We drink ginger.

Menu option number 2:
Breakfast consists of vegetable puree (grind vegetables in a blender), bran toast with a slice of chicken fillet. We drink everything with bifidok.
Lunch consists of steamed brown rice with seafood. Also put a salad of several types of cabbage with garden greens under olive oil. We drink citrus juice.
Snack - a glass of unsweetened homemade yogurt with berries and muesli (2 tablespoons).
Dinner includes vegetable stew with chicken fillet. Also put peach or pear and herbal tea.

Feel free to modify these menu options to create your own low-calorie yet nutritious diet. Don't forget to drink plenty of water to keep your metabolism going.

How to get off the diet after childbirth

All such diets are very healthy, balanced and nutritious, so you can stick to such a diet for at least a lifetime - it will not get worse. Over time, the weight will stabilize at a healthy level and stop coming off, so you can just eat healthy without any visible changes.

If you are tired of such a diet, you want to enjoy barbecue, pasta and burgers, then you will have to gradually introduce such food into the menu.

You can start by increasing the calorie content of each meal until you reach a comfort level for you. First of all, add to the diet even more vegetables and fruits in any form, dairy products and meat, whole grain cereals and the same pastries. Then you can add one new product every day, for example: the first day is pasta, the second is chocolate, the third is a piece of charlotte, the fourth is a glass of table wine, and so on.

It is important to stop in time and choose the optimal menu to maintain weight at the required level, because the lost kilograms can gradually return. Learn to re-eat "for one"!

Also, do not forget about intensive sports, visiting saunas and baths, performing contrast showers and manual massage of problem areas. Unfortunately, nutrition will not save you from stretch marks, sagging and sagging. Be sure to exercise and use cosmetics to correct skin condition.

Do not forget about the drinking regimen, which is required to maintain a normal weight. It is supposed to consume at least 1.5 liters of useful liquid per day.

Disadvantages and contraindications for a diet after childbirth

Of the minuses of the diet, one can only name low efficiency, because in a month of the diet you will lose no more than 5 kg of excess weight. On the other hand, it will be very useful for your body and will not serve as additional stress, and the food for such results is quite comfortable and satisfying.

Another drawback is that the diet includes a sufficient amount of expensive products, especially out of season (fruits, berries, vegetables), as well as meat and dairy products. Of course, it would be much cheaper to eat pearl barley or pasta with minced meat, washed down with inexpensive black tea. However, from such food you will not only not lose weight, but also gain weight. And during lactation, even forget about budget nutrition, because the health of the child is more important!

The diet also has a minimum of contraindications - doctors approve and recommend the options for weight loss after childbirth indicated in the article. Of the contraindications, the following can be distinguished:

serious diseases of the internal systems of the body (cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine, genitourinary, digestive);
allergies to recommended products;
metabolic disorders;
weakened immunity;
difficult childbirth and special prescriptions from a doctor;
recent illnesses, operations;
the presence of active inflammatory and infectious processes;
psychological disorders (bulimia, anorexia);
the presence of diabetes;
elevated cholesterol.

The body of a child after birth is still very weak and his intestines during the first months are not able to absorb many foods containing protein, sugar, preservatives and fats. This should be known to a young mother who has decided not to deprive her child of the pleasure of breastfeeding. In addition, this will have a very positive effect on the figure of the mother, providing her with a quick and noticeable weight loss.

So, let's make a detailed list of acceptable and unacceptable food for a nursing mother. First, let's look at forbidden foods.

Milk. Cow's milk, poured into bags, in which it is not known what is added for long-term storage of the drink, contains a large amount of hard-to-digest protein, especially if its fat content is more than 1.8%. It can be consumed in extremely small doses. But it's better to refrain altogether.

Nuts, citrus fruits, strawberries, chocolate, red vegetables, eggs, honey, seeds - all these foods contain allergens. Their use in small portions is permissible only after the child is at least 5 months old. Until this age they are banned! Many mothers claim that they ate all this and the child had nothing, no reaction. Well, maybe they were just lucky, or maybe they did everything so carefully and were not addicted to this food that the child's body received too small a dose of the allergen and quickly adapted to it.

Sweet. Sugar provokes such well-known reactions of a weak body as diabetes, diathesis, obesity. Why do you need these problems? Again, it’s only worth a few months of patience, and sweets and cakes can be returned to your diet, of course, without fanaticism. And the figure will only say "thank you."

Spicy seasonings, onions, garlic, vinegar, cabbage should also be excluded from consumption - this spoils the taste of your milk, and the baby may refuse to breastfeed.

Now let's move on to what is possible. Food must be either boiled or stewed. Various porridges from cereals: buckwheat, rice, oatmeal - to your taste. It is advisable to make soups not fatty, in vegetable broth or white meat broth.

Vegetable stew, pasta, potatoes, green and yellow fruits, butter, hard low-fat cheese, river fish, white meat, vegetable green salads - it's all possible, necessary and very healthy!

An excellent substitute for milk will be kefir. And even better bio-kefir. If you really want sweets, then you can allow a little marshmallow or dark chocolate. From fruits you can green apples, pears, no more than one banana a day, peaches and nectarines a little bit. Give up canned fruits, everything that contains preservatives, GMOs, stabilizers, E-codes, dyes.

In any case, the main thing is to monitor the reaction of the baby, his body will let you know that you ate the wrong thing. Rashes will appear on the face and body, or the color of the stool will change. In this case, it will only be necessary to abandon the indigestible product and everything will pass. Happy parenthood!