How to Lose Weight After a C-Section

Many people underestimate the toll a cesarean section takes on a woman's body because the procedure is so common. A cesarean section is a serious abdominal surgery. Your body needs time to rest and recover more so than after a traditional vaginal birth. This may put a slight delay on your plans to get your pre-baby body back. Still, there are things you can do immediately after surgery to help set the stage for slow, steady weight loss.

What to Know Before Attempting to Lose Weight after C-Section 

There are some important things women must know before they even attempt to try to lose weight after a c-section. Most doctors recommend that a woman wait 6 weeks to do any type of exercising after a Cesarean Section. This should absolutely be followed as starting an exercise routine too early after having a C-section cause some the wound to reopen or other serious complications. Always get the go-ahead from your doctor before you start an exercise program after giving birth.

Also, women need to realize that the baby weight is not going to come out in the first month or even in the first few months after the baby is born. Remember that it took you nine months to gain the weight so you should at least give yourself nine months to lose the weight. It can be discouraging to not see the scale move or not be able to fit into your pre-pregnancy clothes but remember with dedication and time you will get there.

Get Active with Your Baby to Lose the Pregnancy Weight 

Once you are cleared for exercise from your doctor try to incorporate some physical activity while bonding with your baby. This may mean a walk around the block or park with your baby in a stroller or sling. If it is too cold outside for your baby then take a walk at the mall instead. There are several malls that have mall walking programs that start even before the stores open.

Other ideas include wearing your baby while doing simple exercises like squats and lunges. Just be sure that your little one is secure in the carrier or sling and you have one hand on them at all time. Another idea is to place your baby in a swing or bouncy seat and play peek-a-boo by doing sit ups in front of them. Get creative with your physical activity and you may just be surprised at how those pounds come off after a C-Section.

Get Your Sleep When Possible with Shorter Workouts 

You need your sleep and right after having a baby it much more important that you use any extra time you have to get sleep rather than working out. If possible, when your doctor has cleared you for exercise, try to work 15 minute workouts into your day. This may mean that you jump rope for 10 minutes and do 5 minutes of abdominal work while your little one sleeps. Then use the rest of the time to get some rest.

Your body actually needs 7-8 hours of sleep at night to be able to lose weight properly. Not only that but you need sleep so that you can take care of your baby and yourself.

When trying to lose weight after C-Section remember to never push yourself past a certain point where you may endanger yourself. Keep in mind that a Cesarean Section is a major surgery and needs to be taken seriously. Most of all enjoy the time you have with your new baby and have confidence in yourself that you will lose the weight.

Diet is Very Important When Trying to Lose Weight after C-Section 

Just because you can't exercise right after having a Cesarean Section doesn't mean that you shouldn't start watching what you eat and eating healthy. If you are breastfeeding your baby you will need to consume a few hundred extra calories to be able to supply milk for your baby (An added bonus of breastfeeding is that you can burn up to 500 calories a day simply from breastfeeding so those extra calories won't harm your weight loss efforts at all). If you are not breastfeeding you should start thinking about cutting back your calories from anywhere from 1800-1400 a day. This all depends on how much you weight, what type of lifestyle you live and how much weight you have to lose. You can use nutrition and weight loss calculators to determine what type of healthy eating plan you should be on.

Simply by watching your diet a little more closely and cutting back slightly on your calories you can easily lose several pregnancy pounds in the first month. This is even without having to do any type of exercise. Some women find that they are able to lose almost all their baby weight by simply watching what they eat and eating a clean diet.