Pregnancy may cause you to gain weight, but it can be incredibly hard to lose it, especially when you’ve got a million other things to do. However, it’s not impossible to fit into your favorite dress again! Use these six helpful tips and the related apps to get your body back on track.
1. Think About What You’re Eating
Your body has been through a lot, so it needs the right nutrition to recover. Plus, eating the right food is essential if you’re breastfeeding. At the same time, you’ll need to adjust your diet now that you’re no longer eating for two.
Try to avoid eating excessively sugary foods and stick to eating plenty of fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, low-fat dairy products, and healthy fats.
For some healthy postpartum recipe ideas, download the free Hollestic app. This app is a great resource with a wide range of healthy, easy-to-cook meals that your whole family can enjoy.
Whether you’re cooking breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the Hollestic app provides simple recipes to follow as well as nutritional information. Thai red fish curry, tomato and red lentil soup, and beef fajitas are just some delicious recipes you can try.
Download: Hollestic for Android | iOS (Free)
2. Set Goals for Yourself
To have any sort of motivation to lose weight and be healthy, you first need to set yourself some goals. Now, don’t set unrealistic goals that you’ll struggle to come close to. Keep them small at first, and you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment when you reach them.
Remember: you’ve given birth to another human, so don’t be so hard on yourself if it takes longer than anticipated to reach your goals and make new habits stick. You can make it easier to reach your goals by using a goal-tracking app like Coach.me.
This app isn’t just for learning a new skill or being more productive; it’ll also help you on your post-baby weight loss journey.
In addition to long-term goals, such as going to the gym, bringing a healthy lunch to work, and eating with intention, you can also set personal weekly targets.
Download: Coach.me for Android | iOS (Free)
3. Monitor Your Calories
There are a number of pros and cons to using calorie counting apps, but in many cases, they can be valuable tools as you’re watching your dietary habits. If you’re not seeing results on your own, a calorie counter may be just the help you need.
Instead of focusing on how dull and time-consuming logging food can sometimes be, think about how a calorie counting app like MyFitnessPal can help you eat healthier, encourage exercise, expose overeating, and track your progress.
MyFitnessPal is an amazing app that has features for just about anyone, including new moms that are nursing. This is important to note because when you’re breastfeeding you need to consume about 450 to 500 more calories per day. This app lets you log breastfeeding as calories you’ve burned so you can properly factor that in.
All you need to do is type “breastfeeding” in the search bar, and you’ll find a range of options. From there you can plan out your meals and how many more calories you need to eat for the day.
Download: MyFitnessPal for Android | iOS (Free, subscription available)
4. Do Regular Exercise
Eating the correct food and the right amount of calories is vital when it comes to postpartum weight loss, but the best method is to simply get moving!
Whether it was two weeks or six months ago, your pregnancy is over, and you need to make sure regular physical activity is a part of your routine. When you feel ready to work out again will depend on your body. Don’t force yourself to do anything strenuous if you’re not ready.
Start off with light exercise by doing a quick walk around the neighborhood, and you can even bring your baby along in the stroller. If you prefer to do alternative workouts because you hate the gym, a great exercise app or online class will come in handy.
Whether you’re looking for exercises to do while you’re pregnant or afterward, you can use the Workout for Women app. The app offers a variety of programs, including a six-week Postpartum Body Rewind program with daily workouts that won’t take you more than seven minutes.
Aside from the programs available on the app, you can also check out the endless selection of workouts. From yoga and HIIT to advanced ab exercises, there’s a workout suited for everyone.
Download: Workout for Women for Android | iOS (Free, subscription available)
5. Get the Right Amount of Sleep
Did you know that sleep affects weight loss? If you don’t get enough sleep, you may make bad food decisions that could negatively affect your weight loss journey. Although it may seem incredibly difficult to get the right amount of sleep when you’re busy looking after a baby, it is achievable.
The Huckleberry app is here to help you out. Huckleberry will make sure your little one is on the right sleep schedule and getting enough sleep, which means more sleep for you. Features include one-touch tracking for sleep, sleep summary reports, notification reminders, and multiple child profiles.
Download: Huckleberry for Android | iOS (Free, subscription available)
6. Drink Enough Water
Drinking enough water to keep your body fully hydrated is extremely important when you’re breastfeeding your baby. But regardless of whether you’re breastfeeding or not, drinking enough water is key to losing weight. A good tip to keep in mind is to always keep a bottle of water next to you, whether you’re sitting at your desk, eating dinner, or reading a book. This will remind you to keep drinking.
Another great thing about drinking water while you’re eating is that it can help suppress hunger and leave you feeling full without overeating. If you’re struggling to drink enough water throughout the day, there are a range of hydration apps, such as Waterful, that will remind you to drink more water.
Waterful is an exceptional app that learns your daily routine and sends you reminders to make sure you drink the right amount of water. If you’re breastfeeding or pregnant, the Waterful app even factors that in and recommends more water during your daily routine.
Download: Waterful for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
Apps Can Help You Get Your Pre-Baby Body Back
Give these six apps a try if you need a little help during your weight loss journey. Remember, don’t be so hard on yourself—having a child takes a lot out of your body.
It takes a lot of work and a lot of patience. If you have both, you can successfully lose weight and have a healthy lifestyle with your new baby.
