Losing pregnancy weight can be a hard road for some and nothing is more frustrating than not being able to work out why the scales aren’t budging despite your best intentions.
Following a healthy eating plan is a great start to lasting, healthy weight loss, but there are other factors that influence weight loss.
If you are finding it hard to lose weight and aren’t sure why, read below to see if there’s more you can do to get to your ideal weight.
You’re drinking too many calories
When trying to lose weight, many people restrict their food intake but neglect to realise the amount of calories they are taking in from drinks. Alcohol, cordials, soft drinks and hot drinks like hot chocolate and creamy coffees all add up over the course of a day. If you have a full fat vanilla latte at the coffee shop in the morning, then a soft drink or two throughout the day, followed by an alcoholic drink or two at night, you are potentially adding a significant amount of calories to your diet. Furthermore, creamy coffees, alcohol and soft drinks have zero nutritional value, so don’t even offer any health benefits. Water, herbal tea, soda water flavoured with your own ingredients like lemon and mint, and fruit-based smoothies are all better drink options to consider.
You’re not sleeping enough
While sleep is elusive for most new parents, it’s important to realise the impact that sleep has on weight loss. Sleep regulates the hormones that control the appetite, and recent studies suggest that after a night of poor sleep people are more likely to suffer from strong cravings and indulge in less nutritious foods. Even though a good night’s sleep is the Holy Grail for most parents of small children, find a way to improve your quality of sleep by going to bed earlier instead of staying up late to do that extra load of washing. If you’re struggling to get everything done, enlist the help of your partner or friends to help out with the kids or around the house, and ensure that sleep becomes a more of a priority for you.
You’re not getting enough incidental exercise
This may seem obvious but if you’re constantly taking shortcuts then you aren’t moving your body enough throughout the day. You don’t need to sign up for a marathon or commit to going to the gym daily to get your daily exercise, just factor in incidental exercise wherever possible. Take every opportunity to take the stairs instead of the lift, leave the car at home and push the pram to mothers group, and park further away from the shopping centre instead of trying to find the closest car spot for convenience. Soon this way of life will become a habit, and you’ll reap the rewards of getting more incidental exercise into your day without even noticing.
Your portion sizes are too large
Even though you may be eating a healthy food, you may be in the habit of eating too much of a good thing. While healthy, watch your intake of items like nuts, oils, avocado and cheese. While these foods can be included in your healthy eating plan, it’s important to note that they should be enjoyed in moderation.
You’re a mindless eater
Grazing on food throughout the day is a sure fire way to increase your calorie intake without knowing it. If you are prone to picking at your children’s meals or finishing off your kids snacks for them, you may be unwittingly adding hundreds of calories to your diet without noticing. A slice of cheese here and half a brownie there can have an impact on your weight loss so think twice before polishing off your kid’s meals.
PLUS!
Take Measurements
Taking your body measurements (read our ‘how to guide’ here) is a great way to keep track of your pregnancy weight loss progress.
The scales could sometimes say we have put on weight or only lost a small amount, when in fact our measurements have shrunk as our body tones up.
& Understand what is happening
Understand how the scales work and make sure that you take measurements too – see our guide here
As you begin doing exercise and light weight bearing exercise you will gain lean muscle tissue, a substance which is denser than fat. So you may actually see the number on the scales increase. Even though the scale may not be moving, it doesn’t mean that you’re not getting smaller. Muscle is more dense than fat, so it takes up less space. You can be in a smaller pants size and not be any lighter on the scale – and this is why we advise to take measurements each week as well as weighing yourself.
It is also a good point to note that this extra lean muscle tissue has added benefits too – not only will you appear smaller, but muscle will help raise your metabolism too which helps to burn more fat – win win!
And get back to basics
And here are some really useful links and resources to help you refocus and get back to basics
- Work out your BMR so you know how many calories your own individual body needs. As you lose weight your calorie needs decrease so it is important to re-calculate and adjust accordingly. Use our BMR calculator here
- If you haven’t yet joined up to our FREE members area, register here so you have your own private dashboard to log your weight, measurements, exercise and BMI so you can visually see your progress. Join up here
- Snacking is essential for energy levels and for boosting your metabolism – see our healthy snacking category here
- Are the scales not giving you the results you want – see what could be happening here
- Read here about why you shouldn’t always trust the scales
- Get some tips on staying motivated here
- See more common weight loss issues here and how to over come them
Need to stock up on Healthy Mummy Smoothies? Then see our shop here
And join our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenges here
