If you’re trying to lose pregnancy weight and feeling frustrated by slow (or no) progress, read on.
Today we have 7 common reasons that you may not be losing weight.
Try making some positive changes and see if they help you to lose pregnancy weight more efficiently.
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You might have portion distortion

Even if you are eating really well, if you are eating too much it is still going to push you over your recommended calorie intake each day (work out yours here).
You can read our ideas on portion control here but as a general rule go for a plate with ¼ protein, ¼ healthy carbohydrates and ½ salad or veggies.
Also remember that it takes time for your body to realise it has had enough to eat, so eat slowly and listen to your body when it tells you it’s had enough.

Too much of the white stuff

If you are eating well but still consuming white bread, white pasta and white rice – make a change. Switching to wholegrain options is a quick fix that you can get used to pretty quickly.
You can also try switching your side dishes away from starchy foods and bulk up on more steamed veggies, cauliflower rice, or quinoa.

Are the calories from alcohol adding up

If you are having a regular glass of wine or a beer it is a very fast 100 empty calories that you are adding to your day. If one drink usually turns into two or three, you can see that you can easily be adding the equivalent amount of an extra lunch to your day in terms of your calories.
Why not try and cut out alcohol through the week and just enjoy a drink on the weekend? You can spruce up your water or sparkling water by adding some chopped strawberries, peeled cucumber or mint leaves.

Are you eating enough

Many people falsely believe that the key to weight loss is to just reduce your intake of food as much as possible. This in fact puts your body into starvation mode, making it think that there is a famine and that it should hold onto its fat stores in order to stay alive.
Your metabolism is like a fire that needs to be kept burning all day in order for your body to work efficiently. 3 regular meals and 2 snacks per day (more if you are breastfeeding or hungry) is a great way to keep your blood sugar levels stable and keep cravings at bay.
Find out more about determining your recommended calories per day here.

Is organisation a problem

For many women, we are very happy to eat healthy food but when we are hungry we just grab whatever is convenient and available – which could be a biscuit or a bread roll instead of a salad or protein ball.
So if you want to help yourself make better choices, spend some time preparing healthy options for the week ahead that you can just grab and go.
On a Sunday, make some healthy snacks for the week that can be kept in the fridge. You might have some Chickpea Protein Cookies and some Healthy Hummus ready to go (rather than grabbing a sugar-filled muffin at the café).
Prepare a double batch when making things like soup or Bolognese so that you have a meal in the freezer ready for a busy night (rather than dialling a pizza).
If mornings are your busy time, prepare breakfasts like Overnight Oats the night before (instead of grabbing a pastry or a bacon sandwich when you’re starving at 10am). You can also make your Healthy Mummy Smoothie the night before and keep it in the fridge.

Is sugar creeping into your day

Sugar is in many processed foods and can quickly add up over the day, derailing your weight loss efforts. Real, whole foods are always a better option where possible, keeping your intake of processed foods to a minimum.
For instance a jar of pasta sauce can contain around 10 teaspoons of sugar; BBQ sauce is 45% sugar; and a 100g tub of diet strawberry yoghurt can have more than 3 teaspoons of sugar in it.
Try cooking meals from scratch as much as you can, and read the labels of processed foods to make the better choice when possible. You can read more about reading labels here.

Are you eating well but not exercising

lose_baby_weightWhile weight loss is predominantly based around healthy eating, adding exercise to your day can really help boost your results.
Even something as simple as a 20 minute walk to the park with the kids is a great start.
Prefer to do something indoors? Check out our Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD.
It’s made for mums and is broken up into 10 and 15 minute segments that you can fit in whenever you can through the day.

The 28 Day Challenges will provide you with the skills to make the right decisions when it comes to food choices plus support and tips to make food prep, fitting in exercise, staying motivated and reaching your goals really easy.
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Here are some of the other key benefits from joining the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge:

Food & Nutrition

  • You will receive 28 Days of easy to make recipes (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and even dessert)
  • All recipes are made in under 20 minutes
  • Each week comes with personalised weekly shopping list – either in PDF form or mobile version
  • Meal plans are fully customisable
  • Subscribers will have access to the exclusive challenge 800+ recipe hub

Exercise

  • You will receive 28 days of effective interval training exercise plans – all done at home
  • Use the online timer to perform all your interval training
  • Record your stats in your personal daily tracking exercise board
  • All exercises with videos

Motivation

  • Do the Challenge with 1,000’s of other mums
  • Join the private support group with over 15,000 other mums
  • Daily support emails
  • Private tracking tools and dashboard
  • Contact the team any day for additional help

And for a real focus on shifting BELLY FAT – join now as the May Challenge is the Belly Buster Challenge with all food and exercises targeting to getting rid of stomach fat- sign up for the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge now.
 
belly buster

Need to stock up on Healthy Mummy Smoothies? Then see our shop here
And join our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenges here