How I Lost my Pregnancy Weight

Recently I went to a family function (my husband has a HUGE extended family in Pune) and after a lot of bending down to touch everyone’s feet and a whole lot of gossiping and complimenting each other’s saris, the conversation moved on to our favorite family topic “how I lost all my pregnancy weight” . Someone said I was lucky, others (the snobbish elders) claimed that I just dint eat anything while one very intelligent aunty asked me if I had been to any dietitian. I just smiled.

The Astounding Weight Gain

Pregnancy was one of the happiest phases of my life. I had no morning sickness, no BP problems or swelling of hands and legs. I was simply happy, glowing and eating like a monster. That is an understatement actually. From being an underweight 50 kg I had swelled to a whopping 68 kg by the end of my pregnancy. The entire “extended, slightly overweight family” was delighted to say the least. Someone even told me how I was now in their league finally J. I didn’t care really I was so..so hungry all the time and not to mention that sweet cravings (I had five dairy milks in a day). I was pampered and spoilt silly by my mom and both my sisters. Unfortunately I had to go for a C section during delivery but I recovered fast. Within days I was back on my feet and doing everything but there was one thing which nagged me now, my weight and that huge flabby tummy.

From being a happy mom to be I now became an extremely irritable mommy. I screamed and shouted and had just no patience for anything. I have no pictures of those days simply because I just did not want to face a camera. Thankfully my mom and sisters helped me tide over that postpartum depression and recovery phase of my life. As I had a C section I could not really exercise for at least three months but I did follow some basic weight loss tricks to shed the extra kilos.

I Ate

I know for people who are trying to lose weight these two words would be very surprising but that is what it is. I ate and ate. The only difference is that from eating high fat food with nothing but grease and oil, I switched to eating healthy. By healthy I do not mean uncooked veggies and stupid salads with loads of mayonnaise. I ate normal cooked meals six times a day. Before getting pregnant I was not much of a breakfast person but after I got pregnant I was hounded by my mom to have breakfast everyday (She called me up before breakfast everyday to remind me…phew mothers what would we do without you). I continued this after having the baby as well. I ate first thing in the morning and then after every three hours. This kept my metabolism ticking and I started shedding my pregnancy weight.

Image sourced from Google Images

It is best to stick to simple food like roti, subji, rice and dal. Please do not have the diet chiwda, low fat biscuits and what not. I just cook at home and eat fresh. I ate everything even the so called “fattening foods” like rice and potatoes and still lost weight. I even had my occasional chocolates and mango cheesecake. If you are a new mom trying to lose weight then please do eat everything especially if you are breastfeeding. Your baby and your body both need the food.

I Worked Out

This was the hard part and new mothers will agree with me. When you have a wailing baby and have been up all night you cannot really exercise. I did not really push myself. In fact it was only after six months that I started light exercises and yoga again. After my baby turned one year old I started working out for fifteen minutes each day. I combined this workout with yoga and simple weight loss exercises like squats, lunges and jogging. I did around ten surya namaskars in morning and the workout later in the day. I did not lose weight initially but after some time I felt lighter and more energetic.

Image sourced from Google Images 

Do Not Push Yourself

Having a baby is a great experience and I love spending time with her and enjoying everything that she does. I could not take this away from myself just because I wanted to lose weight. So I just took it easy. After all I am not a Victoria Secret model who has to lose weight to walk the ramp. Pregnancy weight is hard to shed and I had to give myself time. Of course in the meantime people did try to pull me down by passing off stupid comments like “You are now in our league” and “Bacha hone ke baad koi patla nahi hota” . I would just smile. After all when I am thin again people will still comment so why waste energy listening to them. Of course I still am not as thin as I was once but I am still at it and that is what matters.

me with my lovely Aaru