Average Time to Lose Pregnancy Weight

Women who have gained a lot of weight during their pregnancy might be concerned they aren’t losing weight as quickly as possible once their pregnancy is over. They might feel heavier than they should, which causes them to feel depressed and begin to eat more. Instead of feeling badly, you should know that losing weight after a pregnancy is not an easy task. However, when you know how to lose the weight, you will find it’s not as you may think.

Why Losing Pregnancy Weight Can Be Difficult

Whether you’ve been pregnant or not, once your body gains weight, it can be difficult to remove it again. Why? The body likes to remain the same as often as possible. When you try to lose weight, you are trying to change the body’s composition and it tends to fight your efforts, even if you are making your body healthier in the process. In addition, you may have created some unhealthy diet habits in the time you were pregnant, causing you to have troubles breaking those eating habits once you try to lose weight. Finally, your body wants to make sure that you have enough stored fat at all times, especially when you are a mother, even though it’s unlikely you would starve any time soon.

How Long Will Pregnancy Weight Loss Take?

The process of weight loss after pregnancy takes time, though the exact time depends on the amount of weight that needs to be lost. If you need to lose more, it might take longer to lose it. It’s best to lose weigh at a rate of no more than two pounds a week in order to do so healthily and to do so without having to change your diet too dramatically. If you lose weight too quickly you will likely cause your body to go into starvation mode, which dramatically lowers metabolism and fat loss – neither of which are helpful when trying to lose weight. Slow, gradual weight loss prevents this.

Increasing Post-Pregnancy Weight Loss

You can increase post-pregnancy weight loss by adding exercise to your daily routine in addition to cutting calories. Regular exercise will increase your metabolism over the long run, allowing you to keep the weight off. Adding strength training a few times a week will also help you tone and gain muscle, which burns more calories even when you are at rest. The more muscle you have, the faster you will lose weight.

When you take your time losing pregnancy weight, you will have an easier time doing so and you will ensure that you are creating a weight loss program that you are able to follow for the long term.