Secrets to Postpartum Weightloss
How to Lose the Baby Weight Postpartum
After childbirth, every mama is eager to feel and look like herself again. That means learning to lose the baby weight fast. Postpartum there are some secret tips you can apply to help melt away the baby weight.
I’m a personal fitness trainer and coach who has helped lots of mamas learn how to shed the baby weight quickly after childbirth in a safe and healthy way.
Be sure to get medical clearance from your trusted healthcare professional prior to beginning any workouts, drastically changing your diet, or adding in supplements postpartum.
This post probably contains affiliate links to items that I own and love and am confident will benefit you immensely. Please read full disclosure here.
How to Lose the Baby Weight Fast
I have 3 little girls! I put on 35 pounds per pregnancy and lose it by 6 weeks each time. I pretty much have that part of postpartum recovery down, so I’m happy to share my tips that flush off the baby weight quickly.
Being certified in pregnancy nutrition and personal fitness training has been a big help in knowing the secrets to lose the baby weight fast.
I don’t want to be misleading, just because you can lose that extra weight that fast does not mean your body is back to normal. Your skin and muscles will still be loose and need to gain strength and you will still have the hormone relaxin in your body for months.
Postpartum recovery is slow and can take 6-12 months. But loosing the baby weight quickly is another story. Dropping off that extra weight quickly can help make your postpartum recovery move more quickly.
Additionally, losing that extra baby weight can help you be more comfortable physically and emotionally. As well as helping you to have more energy to chase after that little one.
Today I’ll share my 5 secrets to shedding the baby weight by 6 weeks.
As a health coach, personal trainer, and nutrition coach I’ve created a revolutionary nutrition and fitness program aimed specifically at postpartum weight loss for breastfeeding mothers.
There are a lot of questions and concerns with so many moms I’ve trained and encountered about exactly how to safely lose the baby weight while breastfeeding in a way that does not compromise your breastfeeding journey!
It’s called The Milky Mama’s Postpartum Plan. This is the only 28 day plan aimed specifically at nourishing your body postpartum with delicious whole food recipes (over 56 included) so that you will increase your milk supply while you lose that extra weight.
The 28 day included workout plan is aimed at regaining strength postpartum in fast effective 20 minute workouts that are perfect to include in your busy mom life! Learn more about the Milky Mama’s Postpartum Plan now.
My 6 Secrets to Losing the Baby Weight by 6 Weeks
1. Drink a Ton of Water
I mean really drink a lot of water! Under regular circumstances, you should drink 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight per day.
A ton of the weight that you have put on is fluids that you will be losing from birth onward for the next few wee
ks. According to Web MD here’s where the baby weight goes:
- 8 pounds toward baby
- 2-3 pounds of amniotic fluid
- 2-3 pounds for the placenta
- 2-3 pounds of additional breast tissue
- 4 pounds of added blood supply
- 5-9 pounds of fat stores and water weight
- 2-5 pounds towards your enlarged uterus
That means that approximately 12 pounds of the weight that you have put on is liquid that your body is ready to flush out postpartum. You will have lost some of that water weight already in labor, but your body will continue to release excess fluids over the next few weeks.
You will be losing fluid weight it in blood, breast milk, and by sweating, and peeing. The immediate postpartum period is messy to say the least.
But you can help your body shed that extra water weight by drinking more water!
If too much water gets monotonous for you there are other calorie free, sugar free, and artificial sweetener free alternatives to water that you can guzzle to help as well!
Some healthy drink ideas to help you lose that excess water weight are:
- Infused water (try strawberries and bananas, cucumber with lime and mint, or lemons with blackberries! The combinations are endless.)
- Chia water (Add 2 tablespoons of chia seeds to your glass and allow to sit 10 minutes. Stir to break up the clumps before drinking.)
- Green Tea
- Coffee (just not too much caffeine! A couple cups is fine)
- Black tea
- Mother’s Milk Teas
- Almond milk
How to Drink Enough Postpartum:
- Every time you sit down to breastfeed have a big cup of water with you.
- Keep a giant water bottle with you at all times like this one.
- Drink a glass of water before every meal. You will be even more voracious in the postpartum period than you were during pregnancy if you are breastfeeding. To avoid overeating from feeling starving, first satiate your thirst, then eat your meal.
2. Focus on Healing Postpartum Foods
The first six weeks postpartum is a time for healing, rest, and nourishment. If you nourish your body with whole foods it will heal faster and reward you by shedding off those excess pounds fast.
If you are eating the right foods you shouldn’t need to worry about counting calories. My last pregnancy I made a months worth of postpartum freezer meals and it was amazing! They were mostly slow cooked so easier to digest, full of healing foods like bone broth, and ultimately made the transition to life with 3 so much easier on us all!
For my other 2 postpartum periods, I cooked nourishing whole foods fresh. But with 2 kids, homeschooling, and running a home business with a new baby, making freezer meals ahead of time was a lifesaver.
So I picked up this awesome book called Healing Freezer Meals for Postpartum and Breastfeeding and have begun stocking my freezer with them now! The eBook is awesome because it describes what you should not be eating postpartum to avoid inflammation, which foods increase milk supply, and more!
To get that many meals done I picked up a huge box of gallon freezer bags on Amazon and made 4-6 meals each weekend day through the last trimester. I would make 2 of each meal at a time.
It took over all of my counters and was a rush of chopping, bagging, and seasoning but it didn’t take too long at all.
RELATED: Exercises Safe for the 6 Week Waiting Period
3. Supplement with Protein Shakes
After having a new baby you are going to be busy! Every second will be accounted for and it won’t feel like any of that time is going toward taking care of yourself for a long while.
You will learn to do pretty much everything with one hand eventually. Right now you need to focus on nourishing your body so that you can make high-quality breast milk, heal, and lost the baby weight fast!
My favorite secret trick to always losing the baby weight so fast is protein shake smoothies. I personally love starting every day with them. When breastfeeding, your need for protein is very high. Not quite as high as while pregnant, but you will still require about 55-70 grams of protein a day.
As a busy new mom, finding the time to always make enough nutrition filled foods while caring for that new baby is tough. When you can simply scoop some superfood protein powder into a blender and add some almond milk (and maybe throw in some extra goodies to make a full lactation smoothie.) getting enough nutrition while keeping the calories low becomes way easier.
I always suggest Shakeology for losing the baby weight postpartum. It’s what I drink myself because it has more nutrition than any other protein shake I’ve ever found AND the difference in how I feel when drinking it daily is substantial.
But I have a few others that I recommend and love as well that you will find below if Shakeology is not your favorite flavor or out of your price range.
Shakeology is more than just a protein shake and the best for postpartum recovery because it also includes:
- 70+ superfoods
- Enough nutrients to replace your multivitamin or prenatal vitamin (less thing to remember)
- Probiotics and prebiotics to enhance digestion
- Adaptogens to help your body naturally deal with stress better
- More digestive enzymes than any other protein powder to help you break down your food better and enhance the amount of nutrients your body can absorb
- Whey protein (the type of protein women need to regain and repair muscle postpartum)
- Greens and phytonutrients to boost immune system and fight free radicals
A Shakeology protein shake is my favorite way to start my day. It replaced all of my other supplements, so even though it was more expensive than what I was previously drinking I was able to eliminate my prenatal ($37), my digestive enzymes ($30), my greens drink ($20), and my probiotics ($20.)
Which saves me time and money PLUS now I can actually remember to get all my supplements in every single day because they are all in one scoop. The biggest postpartum mom win!
I absolutely notice the difference that starting my day with their protein, digestive enzymes, and greens gives me. Only Shakeology makes me feel so vibrant and energized, and all with something I can make with one hand.
Chocolate Whey Shakeology is my favorite! Try it out now!
Two other great options I also use in conjunction with my Shakeology are designed specifically to increase milk supply and are called Milk Dust and Majka. Another really amazing clean protein powder I love (not specifically designed to increase breast milk supply but wonderful for postpartum nourishment is called So Lean and So Clean.
I adore protein shake smoothies, so I usually have two types on hand after baby is born.
4. Eat your Liquids
To fill up more for fewer calories with nutrient-rich foods, eat your liquids. (In addition to drinking your water which we talked about earlier.)
Foods like soups, stews, fruits, and some vegetables are very high in liquid content. Yet they are nutritious and filling.
For example, 2 cups of watermelon contain less than 100 calories. An entire head of iceberg lettuce is only 100 calories. 1/4 head of lettuce, dressed up with virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and a few chunks of cheese can be a very filling snack.
Some liquid-rich foods to try incorporating into your postpartum diet are:
- watermelon
- lettuce
- cucumbers
- celery
- soups
- stews
- strawberries
- cantaloupe
- peaches
5. Try a Clearly Laid Out Postpartum Nutrition and Fitness Plan
The postpartum period is exhausting and there is a lot to do and think about. Caring for a new baby takes lots of time and energy.
Sometimes the last thing you have time for is yourself. Deciding what to eat and how to workout once you receive medical clearance after baby can be daunting.
My favorite postpartum diet and fitness plan is called the Milky Mama’s Postpartum Plan. It is such a wonderful program and almost all in video format which makes it really easy to listen to when you are stretched thin with baby.
Plus the workouts are really easy to follow along with and just the perfect length of time to be super effective but also something you can realistically fit in as a busy mom… about 20 minutes!
Not to mention the recipes included are all built to increase your breast milk supply and are all super tasty! There are even delectable desserts so you never feel like you are missing out. The Milky Mama’s Postpartum Plan is really the best of the best!
6. Get a coach to walk you through step by step.
If you feel like you need a bit more hands on approach to losing the baby weight you might want a coach to help you along and keep you accountable…. like me!
It takes out all the guesswork and gives you a cheerleader who also happens to be a postpartum mom.
Though I’ve been a personal fitness trainer for years specializing in helping moms reach their health and fitness goals postpartum, for the last few years I’ve put that job on hold while blogging:
but not anymore!
Now I’m a certified online health coach and am coaching postpartum mamas one on one!
I would be happy for you to hop onboard with me if you’re looking for camaraderie, a personalized plan, and accountability so you will be sure to hit those goals postpartum.
Learn all about my virtual fit club here or just email me directly even if you only have some questions: Allie at vigoritout@gmail.com and we’ll chat to see if I can help you lose that baby weight faster and enhance your health and happiness!
Wrapping Up How to Lose the Baby Weight Fast Postpartum
Losing the baby weight doesn’t have to be difficult. With the right tips and tricks, you can shed the baby weight too!
If you have any questions about postpartum recovery and losing the baby weight reach out in the comments below. I’d love to help you reach your postpartum goals too!
Would you recommend drinking a smoothie instead of a meal, like breakfast, or just as a healthy snack? Thank you for pointing out that using almond milk would provide fewer calories – I would’ve ended up using 2%. I’ve only recently been able to cut out snacks at 13 months postpartum. I haven’t been able to lose all of the baby weight (I gained about 40 lbs during pregnancy). I love your tips and look forward to applying them now that I’ve weaned! Wish I had read them during my pregnancy, though.
Melissa, personally I do use the smoothies as meal replacements. If you are just quickly mixing some protein powder with water or milk for a quick burst of nutrients and energy it makes a perfect snack, however, when you add all the goodies to create a smoothie it can definitely serve as a meal replacement. If you are drinking a smoothie as your meal it is best to be sure that either the smoothie itself or a snack that accompanies it includes a decent amount of protein (think 20 grams) and some healthy fats. Coupling a smoothie with a fat bomb or a handful or nuts quickly makes it into a full meal and it’s much more satisfying that way too. If you like almond milk it is really great compared to cows milk which causes many people bloating, and inflammation even if you aren’t lactose intolerant. I hope these tips help you out now that you’ve weaned, which is an easier time to drop the baby weight for many of us anyways. 🙂 Reach out if you have any more questions.