My whole life I struggled with my weight. After having my baby I lost over 50 pounds without any fancy diets or expensive gym memberships. I am sharing my postpartum weight loss journey and tips to help you lose weight after pregnancy.
During my first trimester, I had nausea, from weeks 6-17. I don’t like using the term “morning sickness” because I felt sick from the moment I woke up until the moment I went to sleep. Ginger ale and plain crackers only made my nausea worse, not better.
I only had an appetite for steamed white rice, potato chips, hash browns, tater tots. I didn’t vomit very often but I felt like my stomach was turning all the time and I thought I was going to feel sick forever!
In my second month of my pregnancy I lost about 5 pounds. When I was about 17 weeks, my nausea went away and I finally had an appetite again. YAY!
During the second trimester, I ate pretty healthy and walked for 30 minutes every day, during my lunch break at work.
I didn’t begin to gain weight until I was about 20 weeks pregnant.
I gained the most weight during the third trimester. (I was eating ice cream every night) At the end of my pregnancy, I had gained a total of 27 pounds!
Unfortunately, like many new moms, I suffered from baby blues and postpartum anxiety so I had no appetite. 2 weeks after giving birth I had lost all 27 pounds that I had gained during my pregnancy!
My appetite didn’t return until after about 6 weeks postpartum. I weighed less and less each every time I stepped on the scale.
At 9 months postpartum I had lost a total of 54 POUNDS! I am closer to my goal weight than I have ever been before and it feels amazing!
My confidence has increased and I spend less time worrying about what I eat or what I look like and more time enjoying life with my new family!
Postpartum Weight Loss Tip # 1: Stay Hydrated
Make sure you drink enough water! It is very easy to get dehydrated especially if your breastfeeding. You should always have water nearby so you don’t forget.
I use the Beast Tumbler to stay hydrated. I will keep your water cold all day and night. It comes in a variety of colors and fits in most cup holders so you bring it with you when you travel.
Hydration is also the key to having a good breastmilk supply.
Postpartum Weight Loss Tip #2.: Meal Planning and Meal Prep for Weight Loss
Meal planning and Meal Prepping can save you time and money while helping you lose weight!
One day a week prepare and cook large batches of food that can be stored in the fridge or freezer and reheated throughout the week. You will be too busy to cook every night and you don’t want to skip meals, especially while breastfeeding.
Clean, peel, and chop fresh fruits and veggies and store them in airtight storage containers so they are ready when you need them.
When cooking dinner double the recipe and store leftovers in airtight glass containers in your refrigerator or freezer. When you’re too tired or busy to make lunch you can pop the leftovers in the microwave or oven and enjoy a quick hot meal.
Print your FREE Weekly Meal Planner!
I highly recommend purchasing an Instant Pot for quick and easy dinners.
Ordering groceries online can help you save time and money after having a baby. Since giving birth I have been using Amazon Fresh to have my groceries delivered.
Postpartum Weight Loss Tip #3: Breastfeeding Weight Loss
Breastfeeding moms burn about 500-700 calories extra per day! Isn’t that amazing?
As a breast-feeding mom you want to make sure you are consuming enough calories. You don’t want to starve yourself or go on any crazy diets because that can decrease your milk supply.
Boost Your Milk Supply!
Try Milkmakers Lactation Cookie Bites. They taste great and are made with Oats, Brewer’s Yeast, Flaxseed, and Fenugreek. These ingredients are traditionally used to boost your milk supply. You can purchase a large box on Amazon that contains individually wrapped bags perfect for your diaper bag.
Easy recipes for postpartum weight loss.
Postpartum Weight Loss Tip #4: Limit Low Quality Dairy
When I started breastfeeding I had no idea what I was doing. My newborn baby was kicking and screaming every nursing session. She was colicky and up all night, every night showing symptoms of gas pain.
My sister-in-law recommended eliminating dairy and gluten from my diet to find out if they might be contributing to her gas.
I eliminated both gluten and dairy from my diet for about a week. Next, I slowly introduced both back, one at a time, to see which one was giving my daughter digestion issues. I discovered that when I would eat dairy my baby was up all night screaming.
After eliminating dairy from my diet the pounds flew off!
If you love dairy but you or your baby are sensitive to it you can try drinking Organic Raw Milk from a trusted farm or Goat’s milk. Another great option is Kalona SuperNatural Organic Whole Milk.
Now that my daughter is older we both drink raw whole milk and don’t seem to have issues.
Dairy-Free Recipes:
Dairy Free Banana Bread Recipe
Dairy Free Chocolate Cookies and Cream Shake Recipe
Stop making excuses, start making changes!
Postpartum Weight Loss Tip #5: Postpartum Exercise
I suggest waiting at least 6-8 weeks postpartum, with your doctor’s approval before trying any vigorous activities.
What are some of the benefits of exercise for postpartum women?
Exercise has the following benefits for postpartum women:
- Helps strengthen and tone abdominal muscles.
- Boosts energy.
- May be useful in preventing postpartum depression.
- Promotes better sleep.
- Relieves stress and anxiety.
Returning to exercise after giving birth:
- Take your baby for at least a 30-minute walk, 4 days a week. Once your baby is about 6 months you can jog her around in this travel friendly jogging stroller.
- Cleaning and organizing your home can also help you burn calories and lose weight while decreasing stress and anxiety that come after having a baby.
For cleaning motivation and inspiration check out my Cleaning and Organization Playlist on Youtube.
Do you have questions on postpartum weight loss?
Leave a comment below or send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook.
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17 COMMENTS
Miriam
5 years agoOmg !!!! U look great
ThriftyBrittany
5 years ago AUTHORThank you!
Cassie
5 years agoVery helpful, as all of your blog posts are <3
ThriftyBrittany
5 years ago AUTHORThank you I’m glad you find them helpful!
Cindy
5 years agoYou look great. I find it always takes me a while to lose weight. I try to give myself some time and space postpartum without expectations. Healthy habits are way more important than a number on a scale.
ThriftyBrittany
5 years ago AUTHORThank you!
I agree healthy habits are the key to a healthy and happy life.
I wasn’t even trying to lose the weight. I didn’t care about my weight while i was pregnant or postpartum. I just made healthy choices mostly due to breastfeeding. Everything that I do and eat effects my baby.
Losing weight is just an added bonus. 😊
Breanna | Messy Buns and Mom Jeans
5 years agoI find meal prep necessary for my for my weight loss because I would forget to eat all day then binge at night!
ThriftyBrittany
5 years ago AUTHORIm the same way. I make bad decisions when I’m hangry!
Kate
5 years agoLooking great Mama absolutely love your post and can relate after having five children myself the struggle is real but so is the ability to achieve your goal. I love your 30 week photo. Thanks for your share xo
ThriftyBrittany
5 years ago AUTHORFive children? Your amazing! Yes the struggle is real! Thanks for the feedback.
Abby
5 years agoSuper helpful post! Breastfeeding has been my personal saving grace when it comes to weightloss and I’m so grateful I was able to do it.
ThriftyBrittany
5 years ago AUTHORIm glad you found my post helpful. We are so fortunate that Breastfeeding helped us lose weight!
Kajal
5 years agoHi Brittany, great tips and thank you for sharing your experience with us. When it comes to post-partum exercise I have noted that Yoga works well to lose weight without it being too strenuous. It also helps reduce anxiety and stress which is a double bonus.
ThriftyBrittany
5 years ago AUTHORThank you for your feedback! I have been wanting to try out yoga too, but not sure where to start?
Akshaya @ Cabinet of Thoughts
4 years agoI love these tips.
Mkyla Ishii
4 years agoI am on my weight loss journey and I agree that combined exercise and a healthy diet is important.
It does not have to be 1000 steps or anything like that. Start with small things such as walking in the park. From there, build momentum and improve daily. Weight loss should be enjoyable and rewarding at the end. Also, small habits such as keeping fruit in the fridge and healthy snacks such as roasted almonds could give you a huge payoff in the long term.
One other thing that can help is starting a diet journey with a written plan and a journal. You want to come up with a system that you can follow and adjust based on your situation. I keep a list of exercises, progress and food recipes that help me with my diet.
I love tea! I keep a bunch of tea recipes in my journal. I benefited from the Red tea detox program. It has a bunch of ingredients that help to reduce hunger and production of stress hormones. It helps me to cut my binge eating habit that I have tried to get rid of since forever.
Personally I follow the all in one guide from fatlosshabbit.com, they have the best Red tea detox recipes plus all the exercises and diet plan necessary to give you results in just 14 days. I hope this helps you and good luck in your weight loss journey.