Lose Weight After Pregnancy
published articles By Narelle Stegehuis
It can be distressing to struggle with weight. I know how much it impacted on my life after I gave birth to my daughter Anna. I had always been a healthy body weight - someone who exercised regularly and had an impeccable diet. Now I was tired and frustrated, experiencing cravings, and I just couldn't budge my excess weight. I had developed a sub-clinical thyroid condition.
Childbirth naturally triggers a hormonal shock. Sadly, many women are unaware that they have a treatable condition or are 'brushed off' with the advice that their blood tests are 'normal' and that there's nothing that can be done regarding their annoying symptoms. Rubbish! - There are indeed effective natural ways to address your health concerns. Don't accept feeling ordinary (it's indeed not normal); get back the fresh energy you need to tackle life's challenges - as they say 'we only live once'.
Lose weight after pregnancy - The Role of Nutrients
Vitamins have many functions and influence the health of nearly every organ in your body. They are involved in growth, reproduction, enhancing digestion, mental alertness, resistance to infections and most importantly your metabolism.
Ideally you would get adequate amounts of nutrients from a balanced diet, however, sometimes due to the foods you do (or don't) eat, medications, stress, poor digestion, too much tea, coffee, alcohol you may not get all the nutrients you need and this is where supplements can help.
Using techniques such as food and exercise can have a big impact upon your wellbeing and the shedding of those unwanted kilos. It is important to stop viewing food as a tool to simply stop those hunger pains, satisfy your taste buds. Start viewing food as a tool to improve your health!
Your hormones have a role to play in your sense of energy, vitality and wellbeing. Your past dietary and lifestyle habits have contributed to your hormonal imbalances; challenging the rate your body burns fuel. It will be metabolising fats slowly, which is why you have been getting heavier and lack energy.
With the right dietary changes and specific supportive nutrients, your body will be on its way to better health and most importantly healthy weight maintenance!
Lose weight after pregnancy - Your New Baby
Life with a new baby is hectic, but it is easy to become more sedentary in the postpartum months. You are burning fewer calories through lack of physical activity and other factors like sleep deprivation conspire to make you eat more. Research suggests that fatigue is easily confused with hunger. You're at home, where food is more readily available and your usual eating patterns can be disrupted. On top of everything else, you may experience the "baby blues" which can lead to a kind of comfort eating.
Lose weight after pregnancy - Long Hours/ Interrupted Nights
Trying to lose weight and working long hours/shift work can be challenging. If you have to work at night, plan to have your meal later in the evening and/or incorporate your evening snacks into your daily eating plan. Working long hours & shift work can also alter cortisol levels, which will affect your glucose metabolism.
Lose weight after pregnancy - Thyroid function after pregnancy
During pregnancy your immune system is naturally suppressed to prevent your body from rejecting the fetus. After pregnancy your immune system 'turns on' again. But this has a rebound effect in that it is so alert; it is almost too powerful and can develop antibodies that attack normal tissue. This is what is known as an auto immune response and may be one reason why women are more prone to auto immune disorders after pregnancy. Thyroid imbalance can be caused by this.
Lose weight after pregnancy - Stress and glucose intolerance
The primary effects of stress in raising your risk of insulin resistance relates to chronically elevated glucose and insulin levels in your blood. Over time, elevated glucose and insulin cause your bodies cells (primarily the ones in fat and muscle tissues), to become less sensitive to the effects of insulin, a condition known as insulin resistance. In response to the development of insulin resistance in these cells, your body begins to produce even more insulin - starting the vicious cycle that contributes to your weight gain and associated conditions.
Lose weight after pregnancy - Stress & Immune System
During periods of increased stress, there is often also an increase in the incidence of certain chronic conditions such as asthma, allergies and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as of gastro-intestinal ailments such as irritable bowel. Chronic or repeated bouts of stress will lead to a shrinking of the thymus gland, and to a general suppression of immune-system strength.
Lose weight after pregnancy - Stress & digestive Flora
Heightened stress levels contribute to adverse effects on the balance of intestinal micro-flora, which respond to changes in both diet and stress levels. These beneficial bacteria live in your intestinal tract and while they are intimately involved with optimal gastrointestinal function, they play a vital role in helping support your healthy immune function.
MassAttack indeed takes a natural approach to holistically addressing your bodies' needs. Your program will prescribe specific foods, nutrients, exercise and lifestyle changes that will benefit your hormonal profile, and thus can deliver you accelerated weight loss and overall better health. And yes it's safe if you are breast-feeding.
Narelle Stegehuis, CEO of MassAttack is a practising naturopath specialising in the research and development of natural treatment programs afor women with hormonal imbalances, which have contributed to such symptoms as weight gain, cravings, anxiety and mood swings. Uniquely for patient convenience her programs are also offered via the internet. She is both an accomplished writer and recent recipient of the Australian Naturopathic Excellence Award 2006.
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