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As per the best nutritionist in Bangalore, weight gain is a part of pregnancy during the 9 month period of time, but excess weight gain can be distressing. The extra weight gain during pregnancy can be very stubborn to lose post pregnancy.
According to the Institute of Medicine, the recommended weight gain for women is between ranges of 25–35 pounds (11.5–16 kg). This weight gain during pregnancy includes the weight of the baby, placenta, extra blood, and amniotic fluid, enlargement of uterus, breast tissue and extra fat stores. The extra fat stores are the energy reserves for the birth and breast feeding. However, if a women gains too much fat more than the recommended during this time, this fat we usually refer as “Baby Fat
The weight gain varies for different women during pregnancy. And weight loss for those also differs from person to person.
Although, you gain weight during the pregnancy but it is important for mother to understand how much weight should be gained at each stage and what are the consequences if you are gaining to much weight.
Once the baby is out, you may keep asking yourself, why am I not losing weight? Well, actually there could be a good reason for not losing weight post the pregnancy.
There are some who do not seem to put on weight, no matter what they eat. But there are some, who will put on the weight even though they are not eating much. As per the best nutritionist in Bangalore, some people lose weight very easily as they put on weight returning their normal body weight. But many keep struggling and keep having a hard time to lose the pounds no matter how much they do diet or exercise. Have you ever wondered why is this losing weight so difficult post pregnancy?
Human body is made up of several chemical processes. Not losing weight is not necessarily due to lack of effort, but it could be due to various imbalances that is making the weight loss difficult or not being able to achieve weight loss. There could be various reasons for difficulty in weight loss post the pregnancy.
Insulin Resistance:
One of the reasons why woman is not losing her weight post pregnancy could be a condition known as Insulin Resistance. Insulin is a hormone which is secreted from pancrease that helps to control the Blood sugar levels. In normal people, when the insulin is working well, insulin transfers glucose obtained from the food we eat into the liver and muscles, which is then the glucose is used up by the body as energy. However, if the insulin is not working well, As soon as we eat food, our blood sugar levels rises and that will signal the brain to release the Insulin hormone in the blood. The insulin does not function efficiently (Glucose is not converted to energy). Hence there will be a lot of Glucose and insulin circulating in the blood at the same time. Hence it becomes harder for woman to burn calories.
The reason for insulin resistance could be Family history of diabetes, Genetic factors, PCOS, having too much carbohydrates etc.
To check if you have insulin resistance, you can check your Glucose tolerance test.
The best way to reduce the insulin resistance is to include a High protein and high fiber diet. Cut down the carbohydrates completely. Have in moderate amounts. Cut down processed food
Gaining extra calories during Pregnancy:
As already mentioned, an ideal weight that women can gain during her period of pregnancy is 11.5 to 16 Kgs. Most women gain weight during their pregnancy, which becomes difficult to lose the weight after pregnancy. Women need no extra calories and need not require gaining extra weight in her first trimester, because you are not eating for two, you are eating for one and a little bitty.
During pregnancy, it is very important for a woman to get her nutrient requirement like Proteins, vitamins and minerals and not just gaining weight by excess calories intake.
Not getting adequate sleep:
Another important factor for the stubborn weight post pregnancy could be the lack of Sleep. A woman post pregnancy requires a proper 7-8 hour undisturbed sleep. As per the best nutritionist in India, lack of sleep causes several hormonal imbalances in a woman post pregnancy causing excess fat deposition in the body.
Undergoing lot of Stress:
When we are stresses out, our body releases various stress hormones like cortisol. Cortisol increases the fat deposition and causes muscle breakdown, which becomes a most common cause for not losing weight post pregnancy.
Hence it is important to distress by doing Yoga, Meditation and having foods like Walnut, Pumpkin seeds, Turmeric, Chamomile tea which helps to reduce the stress hormone.
If you are facing Thyroid problem:
Most woman develop postpartum thyroid — hypothyroidism. This makes the thyroid inflamed and influences other hormones in the body. The major symptoms will be weight gain, fatigue, feeling warm, rapid heart rate. This makes very difficult for a woman to lose weight post pregnancy.
It is very important to control the thyroid hormones by taking the nutrients like Selenium, Zinc, chorine rich foods.
Food cravings and snacking:
It is very important for a woman to gather calorie requirement to feed her baby and for the recovery and healing process post pregnancy.
During and post pregnancy, women may have craving for foods like sweets and may end up eating plenty of food than required, which again leads to lot of weight gain and difficulty in losing the extra calories.
It is very important to eat meals that can regulate the blood sugar levels and makes you feel satiated.
Make you eat a lot of vegetables, include protein and healthy fats throughout the day and avoid empty calorie intake.
Food intolerances:
Sometimes intolerance to certain food also may become the cause of not losing the baby weight post pregnancy. The foods that trigger the food intolerance causing leaky gut, which effects your digestion and metabolism making difficult in losing weight. Some of these foods are Gluten, Soy, Peanuts, natural sweeteners etc.
If you are facing a lot of difficulty in losing the weight, you can try to eliminate these foods completely from your diet to see better results.
