Why you can’t lose weight after childbirth: 7 main reasons

Psychosomatics: it’s all in the head

Psychologists believe that diet and exercise are not the only factors responsible for how we look. The body can store fat in response to signals from our subconscious mind.

“Excess weight is an attempt to protect oneself from danger, to isolate ourselves from troubles with extra pounds,” explains the clinical psychologist. Anton Antonov.

According to the expert, we save up centimeters at the waist in order to save ourselves from stress. And we seize experiences for this very reason. In addition, the matter may be in self-hypnosis or excessive sensitivity to other people’s words: it is said that it is almost impossible to throw off what was typed for pregnancy, which means it is impossible.

And being overweight is a sign of self-depreciation. When a woman takes any criticism as objective, and there is absolutely not enough faith in herself, the body begins to accumulate extra pounds, fencing itself off from unpleasant reality.

“This is a fat-shaped airbag,” says Anton Antonov.

The habit of finishing up for children

This problem is especially common if there are several children in the family. It seems that a little remains on the plate, just a couple of spoons, and throwing away good food is stupid and wasteful. But here lies the danger: you will not gorge on small spoons, so then eat your “adult” portion as well. And small spoons will be just those surpluses that will inevitably grow to the sides.

“So that the child gets more”

When a woman is breastfeeding, a lot of advice is poured on her, especially about diet. A common opinion: you need more high-calorie and fatty so that the baby gets as much nutrients as possible. But the calorie and fat content of mother’s food does not affect the benefits of milk for the little one.  

“Mom should eat high quality and varied food. The diet should be selected so that lactation increases, not weight, ”says the doctor and mother of five children. Olga Dvoryashina.  

Lack of sleep and eternal stress

It’s all about hormones. During sleep, melatonin, the sleep hormone, is produced. He is also responsible for metabolism. The less melatonin, the more cortisol, the stress hormone. He makes us seize up experiences, store up energy in case of a sudden crisis. And if objective stress is added here, then the level of cortisol skyrockets. You can calm it down only by rest and sleep. If there is neither one nor the other, the brain forces us to eat.

Little water

The first thing that any nutritionist and fitness trainer advises when you embark on a weight loss journey is to drink water. Not just a glass in the morning, but one and a half to two liters a day. Many are afraid that from such an amount of fluid only edema will become more, but in fact, on the contrary – by updating the fluid balance in the body, you will get rid of edema. But when there is not enough water, our body begins to store it.

By the way, tea and coffee do not count – they are liquid, but not water.

Diastasis after childbirth

Then swing the press, do not swing – if the discrepancy of the abdominal muscles is serious, you cannot do with exercises alone. Although a small diastasis can be corrected with the help of training (here you can see which ones). But if the discrepancy is significant, only the surgeon will help here. And don’t be afraid! Tummy tuck is one of the most gentle operations.

By the way, stitches after cesarean are a separate problem. Not only are the loads after the operation strictly limited, but also the fat begins to accumulate right above the seam. Much depends on the skill of the surgeon who delivered the childbirth, but even more work on oneself will be needed.  

Diets and restrictions

Experts warn: if you strictly torment yourself with diets, starvation, eat once a day and a handful, you will not only worsen the quality of breast milk, but also tear your psyche. But whether it will be possible to lose weight – this grandmother said in two. After all, any strict restriction leads to an inevitable breakdown, stress, stress seizure and further in a circle. Therefore, it is not a diet that is needed, but a healthy meal plan on which you will not starve, and all the nutritional needs – both yours and your baby – will be met.

By the way, even the stars do not always manage to get in shape quickly. Scroll through our gallery – in it we have collected those celebrities who had to work hard on their figure after giving birth.