Diet Plan For Post Pregnancy Weight Loss – Post pregnancy weight loss is a challenging task. Women are more conscious about their body after delivery. The hormonal changes in the body also affect your mood which affects your eating habits as well as the quantity of food you take at each meal.

A Simple 5-Step Postpartum Diet Plan For Busy Moms [Doctor Approved]

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What Is The Best Diet For Postpartum?

The best type of diet in the postpartum period is one that is varied and has adequate amounts of all 3 macronutrients.

Those macronutrients are:

• Carbohydrates
• Protein
• Fat

You might think that in order to lose weight fast, you have to do low carb, become vegan, do intermittent fasting, or put your body into a state of ketosis.

The good news is:

You don’t have to do any of these!

In fact, doing these diets can be detrimental to your health and well-being- especially for new mothers!

Instead, you must focus on consuming a balanced diet consisting of real, whole foods, with minimal processing is the best diet you should consume postnatally.

Let me show you how.

An Easy Postpartum Diet You Can Follow

So now let’s go over the postpartum nutrition diet plan. There are only 5 rules you have to follow.

Here are the rules.

1. You must eat at least two servings of whole grains per day

Carbohydrates are the macronutrient for energy. This is the food group that will keep you going, throughout the day.

The key is that they must be whole grains. These include:

• Brown rice
• Steel-cut oats
• Quinoa
• Farro

Don’t be afraid of these carbohydrates. They contain many vitamins (like the B vitamins) that you cannot get elsewhere!

2. You must consume at least two servings of lean protein per day

Protein is probably the most important macronutrient of the three.

It is the macronutrient that keeps you satisfied the most, and is responsible for the development and maintenance of lean muscle tissue.

This is especially important if you exercise regularly (which I’ll get to in a bit.)

The best protein sources include:

• Lean chicken breast
• Turkey
• Wild-caught salmon (limit to 1-2x per week if you are breastfeeding)
• Greek yogurt
• Tofu
• Edamame
• Legumes

If you could only focus on one thing for postpartum recovery, protein would be it.

3. You must consume at least two servings of healthy fats per day

Fat consumption is not something you should be afraid of.

It is a necessary nutrient that is vital for hormone production, hormone absorption, and cell membrane support.

For example, Vitamin D, one of the most essential nutrients for postpartum women is a fat-soluble vitamin.

However, it’s important that you consume the right kinds of fat.

In general, you should avoid trans fats at all costs, and keep your saturated fat intake to a minimum. Unsaturated fats tend to be the healthiest, especially the omega-3 fatty acids.

Here are the best sources of healthy fat:

• Nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios)
• Seeds
• Avocado
• Fatty fish (limit to 1-2x per week if you are breastfeeding)
• Chia seeds

I recommend keeping red meat intake to a minimum.

4. Add fruits and vegetables wherever you can

Everyone knows that they need to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

But the key is, you actually have to do it.

There is no way to satisfy your nutrient needs without these important food groups.

After reading this post, go ahead and make a list of fruits and vegetables you are going to eat every single day…

… starting today.

5. You must avoid liquid calories

Did you know that you could lose a decent amount of baby weight and improve your diet significantly if you stopped drinking your calories?

There are so many calories in soda, juice, milk, coffees, etc. If you simply cut all of these things out of your diet, you would see a big change in the way you look and feel.

Develop a Plan of Action for Postpartum Weightloss

Before you embark on the actual postpartum weight loss journey armed with what you think is a thorough postpartum dietary plan, you need to assess your situation, so that the course of action you take is the most suitable one.

1. Assess the Goal

The first step to your postpartum diet plan should be finding out exactly how much weight you have gained. Then, find out the ideal weight you should be at (taking factors like body tendency, height, lifestyle, etc. into consideration). Then arrive at the exact number of kilos you need to shed.

2. Give Yourself a Year

Now that you have a set goal in terms of the number of kilos you want to shed, spread that over a year. Yes, a year. Only gradual weight loss is healthy and sustainable, especially postpartum. So now, you have a monthly target.

3. Assess Your Body

Finally, Find out where your body is at! Are you lacking any nutrients? Do you need to take any postnatal supplements? If your pregnancy has been challenging, how much damage has it caused physiologically? Get concrete answers to these questions with the help of lab reports, and your gynaec and dietician/nutritionist.

4. Do Not Deprive

Is there a particular food you like? Is there something you just cannot give up? Then don’t! If you cannot live without potatoes, there is no sense in depriving your body of them. Food has a very personal connection to our mood; our mood, on the other hand, affects everybody’s mood in the house! That does not mean you are not allowed to throw a tantrum, that just means, you should not do something you don’t like!

5. Shake it, Baby!

No weight loss plan is complete without some amount of exercise. So get real, and put those shoes on! Even 30 minutes of brisk walking can be enough – the important thing to remember is to do it every single day, no excuses whatsoever!

6. Keep a Food Journal

This is a great way to watch what you eat, and assess which foods work better for your body. Some may find exceptional results with broccoli, others may find out chicken makes them drop that weight faster than anything else! Get intimately interested in your body!

7. Become Selfish

Every time you put anything in your mouth, ask yourself one question: What’s in it for me? This is the easiest way to stop yourself from snacking on the wrong foods and instead gorge on healthy, nutritious, nourishing food.

8. Can I Do This Forever?

Never adopt approaches for weight loss which you cannot follow throughout your life! That might sound ridiculous, but think about it: the minute you revert to ‘normal’ eating, you are going to put on weight, and then you are going to feel bad! So always focus on losing weight doing the things you can continue doing forever. Well, not ‘forever’, but for a long time anyway.

Postpartum Weight Loss Diet Plan

If you have completed 6 months post-delivery and are seeking a sustained weight loss solution, here is an expert-certified meal plan that will help you kickstart your journey.

	Early morning (7:00 am)	Breakfast (9:00 am)	Mid-morning snack (11:00 am)	Lunch (1:00 pm)	Afternoon (3:30 pm)	Evening Snack (6:00 pm)	Dinner (7:30 pm)
DAY 1	1 cup Lukewarm Lemon Water	1 Lauki Sandwich (2 bread slices) + 1 Guava	1 fistful Roasted Chana	2 Phulka (without oil) + 1 cup Soya Chunks Bhurji or Boiled Egg White Bhurji + 1 plate salad (1 cucumber, 1 tomato)	1 cup Green Tea	1 cup Khakra Chat	1 Jowar Bhakri / Rotla + 1 cup Moong Dal + 1 cup Bhindi Sabji
Day 2	1 cup Lukewarm Lemon Water	1 glass Strawberry Banana Smoothie	1 Plain or Flavoured Khakra	1 cup Quinoa Salad + 1 cup Sprouts	1 cup Green Tea	2 Aubergine Wraps	2 Phulka (without oil) + 1 cup Dal + 1 cup Cucumber Raita
Day 3	1 cup Lukewarm Lemon Water	1 cup Peaches and overnight oats	1 glass Tomato Smoothie	1 Wheat tortilla wrap with lentil and veggies / 1 Wheat tortilla wrap with chicken and veggies	1 cup Green Tea	3-4 Sweetcorn Salad in Tomato Boats	1 Spring Onion Jowar Thalipeeth + 1 cup Boiled chana chaat
Day 4	1 cup Lukewarm Lemon Water	1 Thepla Pinwheel + 1 cup mildly spiced yoghurt	1 Apple	1 cup Brown Rice with Stir-Fried Herbed Veggies + 1/2 cup Five bean salad	1 cup Green Tea	2 Cheesy Zucchini Boats	2 Phulka (without oil) + 1 cup Soya / Chicken Keema + 1 cup Mix Veg Raita
Day 5	1 cup Lukewarm Lemon Water	1 Bajra And Mix Vegetable Pancake with 1 cup Cooked Sprouted Moong	1 Plain or Flavoured Khakra	1 cup Curd Rice + 1 cup Mushroom Cabbage Salad	1 cup Green Tea	1 glass Cold Cucumber and Apple Soup with Lime	2 Phulka (without oil) + 1 cup Moong Dal + 1 cup Palak Baby Corn Sabji
Day 6	1 cup Lukewarm Lemon Water	1 Beetroot Roti with mildly spiced yoghurt	1 cup Organic Fruit and Nut Yogurt	1 Greek veggie wrap with spinach tortilla	1 cup Green Tea	1 cup Veggie Mix – Oil Free Salad	1 cup Protein-packed Soybean Starter + 1 cup Veg Fried Rice
Day 7	1 cup Lukewarm Lemon Water	1 cup Oats Berries Mania	1 fistful Roasted Chana	1 cup Spicy Fruit and Veggie Salad	1 cup Green Tea	2 pieces Peanut Chikki	1 cup Bajra Nu Khichadi + mildly spiced yoghurt

Expert Guidelines and Tips

• This meal plan will provide around 1200-1300 kcal per day, meeting a person’s daily calorie need.
• Lactating moms who are not exclusively breastfeeding (7-12 months) require an additional 520 kcal per day to compensate for the calories utilised in milk production. Increase portion size or add additional healthy snacks in order to do so.
• Baked products, pickles, papads, jams, and sauces should be strictly avoided. Baking soda is completely prohibited as well.
• Refrain from having any fried foods like samosas, sev and wafers. Consider cutting down on junk and processed food consumption. High-calorie food like potatoes and sago should also be avoided.
• This diet plan is low cal-low fat. The inclusion of protein in all major meals makes the diet fit for consumption by moms who aim to lose weight without losing muscle mass.

Diet and Exercise After Pregnancy

If you are breastfeeding, the food you eat helps your baby grow strong and healthy, too. Good eating habits and exercise will help you lose the weight you gained.

Healthy Eating Tips

Eat a variety of foods. Try to eat a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, grains, protein foods and diary each day. 

Drink plenty of liquids. Your body needs lot of fluid (about 6-10 glasses a day) especially if you are breastfeeding your baby. Drink mostly water, milk, and fruit juice.

Eat foods that have protein such as milk, cheese, yogurt, meat, fish and beans. Protein rich foods are important to help you recover from childbirth and keep your body strong. If you are under 18, or were underweight prior to pregnancy, you need to eat more protein.

Eat your fruits and vegetables. Try to make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables have vitamins and minerals that keep you healthy. They also have fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Make sure to wash fruits and vegetables under running cold water before eating them.

Lose weight safely. Talk to your doctor about safely losing weight after your baby is born. Losing weight too quickly can affect your breast milk supply. Do not take diet pills. They contain harmful drugs that can be passed to your baby through breast milk.

Take prenatal vitamins. If you are breastfeeding, it is a good idea to continue to take your prenatal vitamins. Your doctor can prescribe these pills so that your health insurance will cover a portion of the cost.

Limit junk foods. Soda pop, cookies, donuts, potato chips and french fries are okay sometimes, but don’t let them take the place of healthy foods!

Avoid these Foods when Breastfeeding

There are some foods and other substances that can be harmful to both you and your baby if you are breastfeeding.

Alcohol: Wine, wine coolers, beer, drinks like hard lemonade and other malt liquor beverages, shots and mixed drinks contain alcohol that passes to your baby through your breastmilk and can harm your baby’s brain and body development.

Caffeine: Caffeine is a stimulant that passes through breast milk to the baby and may affect growth. Caffeine is found in tea, coffee, chocolate, many soft drinks and over-the-counter medicines.

Swordfish, Shark, King Mackerel and Tilefish: These fish have high levels of a toxin called mercury. Mercury is harmful to your growing baby’s brain. If you eat tuna, it is okay to eat up to 6 ounces of canned tuna a week but make sure to choose light tuna.

Exercise After Pregnancy

Exercise helps you:

• Lose the weight you gained during pregnancy
• Reduce backaches, constipation and bloating
• Lifts your spirits and improves posture 
• Helps build muscle tone and strength 
• Promotes better sleep

Once your doctor says it is okay to start exercising, there are many ways to be active.

Walking is a great way to exercise because it puts very little stress on your body. Your baby will probably enjoy being walked in a stroller too. Try walking briskly for 20-30 minutes every day or at least 3 times per week. Meet with a friend or other new moms to go walking. It’s good to get out of the house and connect with friends or other new mothers. You will enjoy the chance to talk about your baby or to just be with other adults!

Exercise classes are another fun way to get in shape and sometimes you can find a class that will include your baby. For example, look for a mom and baby yoga class in your area.