Weight Loss After Pregnancy: How to Increase Your Metabolism

They say that if you want to get your body back, you need to increase your metabolism to lose weight after pregnancy. Of course, that is easier said than done. After all, it took nine months of steadily getting bigger. It’s only natural it will take some time to lose the weight you gained.

While breastfeeding and staying up at night certainly burns a lot of calories, these can only take you so far! In order to really shed those pounds, you must tweak your metabolism. By increasing it, you will be able to burn more fat, consume more calories and get fit faster than you imagine!

Losing weight after pregnancy can be something quite intimidating, but it really isn’t. It’s all about understanding how your body works. All you need to do is be smart about it. That’s where this article comes in!

Increase Your Metabolism to Lose Weight After Pregnancy

Before we begin, let’s get the basics out of the way! First off, metabolism is a term that describes the chemical reactions that take place in your body. Basically, it’s about how our body converts food and water into fuel. While you cannot alter your metabolism, you can influence your metabolic rate. This concept refers to the number of calories you burn.

When we say “increase your metabolism to lose weight after pregnancy” we actually mean raising your metabolic rate. The higher that rate, the more calories you burn, which only makes it easier for you to lose weight after pregnancy.

The philosophy is really simple, now let’s talk about applying it in real life. Here are 4 ways to increase your metabolism!

1. Drink Cold Water With Grapefruit

Sodas and juices are delicious, but they’re full of sugar – the number one enemy when dieting! Instead, opt for water with grapefruit, it has almost zero calories! However, the ideal is to drink cold water, as it is likely to help you lose weight more successfully. Why? According to studies, drinking water temporarily speeds up your metabolism. For every 17 ounces (0.5 liters) of water, your resting metabolism spikes by almost 30% for an hour. That is insane!

In order to ensure the spike is as big as possible, make sure the water is cold. Your body will use more energy to heat it by raising your body temperature.

2. Eat More Protein

While most people think meat when thinking about protein, rest assured, you can eat whatever source of protein you prefer. The idea is to lose the baby weight, not force anyone to become vegetarian.

Eating protein increases the metabolism for hours. This happens due to a process called TEF (thermic effect of food). In order to digest, absorb and process the nutrients in the meal, your body needs to burn calories. Yes, you read that right. In order to break down protein, your body burns calories!

Another reason why eating protein is good if you want to lose the extra baby weight is the fact that you’ll be less hungry throughout the day. According to a small study, people are likely to eat fewer calories per day when protein makes up 30% of their diet.

3. Movement

While high-intensity workouts and heavy lifting are great ways to increase your metabolism, doing these things after giving birth is forbidden. You can start bleeding and get in serious trouble.

So, in order to keep things safe and effective, we suggest you move more. Stand up, walk instead of driving and avoid sitting. A few hours of standing up can burn almost 200 calories. Take a nice walk outside with your baby. It’s a great way to bond with your child and lose weight!

4. Sleep

This one’s tricky if you’ve been blessed with a baby that keeps you up at night. However, science clearly linked lack of sleep to obesity. This means that you are likely to put on weight if you don’t sleep enough.

By making sure you get enough sleep, you keep your metabolism working properly. If you don’t get 8 hours of sleep per night, your body will produce more ghrelin – the hunger hormone- which will make you want to eat more.

Hopefully, you will manage to increase your metabolism to lose weight after pregnancy with these 4 simple tips. Remember, getting your body back after pregnancy is a process and it can take longer to get there. As long as you are being mindful about what you eat and maintain a healthy lifestyle, you will lose the baby weight safely and steadily!