Why you should lose weight quickly after your pregnancy

From MSNBC.com:

Speed counts in losing post-pregnancy weight: If you do not return to pre-pregnancy weight in six months, chances are you will keep those pounds...

Q: I’m pregnant with my first child, and I’m worried that pregnancy will permanently — and badly — affect my body and how much I weigh. Can you tell me what it will do?

A: One of the biggest worries of my pregnant patients (after their concern about the well-being of their baby and the potential trauma of delivery) is post-pregnancy weight.

If you gain more than the recommended 20 to 25 pounds during pregnancy, or if you don’t lose the extra weight within six months of delivery, you are statistically likely to carry an extra 20 pounds ten years later. If you are overweight to begin with, that number is even higher. The six-month window for losing pregnancy weight seems to be critical.

During pregnancy, placental hormones increase your appetite and foster fat accumulation. This fat provides calories for the developing baby and later for the production of breast milk, which is 50 percent fat.

Once the baby is born, you must stop eating for two and start exercising. Most women can safely exercise — even swim — within four to six weeks. Obviously, if you have had an episiotomy, wait to get on a bicycle seat or exercise equipment that applies too much pressure until it’s healed, usually within six weeks.

Breastfeeding expends about 500 calories a day (and is the healthiest way to nourish the baby for the first year). So breastfeeding will give you a weight advantage over bottle-feeding.

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