What is the best time to regain weight after giving birth?

At present, it is generally recognized in clinical and nutritional circles that 6 months after delivery is the golden window period for weight recovery, but this time is never a rigid standard and must be flexibly adjusted based on the mode of delivery, physical recovery, and feeding status.

The situation of the two mothers around me is very different. One was born naturally, with no tears or big wounds. After confinement, she walked slowly around the community for 20 minutes every day. She didn't drink oil soup every time she ate. She just ensured enough high-quality protein and vegetables, and ate a mixture of carbohydrates. In less than 4 months, she was back to her pre-pregnancy weight of 98 pounds. After postpartum review, all hormones and milk volume were completely normal. The other was a caesarean section with central placenta previa. There was a lot of bleeding during the operation. When she went for a follow-up examination 3 months after delivery, the doctor specifically told her not to rush to do exercises such as running, jumping, and doing abdominal curls. She always relied on diet to control it, and it was not until 7 months after delivery that she gradually started to exercise. Finally, around 9 months after delivery, she returned to her pre-pregnancy weight, and there was no problem at all.

I have come across two completely opposite opinions on the Internet before. One group says that you have to lose weight quickly after 42 days after giving birth, otherwise you will never lose weight again. The other group says that you cannot control your weight during the entire breastfeeding period, otherwise you will have no milk for your baby. In fact, both of these opinions are a bit too extreme. When I went to the nutrition department of the hospital for a postpartum follow-up, the doctor specifically said that as long as you do not rely on extreme dieting or starvation to lose weight, the daily caloric intake during lactation is 300-500 calories higher than before pregnancy, which is completely sufficient to provide milk. There is no need to drink elbow soup or old hen soup all the time. At that time, there was a mother in the same clinic who had gained 22 pounds due to excessive supplementation during confinement. After the 42-day review, she began to adjust her diet. She replaced the oil soup with vegetable juice and low-fat milk, and added 10 minutes of Kegel exercises and wall squats every day. She lost weight within half a year. Her baby gained more than two pounds every month, and the physical examinations were all above average.

There is really no need to worry about 6 months. There are mothers around me who started to seriously control their weight after their babies were weaned at 1 year old. It took them half a year to lose weight, and their physical condition is also very good. In fact, this so-called best time is essentially because the mother's hormone levels have not completely returned to pre-pregnancy within 6 months after delivery, and the metabolic rate will be faster than later. If you exert strength, you will get twice the result with half the effort. But if you really miss it, it is not a big deal that "you will never lose weight."

The only thing you need to pay attention to is not to mess around too early. For example, starting to wear waistbands and aerobics right after giving birth and before the confinement period. That will definitely not work. It will injure the pelvic floor muscles or the caesarean section wound. Instead, it will take more time to recover, which is not worth the gain.