Ok, so this is part two of a three part series of articles concerning your “mummy tummy”. Recently, I discussed how new moms often feel a bulge or layer of fat around their mid-section, and no matter what they do, they can’t shift it! That’s the pillow-like feeling I referred to—and it can be a bit of a surprise postpartum.
So, let’s talk about diet and it’s impact on recovery and the mummy tummy! Diet and nutrition work in tandem and one often fuels the other. Personally, I always feel more motivated to eat well when I am also excising consistently and taking care of my mind and body in holistic ways. We need a thoughtful and sound diet rich with nutrients if we want to function optimally. We cannot expect to perform well in any capacity with anything less. And, we shouldn’t settle for anything less if we want to nourish, heal and speed recovery.
There are several reasons why postnatal women store fat around their middle. Here are a few of the leading offenders!
POOR DIET: Yikes, this can be hard! With my 22-month old nursling, my appetite continues to be ravenous! But, let’s evaluate our eating habits honestly: how many coffee mornings have you been to where you’ve treated yourself to a piece of cake over the last month, last three months? Were all of those “treats” necessary, and what steps did you put in place to ensure you burnt off those excess calories? If you did no exercise as a result other than a 20 minutes walk home with the stroller then, chances are, those cakes are now being stored nicely on your mid-section. That’s a bit of tough love, I realize…but still, it is important to ask yourself: do I need that piece of cake? Can my body do without that bar of chocolate today? Why am I rewarding myself with bad food? After all, we generally don’t feel better after indulgences such as these.
So, what can you do? Make sure you eat a breakfast that’s high in protein and green vegetable e.g. an omelette with smoked salmon and spinach which will help you feel fuller for longer, instead of cereal/fruit/toast which will give your body a massive insulin spike, then bring you crashing down an hour or so later. Ever wonder why you feel lethargic mid-morning? That’s because of the sugary carbs you’ve put into your system at breakfast. Any other sugary treats you eat afterwards also, will do much the same, so limit these items.
STRESS: Ok, now this is unavoidable. You have a newborn baby to look after, you’re doing absolutely everything humanly possible to ensure your baby’s needs are being looked after, BUT, how often do you turn this around and do something for YOU, instead? Probably never. Exercise, as you know, can help with stress and anxiety, so, next time you just feel completely overwhelmed, take your baby out for a walk in the park, or better still, arrange for someone else to look after him/her and do something for yourself instead e.g. have your hair cut, your nails done, book a personal shopping session, buy some new makeup, go for a swim, book yourself in for a pedicure/massage etc.
Getting your stress levels/hormones down, means your body is better at burning, rather than storing fat. The fat cells in your body just continue to multiply, unless you bring your hormone levels into balance. Changing your diet into a more high protein/green leafy veg combination is one way of doing this, as I’ve mentioned above, because the more green leafy veg you eat, the more alkaline your system becomes, and in turn, it becomes more efficient at burning off the fat cells.
LACK OF SLEEP: Now, I can see some of you rolling your eyes and letting out an involuntary groan here, muttering “but I have a newborn baby who’s not sleeping!”, however, remember, what I’m trying to do in this article, is to let you know the reasons WHY your mummy tummy just isn’t shifting, no matter what you’ve done up to now. Lack of sleep actually equals high stress and increased cortisol (stress hormone) levels, which ties in with the previous point I made about stress being bad for you. The less sleep you get, the more stressed you become, and the more likely you are to snack on the wrong foods because you’re constantly tired, and before you know it, that mummy tummy is there to stay, and this vicious cycle you’ve started just continues. I love my sleep, just like the next person, but, if you’re constantly in a sleep deficit, we’re going nowhere, and neither is that weight around your mid-section.
DEHYDRATION: If you’re breastfeeding, you’ll already know the importance of drinking water. This also applies if you’re bottle-feeding your baby too, so there’s no getting off lightly here. Put simply, the human body is made of up a fairly high percentage of water, and feeding it water, is a really useful way of flushing out the toxins in your system. The more neutralized your system is, the better it is at burning fat. Opt for 3-4 liters of water a day, filters if you can!
CAFFEINE: So, we’ve touched on poor diet, stress levels, lack of sleep and dehydration, and what’s next? Caffeine. Oh yes. Many of us LOVE a coffee or tea! I know I do! Your whole world may even revolve around it at the moment! I expect you’re thinking how can caffeine affect my mummy tummy? Well, it’s a conglomeration of everything I’ve already mentioned, plus the fact that caffeine dehydrates you. We drink caffeine to wake ourselves up, so, taking everything I’ve listed above into consideration, why are you still drinking it if: a) you’re not sleeping well, b) you’re stressed and c) you’re dehydrated? Hmmm…it just isn’t doing you any favors, is it?
How about swapping caffeinated drinks for fruit teas (keeping in mind than many varieties of green tea contain caffeine). Or cutting back a bit and swapping herbal tea for one of the cups you typically enjoy? You may even find yourself enjoying some various options and beginning new rituals with your herbal tea in hand. I know I am more likely to relax and curl up with a cup of tea; whereas with a cup of coffee, I’m more likely to clean my kitchen…which is helpful too!
Be patient with yourself and your evolving body as you take on the massive tasks of healing postpartum, caring for baby and adjusting to the role of mother! Simply bringing your awareness to this information is progress. Tune into the feedback from your mind and body and as you feel ready, implement change that suits and serves you.
You can look forward to part three of this series in which I will discuss how exercise can help to shift the mummy tummy!