Wondering how to get rid of the stubborn belly fat after giving birth?

Losing the post pregnancy belly is a top priority for a lot of new mothers, but it can be a lot harder than you’d think to get results. Pregnancy fat is known to be stubborn–even more so than regular abdominal fat. It’s hard to lose, but easy to gain.

But if you’re serious about getting back into shape, these tips can help flatten your tummy in no time at all. You can be back to your pre-baby body just weeks or months after giving birth.

Why Do I Still Look Pregnant?

You might be surprised at the look of your stomach after birth. Even though the baby is gone, you may still have a rounded midsection–your tummy will look smaller than before, but you could still look like you’re several months pregnant.

Some women will also have a dark line down their abdomen. This is called a linea nigra. You’re also likely to see stretch marks along your abdomen, caused by the extensive stretching of your skin during pregnancy.

Nine months of stretching is a long time. So it’ll take a long time for your body–especially your belly–to fully recover.

Birth triggers the hormone changes that will cause your uterus to contract to its normal size. But this process can take six to eight weeks.

In addition, all the extra fluids in your body that accumulated during pregnancy will be eliminated through the body in a few weeks time.

But this can still leave a stubborn excess of abdominal fat around your middle–that doesn’t always go away over time. While stretch marks can fade, fat isn’t as easy to get rid of.

Types of Belly Fat

There isn’t just one type of fat that accumulates in your belly. There are two different types–subcutaneous and visceral belly fat. Subcutaneous belly fat is what most people complain about when they talk about their weight. It’s a layer of stomach fat that’s visible on your abdomen.

Visceral fat, on the other hand, isn’t outwardly visible. It’s much deeper than subcutaneous fat, and it’s designed to help protect your internal organs.

Pregnancy fat builds both subcutaneous and visceral body fat. Getting completely healthy and achieving a toned post pregnancy belly will require losing some of both.

What Causes Belly Fat?

A lot of your belly fat can be blamed on your recent pregnancy. But not everybody experiences pregnancy in the same way–and there might be other reasons for the padding around your midsection.

Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Genetics

Some people genetically carry more belly fat than others. This is due to traits passed down from your parents. It can also just be a part of your biological makeup, and it’s how your body functions normally.

Hormones

Hormones are the main driving factor behind changes to your body during pregnancy. Some hormones have a greater influence on weight gain and the way you store fat.

For women, in particular, a rise in estrogen levels during pregnancy can lead you to gain more weight on your belly, breasts, and thighs. This primes the body for breastfeeding and keeps the baby safe during pregnancy.

Another way that hormones can lead to weight gain is through stress. The stress release hormone called cortisol is elevated during high-pressure situations. Over time, this can lead you to store more fat.

Abdominal Separation

In two-thirds of pregnancies, an issue can arise called abdominal separation. This involves the separation of the abdominal muscles in the middle of the stomach.

It’s more likely to occur with older mothers. But for any woman who experiences abdominal separation, it can lead to a bulge on your midsection.

How to Lose Your Post Pregnancy Belly

Now that we know where all the fat is coming from, it’s time to find out how to get rid of it. With the tips below, you can shed the extra weight quickly, safely, and naturally.

1. Reduce Your Sugar Intake

This first tip will already make a big difference in your belly fat. Try to cut down your sugar intake–or cut it out entirely.

Stick to healthy, natural sugars that you find in fruit and try to avoid added sugars.

Start building a healthy eating habit. During the stressful post-birth period, you might be tempted to turn to cheaper, easier meals. Try your best to stick to nutritious foods that are natural and rich in protein.

A mix of fruit and vegetables (and less sugar in your diet) won’t just help you cut down the belly fat–it will keep you healthy, give you more energy, and let you take good care of your kids.

2. Cut Down on Alcohol Consumption

Alcoholic drinks are unhealthy in a lot of different ways–and cutting them out of your diet is especially crucial after pregnancy.

Most alcoholic drinks are full of sugar or other added sweeteners. It’s also harmful in that it can interfere with your levels of hormones. This might lead to your body to prioritize fat storage over other tasks.

The most well-known risk with alcohol is that it lowers your inhibitions. Not only can this be hazardous for your kids, but it might lead you to make poor diet choices. When you drink alcohol, you’re more likely to reach for fat heavy and sugar loaded snacks.

3. Breastfeed If You Can

One of the simplest ways to help you cut down on weight gain after pregnancy is breastfeeding.

Especially in the early months after childbirth, breastfeeding burns extra calories to help you produce milk. This means you’ll lose weight more quickly than women who don’t nurse.

Nursing is also closely connected to your hormones. It triggers contractions that help shrink your uterus faster and puts tension on your abdomen to keep it toned.

It’s also possible that some of the weight gain during pregnancy is in order to aid in milk production. These additional fat stores are meant to protect you after birth and keep your child fed.

Therefore, following through on breastfeeding can help restore your body to its previous state.

4. Exercise

The first month or two after birth are the most important in shedding extra belly fat. To help speed up pregnancy weight loss, be sure to exercise consistently.

Try to do 30 minutes of cardio at least three times a week, but more if you can. Low impact cardio is best for the first few weeks–don’t strain your body if you’re still recovering.

After that, try to up the intensity if you feel up to it. Weight training, resistance training, and core strengthening exercises can help melt the fat away a lot faster.

A high-intensity program will allow you to:

• Tone up your body
• Strengthen your abdomen
• Reduce back pain
• Burn excess fat on stomach and thighs

5. Stay Hydrated

55% to 70% of your body is made up of water, so losing fluids can have big consequences.

Especially after pregnancy, it’s important to stay hydrated in order to lose weight.

Being dehydrated will affect your strength, energy, and concentration, making daily activities more challenging than they need to be.

Plus, hydration is linked to faster weight loss. It can naturally suppress your appetite, help you burn calories, and clean out the waste in your body.

Be sure to drink plenty of water each day–try swapping out caffeinated drinks or sodas with water.

7. Consider a Non-Invasive Procedure

New technologies mean that there’s no shortage of ways to reduce fat naturally. You don’t need to worry about long post-surgery recoveries.

With a non-invasive fat removal procedure, you can use ultrasound technology that can destroy the fat cells in your body and naturally release the fat from your body. The muscles, tissue, and nerves will be completely unaffected, so you won’t experience any pain or recovery downtime.

You can start seeing effects as early as two weeks, and a significant reduction in fat after a month.

Toning Your Post Pregnancy Belly

By combining healthy living habits, exercise, and other procedures, you can shed those extra stubborn pounds from giving birth. But in order to really tone your post pregnancy belly, you’ll have to turn all these tips into a habit.

Even if you’re losing fat naturally through a procedure, you’ll still need to combine it with healthy foods, plenty of water, and regular exercise. You’ll have to build the discipline to keep to these healthy habits instead of going for the easy option.

It might not be easy to do, but with the right goals in place, you can make belly fat loss a lifestyle priority in just a few weeks.

Looking for a natural, non-invasive fat removal procedure? Want to get back to your pre-pregnancy self? Contact us to learn more about what we can do for you.