Are you looking to lose the baby weight postpartum? In this blog post I share with you my best tips to lose weight postpartum with ease. No calorie counting or afternoon crashes because you’re not eating enough— just effective, sustainable weight loss tips that actually work.
If you’re looking to lose some weight after pregnancy– you’re not alone. After growing and delivering a baby, it can seem like the extra weight is never going to come off. It’s normal to struggle with weight loss during this phase, especially if you’re breastfeeding. But there are natural and effective tips that will help you move the process along and get you back to feeling like yourself in no time.
Before we dive in, always make sure to honor your body during this incredible time. Giving birth is the most incredible thing you’ll do— and your body is a miracle! Supporting it the right way is key to sustainable weight loss. And that’s exactly what I’m going to teach you how to do!
Tip #1 Focus on Blood Sugar Balance
When trying to lose weight, people often focus on the calorie count of foods instead of what the food is doing to your blood sugar levels. Losing weight isn’t just about burning more calories than you consume… It’s about maintaining balanced blood sugar levels throughout the day.
Blood sugar levels influence how your body stores and burns fat. Insulin is released in response to high blood sugar levels. So when you consume foods that are high in carbohydrates or sugar, insulin is released to store the extra glucose. Your liver and muscles can only store a portion of the glucose, and the rest gets stored as fat. Too much insulin in the body can also make it harder to dip into fat stores when you’re in need of energy. Making it even harder to lose weight.
So eating a diet that keeps your blood sugar levels balanced is essential when trying to lose weight postpartum. When eating for blood sugar balance, aim for about 30 grams of animal protein per meal, a serving of healthy fats, a fermented veggie and serving of fiber. If consuming carbohydrates with your meal, opt for complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are digested more slowly which helps prevent big spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels.
Here’s an example of a blood sugar balancing meal: 4-5 ounces of steak, half an avocado, a scoop of fermented sauerkraut, a handful of sprouts, and half of a baked sweet potato.
Tip #2 Don’t Skip Breakfast
I know it might be tempting to slug down your morning cup of coffee before consuming a nutrient-dense breakfast— but if you’re trying to lose weight, this will set you up for disaster. Skipping breakfast and opting for caffeine instead skyrockets your cortisol levels. Excessive cortisol levels lead to increased glucose levels (aka, high blood sugar). And as you just learned, high blood sugar leads to increased insulin, which leads to increased fat storage!
Make sure to be consuming a nourishing breakfast, rich in protein, healthy fats, and fiber. And drink your coffee or caffeinated beverage after breakfast, not before.
By nourishing yourself in the morning when your body is primed and ready for digestion, you’ll also avoid feeling ‘hangry’ later in the day and over-eating. A balanced breakfast will help provide you with the fuel you need to keep your energy levels up and your hunger stable.
Tip #3 Walk After Meals
Walking after meals, even for just 10-15 minutes, regulates blood sugar levels and boosts your metabolism— two necessary things that will help you lose the baby weight postpartum. Walking after meals helps your body process glucose more effectively and reduces the spike in blood sugar that occurs after eating. This will prevent excess glucose from being stored as fat. Walking after meals also increases your metabolic rate, which means that your body will burn more calories throughout the day.
If you can’t fit walking into your schedule after each meal, try to fit it in where you can. Maybe that means after-dinner family walks a few nights a week. Or walking your dog around the block after breakfast and soaking in the morning sun.
One of my favorite hacks is to add a weighted vest to your walking routine. It adds extra resistance to encourage muscle growth and boosted fat burning. You can also get yourself a walking pad for indoors that you can stick under your work desk or in front of the tv. This will help you get your daily steps in— which will not only help you lose the postpartum weight but also to keep it off!
Tip #4 No More Chronic Cardio
Chronic cardio, or excessive-exercise can negatively impact your weight loss goals. Chronic cardio impacts your body’s capability to regulate your hormones, metabolism, and muscle mass. This is because too much exercise increases cortisol (the primary stress hormone) in the body. Too much cortisol leads to inflammation, high blood sugar levels, and eventually— weight gain.
Short bursts of cortisol can be incredibly beneficial to our health, whereas long term stress is harmful to our health. So if you want to lose the postpartum baby weight, then it’s time to ditch the chronic cardio. Instead of long runs or HIIT training everyday, do this instead:
- 2-3 sessions of strength training per week. I rotate through mat pilates and weight lifting. Even just a 30 minute session can make a huge difference!
- Walking daily. Walk for 10-15 minutes after each meal is possible, or go for a morning or nighttime stroll daily. Add a weighted vest to ramp up your walking routine, or grab yourself a walking pad for indoors!
- Rebounding. One of my favorite low-impact exercise is rebounding— or jumping on a mini trampoline, also called a rebounder. It’s fantastic for lymphatic flow and detox, and you only need to jump for 10-15 minutes a day to reap the benefits.
- Sprinting once a week or every 10 days. Sprinting provides a short burst of cortisol, which increases muscle growth, promotes fat loss, improves metabolic rate and even reduces inflammation. Sprint for up to 30 seconds a handful of times with intervals of walking in between.
Tip #5 Go Non-Toxic
The products you put on your body either support your health or are harmful to your health. Most beauty products and cleaning products today unfortunately contain toxic ingredients that disrupt the endocrine system. Endocrine disruptors influence the body’s hormonal production— leading to weight gain by mimicking or blocking certain hormones. This disruption in your body’s hormonal system can lead to changes in metabolism and fat storage, often causing insulin resistance.
So if losing the baby weight (and being healthy!) is your goal— then it’s time to go non-toxic. Opt for clean and natural beauty brands and cleaning products, and make sure to read ingredient labels and do your research.
If restocking your beauty products and cleaning products is out of budget, then focus on replacing once thing at a time. A great place to start is by making your own DIY cleaning products at home, like this non-toxic all-purpose citrus cleaner.
Want More Effective Tips to Lose Weight and Keep It Off Postpartum?
My brand new membership, Rooted in Wellness, is designed to teach you how to feel and look your best by using sustainable, natural practices that actually work! No more counting calories, no more crash dieting, and no more low-energy, hungry days while you’re trying to lose weight! With 10 value-packed modules on topics like diet, exercise, non-toxic living, hormonal health, circadian rhythm and more, you’ll be able to identify which daily habits of yours might be holding you back from reaching your health goals. Plus, I’ll be offering live Q&As and coaching, weekly nutrient-dense meal plans, future crash courses and so much more! Click here to join the waitlist today— doors open late April, 2025! I’ll see you inside!
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