How to lose baby weight....
The easiest way, of course, to lose some of it is to have the baby.
But what about the other 10-20-30lbs that are put on?
Kaiser Permanente in California has another answer, or at least another variable.
Sleep...
Women who are sleeping just 5 hours or less a night six month after the baby is born were 11 lbs heavier than one year before giving birth.
Women who were back to sleeping 7-8 hours a night lost more weight.
Can't eat when you are asleep perhaps.
"We've known for some time that sleep deprivation is associated with weight gain and obesity in the general population, but this study shows that getting enough sleep -- even just two hours more -- may be as important as a healthy diet and exercise for new mothers to return to their pre-pregnancy weight," says KP.
Now that the women know what they need to do to lose weight, what they really want to know is "How can I get more sleep for both me and my baby?"
Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care say they are working on another study to answer that question.
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Having experienced weight gain from babies for three times now, I would also suggest losing the weight by sleeping AND letting the baby co-sleep with you. This practice is now becoming more common and widely-accepted by parents. It's good for the baby and good for mom too. Lessens the nervous thinking of "is the baby still breathing" by allowing mom to rest easier because the baby is right next to her. Works wonderfully!
Posted by: Bridget | November 28, 2007 4:28 PM | Permalink to Comment