How to lose weight after giving birth? How to reduce waist and belly after giving birth to second child? Complete guide to reduce waist circumference from 80 to 62 cm

The leftmost picture below was taken by my husband two months after my second child was born. It was a picture he kept on his phone and would take out from time to time to tease me: "Look, this is the real you." That was really the lowest point in my life, with a sagging belly, thick shoulders, thick thighs, and I was breastfeeding all day without paying attention to my appearance. But who hasn't been ugly before? Otherwise, how can we say that beauty is a lifelong practice? A few days ago, I sent my husband a photo of my waistline of 62 and said, "Delete the previous photo, this is me now!" It really felt like a pleasure to be proud.

Speaking of the topic of postpartum weight loss, Aunt Hua believes that the most difficult part to conquer is the waist and abdomen. Although the weight is removed, the belly is still too loose to be seen. How to save the "big belly" and get back to a "small waist" is the battle to lose weight after childbirth.

Aunt Hua's basic situation: I weighed 98 pounds before my first pregnancy, and 115 pounds after my second pregnancy. During pregnancy, except for my belly, there were no major changes in my limbs. Generally speaking, I was well under control. Whenever my friends expressed envy and said, "You are so lucky, you didn't change during pregnancy!" I thought to myself, "Oh my God! This is not a coincidence, nor is it luck. There are many schemes involved!" If you want to lose weight after giving birth without too much effort, you should consciously do enough homework during pregnancy.

(Results of three sessions of private training at the gym, one year after the birth of my second child)

How to effectively control weight during pregnancy

A girl said: I ate a lot during pregnancy, never had any diet restrictions, never exercised, and yet I didn’t gain weight. I lost weight immediately after giving birth. Congratulations, you can skip the following content.

Generally speaking, during pregnancy, you should not eat as much as you want. You should pay more attention to nutrition than usual, mainly vegetables and fish, and eat meat appropriately. Deep-sea fish should be chosen as fish, and beef has higher nutritional value as meat.

It is particularly important to note that:

1. Control sugar intake

You need to control your daily fruit intake. The standard amount is one slice of peach or half an apple. It is best to consume different types of fruits every day.

*Avoid fruit juice*

What is the difference between juice and fruit? A glass of juice usually requires several pieces of fruit to make up. It contains a lot of fructose and is high in calories. It also lacks fruit pulp fiber, so you don’t feel full enough and are prone to gaining weight.

*Less dessert*

It is easy to uncontrollably want to eat desserts when you are pregnant. In order to gain less useless fat, it is better to control yourself. Many relatives and friends around me have developed gestational diabetes due to eating too much fruits and desserts.

*Snacks*

The additives in snacks are not good for the development of the fetus, and eating too much will cause you to grow some annoying fat.

When Aunt Hua was studying in Europe, she had a very close Japanese friend. When she was pregnant, the Japanese obstetrician and gynecologist advised her to eat more deep-sea fish and to strictly control her fruit intake, requiring her to control her weight gain within 18 kilograms throughout her pregnancy (for reference only).

2. Maintain a certain amount of exercise

You should also maintain a certain amount of exercise after pregnancy. Walking and prenatal yoga are good choices. The purpose is to maintain a certain muscle tolerance, which is convenient for delivery and postpartum recovery.

If you can't stick to going out for a walk, walking on a treadmill at home at regular intervals is also a good choice.

Girls who have watched this great drama know that Charlotte York kept running even after she became pregnant. For girls who have good physical functions and have always had the habit of exercising, there is no problem in maintaining the habit of exercising after pregnancy under the guidance of a doctor.

How to get a slim waist after giving birth

Phase 1: Rectus Abdominis Recovery

In the late pregnancy, the enlarged uterus will stretch the abdominal muscles, causing the two rectus abdominis to separate from the linea alba, which is called rectus abdominis separation. After giving birth, the new mother's loose abdominal muscles cannot immediately return to their original position and shape, and the excess fat bulges in the abdomen, which greatly affects the appearance. The deeper the rectus abdominis separation, the weaker the abdominal muscles, the less support the waist and back, and the more likely it is to have back pain after delivery.

If you start doing abdominal exercises when there is still a lot of space in your abdominal muscles, you will run the risk of damaging your muscles.

The self-test method is as follows:

Lie flat on your back with your knees bent. Place your right hand on your stomach, palm down, fingers pointing to the pubic bone, and hand on the navel. Inhale, then exhale while gently lifting your head and shoulders off the ground, do sit-ups, and use your fingers to feel the gap between your abdominal muscles. If the gap is less than 2 fingers wide, it is normal. If the gap is more than 3 fingers wide, it is best to go to the hospital to consult a professional doctor.

How to improve rectus abdominis separation:

*Standing Abdominal Tightening*

Stand with your back to the wall, with your upper body against the wall, with the back of your head, back, and buttocks against the wall. Keep your feet 30 cm away from the wall. Inhale to prepare, exhale and tighten your lumbar spine against the wall, 10-15 times per set, repeat 5 sets.

*Plank*

Lie prone, with your elbows and shoulders perpendicular to each other, keeping them in a straight line. Do not collapse your waist, tighten your abdomen, do not collapse your shoulders, and press your elbows against the mat. Stay for half a minute each time, and repeat 3 sets.

The effective abdominal slimming methods that Aunt Hua tried during the rectus abdominis recovery period:

* Belly band*

Aunt Hua gave birth to both of her babies naturally. She put on a belly band the day after giving birth. A week later, I felt that my belly was indeed a little tighter. There is nothing mysterious about the belly band. Just remember to take it off when you sleep so as not to affect blood circulation.

*Abdominal tightening habit formation method*

After the confinement period, you should consciously keep your chest up and abdomen in during all your waking hours, except when you are sleeping. It will be difficult at first, but it will become a habit after a week of persistence. When you hold your abdomen in, your abdominal fat is constantly being burned and consumed, and before you know it, your muscles become firmer and your belly gets smaller. It also helps to restore your rectus abdominis and improve your personal temperament.

*Cling film exercise weight loss method*

After the rectus abdominis has recovered to a certain extent, increasing exercise is the key to weight loss. It is recommended to alternate between running and yoga, running for fat loss and yoga for body shaping.

Aunt Hua's rectus abdominis injury was not serious, so she started exercise training about 4 months after giving birth. She especially tried the simple and effective plastic wrap slimming method. She applied slimming cream on her waist and abdomen, wrapped them with plastic wrap, and then started exercising.

It is particularly important to note (pay attention): girls with sensitive skin should use plastic wrap with caution! Aunt Hua does not have sensitive skin, so she will not have any allergy problems even if she wraps herself in plastic wrap before going to sleep. However, girls with sensitive skin are prone to eczema or other skin problems after wrapping themselves in plastic wrap, so it is not suitable for them to use the plastic wrap weight loss method.

*Abdominal pose*

Do these small movements every day to slowly tighten your loose abdominal muscles.

- Cycling in the air -

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet raised so your calves are parallel to the ground.

Alternate between left and right legs like pedaling a bicycle

Do 3 sets, 30 seconds each, rest 10 seconds

-Glute bridge-

Lie on your back with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent

Lift your hips until there is a straight line from your knees to your shoulders

Return to the initial position

Do 3 sets, hold for 30 seconds each, rest for 10 seconds

-Leg lift and hold-

Lie on your back with your legs straight and flat on the ground

Lift your legs straight up to a 45-degree angle to the ground and hold

Do 3 sets, hold for 30 seconds each, rest for 10 seconds

-Alternate leg lifts-

Lie on your back with your legs straight and flat on the ground

Lift one leg perpendicular to the ground

Lift your legs alternately

Do 3 sets, 30 seconds each, rest 10 seconds

-Head and legs together-

Lie on your back with your legs flat on the ground

Lift your legs and upper body at the same time, hold for ten seconds and then return to the starting position

Do 3 sets, hold for 10 seconds each

-Arch bridge waist-

Lie on your back and push up with your hands

Hold for 10 seconds and return to the starting position

Do 3 sets, hold for 10 seconds each

*Dietary Adjustment*

There is no need to elaborate on how important diet is during breastfeeding. After weaning, you should immediately adjust your diet. Eat until you are 70% full at each meal, keep yourself hungry every day, and give up all snacks except for the main meal and fruit.

It is generally recommended that mothers who need to diet and lose weight after childbirth wait until after weaning. After all, the baby is the most important. Food intake during breastfeeding directly affects the quality of milk and the development and growth of the baby. Do not diet blindly to lose weight. In addition, it is best to consult a doctor based on your postpartum recovery before starting intense exercise training.

(Seven months after giving birth, after the rectus abdominis muscle has almost recovered, the waist circumference has dropped from 80 cm just after giving birth to 69 cm, but the belly is still there like a god)

Phase 2: Vest line training plan

After a period of self-training according to the methods and postures described above, my belly gradually became smaller, and my waistline shrank from 80cm after giving birth to 69cm, but I still couldn't get rid of the annoying belly, and the good-looking muscle lines were still not coming out. After reading the experience of many seniors, I decided to go to the gym to ask a professional coach for guidance. This decision turned out to be a good one. After just three training sessions, I started to have a vest line.

Should I hire a personal trainer for postpartum fitness and body shaping?

Aunt Hua believes that girls who have high demands on themselves should ask a personal trainer for one-on-one guidance as much as possible after the rectus abdominis recovers. The reason is very simple. For example, Aunt Hua had practiced squats according to the tutorial on KEEP before, and thought she had practiced well. Little did she know that when she came to the personal trainer, it took 20 minutes to correct the squat movement alone. She has taken three classes so far, and this movement still needs to be corrected from time to time. When to exhale, when to inhale, which part to exert force, and how to do it well, training under the guidance of a coach can avoid injuries and get twice the result with half the effort. In addition, the difficulty of shaping after childbirth is greater than that before childbirth, and professional guidance is needed to achieve the desired effect.

Generally, the training in the gym is a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Aerobic fat reduction and anaerobic body shaping are both indispensable.

First, let me introduce Auntie Hua's exclusive fat-reducing secret recipe. As we all know, to get a six-pack, you must first reduce body fat. To put it simply, if you don't have any fat on your belly, you can get a six-pack in a matter of minutes. For a middle-aged woman like Auntie Hua who has been sitting for decades at school and work, and has given birth to two babies, her metabolism is slower than when she was in her 20s. Add to that the occasional constipation, and the belly is simply a god-like existence. To deal with the small belly, Auntie Hua has her own trick - and calls it "the joyful running weight loss method."

I remember my senior year, when I was two weeks away from school after my summer internship. Everything in Shanghai was so "good looking", such as Jing'an Temple, the Bund, Xintiandi, and Tianzifang. I would go shopping from the dormitory in the morning until the evening, and I didn't even have time to eat lunch. Before I knew it, I had lost 10 pounds in two weeks! That year, I lost weight to 92cm, the lowest weight in history. I still remember clearly the expression on my roommate's face when he saw me on the first day of school: "Oh my God! Too thin!" Losing fat while shopping is definitely the most enjoyable way to lose weight in the world! Just last month, 10 years later, Aunt Hua, who had just given birth to her second child, repeated the same trick and walked around Europe for a month. I think it was because of her age that the weight loss was not so obvious this time, but she successfully eliminated her belly. This trick is still so effective.

Special attention should be paid to: First, walk as fast as possible. Walking slowly will not have much effect. Second, strictly control your diet and try to eat only two meals, and replace the other meal with a very small amount of fruit or vegetables. Or replace breakfast with apple honey water, and reduce lunch and dinner by half. Some girls asked, what should I do if I have to go to class or work and don’t have such a concentrated time for walking? It is recommended to insist on brisk walking for at least one hour every day during the lunch break or at night. If you have a treadmill at home, you can jog for half an hour. If you insist on it for half a month, you will see obvious results.

As for anaerobic exercise, here are a few short videos of coaches teaching "abdominal exercises" so that you can follow them and practice without going out.

* Elbow to knee cross crunch *