These LIVESTRONG.com readers all saw results with Noom.

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You've heard it a hundred times: Anything that sounds too good to be true when it comes to weight loss probably is. But when every weight-loss program out there promises undeniable results, how do you know which ones are legit and which ones are just marketing spin?

The key is looking at people's real-life experiences, which is why we asked LIVESTRONG.com readers across the Unites States to share the weight-loss approach that worked for them.

One standout? Noom, the psychology-based weight-loss program that emphasizes adjusting habits to help people lose weight and keep it off. Keep reading to hear what three LIVESTRONG.com readers had to say about how this weight-loss approach fit into their lifestyles.

Michele Giannini | Clinton Township, New Jersey

Giannini lost 28 pounds using Noom, which she credits to the psychology behind the program.

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Working long hours in an office environment for over 20 years and having two children, my weight had crept up. I would get inspired and do cleanses or extreme diets that severely restricted one food group. I would lose weight, but always gain it back (and then some) when not adhering to the strict guidelines.

I also enjoyed workouts such as CrossFit or other high-intensity workouts. I'd get really into a program and inevitably get injured. I had a high-stress job and life in general, and I noticed a year or two ago that even my workouts made me feel more stressed. I would get stronger and more fit, but generally not lose weight. Nothing ever felt right long-term. Nothing seemed sustainable.

In February, I saw an ad online for a free trial for Noom. I loved it right off the bat and signed up for a membership. I set my goal at 135 pounds, which was about 22 pounds from where I started. Once I reached that goal, I set another five-pound goal. In total, I've lost about 28 pounds, and my lifetime goal is to maintain within five pounds of my current weight.

The major difference for me was the psychology behind Noom. The articles I'd read daily and the quizzes and self-assessments taught me so much. My thoughts completely changed regarding food and exercise. I learned why I ate the things I ate, and when, and how much. And because I am more concerned with movement over exercise, I'm enjoying walks and other gentler exercises that alleviate my stress rather than add to it. I feel so strong and healthy and I've never received so many compliments. The impact has truly been immeasurable, and I love how I'm now able to inspire others.

Nolan Carlson | West Fargo, North Dakota

Carlson loves that Noom focuses on education around food, not eliminating specific foods from your diet.

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I've tried a number of different diets, but ultimately they've resulted in short-term progress. I was looking for an app-based program so I always had it with me, and when I saw the commercial for Noom I thought I'd give it a try. I've been using it for about two months now, and I've lost 10 pounds.

Noom is different from other diets I've tried because it uses a plan based on caloric density. It doesn't eliminate foods from your diet, but instead educates you on why certain choices are more beneficial for you than others. Noom also gets into the psychology and physiology of dieting and cravings why your body signals you to eat at certain times, and why you feel urges to binge or grab something salty or sweet. Every day has reading lessons to help you make smarter choices, and you have the opportunity to share with a personal coach or a group.

Some of my favorite things about the Noom program are the daily weigh-ins, logging my food and the fact that I can still eat a wide variety of foods without starving myself or being on a non-sustainable diet.

The program works, but it still requires discipline. That's the key to any diet. Any diet is only as good as the person willing to follow it. Much of my lack of progress is a result of me ignoring the lessons Noom has shared.

Loretta Flynn | Warrenton, Virginia

"Noom helped me understand my relationship with food better than any other method Ive tried," says Flynn.

Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative

I've been trying to lose 10 pounds all my life, with limited success. I was looking at weight-loss programs on the internet when COVID-19 first hit in March, and when Noom popped up, it said that they were giving free memberships because they didn't want anyone who was struggling to not have a resource that could help them. Since many people didn't have an income at that time, I thought that was really big of them to do. So I signed up and paid the fee as a donation.

I lost six pounds in my first six weeks of using Noom, and I love it because the sense of humor in the daily readings makes them educational but also entertaining, so you look forward to them. I also love that it doesn't dictate any particular foods. All foods are allowed, they just educate you on which ones are going to be more filling for you, and which ones are going to help you stay on your goal path better. Plus, every once in a while they'll send you a message that says, "You've been working hard, why don't you have a treat today?" Which is really nice, instead of saying, "Cookies are bad, don't eat them."

In fact, it doesn't label any foods as "good" or "bad," which was a huge breakthrough for me. I love potato chips, and Noom would say, "Potato chips are potato chips. They are neither good nor bad. Potato chips have a lot of sodium. Do you want to intake a lot of sodium today?" You can answer that question however you want, without feeling guilty for eating a "bad" food. It takes the emotion out of it.

Overall, Noom is different from other diets I've tried because it's not so much a diet as a journey to understand your eating patterns and how to break them. It challenges you to question why you crave the things you crave, which is important because for sustainable weight loss you need to change your eating habits, and that starts with understating your motivations. If you can identify, "I'm eating this because I'm stressed," the next time you're stressed you might make a different decision about food. Or you might not. But at least you have the information. Noom helped me understand my relationship with food better than any other method I've tried.

Want to try it? Noom gives you the support and tools you need to stay focused on your weight-loss goals. Try Noom today.

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This Is the Weight-Loss Program That Actually Worked for LIVESTRONG.com Readers Across the Country - LIVESTRONG.COM

TikTok is banning advertisements that promote unhealthy weight loss tactics and products in an effort to make the app safer for its users.

In a statement published on September 23 by TikTok's Safety Policy Manager, Tara Wadhwa, the social-media platform announced that it is banning advertisements that promote fasting apps and weight loss supplements.

TikTok's statement says that one way it's making the app safer is through its new advertisement policies, which will restrict ads that promote products with exaggerated or problematic weight-loss claims, as well as ads that reference weight loss and body image.

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The restrictions for users under 18 come after a weight loss product known as "metabolism drops" were recalled after teens used them in a TikTok challenge.

TikTok's recent statement adds that users can report any ads or content that promote negative body image by clicking report and listing the reasons as "self-harm."

Users can also long-press on any video and select "not interested," then choose to hide future videos with the same sound or from the same creator, TikTok advises.

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TikTok bans advertisements for weight loss products amid concerns they contribute to a culture of 'body shamin - Business Insider India

Michal Mor hopes that one day, checking metabolism could be as routine as brushing your teeth. The vision is that everyone manages lifestyle based on their unique metabolism, she says. Its this metric that will help us live longer and healthier.

In May, Mor and her twin sister Merav both of them Ironman competitors with doctorates in psychology launched Lumen. The device, they say, helps users track and hack their metabolism. Its a simple concept: Breathe into the small black device, no bigger than an asthma inhaler, and receive a status report on what's called your metabolic flexibility. Then use that information to make lifestyle changes to boost performance and see an uptick in health.

The gadget has arrived among rising clamour from biohackers, intermittent fasting aficionados and rival tech developers (such as ketosis tracker Keyto) that insist the secret to a long, healthy life boils down to one major thing: our metabolism.

Are they right?

Loosely speaking, metabolism refers to the bodily processes that supply us with energy. These collective processes are designed to move primarily between two major states: absorptive (fed) and postabsorptive (fasting). In the former, usually after a meal, the body burns carbohydrates from food and stores excess as glycogen for later use. In the latter, it burns this stored fuel instead. (There is a third state, starvation, but it only occurs where the body is deprived of nutrients for an extended period of time and begins to break down muscle.) Metabolic flexibility is the term used to describe the efficiency and speed with which you move between the two states.

Despite throwing up 42 million search results on Google and acting as the main talking point at biohacking summits the world over, the concept of metabolic flexibility has only been circulating for about two decades. In 1999, endocrinologist David E. Kelley compared the effects of an overnight fast on lean versus obese patients. Leaner people, he found, adapted far more quickly, their bodies promptly switching to a postabsorptive state. Obese patients didnt adapt nearly as fast they were metabolically inflexible.

In the years since Kelley coined the term, its become very sexy, says Eric Ravussin, director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. In fact, its been adopted as a sort of shorthand for optimal health. Red hot chilies, ice-cold showers and endless cups of green tea are just a few of the hacks recommended online by people who argue we can push our metabolism more efficiently between these two states to achieve goals in weight loss, exercise and overall health.

As Kelleys initial discovery would suggest, there is evidence of a link between metabolic flexibility and both weight management and exercise. A 2019 paper published in Cell Metabolism found the bodys ability to switch between fuels in response to the composition of diet was linked to a susceptibility to weight gain. And a review published in the same journal two years earlier highlighted evidence that efficiently matching fuel availability with metabolic machinery could help boost athletic performance.

But Merav Mor, and other advocates, go far beyond metabolic flexibility as a tool for weight loss or shaving a few seconds off a 100-meter sprint. They claim that it can help create a stronger immune system, improve sleep and boost longevity.

The science doesnt back up these broader health claims, though, says Ravussin. Not least because a robust human study would take 100 years, he points out. The only indicators we have of a link between metabolic flexibility and longevity right now are in mice. A 2015 review in Nature Cell Biology confirmed that studies have shown calorie restriction in mice can improve metabolic flexibility and increase lifespan.

It's like any other kind of bright, shiny object, says Susan Roberts, lead scientist of the Energy Metabolism Team at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. Something new comes into science, and it sounds so attractive we think that maybe it's the solution to everybody's problem. But does metabolic flexibility account for 1 percent of health? 50 percent? 0.01 percent? That, for me, remains the question.

The other question is, what can we do about it?

The creators of Lumen say we all have the capacity to hack metabolic flexibility for optimal health. Its devices provide users with a metabolic level based on the composition of a single breath, or whats known as respiratory quotient (RQ). The idea is that when our metabolism is in a postabsorptive or fasted state, less carbon dioxide is released. Holding your breath for 10 seconds before exhaling into the device, Lumen say, captures this RQ and gives an accurate reading on your current metabolic state.

The premise is that a healthy body is one that relies on fat stores in the morning, says Mor. If the device detects this postabsorptive state first thing, then youre on the right track. If not, Lumen recommends lifestyle changes around sleep, exercise or diet, that help you improve it for next time. Easy.

Or is it?

There are links between lifestyle factors and metabolic performance. Sleep deprivation can damage overall metabolic health, for instance, while regular exercise can help prevent diseases linked to metabolism, such as type 2 diabetes.

But our ability to hack metabolism is limited. Your metabolism is mostly determined by your body composition and your genetic background, says Ravussin. Back in the 90s, Ravussin studied Pima Indians living in Arizona over an eight year period a group with the second highest prevalence of obesity in the world. Genes, he discovered, were crucial.

Even [which] Mor accepts that factors such as age and historic activity levels play into the extent to which you can tinker with metabolism. But theres no question about seeing improvement, she says.

For Roberts, of all the various ways we can boost health, painstakingly tracking metabolism isnt where she would focus efforts now. We need another couple of years of studies and then maybe it'll prove to be important, she says. But at this point, there are more important things. Do you eat junk food? Do you eat late at night? Do you stop eating at 6 p.m. and give your stomach time to recover? These are areas with really good evidence. This is all just a bit premature.

Read the original here:
Can You Boost Your Metabolism? Here's What the Science Says - Discover Magazine

Between the deadly pandemic, a nationally televised police killing, protests, counterprotests, cities under siege, apocalyptic fires in a country, if not a world, gone mad, the deaths of our heroes have come and gone with so little fanfare these last months. The scroll includes parents, teachers, laborers, veterans of war, public servants and, yes, athletic icons, some with barely more than a eulogy and never the full celebration their lives warranted.

Everyone has several somebodies they didnt get to give a proper send-off since March. My personal list includes four men who made extraordinary contributions to the world of sports and beyond, and who also died within 171 days from early April through Tuesday: Bobby Mitchell, Wes Unseld, John Thompson and Gale Sayers.

Im grateful to have known all four; the first three, at least initially, from covering their careers for The Washington Post, and the fourth because I idolized him as a child and was fortunate to know him personally, later in life.

Each lived long enough Unseld was the youngest at 74 that none died, what youd call, tragically. None was even a surprise. All four had fought serious health issues in recent years. But the death of each was jarring, in part because of how quickly one followed the other and in part because each had become such a giant three of them in greater Washington, all four of them Hall of Famers in their respective sports yet still undervalued for the impact they had on countless lives.

John Thompson Jr. watches the team during practice for the NCAA mens Final Four at the Georgia Dome on March 30, 2007, in Atlanta.

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It was Big John, when I was in my 20s first covering Georgetown basketball, who impressed upon me (as my father had as a teenager) that occupation, no matter how lofty, usually did not square with obligation when youre Black. Ill never be afforded the luxury of being only a coach in the conventional sense, I can remember Big John saying, and I doubt the circumstances of your birth will afford the luxury of you being only a writer.

One morning back in the late 1980s, the phone rang in my apartment and it was Coach. He said he wanted me to come down to the office and meet him in front of McDonough Arena in his car. I did, having no idea where we were going. Turns out, he wanted to find Rayful Edmond, the notorious drug trafficker who was trying to get a little too close to two of Thompsons players, Alonzo Mourning and John Turner. I wondered, but was a little too overwhelmed in that moment, what we were going to do if we found him.

Big John drove and talked and I guess I observed. We stopped at a barbershop or two, gas stations, playgrounds, corner stores, the Boys Club. Never found Edmond. But Big John, and it sticks to me more than any of the details of that morning drive, was utterly fearless. This surely wasnt in the manual on how to be a college basketball coach, but was exactly one of those things Big John felt a moral and personal obligation to do. You think the people assessing his win-loss record that season took that manhunt to protect his kids into account? Edmond, with the word on the street everywhere he went, wound up reporting directly to Coach Thompsons office.

Hall of Famer Wes Unseld during his time playing with the Washington Bullets.

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Unseld did similar things, most of which, like Big John, he kept to himself. Im certain that John Chaney and Clarence Big House Gaines and George Raveling, just to name a few, had similar vigilance to keep. But I know of at least one player who owes his very life to Unselds crafty intervention, but probably, to this day, doesnt know it.

Ive known dozens of professional athletes, some of superhuman strength, but exactly nobody as strong as Unseld. One day after a media scrum as the reporters surrounding him began to wander away, Unseld wanted me to stay put for a continued chat and gently put his forearm on my hip to keep me from moving. I couldnt. He didnt change expression and I felt paralyzed, at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds at the time, until he removed his arm. How else do you think he dealt with Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Big Bob Lanier and Willis Reed in the post for 13 seasons? Magic Johnson tells the story of his first encounter with Unseld, as a rookie in the 1979-80 season, when he tried to run through an Unseld screen, only to wake up on the Lakers bench with the trainer holding smelling salts under his nose. You know how many people in todays NBA are as physically tough as Unseld was? None. Zero. Nobody.

In the early 1990s, during a conversation with the uber-talented Chris Webber one night when he was with the Washington Bullets, I asked why he didnt want to play center even though his skills suggested he could and perhaps should. Ill never forget Webbers answer: Wes Unseld, he said, is the center of the Washington Bullets. This conversation came 13 years after Unseld had retired as a player, and I simply nodded because the answer was both absolutely correct and brilliant.

Todays players now have zero clue as to how Unseld could average 10.8 points for a career and have been named one of the leagues top 50 players. When Unseld died on June 2, NBA commissioner Adam Silver called his career consequential, and it was just that.

Halfback Bobby Mitchell of the Washington Redskins does a spin move in the open field during a 37-14 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 15, 1963, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.

Nate Fine/Getty Images

Mitchell was the one of the four I got to know best because, besides being assistant general manager of the Washington team, he was one of my father-in-laws best friends. They played golf together and I was often recruited to tag along. He was Uncle Bobby to my wife. Over time, the better I knew his story, he became something of a football god to me, a man who had the unenviable task of integrating a Washington NFL team whose owner didnt want it integrated.

George Preston Marshall once said on the record to The New York Times, We take most of our players out of the Southern colleges and are trying to appeal to Southern people. Those colleges dont have any Negro players.

They also didnt have any who, as Mitchell did, led the team in receptions and yards receiving in 1962, despite the weight of the responsibility of being The First. I loved hearing after a round of golf the off-the-record stories about Bobby Kennedy, the presidents brother and Mitchells admirer, checking in on the newest prominent Redskin after he was traded to Washington from the Cleveland Browns once the Kennedy administration made it known Marshall would either integrate his team or be forced out of the new Washington stadium, funded by so many dollars from Black Washington taxpayers.

Despite the insults and slurs Mitchell faced (a white patron spat on his shoe in a downtown Washington restaurant the night before his first game), it was being passed over twice for the position of general manager in the late 1980s that hurt him most. Oh, the Redskins stayed true to their colors long after Marshall had traded for Mitchell.

Gale Sayers of the Chicago Bears carries the ball in a mid-1960s NFL game. Sayers played for the Bears from 1965 to 1971.

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There was a certain professional distance, as a reporter, I was obliged to keep while covering Thompson, Unseld and Mitchell, but there was no such requirement concerning Sayers. I was a kid, 6 years old when he was drafted. My sporting memories, growing up in Chicago, start with Ernie Banks and Sayers. When Sayers left knee was ripped up during a preseason game in 1970 (his second serious knee injury and the one that effectively ended his career), we were crushed. I was 11 and felt cheated to not be able, as I got old enough to really appreciate sporting greatness, to see Sayers play anymore. (Years later when my son, then 4, had tears in his eyes when Derrick Rose suffered a devastating and career-altering knee injury at 23 and said, Dad, you dont know how bad this feels, I said, Kiddo, Im sorry but I actually do.) Thankfully, the football gods gave us a mulligan when the Bears got to draft Walter Payton in 1975.

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Of all the great Chicago athletes I rooted for as a kid, Sayers was the last I got to meet. Much like Thompson, Mitchell and Unseld, Sayers wasnt initially the easiest guy to strike up a conversation with. Billy Dee Williams really did seem to nail Sayers personality in Brians Song. While its believed that Sayers and Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer at 26, were the first Black and white roommates on any American sports team, it probably never got the kind of examination the dynamic deserved.

Sayers, until issues related to dementia began to ravage him in recent years, always looked 15 years younger than he was. Hed walk into Soldier Field on a Sunday (I had the pleasure of walking in with him three times) and people would whisper, That guy looks like Gale Sayers except hes way too young. Maybe thats his son.

One of the many things the four of them shared was the dignified way they entered a room and interacted with people, despite each having navigated the hostilities of a world that didnt particularly want them before they became wildly successful. The funeral of any one of them would fill an arena in normal times when such gatherings were not only welcome but expected. Losing all four in so little time seems unthinkably cruel. As is, we turned to mainstream and social media, private conversations and texts. Getting out of this pandemic cannot come quickly enough, for a million reasons, among them that if we have to lose such beloved and precious icons, we ought to have the chance to give them the warmest and most proper send-off imaginable.

Michael Wilbon is one of the nations most respected sports journalists and an industry pioneer as one of the first sportswriters to broaden his career beyond newspapers to include television, radio and new media. He is a co-host of ESPNs Pardon the Interruption.

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Mourning the loss of four athletic icons - The Undefeated

Social media users have been sharing images of meat with spots on it and claiming it is a deadly and dangerous animal tuberculosis virus. This claim is misleading: when cooked properly, animal tuberculosis in meat is not harmful to humans.

Reuters Fact Check. REUTERS

Examples can be seen here and here .

One posts description reads: Dear meat buyer, if you seen these bubbles, you should know its blebs containing deadly and dangerous tuberculosis virus, please help us to spread this to keep people safe. The claim is referring to bovine tuberculosis, also known as Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). The bacterium is found in cattle and other animals, including deer, bison and elk.

Thephotographs insomepostsshow bovine tuberculosis.Two photographs in these claims(anexample here )stem from aPurdue University Forestry and Natural Resources paperon bovine tuberculosis in deervisible on pagethree here .

The image fromanotherpostclaiming to show animal tuberculosis here is featuredontwoArabic language websitesthat identifythe image as showingpinworm eggsacs( http://www.elbalad.news/2749237andbit.ly/3cB82KM ).

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game advises that cookingmeat kills tapeworm parasites ( here ).WebMD, an online publisher of news and information pertaining to human health,explains people can get infected if they eat or drink something that contains tapeworm eggs or larvae, like raw or undercooked beef or pork.( here )Pinworm infections, on the other hand, are not usually spread by eatingmeat,WebMD andthe New York Department of Healthsay( here ).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)says thatmost tuberculosis cases in the United States are caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), but that M.boviscan also cause tuberculosis in humans and affect various parts of thehumanbody( here ).

Sometimes, a person infected with M. bovis may not appear sick, have symptoms or be contagious to others. The CDC says that, when symptoms manifest, they can include fever, weight loss and coughing, depending on which part of the body is affected. The disease is treated with antibiotics.

Humans are infected by consuming unpasteurized and contaminated dairy products. Infection can also take place from direct contact with awound,or inhaling bacteriafrom an infected animal. M.boviscauses less than 2% of the total number of tuberculosis cases(less than 230 cases per year)in the United States and most humans are at very low risk, the CDCsays( here ).Those who work with animals or products from the animals, such as farmers, butchers and hunters, may be at increased risk.

The California Department of Food and Agriculturesayson its website that the bacteriaarekilled when meat iscookedand milk is pasteurized.( here )

A U.S. Department of AgricultureFood Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) spokesman told Reuters via email thatmeat must be properly cooked and handled to avoid animal to human transmission of M. bovis. Safe cooking guidelinesfor meatby theU.S.government can be seen here .

The U.S. Bureau of Animal Industry began a national tuberculosis eradication program in 1917,sharplyreducinglevels of M.bovisinfection(see Bovine Tuberculosis History tab here ).

Russ Daly, extension veterinarian and professor in the veterinary and biomedical sciences department at South Dakota State University,addressedpublic health concerns about bovine tuberculosis in aJune 2020article ( here ).Dalysaid: The general public is protected from bovine tuberculosis by the federal and state meat inspection system identifying TB in slaughtered animals. Cooking and pasteurization will kill M.bovisin meat and milk.

Partly false. While some of these images do show meat infected with bovine tuberculosis, meat cooked following health guidelines renders these cases of infection harmless to humans.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here .

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Fact check: Bovine tuberculosis is uncommon and safely cooked meat is not dangerous to humans - Reuters

Weight gain is common during pregnancy. The weight gained during pregnancy is linked to your pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI). BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. Gaining the right amount of weight during pregnancy is vital for the long-term health for you and your baby.

A woman's body changes during pregnancy to ensure that her unborn baby gets adequate food required for the development of the baby. Women usually gain more weight in the final months of pregnancy than the first few months. According to a research study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, pregnancy weight gain consists of the baby, amniotic fluid, placenta, blood, breast tissue, enlargement of the uterus and extra fat [1]. The extra fat is stored up as energy which is needed during birth and breastfeeding.

According to the recommended guidelines of The U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM), women who are of normal weight before pregnancy with a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 gain between 11.5 and 16 kg weight during pregnancy [2]. However, most women gain more than the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy and this causes the baby being born too large, which can lead to caesarean delivery and obesity during childhood and also it increases the risk of obesity among mothers [3].

Holding on to pregnancy weight after your pregnancy can lead to an increased risk of health problems like heart disease, diabetes and obesity [2].

So, it is important to lose weight after pregnancy to lower the risk of these health problems. We've listed down some effective tips to lose baby weight after pregnancy.

Some studies suggest that breastfeeding can help in losing postpartum weight. A 2019 study pointed out that breastfeeding can help in losing weight after pregnancy. However, during the first three months of breastfeeding the changes in your weight may not be noticeable due to increased calorie intake and decreased physical activity during lactation [4].

In addition, breastfeeding your baby is important during the first six months or much longer as breast milk provides nutrition, strengthens immunity and lowers the risk of diseases in newborn babies [5].

6 Different Breastfeeding Positions For Mothers

Story continues

Keeping your body hydrated after pregnancy is essential as it has been shown to increase breast milk production [6]. Also, several studies have pointed out that mothers should increase their water intake during and after pregnancy [7] [8].

As a general rule, studies have shown that drinking plenty of water increases feelings of fullness, which can help in weight loss [9]. However, studies are inconsistent about water consumption and postpartum weight loss.

Not getting enough of sleep may negatively affect your weight. A review study showed that lack of sleep can increase more weight after pregnancy [10].

A healthy diet combined with physical activity plays a major role in postpartum weight loss. Eating healthy and nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and dairy will provide your body with the necessary amount of nutrients and also will aid in weight management [11] [12].

Did You Know Eating Papaya, Aloe Vera And Pineapple Can Cause Miscarriage in Early Pregnancy?

Processed foods are loaded with unhealthy fats, salt, sugar and calories that are harmful to your health and also contribute to weight gain. So, it is recommended to decrease the intake of refined grains and sweetened beverages and increase the intake of fresh, nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fat and legumes [13].

Foods which contain added sugar are sugar sweetened drinks, fruit juices, cakes, biscuits and pastries. These foods have been shown to increase weight as they are high in calories. Studies have shown that to prevent weight gain after pregnancy, avoid high-sugary foods such as sweetened beverages, soda and desserts [14].

Hunger cravings can come at any time and that doesn't mean that you reach out for a box of cookies or biscuits. These foods are high in calories and added sugar which will help in further weight gain. To lose baby weight effectively after pregnancy, reach out for healthy snacks to curb your hunger cravings, which include mixed nuts, fresh fruits, vegetables with hummus, Greek yogurt with homemade granola [15].

After delivering your baby, your body requires a good amount of nutrition to provide you energy and help you recover. Following any diet will limit you from eating certain foods that are a good source of nutrients. Eat fresh and healthy foods as they are rich in fibre, protein and other essential nutrients that will help you lose weight [16].

11 Tips On How To Build Your Child's Self-Confidence

Mindful eating is the awareness of food in the moment while you are eating your meal. It helps you enjoy your food by allowing you to experience every taste and flavour of the food. Chewing your food slowly has been shown to reduce the risk of obesity and aid in weight management [17].

Physical activity is important after pregnancy as it lowers the risk of obesity and aids in weight loss. Many studies have shown the association between physical exercise and postpartum weight loss [18] [19].However, make sure that you do not perform any strenuous physical activities. Try doing simple exercises like walking, cycling or jogging.

Note: Ask your doctor what kind of exercises you can safely do.

Keeping a track of your portion sizes is important when it comes to losing weight as it helps you know how much you are eating and if you are facing any problems in your eating plan. You can keep a check on the intake of your food by maintaining a food diary.

Alcohol consumption has been linked to weight gain and obesity. Studies have shown that drinking alcohol leads to postpartum weight gain [20]. In addition, the CDC recommends breastfeeding mothers to avoid drinking alcohol as it can disrupt the growth and development of the infant [21].

6 Tips For Raising An Independent Child

Stress and depression are common during the postpartum period. Several studies have shown that stress and depression increase the likelihood of postpartum weight gain. To lose weight effectively, identify what is stressing you out and find ways to cope with it. If you are finding trouble to cope with it, don't feel afraid to reach out for help [22] [23].

If you are determined to lose weight after pregnancy, follow a realistic goal that will help you achieve good results. Maintain a good eating plan and physical activity as it will help you achieve your weight loss goal.

Your body requires time to heal and recover from childbirth. If you start losing weight soon after your childbirth, your body will take a longer time to recover. If you are breastfeeding, wait until your baby has turned two months old and your breast milk supply has normalised.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, you should plan to return to your normal weight by 6 to 12 months after delivery.

Common FAQs

Q. How long does it take to lose baby weight postpartum?

A. Most women lose half of their baby weight by six weeks after giving birth and the rest of the weight is shed off over the next several months.

Q. What diet is best after pregnancy?

A. A diet rich in healthy foods such as lean protein, fish, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and dairy is best after pregnancy.

Q. How long does it take a woman's body to fully recover from pregnancy?

A. Recovering fully from pregnancy can take some time. Many women recover by six to eight weeks, while others may take longer than this.

Also Read:

51 Fibre-Rich Foods Which May Help Lose Weight Easily

Clinico-Psycho-Social Aspects Of Infertility

6 Tips For Raising An Independent Child

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14 Simple And Effective Tips To Lose Weight After Pregnancy - Yahoo India News