Easy ways to lose that baby bulge

Our experts tell you ways to return to your former svelte self It's hard to believe that actor and TV host Mandira Bedi delivered a baby about nine months ago, considering how effortlessly she fits in her 15 pairs of 26 inchwaist size jeans. Although Mandira now happily devours her old wardrobe, she had piled on 22 kgs and weighed 74 kgs after she delivered last June. A dedicated exercise and diet regime later, she lost 20 kgs. While Mandira's perseverance sounds inspirational, you must not take up fat-fighting in a hurry. If you had a normal delivery, you must not aim to lose weight for the first 30 days. In case of a C-section delivery, rest for 45 days. Mothers can gain upto 12-15 kgs of weight during pregnancy. Gynaecologist Dr Suman Bijlani says it's possible to lose 75 per cent of it within three months just by eating healthy. "The nutrition for the baby is no longer required in calories. So focus on a balanced diet with good protien and carb intake to stabilise the body's fat levels," she says. For best results, follow these tips: Breastfeed For the first six months,  baby's milk requirement is about 800 ml per day. Producing milk for your baby burns a lot of energy. Obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Duru Shah, says, "Not only is breastfeeding healthy for the baby, it also helps the mother stay fit. Nursing your baby can make you burn up to 500 calories in one day." However this does not mean that you use it as an excuse to overeat. Crash dieting is a no-no Fearing further weight gain, some women start eating sparingly and opt for a crash diet. This slows down the metabolism by up to 30 per cent and compromises the baby's health. "You can't lose weight at your baby's expense," says nutritionist and fitness expert Shieelaa Tanna. "A regular meal has about 600-800 calories. After delivery, a mother must have at least 2200 calories a day if she breastfeeds the baby, and 1800 if she does not. Dieting can make you irritable, prone to mood swings and may even triggers post-partum depression." Fat is good In the absence of fats, carbs get digested faster than expected, setting off hunger pangs. "As you tend to eat more than what you should, you gain weight instead of losing it," says Tanna. She recommends pregnant women to cook their meals in olive oil, flax seed oil or extra virgin oil as they contain good fats. This ensures the food stays longer in the stomach and stabilises blood sugar levels. Dry fruits, fish and low fat cheese are also sources of good fats. Increase fibre Avoid eating refined flour products as they digest easily. Go for fibrous foods such as whole wheat breads, brown rice, bitter gourd, spinach, mushroom, peas, brinjal and pumpkin to improve satiety. If you want to eat raw salads, blanch it before consuming. Drink 8-10 glasses of water and sip on coconut water, green tea, homemade fruit juices and soups in between to maintain a healthy metabolism rate. To aid weight loss, have two cups of Vitamin C-rich fruits. Low impact exercise Post delivery, your body's ligaments and tendons are still weak and can undergo lasting damage if you strain them with heavy exercise. Doing low impact exercises such as walking, cycling or swimming 20 minutes a day, three times a week, will do enough to kickstart calorie burn. Additionally light exercises such as pelvic tilts will strength the back and pelvic floor muscles that get weakened with pregnancy. Do leg slides to tone your abdominal muscles. Sleep well A new mother must get at least seven hours of sleep. Sleeping for less than five hours means holding on to the extra fat reserves. Besides, sleep deprivation causes the body to release ghrelin, an appetite-increasin hormone. So if your baby is keeping you awake at night, try and catch as many naps through the day as possible. Case study for the first six weeks After she had a C-section delivery, Manidra didn't exercise. In less than nine months, she lost 20 kilos to weigh 54 kgs just as before. "I never went on a diet as I was nursing. But I totally gave up sweets. From the end of sixth week, I walked 20-25 mins daily." Four months after she delivered, she took to high impact exercises. "I started running five mins a day and doing some light weights (four-five pound dumbbells). Gradually, I increased my running time to 15-20 minutes. Just a week ago, I ran non-stop for an hour," she says. Mandira, who had gained weight on her hips and waist, says spot reduction doesn't work. She worked out different body parts five days a week. She also did jumping jacks or skipping between shoulder, chest or bicep work outs. Besides the morning cardio, she pulled off half an hour of extra running, cycling or cross training in the evenings, three days a week. "I still have two kgs of fat which I'll get rid of soon," she says.