Creating Your Post-Baby Weight Loss Plan
Health experts increasingly highlight the importance of tailoring a weight loss plan according to your personality. New moms may find this especially helpful since losing the extra pounds gained during pregnancy is often challenging. In this article, we’ll take a look at four distinct personality types in the context of designing a post-childbirth weight loss plan. If you find that you share traits with more than one personality type, that simply means you should follow a unique plan that integrates the best of both.
The Introvert
If you’re naturally shy, you’ll likely want to keep your post-pregnancy weight loss plan private. That way, you can avoid others watching your progress, and having to explain why you’re not hitting your goals. On the other hand, a “public” declaration of your intent to lose weight might make you more committed to your plan.
Find a partner who would also like to lose a few pounds and hold each other accountable. For introverted new moms, this is a better strategy than sharing with a larger group. Also, focus your goals on the actions you should take rather than the results you hope to achieve. For example, plan to “eat an apple every morning” instead of lose 3 pounds a week.
The Extrovert
If you’re naturally gregarious, you’ll be tempted to share your post-childbirth plans with everyone you meet. This will, of course, include your friends and family. But it will also include your coworkers, neighbors, hair stylist, and your favorite teller at the bank. The catalyst behind this temptation is a need for support. While this does encourage a high level of accountability, it can also become a problem if you depend too much on that support structure.
Join an in-person support group that helps other dieters lose weight. That way, you’ll receive the support you crave while having the opportunity to provide similar support to another person. It’s also helpful to identify some of your driving factors. For example, are you trying to lose your pregnancy pounds in order to become healthier, receive peer approval, or to reinvigorate your relationship with your partner? The more you understand your motivations, the more successful you’ll be in pushing yourself.
The Spiritual
If you’re spiritual, you might consider your post-pregnancy weight loss goals from the perspective of how achieving them will change you as a person. This can be helpful with regard to accountability. But it can also lead to failure if you shirk the responsibility for your success.
Start your day with a period of meditation during which you dedicate yourself to meeting your goals. Before you eat a meal, consider how the food will affect your body and spirit. If you can successfully create a connection between the two, you’ll be more motivated to eat the right foods in the proper amounts.
The Self-Starter
If you’re a natural self-starter, you’re driven by goals. You set them and you achieve them without fail. When it comes to shedding your pregnancy pounds, you’ll be tempted to set a date and a particular weight. In the days leading up to that date, you’ll do anything in your power to meet your goal. The problem is, your motivation will evaporate once the date passes, leaving you to regain the weight.
Identify multiple dates throughout the year by which you expect yourself to weigh a specific number of pounds. Commit yourself to losing no more than two or three pounds per week in order to avoid taking extreme steps toward your goal. The key is to maintain a series of dates to serve as guideposts along the way.
Creating a plan to lose the pounds you gained while carrying your little one is important for your long-term health. Try to build this plan in a way that accommodates your personality. By doing so, you’ll improve your chances of meeting your post-pregnancy weight loss target.
Tags: baby weight, loosing weight after pregnancy, losing baby weight
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