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Many women have a hard time losing weight post pregnancy, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

'I've always believed if it took you 9 months to gain it, give yourself 9 months to get rid of it'

Have NO high expectations of this quick weight loss diets and fads, as it could be detrimental to your health and of your child's.

Enjoy the time you have with no worry or hassles in the first few weeks as this time is best spent bonding with your new baby, and for you to recover mentally and physically after the birth.

Breastfeeding is the most natural and healthy way of nourishing your new baby. A mother's breast milk provides sufficient nutrients and a certain amount of antibodies from the mother that may help the baby to resist infections.

A mother has to eat double the amount of calories per day to sustain a high quality supply of breast milk. But don't let that fool you into eating whatever is in sight. By simply making sure that you remain well nourished by eating a healthy diet, gentle exercise and eating small snacks regularly and at least drinking 2 litres of water a day.

These things combined have shown to assist in gradual weight loss whilst providing an adequate supply of quality breast milk for your baby.

Breast milk is the primary source of food for a baby up until the age of 6months that's when the infants iron stores are starting to run low. This is when solids are slowly introduced.

During this 6 month period and beyond, breastfeeding has many health benefits for the mother. One being the closeness that a mother and baby feel while feeding, the calming effect it has on him/her and the retracting of the mother's uterus, back to post pregnancy size.

For many mothers breastfeeding along with a healthy diet is the perfect combination for steady weight loss.

Breastfeeding places a great demand on mother's blood sugar supply and if the diet is not adequate in complex carbohydrate foods, sugar cravings and extreme hunger may occur.

By eating 3 healthy small portioned meals a day with snacks in between you will be soon on your way to a slimmer you. Eating every two to three hours helps maintain a good blood sugar supply and controls hunger.

Some simple suggestions for snack foods are:

Full Fat Yoghurt's
Lots of fresh fruit & vegetables
Rice crackers and cheeses
At least 2 litres of water per day

Foods to avoid when the cravings attack are:

Refined foods i.e. fast foods
Low fat foods (not giving you the calories to supply quality milk)
Sweet biscuit, cakes
Soft drinks, coffee & cordials

Don't expect the weight to just drop off, it takes time we all know that, but by following these basic steps you will be heading in the right direction to a slimmer you . Also If you start a short exercise regime each day you and take a little stroll you will start to see a compounding improvement in your weight loss.