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Giving birth to a child is one of the most wonderful moments in a woman's life. One look at the newborn and the mother knows that the pain and hardships of the pregnancy were not in vain. It also means that life must return to normal with new responsibilities of bringing up the child.

Soon after the child birth, the mother starts thinking about how to lose weight gained during pregnancy. Many young mothers resort to quick fix diets, diet pills or cardio programs to lose weight.

However the weight loss will be gradual. After all you didn't gain the weight in a day! So don't expect to lose the excess weight in few days.

Plus it is now a medically accepted fact that the body and metabolism of a woman who gives birth undergoes a number of changes that can sometimes make losing those extra pounds more difficult. And some mothers do not lose the last few pounds till the breastfeeding continues.

In order to lose weight after pregnancy both safely, and effectively, you should undertake a program of slow and steady dieting along with exercise that will produce long-term benefits.

You should concentrate on the health of your child and your own health and diet. After all now you have to think about how to regain your lost strength as well as provide good nutrition to your baby.

An ideal diet for a new mom would consist of:

* 2000 calories per day
* Small amount of fiber
* About 50 percent intake of Carbohydrates
* 30 percent intake of proteins
* 10 percent intake of fats

And you can start taking your favorite foods again that you may have stopped during pregnancy. But remember, do not indulge too much as you are looking to knock off the extra pounds gained during pregnancy. And before trying any quick fix diets or diet pills, make sure the diets and pills are absolutely safe because what you eat also becomes the food for the baby.

Combined with a healthy diet, exercise is one of the most effective methods for weight loss after pregnancy.No doubt you will be busy as a new mom, but exercise is still important especially at the early stage as it will help build up your stamina and return the muscle tone you lost during the pregnancy.

Exercise is also a good way to improve moods providing it is not overdone and will help to ensure you do not begin to see it as a chore. The idea is to reduce the overall body fat while improving muscle tone at the same time although this should be a gradual process.

It must be re-iterated that the loss should not be looked upon as something that must be done as quickly as possible as it should really come off about the same sort of pace it was put on.

With a good nutritional program and with moderate exercise, you can expect to lose the weight you gained during pregnancy within a reasonable time rame.