Lose Weight After Giving Birth With Nutrition Expert Zoe Bingley-Pullin's Yummy Mummy Diet

21st OF October 2011

By Zoe Bingley-Pullin, Nutrition Expert
www.nutritionaledge.com.au

Every mummy is trying to get rid of that extra little bit of weight. So what’s the best way to keep motivated?

Don't put yourself down when you eat the wrong food.
Healthy does not mean boring, hard to do or repetitive. Healthy means vitality, freshness and youthful.
Nobody and I truly mean nobody is perfect!!
There are no hidden tricks: rather than fighting against the thought of having to develop these healthy habits, embrace them.
As soon as you realise that eating a great diet and exercising has more benefits than pitfalls it'll make it a lot easer to stick to.

Where to start: The right direction to losing the post-pregnancy bellies.
Liquids: Water really is the essence of life and it will definitely help with weight loss. By eliminating drinks like soft drinks, coffee, tea and alcohol this will massively reduce calories out of your diet. The body requires 2.4L of fluids per day. This can come from water, herbal teas and fresh vegetable juice (not bottled fruit juice because of the high calories). Keep a 1.5L bottle of water on your desk and progressively sip all day.

What to eat: What sort of foods are important when you're aiming for a flat belly?
Eat low GI foods: Carbohydrates can be a dirty word in our health conscious world but what most people don't understand is that you need carbohydrates as they are our energy food. Low GI or slow releasing carbohydrates are what's needed to build and maintain energy levels. These are Burgen 'soy and linseed' bread, cereals, rolled oats, white basmati rice, sweet potato, digestive biscuits, wholemeal spaghetti, cherries, lentils pomegranate juice.

Does it matter HOW you eat when following this diet?
Breakfast and snacks: Always start the day with breakfast. Breakfast needs to be eaten first thing in the morning as this will help to break-the-fast and will initiate your metabolism, increasing calorie burning throughout the day.

How about snacks - do you have to cut them out?
You need to aim to eat a snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Frequent small meal spread over the day will help to maintain your metabolism and will stop your blood sugar levels falling. A side effect of not eating breakfast or healthy snacks are cravings and energy lows.

Morning teas: ¼ cup of mixed raw nuts/seeds and low GI dried fruit

Afternoon tea: 1 cup of mixed nuts and dried fruit or 3-4 pieces of fresh fruit

Deserts: Fresh fruit smoothie with berries, ½ a banana, 1 tbsp mixed seeds and ice. Low fat yoghurt with fresh fruit and POM wonderful juice

Where does protein fit?
Protein will fill you up, it’s a slow burning food group and will increase the metabolism.

Breakfast: Light milk or soymilk with breakfast

Lunch: Tuna or chicken

Dinner: Lean fish, chicken or pork