New mothers can't lose weight, exacerbating postpartum depression

New mothers are at high risk of postpartum depression. In addition to being physically and mentally exhausted and feeling anxious about raising a child for the first time, it is also the first time they experience major changes in their body shape. If they are unable to lose weight successfully after giving birth, it can also become a source of stress. Xiaomei, a new mother, is a case in point. Within six months after giving birth, she only lost half of her original weight by dieting, which led to extremely unstable emotions. She sought professional weight control assistance, which helped her to lose the stagnant weight and improve her depression.

New mothers are at high risk of postpartum depression. In addition to being physically and mentally exhausted and feeling anxious about raising a child for the first time, it is also the first time they experience major changes in their body shape. Failure to lose weight smoothly after childbirth can also become a source of stress.

Shen Yongxuan, a doctor at the Weight Loss Center of Ruan General Hospital, said that Xiaomei was only 32 years old and her body metabolism was normal. However, after giving birth to her first child, her weight increased from 50 to 65 kilograms. In order to take care of the child, she had no time to exercise, so she only lost weight by dieting. Six months after giving birth, her weight dropped to 58 kilograms and then stagnated.

Dieting to lose weight hits a bottleneck and worsens postpartum depression

Faced with the fact that she could not regain her postpartum figure, coupled with the physical and mental exhaustion of taking care of the child, Xiaomei, who already had a bit of postpartum depression, became even more depressed. Xiaomei's husband sensed that his wife was emotionally unstable and decided to see a doctor for professional help in weight control.

Dr. Shen Yongxuan pointed out that through body analyzer testing, it was found that Xiaomei's overweight was mainly fat. The nutritionist designed a 1200-calorie weight loss diet and recommended that she prepare a stepper at home to increase exercise, with the principle of consuming 500 calories a day. She also recommended appropriate weight loss skin care products and acupuncture courses based on her physical condition. Xiaomei successfully lost another 8 kilograms in 3 months and returned to her original figure. Her postpartum depression also improved.

Postpartum mothers often experience symptoms such as low mood, frustration and anxiety. Dr. Shen Yongxuan said that new mothers in particular are often full of insecurity about themselves, worrying about not being able to take good care of their children and worrying about not being able to regain their figure, which interact with each other and aggravate the symptoms.

To lose weight, you must implement "eat less, exercise more"

Dr. Shen Yongxuan pointed out that the treatment of obesity should first rule out factors such as diseases and drugs, and then adjust the lifestyle to achieve the goal of weight loss, that is, implement the principle of "eat less, exercise more".

It takes about 7,700 calories to lose 1 kilogram. Based on this estimate: if you eat 100 calories less per day, you can lose 5 kilograms in a year; if you eat 1,000 calories less per day, you can lose 1 kilogram in a week. However, losing more weight is not necessarily better. A healthy rate of weight loss is 0.5-1 kg per week.

In addition to eating less, exercise is also helpful for weight loss: jogging can burn 10 calories per kilogram of body weight per hour, and swimming can burn 6-12 calories per kilogram of body weight per hour. Dr. Shen Xuan recommends choosing an aerobic exercise that you are interested in (jogging, swimming, rhythmic dance), and doing it 5 times a week for 30 minutes each time. This can increase your metabolic rate and help you lose weight.