Flat Tummy After a C-Section: How to Shrink Your Stomach ASAP

How to Get a Flat Tummy After a C-Section

Congratulations on a successful pregnancy! Now you have a beautiful baby after all the stresses and pain of pregnancy and a c-section. The only problem is that your pregnancy left you with another souvenir you'd rather not keep: a fluffier, rounder tummy!

Fear not, mom. We've got you covered with the solution to fix your post-c-section stomach woes. I'm an exercise physiologist who has delivered three babies via c-section! That means I know EXACTLY how badly and how quickly you wanna get your body back. I also know exactly what it will take to get it done safely and as soon as possible.

Here's how to get a flat tummy after your c-section:

1. Breastfeed Your Baby

Breastfeeding your baby after a c-section has many post-partum benefits for you and baby. When it comes to flattening your tummy after delivery, breastfeeding helps to speed up the process by releasing hormones that cause your uterus to contract and shrink back down to it's pre-pregnancy size. Secondly, breastfeeding moms burn about an extra 500 calories per day. Since you can't exercise for at least a month after a c-section, you'll need all the extra fat-burning help you can get.

Even if you can't exclusively breastfeed your baby, nurse her as much as you can. I've always tried to exclusively nurse my three little ones but for one reason or another, I have always ended up having to, needing to or wanting to supplement with formula. Still, breastfeeding helped me lose weight and flatten my stomach at a speed that I couldn't have accomplished on my own without exercising.

2. Choose Low-Impact Workouts Over Hard-Core Exercises

As soon as your doctor gives you the okay to workout after your c-section, get moving! The best exercise options post-cesarean are low-impact exercises such as walking or swimming and here's why. Even though you may feel fine after you're okay to exercise after surgery, you're still not 100%. This is especially true if you were not in shape before you got pregnant or if you didn't exercise during pregnancy. You'll need to ease into your postpartum workout routine.

Another reason to choose low-impact exercises over vigorous ones is to aid in your fat loss progress. During low-impact, moderate exercise, the body prefers to burn fat stores versus carbohydrates. Fat stores take a little longer to break down into fuel than carbohydrate stores in your liver. Since you're not working out very hard, your body can choose the slower route to an energy source. However, if you go all out, you'll burn more total calories but they'll be mostly carbs.

3. Strike the Right Balance in Your Eating and Sleeping

One of the fastest ways to sabotage your efforts at losing weight after a c-section is to not eat or sleep enough. Don't skip meals or starve yourself in an attempt to flatten your tummy because it will backfire in a major way. This is especially critical if you're nursing your baby. In order to keep your metabolism burning at a high rate, you need to get enough fuel and rest. No woman should ever eat fewer than 1200 calories per day (1700 for breastfeeding moms). Get as much sleep as you can, even if it means having an afternoon nap. People that don't get enough sleep tend to overeat. Further, you won't feel like exercising if you haven't slept enough.