Pregnancy is the first phase of heavy weight gain. Good news: breastfeeding for a long time promotes weight loss. We could burn up to 500 calories a day (as much as a session of aquabike!) But, in the end, we would lose only 1% fat ³ . It's skinny!

The inventory of fixtures

Seeking to lose weight immediately after giving birth is heresy. "There is no question of losing weight before the return of diapers, a phase during which we return to the pre-pregnancy hormonal balance," says Dr. Catherine Serfaty-Lacrosnière, expert physician in nutrition ⁴ . It is from this standardized cycle signal that we can think "less kilos".

Hence the importance of paying attention to its weight during pregnancy. Isabelle Hininger-Favier recalls that the ideal intake is around twelve kilograms, "especially by monitoring the first months, conducive to massive storage. It should not be restricted to the second part of pregnancy (where weight gain benefits the growing baby), at the risk of exposing the baby to fetal malnutrition. After the birth of a child, short nights increase our energy needs without our knowledge. A study from the University of California showed that the brain activity of sleep deprived people was disrupted, particularly in the cortex area, which gauges satiety. As a result, the less we sleep, the more we eat ...

How do we do ?

"Especially no diets! ", Warns Isabelle Hininger -Favier. Associated with baby blues, which affects a young mother in seven ⁵ , they increase the phenomenon of depression. The best is to reduce its portions. During breastfeeding, increasing your intake of omega 3 (oily fish) helps prevent the risk of postpartum blues. Do not neglect either, tryptophan (in almonds, cashews, yeast, whole rice), which is essential for the synthesis of serotonin, a mood regulator that reduces cravings for sugar. "It's best to eat it off-the-shelf, because protein blocks the entry of tryptophan into the brain," says Dr. Kathy Bonan. And, surprisingly, milk powder is the only food that contains free tryptophan directly available for brain serotonin synthesis. The right time to take it? In the evening, to prepare for sleep.

3. International Journal of Obesity , July 10, 2012.

4. Author of slimming tips for those who never have time (Marabout edition)

5. 2013 study published in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry .