As a new dad, it might seem that the new weight you’re carrying around doesn’t just belong to the baby. After a new baby arrives, it can be difficult to care for yourself. With multiple wake ups in the night to just an overall lack of time, many men find themselves falling into traps that will ultimately lead to the “Dad Bod”. While this isn’t necessarily bad, you may be interested in keeping your shape and figure and keeping off any excess weight. If the weight has already gotten to you, you could try a dietary supplement to help get back to the weight you want. To learn more about the several types of supplements available Reviewy is a great resource – you can get more information here. If these supplements aren’t your thing, try these tips and tricks to help keep that new baby weight off.
Avoid Decisions on an Empty Stomach
Particularly when it comes to grocery shopping or how much food to eat, making decisions on an empty stomach is a bad idea. A new baby can take up all of your time, so by the time you have 5 minutes to yourself you are exhausted and starving. If you then go grocery shopping, this can then lead to buying a lot of excess, unneeded or unhealthy foods. Back at home, if you already have food prepared, use a small plate. Not being able to have as much on your plate allows you to eat an entire plate and then decide if you are still actually hungry. The smaller plate also signals to the brain that you’ve eaten more food than you may think you did. Lastly, if you do end up ordering food in, try to have some delivery menus available with healthier options. If the only magnet on your fridge is for the pizza place around the corner, 9 times out of 10, you’ll be ordering pizza.
Bulk Up the Protein
After a new baby, it is easy to immediately reach for the chips or other high fat junk foods. Making sure that your diet is filled with protein will help to keep you feeling fuller longer and keep you away from those pesky snacks. Protein is essential, and if you feel you are not getting enough, it could cause muscle deterioration. Men’s lean muscles are what help keep them fit and help them lose weight faster than women. With lower muscle mass, you will see the pounds start to pack on. If you need help getting that extra protein, you could keep a stock of protein bars or whey or vegan protein shake powder handy for those times where you don’t have the motivation to cook properly.
Assist your Hormones
Especially as you age, your body starts to decrease the number of hormones it creates. The biggest problem arises as your testosterone levels begin to decrease. Testosterone helps to keep men fit, and less of it could mean higher fat accumulation. One way to keep your testosterone levels in check is to do full body strength exercises. Exercises like squats and deadlifts have large movements that use the entire body. These types of exercises send signals to your brain that you use these muscles all the time, so your body will keep producing testosterone. Doing a few sets of these large scale exercises just twice a week can help you to stay in shape. It is also important to be able to take this small amount of time for yourself, as a new baby in the house could take up all of your time.
How to Avoid Your Dad Bod
Overall, the dad bod is one of those terms that all men will most likely experience at some point in their life. However, there are many tips and tricks to help avoid this weight gain after having a new baby. Making sure that you are not making any decisions in regard to food when you are hungry could help you to avoid extra calories. Keeping protein filled options around will allow you to reach for healthier options when you realize you haven’t eaten anything all day. Lastly, by doing a few small workouts during the week, your body will know that you still need to keep your muscle mass, keeping your hormones in check. With these easy tricks, you will be able to better avoid that extra weight.
