It took about six months the last time she’d given birth to get back to pre-pregnancy shape and this time around, Indian expat Diljeet Kaur was motivated to get fit faster. "I wanted to be a hands-on, energetic parent," she says. "Plus, I have always loved dressing up and wanted to get back into my favourite outfits," she laughs.
Kaur had always enjoyed being active but after giving birth to her first child five years ago she’d taken all the traditional precautions. “I always heard back home from my parents and grandparents that post-delivery, a mother should rest for 40 days, not take a bath for 11 days, not do household chores, etc. So the weight loss came gradually. This time, I took just one week of active rest and my husband helped in the kitchen and chores,” she tells Gulf News in an interview.
By the time the five-foot-five-inch mum had birthed her second baby on November 26, 2021, she weighed 71.3kg. “I had decided during my pregnancy that I’d work on losing weight quickly post-delivery,” she says.
“I had decided to get back to my shape (pre-pregnancy) and did lots of research and watched tons of videos on YouTube about staying healthy and shedding those extra ounces. I wanted to do it IN a healthy way without going on any crash or strict diet, which is not suitable for a breastfeeding mother,” she adds.
And so the 32-year-old began by putting the sugar away. “No cold drinks, no junk food, no non-vegetarian foods except for eggs,” she says.
Kaur also credits breastfeeding with helping her drop those kilos. “I highly vouch for breastfeeding, it is the way to go, it gives immunity and nutrition and at the same time, it helps a mother burn calories,” she explains.
Sharjah-based Aysha Abrar, UAE-based breastfeeding consultant, explains that about 500 calories are burned in every breastfeeding session.
Kaur did however consume panjiri – a North Indian mixture of lentils or flour, seeds and spices cooked in ghee (clarified butter) – which is both high in nutrition as well as flavour on the daily. This mixture is often fed to pregnant women and those lactating in Indian households. (While she followed a recipe she found online, she cut down on the sugar used to keep the calorie count low.)
A panjiri recipe
This recipe is from the blog Simpleglutenfreekitchen.com and was adapted to suit Diljeet Kaur’s taste buds.
Ingredients
400 moong lentil (washed and dried on towel)
150 g almonds
150 g raw unsalted seeds (melon, pumpkin and sunflower)
300 g date sugar
150 g raisins
50 g fennel seeds
100 g fox nuts
160 g Flax seeds
25-50 g dry ginger powder
25-50 g ajwain (powdered)
1 3/4 cup Desi ghee or coconut oil
Method
1. In a heavy bottomed or non-stick pan, dry roast the whole moong on medium low heat, till it gets a nutty aroma that is approximately 8-10 minutes. The beans will turn copper brown in colour. Cool for 5 minutes and grind (1 cup at a time). Working in batches, process until the lentils resemble a fine powder. Keep aside.
2. In the same pan, roast almonds, stirring frequently until they are golden brown. Remove from stove top, roughly chop and add it to the ground lentils.
3. Next, add pumpkin seeds to the pan. Toast until they turn light brown, begin to pop and smell fragrant. Stir frequently as the seeds toast. Transfer to a plate to cool.
4. Dry roast sunflower seeds, melon seeds, fennel seeds, flax seeds and fox nuts in the same way as pumpkin seeds and process in the food processor or coffee grinder.
5. Wipe the pan, add ghee or coconut oil and put on medium heat. Add raisins and roast until they puff up and begin to change colour. Add these to the bowl with the other ingredients.
6. Mix everything well to combine. Add date sugar and ginger powder. Taste and adjust sweetness. If you feel that the mixture is dry or hard to down, add more ghee or coconut oil.
7. Cool the panjiri. Eat, or store in a dry air-tight glass jar at room temperature.
Kaur says, “I start my day with Ajwain or carom seeds in hot water and eat three moderate meals and nothing post seven.”
Lunch: Moong lentil chilla with a vegetable and yogurt,
OR
Chickpea flour chilla with vegetables and yoghurt
OR
Brown rice and paneer
Dinner: Vegetables with yoghurt, vegetable soup, sautéed vegetables, oats khichdi or paneer
Snacks: Milk, fruits, fox nuts, nuts and savoury Indian snacks.
“I made sure to keep walking 2,000 steps in the early days after delivery and went up to 8,000 steps after a month.
“Sometimes, when my baby cries, I take her along for my walks,” she adds. (Kaur takes three walks a day – each a 20-minute stint post a meal.)
Today, about two-and-a-half months after giving birth, Kaur is down to 56.9 kilos and working on shedding that last niggling kilo.
Kaur giggles as she talks about the baffled looks she gets. “No one can believe I gave birth a couple of months ago,” she says, adding that all her old outfits fit her. An added bonus: “I have more energy to play with my kids,” she says.
Tell us about your post-natal journey to fitness at parenting@gulfnews.com
