The whole country waited with bated breath when Aishwarya Rai Bachchan delivered. We welcomed Aaradhya Bachan amidst much aplomb. Konkona Sen, Kiran Rao, Lara Dutta are a few celebrities who have made pregnancy a fashion statement.

But what most also watched with keen eyes was how Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and other celebrities dealt with post pregnancy flab.

Celebrity or not, pregnancy and delivery is a momentous time in a woman’s life. Yet what most of us do not realize is that we are not under the same pressure to lose weight drastically as the celebrities are. It took 9 months to put on those calories. Give yourself at least 9 months to lose them.

Here are some pointers:

• Avoid junk. It is bad for the baby if you are breast feeding, and it is just empty calories that love to sit around your waist,
• Breast feed as long as you can. You lose up to 500 calories a day when you breastfeed.
• Load up on plenty of fibre and vegetables. It improves the quality and quantity of milk, and gives your body the much needed nutrients.
• Work out, after you get a go ahead from your gynec. While cardio helps sheds calories, abs and weight training, tones your muscles, which would have lost most of their firmness.
• Finally, stay calm. A calm state of mind is proved to burn calories faster. Focus on your new born, enjoy the baby.

After all, you are not under any pressure to hit page 3 minutes after you delivered!