10 tips to lose baby weight

There were many times during my first pregnancy where I was shown to be very naive and ignorant about the whole procreation process. One of those times was when I foolishly expected all of my “baby weight” to come off my body along with my daughter. I mean, I’m not pregnant anymore, so everything should be back to normal, right? Wrong.

There’s a picture of me leaving the hospital in a wheelchair with my daughter on my lap, and I have a 25-week pregnant belly hanging out from under my tank top and over the edge of my sweatpants. Did they leave another child there or something? And none of my many loved ones who were present could help a sister pull my shirt down when so many cameras were going off? Anyway, I digress.

The truth is, getting back to your pre-baby body is no easy task, especially when your previous free time is now 100% occupied with pumps, changes, and feedings. Fortunately, I found a way to fight the weight back pretty quickly, and if you’re interested, I’ll tell you how to do that too. I’m not going to lie, it’s not easy. But, if you can muster up some self-discipline, convince yourself you’re not allergic to exercise, and ditch the ice cream sandwich (you no longer have the “I’ll eat for 2” excuse…) then so can you.

1. REDUCE CALORIES WITH SUBSTITUTIONS: Will you really notice if you use fat-free half and half in your coffee instead of cream? Probably not. And you just saved 35 calories. Substitute low-fat or fat-free versions of several other foods you use on a daily basis, and the calorie savings can really add up. Consider swapping: low-fat mayonnaise for regular mayonnaise, whole or 2% fat-free milk, low-fat sour cream for regular sour cream, frozen yogurt for ice cream, ground turkey for ground beef, turkey bacon for pork bacon, and cheeses low fat for regular cheese. The calorie savings can really start to add up.

2. STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND EXERCISE: Real weight loss results will come from a combination of healthy eating and exercise. Sorry ladies, but one without the other won’t get you this far. Yes, it’s hard to find alone time to go to the gym, and most of us don’t have the money or the space for a home gym. But there are plenty of exercise routines you can do at home with little or no equipment. There’s a reason exercises like push-ups, lunges, squats, and crunches are classics of training; they get results. And the advantage is that no sophisticated equipment is required. Add some dumbbells, which are very inexpensive, to add more resistance. There are also many websites that will help you customize your home workout and give you ideas for new no-equipment exercises to add to your routine. I used the Women’s Health magazine site to get pre-designed workouts. I have also subscribed to your magazine which is packed with healthy and delicious recipes, training tips and nutritional advice.

3. BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR DRINK CHOICES: Would you believe a Starbucks Grande Vanilla Latte contains 250 calories? Or does a bottle of VitaminWater contain 100 to 125 calories and almost as much sugar as a can of regular soda? Sometimes our beverage choices that we think are harmless are completely sabotaging our daily calorie count. Opt for water and add lemons or limes to add more flavor. Or choose a low-calorie sports drink option, like Gatorade’s Propel, which contains just 25 calories per bottle. Also, consider adding green tea to your beverage repertoire. Green tea has been shown to speed up metabolism, inhibit fat absorption and regulate glucose levels. I’m talking about good green tea without sugar. There are some hop-sweetened versions on the market that are just as bad as soda. And for your happy hour selection, skip the margarita that packs an average of 450 calories. Consider a glass of white wine (100 calories) or a vodka and diet tonic (65 calories).

4. REWARD YOURSELF: If you constantly feel deprived or hungry, you are more likely to splurge and overindulge. So reward yourself periodically. For me, weekends are days off. I do the best I can when I stay disciplined and make healthy food choices during the week and allow myself a little indulgence on the weekends. It gives me something to look forward to and prevents terrible cravings from taking over and ruining my progress. Another trick I’ve read about is to buy yourself some cute new workout clothes, wrap them up like a gift, and then put them up in your house where you’ll see them every day. Set a goal to reach and open your gift when you reach it. The idea is to reward yourself for all your hard work and self-discipline. Find which rewards work best for you.

5. INSPIRE YOURSELF: Once again, you have to find what inspires you personally. For me, it was trying on my “before” jeans every day (even though they didn’t fit) to remind myself how much I wanted to put them back on. There were tears involved at times, but they kept me focused on my goal. Also, for added cruelty, I cut out a photo of a Victoria’s Secret model and stuck it inside my refrigerator. Watching that skinny bitch when she was looking for a carb fix was definitely a find.

6. SET REALISTIC GOALS: If you gained 75 pounds during your pregnancy, it’s not reasonable to expect that you’ll be back to your pre-pregnancy body in a month. Talk to your doctor about what is a healthy rate of weight loss and make it your goal. A goal isn’t really a goal unless you write it down. So write it down and hold yourself accountable.

7. KNOW YOUR WEAKNESSES: Be honest with yourself about what will keep you from reaching your goals. For me, I know that I have no willpower when it comes to eating. So if I’m hungry and I open my fridge to see the cookie dough, I’ll probably have a spoonful in my mouth soon instead of apple slices. Therefore, my real battle is in the supermarket. I know that if I make poor decisions at the store, I won’t be able to control my impulses at home. I try to make a list and stick to it!

8. DON’T TRY TO DO IT ALONE: When someone else knows your goal, it encourages responsibility. If you quit or relax, it helps to have someone call your attention. So recruit a friend to share goals with or ask them to be your training partner. Talk to your spouse about practicing healthier lifestyles together. (He may also have a bit of guts to lose.) Or join a weight loss center like Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers.

9. FIND USEFUL RESOURCES – As I mentioned, use websites to customize your workouts. Use a weight loss center to help. Find websites that offer delicious and healthy recipes and build your shopping list from those recipes.

10. REMEMBER, YOU ARE HELPING YOUR WHOLE FAMILY: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is an invaluable gift for your children. Like me, you’ve probably seen obese parents on Dr. Phil begging for help because they just have no idea why their 8-year-old weighs 140 pounds. And then they blame the kid for sneaking into the kitchen at night and eating an entire box of Little Debbie pies. It’s all I can do not to throw the remote at the TV and say, “Why the hell are you buying Little Debbies!? If they’re not in the house, the kid can’t eat them!” Children are “monkey sees, monkey does” creatures. They learn by example, so do them and yourself a favor by setting a good one.