4 Essential Tips For Losing Weight After Having A Baby

Showing off your baby bump as the months go by is part of the pregnancy process, but sometimes Hollywood makes shedding baby fat look easy, especially since stars have financial resources for personal trainers, expensive diet programs, and memberships to pricey gyms.

If you aren’t a celebrity, and most of us aren’t, losing baby weight quickly is still quite doable, but it can be challenging. With pregnancy, your body gets accustomed to extra weight and tries to conserve it, as if it’s a normal weight. Several factors are also working against you when you’re trying to lose the extra pounds, like neurotransmitters, hormones, decreased physical activity, emotional eating, hunger level, and metabolism. All these combined make it seem like losing weight is an uphill battle, and it is to a certain degree.

Before you start a new diet or workout routine, be sure to talk with your doctor. Below, the 4 essential tips for losing weight after having a baby.

1.  Change your philosophy about food.

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The first thing is to change your philosophy about food, which will change your lifestyle. Food is to sustain life. It gives us energy, nutrition, keeps us healthy and strong and bright. That’s what it’s for. It might be easier said than done, but eating isn’t a comfort zone to go to when emotions get out of hand. Putting food in its place, psychologically, is the first step in avoiding over-eating, emotional eating, and weight gain.

2.  Make exercise fun.

Your new philosophy has to include exercise, even if it’s walking or biking 2 or 3 times a week, things you had fun doing as a kid. Make exercise fun, not drudgery. Put your new baby in a stroller and you can walk together, or get a sitter to come over while you do it, or make it a family affair that involves you, your significant other, and the baby. If you have friends or neighbors who are new moms that may want to shed a few pounds, then this could be an informal support group for all of you.

If it’s impossible to walk or do something outside the house, do some dancing indoors, use a treadmill, or just job in place. Chances are your baby will be in the same room with you.

The philosophy is meant to last a lifetime; it isn’t just a quick fix.

3.  Focus on eating healthy.

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In order to lose weight after having a baby, you must change how you think and feel about food as it relates to exercise and weight loss.

Be sure to learn about calorie counting because it’s very important. You should know the number of calories you need a day, and eat up to that limit. It’s a numbers game when you get right down to it. Natural, fresh, healthy food normally has fewer calories and more nutrients than fast food or pre-packaged food that comes in a can or box.

4.  Personalize your plan.

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Whichever route you choose for losing baby fat, personalize it. You might find that you prefer running to the elliptical machine or yoga to dance classes. If you do what you’ll enjoy and make a commitment to yourself to lose the weight, you’ll be more likely to stick with your workout plan and better prepared to push through any weight loss plateaus.

Sometimes we fall off the wagon and gain a few pounds back, but that doesn’t mean we give up. You just have to get back on track and keep going!