How Did You Lose Weight After Baby?

I recently answered a similar quesiton I use myfitnesspal.com to track calories and exercise. Maintaining 1200 calories per day through a combination of diet and exercise (e.g., 1400 food - 200 exercise). I always hated counting calories, but it works. It is simple math, no need for fake food and chemicals. Good luck. I am trying to lose the weight from 2 pregnancies. Sigh. But I have lost 10 punds in a month.

Drink tons of water and go for a walk every night. Pack your sweet baby in the stroller and grab a big cup of water and just walk.

I exercised..a lot..i would take my son to Elysian Park in the early mornings..would run 3 miles..then i would get back to the house..get him to nap ..while he napped i would do a 10 or 20 minute workout..then i would walk him again when he woke up to a park or on an errand..then i would workout and do P90X most nights..that's a workout dvd collection..
now i'm more in shape than i was before i got pregnant..my son is now 5..i don't workout as hard..but i know shortcuts..like spin class at the gym..u can leave your child in the daycare and go exercise for an hour..or 2..i would only take one class w/ your child being so young..

you should try Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred..its a 20 minute circuit training workout..it kicks your butt...but it gets u in shape..i like a lot of the 10 minute workouts..Keli Roberts..Denise Austin..The Firm..try to incorporate taking lots of walks..and when u push the stroller to the park..jog don't just walk..also when u run...do intervals..walk..jog..sprint..then repeat..
I'm thinking about getting certified as a personal trainer..got certified last year as a spin instructor..i never thought i would be so into fitness..but i got into it after i had my son..i was 41 when he was born..also C section..
up your vitamin C intake..for even faster healing..
now i'm 46...my body looks great..i go to Equinox..and either workout alone or w/ trainers...then i spin..or i take classes..they have top notch instructors..
so either get dvd's..run when u push the stroller..join a gym..and by joining a gym you get a little break in the day by leaving your baby in the child care..i wasn't into leaving my son til he turned 2.5 years old..but i see lots of moms do it..
my son was just really aware and active..and would not sit in a stroller for an hour while i worked out..so i had to come up w/ alternative ways to get my workouts in..i still don't know how i worked out so much back then..
but u can do it w/out having to workout as hard as i did..i was a size 4 when my son turned 1.5...i was a size 10/12 before i got pregnant..now i'm a size 6 ..10 lbs more than i was 2 years ago..b/c i don't workout as much...but i'm happy with it..

if you're not bfing ..start your day w/ hot water with 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a whole squeezed lemon..this cleans out your liver and speeds up metabolism..but i don't think cayenne pepper would be good if you are nursing..if so then start the day w/ an ice cold glass of water..and drink ice water and hot water / tea throughout the day..this boosts metabolism..
then for breakfast start your day w/ a smoothie...i make baggies for up to 7 days in a row with frozen fruits..leafy greens..some ginger..E3 Live..i put GNC Longetivity protein powder vanilla flavor in..if u don't use this then add vanilla flavoring to your smoothie..also i add Orac Greens another powder..psyillium husk powder and i crush 5 brazilian nuts...and add 2 dates...
i put all the powders and the nuts together the night before...so i can just dump it into my smoothie..oh and i add some cinnamon..i sip this all morning..then u have herbal tea..then start your day w/ some food after all that..
ok sorry so long..i'm also very into nutrition..
start researching..get a subscription to Shape and Fitness mags..lots of great tips for you in those..

good luck!

D.

O how I love San Diego. I wouldn't purchase any thing outside of healthy food. Where you live the weather is awesome and there is so much to do. I would just take it easy and start with taking your LO for walks every day or bike rides. If your stroller allows take it along the water and let your LO enjoy the water and planes flying over. Sorry I really miss San Diego. :( It is my all time favorite place. If you can't get motivated get a walking buddy for a few weeks. If something that this doesn't help then I would look further into purchaseing something.

I use calorie-count.com to track calories and exercise, water intake, etc. It also does an analysis and lets you know where your diet is deficient. You can enter your own recipes and it does calculations for you or build meals too. I used it after each baby and during the pregnancies too when my weight gain per month was a big jump (got me back to reality). I mostly eat clean, exercise. If you are a competitive person, sign up for a race (something manageable like a 5K if you are a beginner or a bike race) or find a work out buddy. I decided to join the local YMCA after my 2nd baby and the people in the group fitness classes are what keeps me coming back. Ours even has babysitting for kids over 6 weeks I believe it is -- and if you do a family membership, your kid is a member and the babysitting is free/included in your membership fee! I lost the weight in between each pregnancy (my kids are not yet 4, 2.5 and baby due in May). Although the meal delivery services might be convenient and calculated -- they don't teach you how to eat right long term because you aren't the one preparing the food. If you want to use it for a short term to kickstart your diet and to save you time when you have the new baby to take care of then good for you but if you already have to cook for another person or more...keep that in mind because the time saver part will go out the window! :) best wishes!

I am on weight watchers...it is slow going but is helping. Now that the weather at least here in the midwest is warming up...take advantage of walking your sweet baby outside and getting exercise that way...! Just some thoughts because I am in the same boat you are :)

When I was pregnant, I started eating six meals a day (obviously not huge meals). Just eating enough to be satisfied, and eating healthy (i.e. just not hightly fatty stuff). I got so used to that, that I kept eating like that afterwards, and I think that made a difference. I learned to eat just what I needed and not more, and knowing that I can eat a couple of hours later, relieved my mind on stopping. Even if it was good snacks, or the remainder of the meal, I had something to put into my body if I was hungry the few hours later. Also, they say, you should not eat late, so if you have to eat later in the evening, make it fruit or vegetable stuff (or a smoothy), so easily digested. I also learned that sometimes I had to stand up (maybe when I walked to get something) and when I stood I could realize if I was full or maybe even ate too much. If I had kept sitting and eating, I would not have felt my bodies status of satisfaction.

If you could walk with the baby, that would be good too.

Hope this helps.

Breastfeeding, food combinations, and calorie counting.

I ate the weight I wanted to be times 10 in calories... so:
I wanted to be 120 lbs...
120 X 10 = 1200 calories

plus I breastfed so I allotted an extra 300 calories for that:
1200 + 300 = 1500 calories

If I exercised I looked up "calories burned" for that activity and added some extra calories to my daily intake based on that. I reached my goal weight when my daughter was 9 months. my goal weight was actually 25 lbs LOWER than my pre-pregnancy weight.

For every meal I combined 1 protein source, 1-2 carbs (15 grams of carbs per serving), and 1 or 2 fruit or vegetable servings... I ate three meals and 1 or 2 snacks every day- with the occasional "dessert" after dinner on days I could afford it (calorie budget wise) When my daughter started eating solids I made my own baby food- and ate a lot of the same foods I made for her LOL!

By losing that weight and making changes in my diet habits, I was lucky enough to avoid gestational diabetes in my current pregnancy! (I had it in my first!) woohoo- double bonus! So- know that the benefits are really truly well worth getting back to a healthy weight!

By the way- once I reached my goal weight I SLOWLY upped my calorie intake until I reached a place where I no longer would lose weight, but wasn't gaining any either- for me that was at about 1700 calories or so. Eventually I stopped counting calories and just tried to maintain roughly the same eating habits while watching the scale at least once a week.

That said- we had a few stressful months and I gained about 8lbs right before I got pregnant this time... I knew it was happening and was jumping back on the diet train when I found out i was pregnant, haha! - If you do start gaining weight again, just don't wait until it becomes more than you can handle...

to count calories.. you may want to get a food scale and some measuring cups and spoons until you are used to "eyeing" the right portions. Then use a site or a book to look up any foods that don't have nutrition facts ON them (like fruits and veggies) I used the sparkpeople website and I LOVED it!

Good Luck!
-M.

If you are breastfeeding, and if you are going to use a 'diet' program, it needs to be one that is tailored for breastfeeding Moms.

Also, ask your OB/GYN, what activities you can do. At this stage post c-section.
I had c-sections with both my kids.

weight loss is different for everybody but I will share my experience. My youngest daughter just turned 3 and for the first time in the last 6 year I feel really good about my body. After she was born, I worked out at the gym taking classes and walking/jogging on treadmill. I saw some results but then it pretty much just stopped. I lost motivation and got frustrated. This past January I tried something new. I totally changed my diet and I started walking long distances outside and skipped the gym all together. I dropped 8-10 pounds in 12 weeks. I eat fresh foods, avoid packaged/processed stuff, lots of fruits and veggies, omlettes, homemade smoothies, fish, chicken and I get inspiration from weight watchers recipes even though I don't do the program officially. I walk with a friend on Wednesday's while our older kids are in school and we push the younger ones in the stroller. We walk up to 7 miles taking breaks at the park for the kids. I then try to walk again once on the weekends. If I can squeeze in a 3rd walk per week I love it! Now that the weight came off and I feel good, I am going to incorporate some weight training, possibly some swimming, and classes back into my routine. For the most part I think my diet changes made the world of difference! Good luck and hang in there. It takes time. Thought of one more thing... I have a motorola droid and there is an app called "Cardio Trainer" I LOVE IT! It counts my steps, tracks my distance and speed, plays music from my phone, talks to me along the way, and then tells me how many calories I burned and saves the workout. I have a history of how far I have walked since January. LOVE IT- totally motivates me.

What I did that really helped me, was using my kids as exercise equipment. :)
Also go to www.sparkpeople.com and check out their video section.
They have 5min - 12min exercise videos.
I would do a few of those a day.
Go for walks with my kids.
Also when cleaning around the house, turn it into exercise. Instead of just bending over to pick up toys, Do lunges while picking them up.
Lay on your back, on the floor, hold your baby above your chest and do reps as if you were holding dumbbells.
I lost over 60lbs just doing things like that.

I assume you are not breastfeeding anymore or you would not be considering Medifast. The only people i've ever known to do medifast gained it back and then some. Its not a good long term weight loss product. I would also get over the idea of "jump starting" weight loss. The best way to loose weight and keep it off is to create a calorie deficit without sending your body into starvation mode. This fine line is eating your resting, or basal metabolism and if you do this, you can expect to loose 1-2 lbs a week. I think people think they need to loose weight fast because they know they don't have the resolve to diet for long. But if you walk that fine line of 1200-1500 calories (depends on height, weight, age, sex), you will be able to keep it up for months. Don't worry about fast weight loss, just make sure you are going in the right direction, no matter how long it takes. With my first baby, I hired a personal trainer to teach me to work out at home and then continued to work out and count calories. I lost all but the last 5. The key for me was learning how to work out at home since it was too hard to go for runs or the gym with a baby.

I exercised. About a year after my son was born I started training for triathlons, that really helped me get buff, and lose some additional weight, although I was already back to normal. What really helps is to have a goal, maybe a local 5k run. You can do the couch to 5k if you've never run before (that is how I started), it is really good, and starts you out slow enough that you don't get frustrated, but you do get results and are able to run in a few months. With a goal, you feel more obligated to do it. I also used to go to a lot of group classes at the rec center, yoga, pilates, zumba, they often have day care as well, and they are cheap (look for your local recreation center, community center, even the YMCA or YWCA). If you go with a friend, you will really be motivated to make it every time, and it's more fun.

Hey A.,
I am doing Weight Watchers on-line. I have lost 10 pounds so far (over the last 2 months) and it's a fairly easy program to use. The big key is to eat a lot of vegetables (which are pretty much non caloric) whenever you feel hungry. The extra fiber will fill you up, not to mention veggies are packed with vitamins.
I would suggest that you avoid any program with prepackaged meals as there are a ton of preservatives in them, and they are not nutritionally rich.