With Hollywood moms strutting their stuff in bikinis and skinny jeans often just weeks or a few short months after giving birth, it’s easy to see why so many new moms feel the pressure to get back to their pre-baby shape and size as fast as possible. I am often asked how to get those last 5,10 or 15 pounds off by new moms when I meet them in my classes. Often, new moms are baffled why their usual tactics aren’t working, or are in the ‘need to love weight’ situation for the first time in their lives. Here are a few helpful tips to take those pounds off safely, and permanently.
- Be kind! One of the things that frustrates and saddens me as a mother and personal trainer is hearing new moms beat themselves up about their baby weight. Yes, we ALL want to get back to that pre-baby body and pre-baby weight, but it is so important to create a positive experience for yourself. This brief time of your new baby’s life will be but a blink of your total life experience. Remind yourself what you’ve accomplished and focus on positive habits and positive self- talk at least once per day. Even better if you can do it all the time.
- Sleep! I know – so much easier said than done when you have a new baby. The fact remains that a lack of sleep is directly linked to increased cortisol levels in the body, which are linked to higher levels of body fat (and specifically belly fat). Do whatever you can to get your 8 hours of sleep per night, cumulative. It may feel like you have to go to bed when the baby does, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing, for a short period of your life. Take care of yourself so you can take care of everyone else that you have to.
- Move, baby, move! Exercise is a significant key in getting the weight off and keeping it off. Not only does it provide energy and stamina for your daily tasks (so you aren’t so inclined to reach for a quick sugar fix), it also reminds you of the journey you are on and creates amazing habits for you and your baby! Additionally, by putting on muscle pounds, you will burn more calories from fat. Every extra pound of muscle on your body burns an additional 50 calories per day without any extra effort. You can try to find a gym with child-minding, join a Mom and Baby Fitness Class so your baby can come along with you (www.fit4two.ca) or workout with a DVD for even 15 minutes a day to start. Just make sure you are ready to start back. Email [email protected] for our Easing Back into Fitness Guidelines for new moms.
- Focus on your food groups. It’s pretty hard to go wrong if you focus each day on getting all the required nutrients in the Canada Food Guide. If you do that first, then you will not be likely to be very hungry for anything else. Beyond that, you will have the right nutrients to give you the energy and stamina you need to get through your day while you are trying to lose weight. Even better, this is a lifelong habit that will help you actually KEEP off the weight you lose, which is usually the hardest part.
- Don’t get drastic. If you like to count calories or find it an effective tool, then remember that a total calorie deficit of about 500 calories per day will lead to a 1-2 pound fat weight loss per week, so long as you don’t drop your total calories so low that your body thinks it’s starving. You need to add back in at least half of those for breastfeeding. Simple plan: Use a Basal Metabolic Calculator, then deduct 250 calories if breastfeeding and wanting to lose weight, and 500 calories if you are not breastfeeding.
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Water is the key to proper cell function and can quell the appetite. Did you know that one of the first signs of thirst is feeling hungry? Try having a big glass of water when you start feeling hunger pains, especially if you have recently eaten and don’t know why you are feeling hungry already.
Most important of all – Be patient. Keep the stress levels as low as you can. My personal observation over the past 6 years of working with postpartum moms is that baby weight tends to come off in waves, and I usually see women losing more weight in the 2nd six months of their new baby’s life than the first six months. It took almost a year to put the weight on and it’s not uncommon for it to take that long (or even longer) to take it off. Keep focusing on the right habits and tips above and you will most likely be back to your pre baby shape and size by your sweet bundle’s first birthday!