Most of the time the first thing that mom is ready to do after having her little bundle of joy is lose all of the weight she gained while nurturing this little baby inside of her body. It won't happen over night, well...some of the weight will come off very fast, depending on what your are doing to help yourself. Here are some great tips to help you lose weight.
Breastfeed - Breastfeeding can burn between 500-700 calories a day. The longer you breastfeed the more calories you burn!
Healthy foods - Keeping healthy food in the house instead of junky fatty foods is a good start on losing weight.
Healthy snacks - Having healthy snacks laying around will help you from feeling hungry in between meals. Apple slices, carrot sticks, wheat crackers, banana peanut butter sandwich, etc. are good snack foods for that 3PM hunger pain.
Water - Drinking a lot of water is a great way to avoid getting dehydrated and it fills you up so that you don't eat as much. You don't HAVE to drink 8 glasses of water a day but it won't hurt. To be sure you're getting enough water check the color of your urine when you use the bathroom. It will be more clear when you have enough water.
Walk - It's a good idea to go for a nice walk everyday, fresh air does everybody some good. Push your limits everyday and see how good this exercise will make you feel. Make sure you have good walking shoes so that you avoid being uncomfortable and bring a bottle of water along with you to avoid getting dehydrated. Going for a walk is a great stress reliever and if baby is fussy, putting her in a stroller and walking around the block will definitely help her fall asleep.
Forget about fast food - It's a hot day, you're tired and hungry and just don't feel like cooking. You have a fast food place on your mind. STOP! Think, do you really need to eat at a fast food place? NO! Make a salad, fruit salad, veggie salad any kind of salad really. Make a sandwich with wheat bread. There are so many other healthy foods you can make on a hot day instead of spending a good 20-30 dollars on a fast food place.
Park further away - This way you will have to walk a longer distance to get to where you're going. Always look for a spot the farthest away from the grocery store and many other place.
Take the stairs - Taking the stairs is better than taking the elevators. It's exercise! Come on ladies it's a no brainer!
Join a fitness group - Joining a gym or fitness group is a great idea. They also have mommy and me fitness classes you can sign up for which means you bring your baby along with you, no need for a sitter which means you can concentrate on what you're doing instead of worrying about your baby at home.
Make it a fun thing - Ask a friend to join you and schedule everyday walks together. It's fun to walk and catch up on old times with good friends. See if there are other people having trouble losing weight or looking for a buddy to walk with. Ask grandma and grandpa to visit with the baby while mommy and daddy take an after supper walk. It does feel good to get out together and enjoy talking to each other while walking hand in hand. Nothing makes a relationship stronger than communication.
Put away the scale - Not a good idea to weigh yourself every time you do an exercise, that will just make you obsessed about losing weight and how much you lose. Weigh yourself before you start trying to lose weight, then weigh yourself once a week to see how much weight you lost that week. If you're not seeing the results you want to see, try pushing yourself a little bit further, but DO NOT push yourself too much. Remember you have a baby to take care of and that little baby needs some of mommies energy too.
Face it ladies, we're not going to lose weight by just sitting on the couch all day, it's time to get up and do the work! It's time to get motivated! It's time to lose some weight! You don't need diet pills, you don't need expensive exercise equipment, you don't need to feel low about yourself, you don't need those extra pounds! Remind yourself that you look good no matter who says what. You're just doing this to feel better and be healthier for your baby!
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