Losing the Baby Weight: Advice for Real Women from Moms Who’ve Been There

Losing the Baby Weight: Advice for Real Women from Moms Who’ve Been There

It’s easy to look up tips on losing weight after a baby. When you read some of these tips, though, it’s often clear that the writer is an armchair enthusiast. They don’t make sense for real mothers. Signing up to a gym, for example, can sound very workable. When there’s a baby to take care of, however, who would mind the baby? If you were to ask a real mom, she would tell you: you should look for a baby-friendly gym that offers babysitting right on the premises. You’ll be able to keep a casual eye on the baby as you work out.

Here are other tips that address the problems that real moms face as they try to lose weight.

If it’s dancing, do it at home

Dancing is a great way to give yourself a workout, and have fun while you do it. Fresh out of labor, however, you may not be ready for a class where you dance with others. At home, on the other hand, you’re free to be as uncoordinated as you want, and you can even include your new baby. All you need to do is to set her on the bed before you or put her in a bouncy chair, and dance your heart out. Your baby will be delighted. Some mothers are even able to gather other new moms around, and start a great dance-at-home tradition.

You can eat less without knowing it

Ice cream tends to remain spoon-friendly right out of the freezer; you can eat a lot without realizing it. Yogurt, however, turns very hard. Switching to small cups of yogurt that you freeze is a great way to make your dessert last longer. Whatever other desert you want, you should consider freezing it. The less spoon-friendly it is, the less easy it is going to be for you to knock three or four back at a time.

There are other tricks that you can use. It can be hard to tell yourself that you can’t eat anything calorie-rich. Instead, you can begin cutting down on the variety that you enjoy. If you love ice cream, cookies, M&Ms and French fries, you can tell yourself that you only allow yourself one of these things, and nothing else. When you allow yourself one treat alone, you’ll get bored of it after a while. Your mind, however, will not rebel as much, because knowing that there’s one treat within reach will give it a measure of satisfaction.

Make your home as inconvenient as you can

Ordinarily, your instinct is to keep everything you need within easy reach. If it’s your baby’s diaper supplies, for instance, you would put them right next to the changing station. What if you kept them on a different floor of your house? Keeping things at an inconvenient distance forces you to walk around a lot. The more imaginative you get at doing this, the more calories you burn.

Bribe yourself

Think of a major purchase that you planned to make — a new car for yourself, or perhaps new jewelry. Tell yourself that you get it the day that you achieve your weight loss goal. For most people, major carrot-dangling greatly helps focus the mind.

Get together with other people

A brand-name group physical activity can be a great way to lose weight. One reason this is so is that when you’re with others, you get to see how hard they try, and you want to be just as good. You can even sign up to a gym that offers affordable personal trainers. Getting a trainer on your case can help you push yourself hard.

Get a high-energy dog

This one can work anytime in life, and not just when you’re trying to lose your baby weight. When you get a high-energy dog that needs a great deal of activity each day, you can’t possibly disappoint it. A dog won’t take no for an answer, and you won’t have a choice. Anything from an Airedale to a Chesapeake Bay Retriever or a blue heeler can work. Some high-energy dog breeds are even comfortable playing in water.

Finally, don’t be disappointed if you end up looking different

Once you’ve been through childbirth, your body begins to deposit its fat around your body in a different way. Even once you’ve lost all the weight that you’ve gained, you will likely still be a slightly different shape than you remember. It may be all for the best, however. You’ll have the excuse you need to get a brand-new wardrobe.