Lose Baby Weight

If you want to lose baby weight then one of the most important keys to your success is committing to having a positive mindset to achieve your goal. This involves making important lifestyle changes and implementing these steps to help you lose weight.

Lose Baby Weight the Safe Way

I get it, as a mama, life is busy and your priority is your baby. But what is important is for you to acknowledge that your health also matters. You deserve to find the time to look after you!

So, if you are up throughout the night feeding your baby, then there is nothing you can do about trying to get an uninterrupted night of sleep. It's just not possible at this stage, but it will get better! The point is to make lifestyle changes that you can implement and are actionable in your busy life as a mama.

You Need a Simple Weight Loss Plan

A simple, easy-to-follow weight loss strategy involves exercising, eating well and living a healthy lifestyle.

Where many women go wrong is participating in a weight loss diet or fad that is not sustainable. Endless cooking, buying expensive weight loss products, extreme dieting or exercising is not the way you want to live.

So, I want you to keep it simple. Start by making some positive lifestyle changes that you can continue for life.

15 Steps to Help You Lose the Baby Weight

1. Stop Paying for Fad Diets

I have listed this one first for a very good reason. And that is you may lose baby weight fast by significantly restricting your caloric intake, but these crash diets are not sustainable for life and you when you stop you are likely to quickly put that weight back on.

Also, pursuing a low-calorie diet will probably leave you feeling tired. This is obviously something you do not want when trying to take care of a newborn. And you will likely make excuses to not exercise because you have low energy and are too tired.

The billion dollar weight loss industry is always coming up with some new and convincing weight loss diet promising hope to those who have yet to win the weight loss battle. Quite simply, you can often lose immediate weight on some of these diets but it is not sustainable or manageable for life.

2. Avoid Sitting Down for Long Periods

There has been a lot said recently in the news about how research is showing that sitting down for extended periods of time is bad for your health. If you are at work, watching TV, in a waiting room, or sitting down with friends then make it a plan to get up and walk around every 20-30 minutes.

In order to avoid back pain you should put a plan in action to get up and move around every 20 minutes.

3. Commit to Healthy Eating

It is OK to enjoy the occasional treat as long as 80% or more of what you eat is healthy and good for you. You should not feel guilty or punish yourself for enjoying that dessert or chocolate bar. Enjoying treats is a part of life. What is important is that you maintain the discipline to resist these treats all the time.

Consume Healthy Proteins

According to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; when you include healthy protein in your diet you will help boost metabolism, decrease appetite, and reduce calorie intake.

Protein has a 'thermic' effect which means that the body uses more energy to digest it than other types of foods, which results in more calories burned.

Healthy protein sources include:

1. Eggs
2. Lean meats
3. Legume
4. Nuts and seeds
5. Dairy

Eat Foods High in Fibre

Eating foods that are high in fibre has been shown to help with weight loss. Soluble fibre foods may help you feel fuller for longer by slowing down digestion and reducing hunger hormone levels.

Avoid Added sugar

This is our greatest challenge as lollies, candy and sweet treats taste so good! But these high sugar treats and refined carbs are high in calories and usually low in nutrients. Research associates a high intake of added sugar with an increase in diabetes, heart disease, weight gain and some cancers.

Avoid alcohol

We all like to talk about how research has shown that small amounts of alcohol (red wine) has some health benefits to justify that nightly drink. But when trying to lose baby weight, alcohol provides extra calories without much in the way of nutrition. Alcohol may lead to more fat being stored around the organs, also known as belly fat.

Avoid Highly Processed Foods

Processed foods are bad news when trying to lose weight. They are often high in salt, sugar, unhealthy fats, and calories, all of which can counteract your weight loss efforts. I want you to replace any highly processed foods you have at home with fresh, whole, nutrient-dense foods.

4. Clean Out Your Fridge and Pantry

One of the first steps to successfully losing weight is to clean out your fridge and pantry of all the unhealthy food items. If you leave these food items around then when you are vulnerable to temptation then it is just too easy to go and get that packet of chips, chocolate bar, packet of biscuits or soft drink.

5. Quality Sleep is Essential to Losing Weight

Being tired is an emotion and feeling that can often lead to making poor choices to what we eat. Getting enough sleep is vital to maintain a healthy weight because of the impact it has on your hormones that control how you burn and store fat. Be consistent on when you go to bed and what time you wake up.

AND as mentioned above, if you have a newborn, then this step may not be achievable at this point in time. So when the time is right and baby is sleeping through the night, then you can take the required steps to establish a healthy sleeping routine.

6. Enjoy Restaurants - But Make The Healthy Choice!

A good tip is to look online and study the restaurant's menu before you go so you can take you time and make the informed choice about what you eat. All too often when rushed to select an item from the menu you can be influenced by what your friends are ordering or by what your waiter recommends.

7. Take Healthy Snacks When You Travel

A common problem when you travel is finding a healthy food option on the road. You are unfamiliar with the area or are in such a remote location that your choices are limited to unhealthy fast-food choices.

To avoid the unknown, you should pack and take your own snacks and meals when travelling as this is a great way for you to control what and when you eat.

8. Eat Before Going to a Party

Parties are notorious for endless eating due to the constant stream of plates of food being presented to you. By eating a small meal before you go to a party will help to alleviate your cravings and hunger.

9. Drink Plenty of Water

Drinking enough water is vital when it comes to losing weight. Drinking water may increase your sense of fullness and stimulate your metabolism, leading to weight loss. Make sure you avoid sweetened water, as it contains more calories so always choose plain water.

There are many health benefits to staying properly hydrated. One benefit is that staying hydrated can curb hunger. Water is what makes us move, live and keeps us healthy. Buy a BPA free water bottle and carry it with you throughout the day.

10. A Positive Mindset is Essential to Success

Instead of making endless excuses as to why you can't lose weight now is the time to start talking positively and telling yourself that you are now in control and you can make these healthy lifestyle choices.

11. Keep Healthy Foods Front and Center

One reason we struggle to lose weight is due to eating high-caloric and unhealthy snacks. I want you to clear out your pantry and fridge and replace unhealthy snacks with healthier options such as mixed nuts, dried fruit, cut vegetables and hummus, Greek yogurt, and home made granola.

Place your healthy food items right in front of you by placing them at the front of the fridge and on the most visible shelves in your pantry. This way when you are hungry you can reduce temptation by grabbing an unhealthy snack that is directly in your line of sight as you open the fridge.

12. Ration Your Junk Food

When we shop, we often buy too much food thinking it is better to buy it all now to store for the future. When you do this with junk food it can be a bad decision as during an emotional moment you are just likely to eat the lot.

Therefore, avoid buying more junk food than you're going to eat in one day. Your ultimate goal is to eliminate as much junk food from your diet as possible, but this is a good first step.

13. Monitor Your Calorie Intake

So, when I say you should 'monitor your calorie intake,' I don't mean becoming obsessed with calorie counting as this is not sustainable for life. Monitoring calories can help you work out how much you are eating and where any problem areas in your eating plan may be. A mobile calorie tracking app may be good for you.

14. Get Active - Get PregActive!

Living a sedentary lifestyle is bad news when trying to maintain a healthy weight. And if you are trying to lose baby weight you need to include regular exercise into your weekly weight loss plan. Walking, jogging, cycling, interval training and participating in your weekly PregActive exercise workouts all help to burn calories.

Exercise combined with good nutrition will help you to lose weight.

Besides losing weight, exercise and staying active will help reduce the risk and severity of diabetes, may reduce the risk of several types of cancer and will improve heart health.

Include Strength Training

I love strength training and for good reason. Strength training will help you lose weight and retain muscle mass. To effectively lose weight, a combination of diet and strength training has been found to be the most effective method for reducing weight and improving heart health.

15. Get the Support You Deserve

A key part of my Stronger Mama Challenge is being there to support you and all of our amazing mamas throughout their weight loss journey. So, please introduce yourself in our online community and join in the daily conversations to keep you motivated and inspired to workout.

Key Takeaway

Weight loss after pregnancy can take time, and you may not go back to your pre-baby weight or a healthy weight straight away.

You have just brought new life into the world; your body did an amazing thing. Along with that comes the fact that you will carry some extra weight after pregnancy is common and nothing to get down on yourself about.

Attaining a healthy weight post pregnancy is important, but please do not let your weight become a cause of stress or anxiety. If you aren’t coping well, ask for help from your doctor, family or friends.

Getting back into a healthy weight range is beneficial for your health as I have already outlined. Being healthy will allow you to enjoy time with your baby and get the most out of motherhood.

Replace processed foods with fresh whole foods.

Protein supports weight loss by boosting your metabolism, increasing feelings of fullness, and reducing appetite.

I don't want you to become obsessed with counting calories. You need to keep things simple. But if you do want to monitor your caloric intake then an app may help you keep track of what you are eating.

Keep healthy snacks within reach.

These include foods like fruit, vegetables, nuts, and yogurt.

AND of course, get PregActive with my Stronger Mama Challenge where I provide you with 28 days of guided workouts that you can do at home. Each month, we start a new Challenge so join other mamas just like you (and me!!) as we become the strong mamas we deserve to be.

Stronger Mama Challenge

If you are determined to lose baby weight then I want you to keep your plan simple and achievable. My Stronger Mama Challenge is dedicated to providing you with workouts to help you lose weight. So, if you need help and commitment when it comes to getting in your workouts; then this challenge could be for you.