TIPS TO LOSE THE BABY WEIGHT

Recently had a baby and looking to lose the baby weight?

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If you are a mom, I can assume two things about you.

1) You are exhausted. ALL. THE. TIME.

2) You probably put your family’s needs in front of your own.

kids making noise and disturbing mom working at home — Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

Being a momma is not an easy task. If you need some extra positivity in your life, check out these affirmation cards.

Taking care of kids can be really hard and demanding and it takes its toll on us physically, mentally, and emotionally.

We are always taking care of other people and their needs and we get the last pieces of whatever is left.

What if I told you there is a better way to live life? A few small changes can help you manage stress, give you more energy, and actually help you feel good in your body.

Fueling our bodies and moving them DAILY are GAME CHANGERS in our postpartum journey. They help us FEEL our best so we can BE our best.

MY 12 TIPS TO LOSE THE BABY WEIGHT

Focus on your nutrition.
Don’t focus on the scale.
Minimize processed foods most of the time.
Eat your carbs before 4:00 pm.
Drink WATER!
Eat when you are hungry.
Move your body.
Take your movement outside.
Set 3 practical goals for each week.
Meal prep whenever possible so you have quick and healthy meals & snacks available.
Give yourself grace because it takes time.
Don’t have an end date for your goal.

1. FOCUS ON NUTRITION.

When we hear the word diet, instantly we think about all of the food that we can’t eat.

Instead, change your mindset.

Focus on what you CAN eat! Try to focus on how your body feels.

If you fill it with junk, you are going to feel it. But, if you fill it with healthy food, you are going to feel amazing and full of energy.

It feels good to feel good.

2. DON’T FOCUS ON THE SCALE.

You can use the scale to help track your weight loss, but DON’T FOCUS ON THE NUMBER!

Girl, you just gave birth.

Have patience with yourself. It is going to take time to get back to pre-baby weight.

3. MINIMIZE PROCESSED FOODS TO HELP LOSE THE BABY WEIGHT.

I hate the word diet and all that society has taught us about it.

Instead of calling it dieting, I say I am on a health journey and am developing healthy habits for life.

There is not an end to it.

Period.

Focus on eating good, healthy foods 80% of the time.

I want you to practice moderation. Eating pizza, chips, and ice cream every day is not a healthy habit and it is not going to fuel your body well. But occasionally, I want you to enjoy pizza, chips, and ice cream.

Try pairing it with some veggies or a nice salad. Don’t pig out and stuff your face with 8 slices of pizza. Use moderation, enjoy your few pieces, but try to fill up on some healthy options.

Remember, OUR GOAL IS TO FEEL GOOD.

4. EAT CARBS BEFORE 4 PM.

Our bodies use carbs for fuel.

We don’t need much energy in the evenings and while we are sleeping, so try eating your carbs for breakfast, lunch, and snacks throughout the day.

Focus on eating whole wheat options whenever possible.

Skip carbs in the evening, or at least minimize to one serving.

5. DRINK HALF OF YOUR WEIGHT IN WATER.

Drink half your body weight in ounces of water EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

So, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink 80 ounces of water a day.

This might sound intimidating, but it really is not that hard! It just takes being intentional. Find yourself a good water bottle like this gallon water bottle or this half gallon that will help you track your consumption throughout the day.

If you are a breastfeeding momma, this will really help your milk supply too!

6. EAT WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY.

Remember, we are on a health journey here, and starving ourselves is not the goal here!

If you are a breastfeeding mom, you need about 500 extra calories a day. When you are hungry, listen to your body and give it fuel, HEALTHY fuel.

When those hunger pangs start, grab some vegetables or fruit and drink 8-12 ounces of water. If you are still hungry, add in a healthy carb.

Don’t fill up on junk or dessert. If you are truly hungry, an apple will sound good, trust me! Check out some of my healthy recipes!

7. MOVE YOUR BODY TO LOSE THE BABY WEIGHT.

If you are not cleared from your doctor yet to workout, you can still get in a little movement. The key is LITTLE!

My favorite activity postpartum is going on walks. The first couple of days, I walk pretty slowly and not very far, but it feels so good to get out of the house and move!

Listen to your body and don’t push yourself too hard!

If you are past that 6 week period, feel free to start pushing yourself a little harder. (I use Beachbody‘s workouts and HIGHLY recommend them. They even have some postpartum workouts!)

Remember though, your body has just gone through TRAUMA and will not be able to do everything it was able to do before.

It is going to take time, but YOU WILL be able to get it back.

8. GET OUTSIDE EVERY DAY.

As long as the weather complies, try to get outside every day. I love to combine this with my daily movement. Go on a family bike ride, play with your kids at the park, go swimming.

As mommas we can feel sensory overload and that the walls are closing in on us. One of the best things I can do for my mental health is take the kids outside. Even if I am just sitting and watching them play, it feels like a little break as they are entertaining themselves. Check out how I stay positive with these affirmation cards and stay sane by having a solid morning routine.

If you want some extra movement, run around and play with them! Not only will you be the coolest mom around, you will burn a few more calories!

9. SET GOALS FOR EACH WEEK.

At the end of each week I try to reflect on things I did well throughout the week and the things that I need to work on.

Pick out a few things that were challenging for you this past week. Maybe you did a lot of snacking in the evening, maybe you drank 4 cans of pop a day, maybe you only worked out once this week.

Pick three things you want to work on for the next week. I like to pick a nutrition goal, fitness goal, and then just a random goal.

I like to track mine on this printable tracker.

10. LOSE THE BABY WEIGHT WITH MEAL PLANNING & MEAL PREPPING

Half of the battle to eating healthy and losing weight is having a plan.

I am a huge advocate for meal planning and meal prepping because life is busy, especially as moms.

Meal planning and meal prepping doesn’t have to be extravagant, I don’t have time for that. If you have never tried them, go them a shot, you won’t regret it!

11. GIVE IT TIME.

Losing weight takes time, that’s why it shouldn’t be our focus.

Give yourself grace.

Focus on progress, not perfection.

Take one day at a time.

Focus on small changes each day and they will add up to big changes, I guarantee it!

12. DON’T HAVE AN END DATE.

This one is kind of hard to do.

Most of us have a goal of how much weight we want to lose and a date for when we want to lose it.

There’s nothing wrong with doing that, but don’t focus on it.

Try to focus on living a healthy lifestyle and feeling your best.