I’m sharing the 10 tips I implemented to lose baby weight that I had been holding onto for over 2 years! The best part is that these won’t cost you a penny!
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Y’all, I have to dive right in and just tell you that I’ve been hesitant to write this post for a while. I am not a nutrition expert, I don’t particularly enjoy exercise, and I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs regarding weight. For those reasons (and many others), I’m feeling a little awkward even broaching this topic.
As women, we can so easily slip into the trap of believing we have to look a certain way or be a certain number on the scale in order to be valuable. That is total hogwash, so I just need to get that out on the table right now!
But since I’ve had some people comment and ask me what I’ve done to lose weight, I’m giving myself permission to open up and talk about it! At the very least, I hope it will inspire you to not give up on your body after having children and to keep working to lose your baby weight!
{Disclaimer: I am not a professional nutritionist or physician. I’m just a mom sharing what what I did to lose baby weight. Consult a professional before you make any drastic changes!! Also, I did not do this when I was breastfeeding, so I’d definitely check with a physician if you are trying to shed some pounds while nursing!}
My story
I’ve never been one that could eat whatever I wanted and not worry about weight. It’s just not in my genes!! My tall stature has helped mask some of the ups and downs in my weight over the years, but I have my “happy place” like most of us probably do.
After 4 years of college with great D-hall food and a couple years of newlywed bliss, I put on some pounds and wasn’t comfortable where I was. When I was about 25 years old, I decided to do Weight Watchers and had some great success. I kept the weight off for a few years….until I had children!
During my pregnancies, I tried to keep my weight gain to within normal ranges (which I did!), but I certainly enjoyed “eating for two” at times. I didn’t stress out too much about it. I figured I’d lose the baby weight after the baby was here, especially since everyone said breastfeeding helps with losing weight.
I did not have such luck! I breastfed or exclusively pumped with all of my children and there was no “weight falling off” happening in my house!! The weight held on for dear life and I was never able to lose the baby weight in between pregnancies. Add on the fact that I was pregnant 5 times in 6 years (we experienced a stillbirth and a miscarriage), my weight just kept creeping up.
After our youngest child was born (he’s 4 now!), I had plans to lose the baby weight once and for all. But, I wasn’t motivated and it just never happened. Also, we didn’t have extra room in our budget to rejoin Weight Watchers. Back then, you had to pay to attend meetings if you were over your goal weight and I certainly was!
The turning point was about a year and a half ago. I spent the weekend away with my sister and mom. We had a great time together and snapped a few pictures together. When I got home and looked through those pictures again, I was so frustrated at what I saw.
Seeing that photo made me decide to finally take some serious action. It’s funny how a picture can really be eye-opening. For some reason, mirrors aren’t always as effective at letting us see what is really in front of us.
What I did
Within a month, I decided to give something a try that I had seen on the internet – the Military Diet. The military diet has nothing to do with the armed forces, but I was intrigued by the big claims that you can lose up to 10 pounds in 3 days.
After reading more about the eating plan, I decided to give it a try. It wasn’t anything crazy and it involved eating real food, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try it out for the 3 days.
The three days came and went and I was excited and motivated to see that I had lost 3 pounds! In that brief amount of time, I had learned some things about my eating habits and was very motivated to continue trying to lose baby weight.
The Military Diet website gives some suggestions if you want to continue to lose weight, but I decided to do my own thing. I felt like the 3-day Military Diet shocked my system and gave me a great start to continue on my own.
My plan was straightforward. I tracked my eating using the MyFitnessPal app on my phone. I set my goal weight and selected a target weight loss of about 1 pound per week. The app used this information to determine my ideal caloric intake.
My aim was to stay under my target caloric intake while also monitoring how those calories were divided between my macros (carbs, proteins, and fats). The app automatically sets macros at 50% carbs, 20% protein, and 30% fats, and I left it this way. You can tweak these by using some of the premium features which require payment, but I used the free version only.
I tried my best to reach my protein target percentage and keep my carbs closer to 30% rather then 50%. Since I was eating much less carbs, those calories typically ended up going into the fat bucket. I was often closer to 50% fat. Essentially, I did a flip flop between the carbs and fats, but this worked well for me.
It took me about 8 months to lose the baby weight, all 20 pounds of it. That’s a weight loss of less than a pound a week, which is slow! I believe the reason I was able to lose the baby weight and keep it off is because I lost it slowly. I lost it at a realistic pace for my lifestyle and I did it in a way that has been sustainable for me. I’ve been so pleased to have kept it off since then, over a year now!
Here are some of the more specific ways I was able to lose the weight and keep it off!
10 Tips to Lose Baby Weight
1. Jumpstart weight loss with a detox or cleanse
The Military Diet isn’t technically a cleanse, but I viewed it as such. This diet helped me to drastically reduce my carb intake, which I needed in order to break my carb addiction. (I love me some carbs!)
I’ve learned that I often need to be drastic when I’m trying to change a habit, so the Military Diet was great for this. I’d imagine some other sort of detox or cleanse might work similarly and help you start off drastic before settling into more “normal” eating.
2. Track your eating
Everything I have read over the years mentions that weight loss begins with your diet. Exercise is great, but calorie reduction is the big deal.
I have to be diligent to track what I’m eating in order to make those reductions. I’ve found that the MyFitnessPal app is great for this! I log everything I put in my mouth as soon as I can (even now!), so I don’t forget.
The MyFitnessPal app allows you to scan the barcodes off the package, so you don’t have to manually enter anything. If you don’t have a barcode available, you can search for the brand or item. When you eat certain recipes routinely, you can manually enter them in to use in the future.
It’s wonderful! The app also includes a ton of restaurants, which is very helpful when eating on the go.
3. Reduce carbs / increase proteins
Ever since the Atkins diet of the 90’s, it seems like carbs have gotten a bad rap! They aren’t bad at all, but I know that I used to eat way too much of them!!
My snack choices, although not horrific, were filled with carbs (ex. graham crackers, saltines, cereal bars, etc.). I also found it very difficult to have 1 roll at a meal. I can go through bread like no one else!
When I started tracking my calories and macros, I saw that I had to work hard to reach my protein target. I shifted my diet towards proteins as much as possible, eating snacks like cheese sticks, nuts, turkey pepperoni, etc. Gone were the days of eating an entire sandwich or a whole bagel. And a bowl of cereal for breakfast? Forget about it!
I found that by decreasing my carbs and increasing proteins, I had more energy. That was a pleasant surprise!
4. Eat smaller portions
One of the reasons why I think my weight loss has been sustainable is that it was realistic. After my initial 3-day Military Diet, I ate normal foods. I ate the same foods as my family, but ate with much more moderation than before.
When we order pizza on Friday night, I usually only eat 1 slice. I probably would have eaten at least 2 before. If I eat dessert, I usually take a much smaller portion. I’ll eat a small sliver of cake or pie versus a whole one.
Depriving myself entirely is just a recipe for disaster. Eating the same foods as everyone else, but in a smaller portion, has worked for me.
5. Be aware of serving sizes
If you’ve never looked at the serving sizes listed on the box, you may be shocked. A serving size is likely much smaller than you’d think. Looking at the nutrition facts alone won’t help if you end up eating 2 or more servings inadvertently.
When I’m about to eat something new, I always check the box to see what the serving size is. I pull out the measuring cups and spoons at meals and when I’m snacking. And I’m often found counting pretzels and measuring out the cooked pasta I’m serving up on my plate. When I’m out and about, I can usually eyeball it, but I do a lot of measuring at home.
6. Weigh yourself once a week
I learned this idea from my Weight Watchers days and it works well for me. If I weigh daily, I could become obsessive. If I don’t weight at all, I have no way to see how I’m doing. I can fool myself into thinking I’m doing fine when I’m really not!
I also heard a fitness coach recommend weighing yourself on a Tuesday rather than a Monday. It’s common for people to eat out on weekends, and that increase in salt intake can affect the scale. I have taken her advice and typically weigh on Tuesday morning before I eat anything. This scale is very similar to the one I use – I love that it’s digital!
7. Drink when you crave
Most of us do not drink enough water. There are so many benefits to water, but one of them is that it helps curb cravings. I challenge myself to consider drinking something when I get the desire to eat something. Often, a cup of coffee (with Stevia to save on calories) or seltzer water will do the trick and satisfy.
8. Eliminate soda
As a former Diet Coke addict, I’m not going to lecture you about all the reasons soda (even diet soda) is bad for you! I will tell you that I believe my taste buds have been positively affected by eliminating diet soda. I can’t prove this, but I believe my diet soda addiction caused me to crave more sugar!
When I quit diet soda cold turkey, seltzer water (such as LaCroix) tasted nasty to me and now I love it! Similarly, I used to use white sugar and now I only use a half a packet of Stevia. Just a little bit of sweetener goes a long way for me now. I drink a diet soda on occasion now, but one is enough for me.
9. Use small plates
If you are struggling to reduce your portion sizes, try using a smaller plate. When I’m at home, I use a salad plate. I feel like I’m eating a good portion but the smaller plate prevents me from overindulging. If you’re still hungry, you can always get some more!
10. Be careful at restaurants
Eating out can be a real challenge when trying to lose baby weight (or any weight, for that matter). Many restaurants are posting their nutrition information these days, which is very helpful but it can still be hard to make good choices with so much temptation.
Usually, I try to look up the restaurant before I go so that I have any idea of what healthier options I can get when I order. Also, if you eat at a restaurant with large portions, don’t be afraid to ask for a takeout container at the start. You can split the meal in half and put it in the container before you even start eating!
Bonus: Move more!
I didn’t make any drastic changes to my exercise level when I was trying to lose baby weight, but it never hurts to move more. Whether it be walking in your neighborhood or taking the stairs rather than the elevator, do what you can to increase your activity level. All I can manage to do these days is a weekly Pilates class at the local YMCA. I’m hoping to add another class in, but it’s better than nothing!
Don’t Give Up!
There is no doubt about it, having children changes your body! It’s a beautiful thing that I wish more women would embrace. (I earned every single stretch mark!) But I don’t think it means moms should just give up entirely.
January tends to be the time when people set goals, so maybe it’s time to consider setting some health and fitness goals of your own! Even if this doesn’t seem like a viable way to lose baby weight, then I hope you’ll consider figuring out what will work for you!! You are worth it, friend!
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Were you able to lose baby weight? If so, let us know how you did it!!
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