I
know that several days after I had my son Shepard, I did not walk out of the
hospital in a bright dress and high heels with bouncy curls. Bless Kate
Middleton for what that must have taken a village (or just great genes) to look
so perfectly put together, but I know I didn’t look that great for months after
birth.
the hormones, discomfort and adjustments to nursing, I knew there were also 20+
pounds to take care of once we stepped out of the hospital doors, on our way to
parenthood with our little man in tow. The
reality is, no matter how thin you were before you had your children, and no
matter how much weight you want to lose, once you’ve lost it you definitely
don’t want to see it again. I know I sure as heck didn’t. So once that final five pounds was gone (hallelujah!) I vowed to make sure
I adopted healthy, long-term habits that could help me maintain a healthy
weight and lifestyle to keep up with my baby boy. These
tips have helped me keep off the baby weight (13 months later!) and actually
have hovered around 5 pounds under my pre-baby weight. The fact is – dieting
doesn’t work long-term, and with a baby, you only have so much time to workout
and exercise. We need real, quick and easy habits that help keep the pounds
off!
–
Keep carbs at a healthy ratio. If you have a carb heavy lunch,
stick with protein and veggies for dinner.
–
Keep desserts low-fat and
low-cal, and keep to once or twice per week.
–
Eat breakfast and keep it under
300 calories with high protein.
–
Stay active throughout the day. Try a pedometer to see how many steps you average, and then make it
a goal to increase that or hit a specific number each day.
–
Take walks after dinner.
10 to 15-minute walks add up if you do it consistently.
–
Include a veggie in every meal. They
fill you up with healthy vitamins and antioxidants without the high calories.
–
Keep eating out to a minimum. In our family, it’s mostly saved
for special weekend meals.
–
When you do eat out, look
up the calorie and fat count ahead of time. Make choices from the low
calorie or diet friendly options. These are actually the more “normal” and
healthy range of calories per meal than most normal restaurant portions.
–
Try new foods. You tend to eat less
when you introduce new tastes and experiences.
–
Don’t eat in front of the television when you can get distracted
and eat more than you need. Try to make it a family affair (when possible) and
catch up on what’s important.
–
Refresh your workout wear
and shoes. New fitness apparel makes can help reinvigorate your workout
routine. And it doesn’t have to be expensive. Walmart and Target are my go-tos.
–
In the office or at home, keep healthy snacks in close proximity. Stash up on nuts,
protein bars and chopped fruit for easy and healthy snacking.
–
Keep sodas to a minimum, and keep a full cup of water nearby
throughout the day.
–
Find activities that you can do with your family to incorporate fitness.
Walk to a nearby park, or check out a local nature trail.
–
Let yourself relax daily. Shut
off computers, phones and electronics and even if for a couple minutes,
reflect, relax and unwind.
–
Get plenty of sleep. This one is tough
with little ones – but even chunks of sleep are better than nothing.
–
Skip processed meals and plan yours in advance before the week
begins. Whole foods are more
nutritious and satisfying than anything you can heat up.
–
Let yourself indulge
from time to time, just watch the portion sizes. I like to follow the 80/20
rule – 80 percent of the time you’re eating healthfully, and the other 20
percent you’re enjoying foods that may be indulgent.
–
Wear your baby – it can burn up to
300 extra calories per day (plus it’s fun to snuggle whenever you can!) We love our Ergo!
–
Skip the dieting! It’s all
about a balanced lifestyle, where you enjoy food and being active. Shortcuts
just don’t work.
hope you stop on over to Everyday Happiness, where I blog about
our family’s adventures in Florida. We love having fun, and don’t take
ourselves too seriously. You’ll also find articles about being a working mom, travel and our everyday life
as a family of three! You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Stop on over and say
hello!
Yeah the weight struggle after baby is tough! My worst was when we stopped nursing I really started to put the weight back on then… Ugh.
Great advice– I'm struggling to lose 15 pounds of baby weight but don't know if it's realistic to get back there.
Great tips! I'm trying to stick to my healthy habits as much as I can during pregnancy. There's no reason to get lax about it now when it really counts for me and the baby — and hopefully that will just make it easier to adjust to post-baby life and losing the weight. Thanks for sharing this practical encouragement!
I'm the same way but unfortunately not craving anything healthy!!
Honestly…ALL super helpful and realistic tips that anyone and everyone can follow. I'd like to add: When snacking (even healthy stuff like nuts) pre-portion it out into a cup/bowl. Don't eat straight out of the bag because even with "healthy" foods…you can still over do it and over eat. I definitely need more sleep, I'd love to put the "walk after dinner" into practice and I'd say skip soda altogether! Cut that crap out, it's soooo bad for you (not YOU personally, but everyone). Replace it with some green or even black tea if it's the caffeine that one craves. Great list, mama. And congrats on getting your weight off. I've just started tackling this goal a few weeks ago and I've got a 3 year old AND a 3 month old. So much harder to do now, but it is doable. -Misty
Unfortunately I'm craving fountain cokes like crazy right now when usually I only drink water!!! But the pre-portioning snacks is a GREAT idea!
Hi Misty, thanks for your comment about my post, and you are so spot on about cutting out the soda. Sometimes I still sneak a diet coke, but I know it's just as bad for you as the normal stuff. Congratulations on your 2 little ones!
I'm stuck at the same weight I was before having Bennett. I just want my pants to fit the same way, and they don't want to. haha. Great tips, thanks!! 🙂
These are all awesome tips! I definitely agree that new workout clothes are fun! I got a Fitbit last year and it's probably one of my favorite things ever now!
These are great tips. I like the ideas of going for an after dinner walk. Its so hot here but something to take up in the fall :). And I love the vegetables with every meal – it fills you up, and add nutrients.