Losing The “Baby Fat”
by Nicole Palacios

Baby has been here for some months now and is cute as a button, but you still have this extra roll around your midsection, or a little something around the hips. Isn’t all the extra fat supposed to just melt away after the baby is born? All the books tell you that breastfeeding will help you regain your figure, and once you’re running around after your active little one, you will shed those last few pounds. How can you regain your pre-pregnancy body once and for all? Let’s see…

The desire to lose that last little bit of “jelly belly” is a very real dilemma for a large percentage of new mothers. It seems that 9, 10, even 12 months after you give birth; there are still some issues about your body bothering you. Your abs aren’t as tight as they were before, your butt got bigger, and your hips spread. So what can you do? What are you doing? Are you taking the time to exercise at least 3 times per week? Are you making wise food decisions (when you have time to eat), and are you paying attention to your body and what it really needs from you? As the mother of a young child myself, I understand that there is not enough time in the day for “you”. When is there time for the aerobics and the weight training? When can you spend the extra few minutes making a healthy salad or meal from scratch? This is where it gets challenging. Try to remember what it was like before the baby came. You had TIME. Maybe you were a busy person, but still you could make some time for yourself. Maybe working out wasn’t a huge priority because you didn’t need to do it, or maybe you did it once in a while and that was enough. Well, here you are now with a time consuming child, and a belly that won’t get flat enough to slide into your favorite jeans. What should you do? Exercise and carefully choose what and when you put food into your body. Lifestyle changes are hard to make, but if you want to succeed you are going to need to make and break some habits. It’s time to make some changes in your life. What do you really want and how are you going to get it?

Exercise and Proper Nutrition

These are key in achieving your goal body. Without these ingredients, you will get nowhere. Dieting is a no win solution, lifestyle changes are. Take a look at your typical day. You wake up, feed your baby, play a little while, and then it’s naptime. During naptime, you probably feel like you need to do the dishes, the laundry, vacuum, etc. This is valid, but this could also be your chance to burn some fat!! With one hour of nap time (ideally), you could throw on an exercise video (eg Tae-bo, step, hi-lo aerobics), you could go for a jog, or if you have home equipment you could use that. Optimally, you want to get in 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per day. During this time, you want to make sure your exercise intensity will be most advantageous for you. To find out your target heart rate, take 220 - your age. Then multiply that number by both 65% and 75%. That range is your initial target heart rate. As you progress, you can increase that range by increasing the percentages you’re multiplying by. Try taking your heart rate while you’re exercising to find out if you’re working hard enough. After your cardio is finished, you can try adding in some strength training. A well toned body will tend to burn more calories at rest and thus become a more efficient fuel burner for you. Lifting light weights will not make you bulk up or look masculine, but instead will increase your muscle tone, increase your metabolism, and make you shapelier. Start with low weights and high repetitions. 1-3 sets of 12 -15 repetitions is a good start for building muscular endurance. A variety of exercises for upper and lower body, beginning with larger muscle groups and working your way down to smaller muscles is the way to go. You can do this regimen 2-3 times per week and get results.

Now, if you don’t have time for both cardio and strength training, try doing just one or the other and alternate days. You can also exercise while your baby is awake, making him a part of your routine. Babies love music and movement, and they will enjoy having you lift them into the air from the floor (chest press), or hold them while doing squats, or whatever creative maneuver you can come up with. Try to do abs at the end of each routine as that is the one set of muscles that can be worked every day! There are many abdominal exercises that you can do with your baby, such as: abdominal crunches holding baby up on top of your knees; plank, having baby lie on the floor directly in front or beside you as you hold your body weight up on bent elbows and toes, keeping your body long and straight like a board; standing twists holding baby are great for working the waist. Use your imagination and enjoy this workout time with your baby if that’s what it takes to fit it in.

Everyday is a new day to get outside with your baby and explore the seawall, or the mall, or whatever location makes you happy. Just getting out and walking is going to help you get to your goals. Try to make it less leisurely and think about picking up the pace and using your hips and waist, and really push off your legs. Maybe you can recruit some other mothers to join you and make it a group affair.

What are you putting into your body these days? I know, things happen on the fly and it’s hard to make healthy, balanced meals every day. Try to be more conscious about what you’re eating, and also when you’re consuming food. Are you relaxing at 8 or 9 after baby goes to bed by plopping in front of the TV with a highly refined sugar snack? Maybe some ice-cream? It’s finally your time to do nothing, and you haven’t eaten much all day, but now is not the time to consume high fat or highly refined (e.g.  mono-saccharide: chips, cookies, etc) foods. During the day, try to eat your larger meal early on when your body is burning calories more efficiently. As the day progresses, try to get small healthy snacks in every 3 hours or so, in between meals. Can you find some time to eat while your child eats? You are probably preparing them a healthy meal, so why not you too? 5-6 smaller meals during the day are much better than 2 or 3 large meals with continuous snacking on quick foods high in sugars and fat, and low in nutrition.

Try putting up a sample menu of easy to prepare, healthy meals to inspire you throughout the day. Remember that the more brightly colored the fruit or vegetable, the more nutritious it is. Red, orange, and yellow are colors worth eating.

Eating before bed is also not a great idea if you’re trying to get back into your sexiest dress. Eating at night is not the biggest culprit, but eating near bedtime is. If you’re really hungry before bed, have a glass of water or some milk, but try not to snack.

Moderation is key; don’t deny yourself pleasures in life like a chocolate bar here or there, but the every night ice-cream ritual could probably take a break. If you want ice cream, try doling it out once a week as your treat.

Goals

Having a game plan is important. Sit down and think about what you really want, and write it down. For example, you want to wear those great CK jeans that are were always a tad snug. What do you need to do to fit into those jeans again? Do you need to lose 1 or 2 inches around your waist? Maybe an inch around your hips? Look at the fine print and try to reach definite goals. Set small goals each month that will ultimately lead up to your larger goal. Short term goals should be attainable within a few months while long term goals should be reached in about a year. Put your goals in a visible place so that you see them daily and are reminded of what you’re working for. Maybe keep the jeans out so you see them more often and want to wear them even more. Telling others about the goals you’ve set will make them more concrete and make it harder for you to forget about them.

Hiring a personal trainer is always an option for some people, whether you want to spend the money for that service is up to you. If you feel that you’ve tried everything and are getting nowhere on your own, maybe it’s worth a try.

Whatever you decide to do, make it your own personal mission, and don’t worry about what other people are doing. Every body is different and will lose inches and pounds on its own schedule. With regular cardiovascular exercise, light weight training and good eating habits, you’re sure to say goodbye to your baby fat in no time! Good luck and have fun!