Losing Weight After Having a Baby.

Try Fit Yummy Mummy(google it). It works great and is easy to do from home. It combines eating healthy and working out from home (only 90 minutes per week). It is a plan that is especially geared for mommies who are trying to lose the baby belly!

I've tried it and lost inches around the middle as well as hips, thighs, and arms.

You will feel and look great! Good Luck! You can do it!

Congrats on your baby girl!!!

In case you haven't heard of adaptogens, they are a category of herbs that help the body deal with stress, restore balance, and support normal metabolic processes. (A lot has been discussed recently about adaptogens, even Oz on Oprah). Often times stress causes us to overeat as well as produce excess cortisol (causes the body to store fat). Adaptogens support weight management by regulating blood sugar, insulin metabolism, and cortisol levels; aid in digestion; and increase energy. In fact, adaptogens have the ability to shift the body's metabolism to a greater use of fat for energy.

To learn more about fast acting adaptogen sprays (Slim is wonderful for cravings and weight control) and watch "The Story of Adaptogens Documentary" 10 minute video, go to VitalHealth.TunguskaMist.com There's also one called Juice X that has Noni, Goji, Acai, Mangosteen, with 10 adaptogens and Green Tea. It's packed with phytonutrients!

You'll have more energy and endurance to work out with adaptogens. Are you weight training? Lean muscle mass will help speed up your metabolism, thus you'll burn more calories! Avoid fast foods, processed foods, and all soft drinks, (if you're not already). Drink plenty of water and eat smaller portions throughout the day.

2 great books that I recommend are: Living Lean, by Larry North and Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by Winston and Maimes.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or need further advice and/or encouragement. I've studied health, wellness, and Kinesiology for many years and have a passion for helping people change their life:)

Forget about the acai, noni, yada yada juices ... that's all marketing hype. It might work for a few, but most of the acai juices that are being sold are not just acai juice. They have lots of other sweet fruit juices in them and for many people that may well cause you to gain and not loose weight (i.e., your insulin will spike and that causes your body to store calories ASAP as fat). Plain acai juice tastes like wet sweat socks - I'm not kidding - I have a bottle in my fridge. It is a great anti-oxidant and healthy but NOT a weightloss aid IMHO.

The best thing you can do is to eat whole fresh fruits and veggies as the majority of your diet along with healthy lean meats and avoid all the white foods and lots of carbs. Eggs are an excellent low calorie protein for breakfast. For lunch a salad with some lean meat (about 3 oz) and maybe some nuts (< 1 oz) is a good idea. Then for dinner, eat the same protein and veg as the family (but keep in non-breaded, non-fried, etc) and skip the starches. For snacks, keep fruit or baby carrots on hand, and some nuts. And, get rid of all the junk food in the house. Neither you nor your 2.5 yr old need it and if your husband wants it, he can eat it while at work.

You don't need to join a gym to exercise at home - most libraries have 100s of exercise videos. For the gut, nothing beats pilates. I like a combination of pilates and yoga for in home exercise. I also regularly ride my bike - that can be done with the entire family. My sons were in an infant seat in the burley from age 6 weeks. Once they got older, they were back there (with helmets on) with toys, etc.

All exercise is safe while nursing. One thing I found however is that the milk seems to taste different to the baby right after exercise, so try to nurse just before. I'm not sure what it is and maybe it's just that your body temperature is up, so something doesn't seem right but my sons never liked to nurse too soon after I worked out.

Also, the most important thing is to just get and be healthy. The weight loss is a bonus side effect of eating right and exercising regularly.

Weight Watchers has a plan that accommodates for nursing. I've tried A LOT of things post baby + nursing to lose and struggled too. WW is what has worked b/c it puts you in the right window of calories to have enough to keep up nursing but little enough to lose. The monthly pass makes it less than $10 a week - or I think it may be even cheaper if you do just online.

Just remember it took you 9 months to get big during your pregnancy and it will take approximately that much time to take off the weight realistically. The important thing is to eat healthy while you are nursing to feed that precious baby.
Good luck!
B. G. (mother of 8, grandmother of 4)

Please be aware of all the online "FREE TRIALS" for acai berry and other weight loss products. They are not "FREE"! In the fine print, it states that you will be automatically billed X amount of money after the two week "trial" if you do not cancel. In most cases you will not even receive the product within the two week trial period.

L.,

I work with a Nutritional Supplements Company that has product for targeted slution that will address the weight around your waist. It is very safe and effective product. Let me know if interested and I will give you details.

A.

I love weight watchers. It is more of a lifestyle than a quick fix that doesn't last. It is also the ONLY diet that is safe to do while breastfeeding, you can check with La Leche League on that if you want to. More than anything, it teaches you how to be more aware of the choices you make, and which choices help you obtain or maintain a healthy lifestyle. And you lose weight while you're at it!

It takes awhile to get back in shape but if you go slowly it usually stays off and if you do a quick loss it bounces back. Sometimes our weight and shape before babies was more of a teen body, and sort of too thin or unrealistic, you may be just fine and looking at yourself to critical. A good waist exercise is to have hands behind your head and touch your right elbow to left knee and then the other side about 12 times a day. If you can walk pushing a stroller that would be good, and the fresh air always makes a child take a longer nap. YOu need nutrition while nursing, so I wouldn't (diet) . JUst eat lots of veggies and fruits and try and stay away from fast foods, junk food if you are tempted, and I think it will come off pretty soon. It really hasn't been that long, although to you I am sure it seems like it.

Eat protein and veggies for breakfast lunch and dinner and fruit in between. If you eat grains, eat brown, red and black rice with veggies as one of your meals and protein as snacks. this is a very healthy diet - eat as much as you want as often as you want.

all pills are hype. diet, exercise and preseverance are the only things that will get you where you want. good luck!

Oh the age old dilemma! My baby is 5 months old, so I can completely identify. I am still nursing as well, and I have found that doing enough exercise to make a big impact on my body also make a big impact on my milk supply. But I figure, it's my last baby. I'd rather be able to nurse her as long as possible (within reason ;) than totally be back in shape. I've got the rest of my life to worry about it!

That being said, the only way to get fit is to eat healthy and exercise. There is no magic herb or berry. I bought the Tracy Anderson Post Pregnancy workout video. There are tons of moves specifically designed to target a post baby body. It's 45 minutes long and totally kicks my butt. I first got it in January and started doing it every day. I noticed a difference in my "muffin top" within a week. However, my milked dropped. So, I backed off to every other day. There's not any cardio, so either keep walking or get her cardio dance dvd for that. But I would really recommend it for your tummy. Hope that helps! Oh, I got it off Amazon and it was like $32 with shipping.

L.,

You can eat a healthy diet while nursing! Not only healthy, but delicious too! I suggest getting the cookbook from that lady that uses Fiber One in her recipes to make them taste like fatty foods. If you ask for that at the bookstore, they will know what you are talking about.

And good job on the walking! Have you tried walking videos by Leslie Sansone? You can find them at Wal-Mart and Target. They range from 1 mile (15 min) to 5 miles. Doing your walking in your home really cuts back on how long it actually takes to do a workout. If you WANT to walk outside, take you little kids in a double stroller. They will love that!

As far as the acai berries and the wraps - they don't work in the long run. The only way to lose weight (and keep it off) is with old fashioned healthy eating and exercise.

Acai is a berry that can help improve your mood, your energy level, and improve your overall nutrition, but it is not a weight loss drug. In fact, it is not a drug, but a food source of nutrition. Acai can only help you lose weight if you diet and exercise as well. It can help to give you the energy you need to work out ,though. The quality of acai varies considerably in the different products. I have found that through consuming MonaVie acai juice an increase in my general sense of wellness, and improved immunity, as well as through diet and exercise, weight loss of 16 lbs. The MonaVie Original is safe for pregnant and lactating women and children. If you are interested, please contact me through my website, www.mymonavie.com/bjhiller, or my cell is ###-###-####. I am listed in the business directory on this site, as well. I am happy to discuss and answer any questions that you may have. When my boy was a baby, and I was trying to lose weight, I found Gilad on Fit TV. His total body work out is fantastic and you can do it in your living room. Hope this helps.

Hi L.,
I personally have experience with the Herbalife product, and know that it is completely safe, packed full of nutrition and vitamins, and is all natural--a perfect mix for nursing. I lost 34 lbs. in 6 weeks, but it wasn't the weight loss that was so wonderful, it was the move from a size 16 to now a size 8! I lost 20 total inches, and most in my stomach area. To me, you can't beat the combination of getting healthy while losing weight. In fact, due to the health results, I'm still on the product and have never gained back the inches or the weight! I love Herbalife! I'd love to discuss the perfect program with you and you can contact me at: ###-###-#### or if you want to see my website mall with all the programs, see: derweightlossmall.com. We offer free samples (you have to pay postage and handling), but this gives you a great way to try out the product without purchasing first. Just ask for my help--that's all it takes.