Before I begin, please be informed that this will be my last post until the beginning of August. I am heading out of town for 2 weeks in a couple of days and will have limited computer use (really I just need a break from blogging!), but feel free to leave me a comment, question, or idea for a new post.
I recently had my second baby about 4 months ago, and even though I'm not totally back to where I want to be, I was able to fit back into my clothes and lose the weight only weeks after having giving birth (it probabaly helped that he was nearly 10 lbs!). A lot of people I know have commented on how fast I lost the baby weight, how great I look, and how flat my stomach was and so I thought it would be great to lend some expertise on this subject. Also, I have experience on training pregnant women.
The first and most important factor in losing the baby weight is to control how MUCH you GAIN in the first place. Obviously, you don't have complete control on your weight gain. For example, how much the baby is going to weigh and even how much water weight you gain. However, you do have control on how much extra FAT you gain. As most of us know, a good range of weight gain during pregancy is 25-35 lbs total (for a single gestation and for a normal-weight woman). When you add everything up, that's only about 7-10 lbs of extra fat tissue. With my first pregancy, I only gained 18 lbs (which might seem low), but my baby weighed 9 lbs 5 oz and I was completely healthy and active my whole pregancy. With my second child, I gained around 25-27 lbs. Some might call this genetic, but I believe that more than anything, our pregancy weight gain has to do with these factors: if we're at a healthy and normal weight before getting pregnant, if we have good eating habits, and if we exercise consistently throught our pregnancy (which might be hard if you're given strict orders for bedrest.)
So, if you're trying to conceive, the best thing is to be at a good weight before you get pregnant. In addition, have a good exercise routine 3-5 days/week. This way, you will be "in shape" before getting pregnant which will benefit in the following areas: less weight gain during pregnancy, less aches and pains, and a big one...more energy. I can personally attest to this 100 fold. More incentive to have a healthy pregnancy and feel better about yourself. The other thing to do is maintain healthy eating habits. You really only need an extra 300 kcal/day when you're pregant. This is a snack, ladies, not a 1/2 gallon of ice cream! I know it's hard to not give into our crazy cravings, but you can practice some self-control. Find snacks that are less calories and fat that will satisfy that sweet or salty craving (for example, fudge bars) and it's ok to indulge once in awhile, just not everyday! It will be healthier for the baby in the long run, as well.
A lot of people think that pregnancy is the time to eat whatever they want, whenever you want, and to not care for 9 months. But let me tell you, it will only be harder to lose the baby weight afterwords if you have that much more extra to lose once the baby is born. Plus, starting a good exercise and eating program is tough to start doing if you're not already doing it. So, in conclusion, two words...planning and consistency! This might not be what everyone wants to hear, but trust me, these are the smartest tactics in dealing with the "after-baby bulge". For those out there that are already pregnant and feel doomed with the weight gain, keep you chin up. It's never too late to start eating healthy and gradually working an exercise routine into your life.
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2 comments:
Hey Christina, I'm so excited about your blog. My question is this: Jack is over one now, and I am finally determined enough to give my body the effort it needs to get back in shape. I only gained 9 lbs with Sam (I started overweight), and I gained 30 with Jack. I started out weighing a LOT less, so I just told myself that was the reason rather than the cheeseburgers (I'm sure you would agree, right:) I worked really hard after Sam was born and I loved being fit again. I have been working really hard again, but it isn't the same. I feel like I have the food thing down (which was the hardest part for me the first time), and I am working out consisantly,4-5 days a week for about 35-45 minutes of pretty intense treadmill walk uphill/run. I have lost about 1-3 lbs a week which I am really glad about. I am back to my prepregnancy weight, but my body isn't the same (is that really what pregancy does?) I'd love to lose another 10 to be at my ideal weight. I am debating whether to sub in some weight training days, but I don't want to cut out my running days. Is that what I should do though? Or, should I wait until I've lost what I want to lose, then focus on weights? Long comment, sorry.
Ollie
Ollie,
Glad you found my blog and I hope it helps! First of all, I commend and applaud you for losing almost all of your weight! The good thing is if you got the eating down to a sensible diet with portion/calorie control, that's the hardest part!
As for the workouts, I would definitely say that you need to mix it up. The treadmill workout you're doing is great, but alternate that with some cardio circuit training twice/week to still get the cardiovascular benefits and burn a lot of calories/fat, but you will also see your body transform into a lean mean "burning fat machine"! I promise this will make the difference! Light weights/bands/balls paired with high reps and the trick is to. combine multiple muscle groups together. Don't just do an arm exericise by itself. Pair it with a leg exercise (ie. lunges with dumbbell curls or shoulder presses). Then every 3 exercises or so do some kind of plyometric (ie. jump squats, jump rope, etc)for max results and to really push the envelope!
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