How To Lose Weight After A Baby? Well, Losing weight after having a baby is one of the hardest things for a new mom. Now add the social media stress that shows life is all beautiful! Women are under more stress than ever. We are racing to get back to shape in less than 3 months! While the entire pregnancy process took a solid 9 months! I am just an ordinary Mom. Like many other women, I struggled to understand how to lose weight. I wondered how is it possible for a mom to lose the weight while recovering from her post-baby emotions and at the same juggling through her daily hustle? How would any mom/women have time to exercise?How in the world a mom finds time to exercise?! Well, I learned quite a lot. One key learning was

“There are no shortcuts to success.”

Well, we all know this right? Then why do we ignore it? This post is not just for moms with new babies. But an effort to show every mom that you can do this. You got this! Take those steps today!  So here is my story before I walk you through the tips! I went to my son’s friend’s birthday party, and I met his mom. She was rocking. I wondered how in the world she is lean and fit. Like the many other moms, I told my self maybe she was thin all the time. Maybe it’s her body type. Maybe this, Maybe that, and the list went on! Can you relate to any well-known story? Ahh…. “The Fox and Grapes Story”? Then on our way back I was talking to my husband and jotting down my conclusions on why she might be fit and lean and then came his response, “She was overweight. But lost all of it by exercising and eating healthy!”  She happens to be my husband’s friend. So he knew what was going on. I was agape for next few seconds. What! How? As soon as I got back home I quickly opened up Facebook, became her friends and spent rest of the night browsing her feed. I was quickly proved “How wrong I was”  All my assumptions were wrong and I did indeed turn out to be a fox who thought the grapes were sour. She posted some before and after pictures of her and blown away. This person is doing something to be what she is today, and it’s just not a miracle. As always we think of final result and stamp someone as an overnight success but hardly pay attention to their actual journey. I pulled her into my support system. Every week we motivate each other, We hold each other accountable. I once asked her how she does it? And the response was pretty darn funny!

“Weight Loss is just like a marriage. You cannot cheat and expect it to work! “

  Isn’t that an impressive comparison?! With that said, Here are

10 Realistic Ways on How To Lose Weight After A Baby

Let me start with a kicker!

There is nothing called “Motivation”

How many of us have spent time waiting to be motivated? Every day I guess!. But you will be appalled to know that there is nothing called “Motivation”. Why do you think the greatest athletes were able to do what they were able to do? They are just like rest of us. Then how do they do it? The answer is simple. “They just do it”. No matter what their mind says. No matter how their day looks like. They always find the time and a reason to do it. They don’t listen to their mind. Their mind listens to them. It’s time to take control of what you want to do, rather than what your surroundings or mental status want you to do and act. It’s time to move. Author Mel Robins of “The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage” suggests that  “The secret isn’t knowing what to do—it knows how to make yourself do it. “ Within us, we have our inner wisdom(Probably the subconscious Mind) speaking to us. You got to listen to your inner wisdom. Because your inner wisdom is always telling you what is right for us. So don’t wait for a time or a day for you to feel to go out for a workout. Just do it!

No more excuses

We are entirely governed by the emotional state of our mind. We give 100 reasons not to do our workouts. Examples, No access to a treadmill, No access to a gym, oh I am tired, No Proper dress for a workout, it’s hot outside, I have some other priority thing that has come up. Excuses, excuses, and excuses. Excuses to take care of number one priority in your life. ” You”! Put on some music and dance. Stairs in your house? Go up and down! Cannot go to the gym? Buy a DVD. Keep “Moving”. Find your Pockets of time. 

Make small Changes

Litle by little it adds up to significant results.  I am a very active person. I used to exercise before my pregnancy. But that does not mean I would be performing at the same level.  I was very tired. I was frustrated that I was not strong enough to get back and run. I had to talk myself out of this mindset. Your body changes completely after childbirth. You have to give it some time. For that, you have to to take baby steps. I started to Make a couple of small but significant changes.Start with 15 mins walk or more depending on how far you can go and what works for you. Do this for few weeks. Then increase the distance or add a 5 min run or 5-minute squats, or lunges. After few more weeks, you will be surprised that you would be able to go beyond your initial goals! Keep adding little by little and make sure you are doing this consistently. That brings me to a very important topic. Consistency!

Be Consistent and you will see the results

I read an article by Nathan Barry CEO of Converter kit about doing it every day. Here is the link if you want to read.  It motivated me to not give any reasons. There will be ups and downs for a couple of weeks but eventually, you will do it. Similarly, a TEDx talks about doing something for 30 days. all these Motivated me. I started tracking my progress. I put a calendar on my refrigerator and started tracking. I put a big X on a calendar to show that I have worked out. The days I have not worked out I put a 0. Soon I started to see my progress. Instead of guessing. Everything was right there.  This was very useful and I encourage you to do it. Place the calendar somewhere where it is visible. You will be accountable to yourself and you will see your own progress.

Build a Support System

Having a great support system was a game changer for me. But, support systems don’t form overnight. It starts with you. I began sharing with my friends about my fitness journey for quite a time, and I finally found three of them who kick my( you know what!).  They do it religiously without excuses. They do it because they trust the value they get from exercising and eating healthy. So this one of the most import puzzle to your road of fitness. Surround yourself with people who have similar tastes and goals as yours. There are other ways you where you can gain support and help. Reach out to recovery centers. Whatever works. Make it work.

Learn to cook

Have you seen the list of ingredients on a tiny bar you eat? You will find a minimum of 30 ingredients. We are living in a world where we are not sure what kind of food we are eating. Everyone can be a cook. You have to make an effort. Make those small change. Be the change for your kids.  

Food to eat

When it comes to weight loss. I believe that 25% is food 25% is exercise and 50% is the mindset.  Mindset is totally important for the rest of 50% to fall into place. Stop being obsessive about the type of food you eat.  We have overwhelming information on what to eat and what not to eat. Eat something healthy. Choose some healthy meals. Make sure to include some of these foods like Brown rice, quinoa, good amount of vegetables, fruits etc. Because this is such a wide topic. I will not delve into details but, here is what I have learned.

• Plan your meals: 

Planning your meals will allow you to not binge or munch on anything which jeopardizes your fitness goals. On a Sunday, scan your refrigerator to see what all you have and then sit down for 5-10 mins and scribble what you would make for lunch, dinner, and breakfast for the coming week. It need not be fancy. Just something which gives you a simple outline of what you can cook. Also, have a proper storage system in place.

•  Keep your food simple:

Any food today has tons and tons of ingredients. The smaller of bars have 25-20 ingredients. So cooking at home will give you an idea about ingredients and the process. I tried to make soya milk at home one day. Trust me the taste was nowhere near to what we buy in stores. No, it wasn’t awesome. It was pathetic! Even after adding some x number of Tablespoons of sugar. Imagine the amount of processing the soya or almond milk that we drink goes through!

• Stay away from junk: 

Easier said than done. But if you really want some change, you need to stay away from junk. You have to make an effort. I was hearing TEDx Talk a couple of months back and it’s about doing something new for 30 days, it motivated me to bring in a small change. I am Peanut butter bread person. But I wanted to go more towards healthy breakfasts. Something like oats. I tried it for 30 days and guess what?! I love eating oats now! I truly do! IIt’s a good talk to listen and watch!

• Eat small portions

Small portions keep your cravings at bay. So keep eating 5-6 times a day(This is the time when planning comes in handy!) and try to finish your dinner no later than 7:00 PM. This gives ample time for the food to digest and before you get ready to rest. Also investing in a food scale later on or when you are closer to your fitness goals will give you what is going in(calories in) and will be really helpful as you know! those last few pounds are hard to lose!! Don’t forget about your water intake! This is really essential!     Do things which work for you You need to understand that not every person is the same.Our bodies are structured differently. Our biological systems are different. You have to see what is best for you. What is good for you. What works for you. Set a goal. Goal setting will help you to propel forward.Be it food or exercise. Basically, you should not compare yourself with others. Which brings me to the topic Comparing!

Choose Accessories that Work! I was not a big fan of gadgets or accessories until recently. But the few I invested in changed my life! Here are few which I suggest you use. Again, pick what works for you best!

• Armband:

My first investment was in an Armband! I cannot tell you how useful it is. Just $10  changed my life! I use it when I go or my runs. I realized that I could run longer when I am not able to hear my breathing.  I use it to listen to TEDx Talks, Podcasts while doing my daily chores as well!

• Wearables

Fitbit was another turning point on my journey to fitness. I never knew how many steps I would have taken. After wearing my fit bit, I saw that I was only doing 5k-6k steps 🙁 which is not enough.

• Dumbells

I have two lbs-8lbs  dumbles that I use when I exercise. I have a kickboxing and a couple of circuit training DVD’s, and I use the dumbles when I workout. Last but not least, have people around who have same goals as yours!

• DVD’s/Online fitness Videos

These are lifesavers. Being a mom of two I only have so much time on my hands. I am a big believer and DVDs and online videos. At home, with two-pound dumble, you are getting class A training. I have 4-5 DVD’s of Jilian Michaels and one Amazon video of Violet Zack and the free world of Youtube!

• Storage Containers

Storing the meals is as important as planning the meals. Having proper storage containers are critical. You can cut your vegetables and store them for the week. This will help in reduced cooking time as well! Don’t compare Your beginning is someone else’s Middle. So no matter how obsessively you try to compare yourself with others your results will be different. Above are my 10 tips for you to get started on your path to being healthy. End of the day you have to understand that you and I are just normal people. We are not people who can do it all.  Some make it look like they can do it all but trust me no one can.  There will be days where you will feel super ecstatic for doing something and there will be days where you would feel the worst. But the point is we all do. All you have to do is to keep moving.

Focus more on health and your looks will follow.

The Fashion and Fitness industries thrive on making people feel inadequate as they are. Else why would you buy their products? My very request to you all is to take that first step. Sprint if you can,  Run if you can, Walk if you can. No matter what keep moving.  Do not wait for the right time. Your right time was yesterday.

Are you ready to move? Would love to hear from you. So please do share your stories!

Disclaimer: This a sponsored post.This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. I was compensated for this post.