americanwoman

I am looking for any advice from women, or guys with a woman who had a baby, on how to loose the baby weight. I am due any day now to go and I want to have some sort of plan. I am planning on doing lots of exercising and I heard breast feeding really helps, but I would like to know some tips how to loose it. I am very lucky not to have gotten any stretch marks but I just feel huge and want to get back down as soon as I can.

__________________
"Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough."

aps

You can do this. Definitely, definitely breastfeed. It burns calories like it's going out of style. I couldn't exercise for 6 weeks because of my c-section, but that didn't stop me from losing a lot of weight during that time. I did take 4-mile walks almost every day about 2 weeks after the c-section. If you don't have a c-section, you can start exercising sooner. I did this DVD, and I loved it. I'm still doing it. To me, it's a fanstastic work-out. I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight in about 4 months. Don't let the breastfeeding fool you into thinking you don't have to exercise. There's a group of us that met at a breastfeeding support group. None of them are back to their pre-pregnancy weight. They weren't/aren't as determined as I was. It sounds like you're like me. I think they also took the calorie-burner thing for granted and continued to eat more than they needed.

Buff Moms: Beyond Baby Body - DVD - ExerciseTV Store

Lots of women have problems with breastfeeding. If your baby is having problems latching on, please seek the help of a lactation consultant. I hear of so many women who give up. I was determined to breastfeed. It is beautiful, calorie-buring, the best source of food for your baby, and EASY. Sure, you're the one that's going to have to get up with your baby, but there's no mixing, no heating up, no nothing. DRINK LOTS OF WATER. You're supposed to consume 96 oz. of water a day while breastfeeding.

So to sum it up:

(1) breastfeed
(2) walk (take your baby for walks every day--the fresh air is great for her/him)
(3) do the DVD work-out
(4) eat healthily

americanwoman

That DVD is just what I have been looking for. Thanks, I am ordering it right now. Sounds like you did it good and the right healthy way too which is what I'm looking to do.

aps

You have no idea how energized this work-out makes me. (I did the Buff Moms-to-be workout, and loved that as well.) Let me know what you think of the workout. I hope you like it as much as I do. The whole thing takes 40 minutes. There are 4 sessions of 10 minutes each. You will need hand-held weights, a pillow, and a chair (the weights are used in sessions 1-3 and the pillow and chair are in the 4th session).

I forgot to mention that the instructor is kind of annoying. I'm used to it now.

talloulou

Breastfeeding definitely.
Eat well and don't eat anything after dinner. Eat dinner early.
Have lots of sex. Lots of women who are breastfeeding sleep with their baby in bed. Put your baby to sleep in the crib so you can have sex. Then when the baby wakes up in the middle of night bring them to bed with you if you want. But start them in bed, because sex burns calories and makes you feel good.
Get enough sleep.

I think the thing that worked best for me was hiking with one of those child carrier packs. We got one from REI. I tried to go hiking with my husband every weekend. We have this great park relatively near the house that has a really good hiking trail that goes down to the beach. Going up and down that thing with the baby on my back kept me in shape. My husband didn't like it too much though. He swore folks were giving him the stink eye because I was wearing the pack and carrying the baby. We got really good child carriers for hiking from REI. By the time my second came along we each would have one. We used them up till the kids were about 3 or so. I had friends who swore they'd never use one going up and downhill on trails for fear they'd fall but I never fell.

The other thing I liked to do was use the baby for weight lifting. They loved it. I did that up till they were about 3 or so as well.

Get a treadmill and run 1 mile a day. There is nothing like running to take the weight off. And if you have a treadmill right there you have no excuse not to use it. Even the busiest mom in the craziest of houses can get 15 minutes in to run a mile. Eventually running 1 mile becomes incredibly easy to the point where you feel like you didn't even do anything. But it's short enough that you can usually squeeze it in without being interrupted. I use to get up early, while my husband was still home, to get my run in so he could keep the kids out of the room.

Also do house projects. I have trouble getting into videos and exercising in the living room. Although that Billy Blanks Tae Bo guy will kick your arse. But my problem was I never seemed to be able to get through a video without having to stop a bunch of times after being interrupted by baby and/or toddler. But yard work is great exercise and my babies loved being outside in a playpen while I did stuff in the yard. I also would get bored in the house and move all the furniture around on a monthly basis. Paint rooms, ect.

Probably the absolute best thing is having the kids back to back. I was still breastfeeding the first when the second came along. I don't know how anyone could deal with two toddlers running wild and be fat. I barely had time to use the restroom!

Also keep in mind the 5 lb. rule. Per kid there will be 5 lbs that's NEVER going to go away. I don't know what's up with that. I think it must have to do with that NATURAL LAW that Felicity's always going on about.

Gipper

Motivation.

"Hey baby, I'm gonna go bang some other chick until you're a size 4. Don't wait up tonight."

If she really loves you, she'll tighten up those abs.

__________________
A government big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. - Barry Goldwater

americanwoman

You're so crazy! But you always make me laugh....

talloulou

If she has a brain in her head she'll kick you to the curb and screw someone new when the weight is gone.

Gipper

Damaged goods have reduced resale value. I'm the best you can do, baby.

talloulou

Gipper if you were the best I could do I'd stick to battery operated toys. At least they can't talk.