Getting Rid of the Pregnancy Weight

Q: Anonymous said...
      "I need help loosing my baby weight, I am a breast feeding mom and I need some nutritional guidelines to follow and some exercises that I can do at home since I cant go to the gym because I work, and want to spend the time that I have with the baby. I have already lost 30 pounds in 3 months but I am still considered overweight. Im 5'5" and weight 174, my goal weight is 145 pounds. Im stuck and need help. Thanks"


Q: La Sexy Vero said... 
     "Will an ab workout like sit ups/ crunches be enough to tighten a flabby belly due to pregnancy? Seems like no matter how much I do... it doesnt go away!!!"


A: AP FIT says...
Dear Ladies, thank you for being readers and congratulations on your births. First off I must say that I admire you for taking the steps to find knowledge and take action. A birth is a beautiful thing, but unfortunately it demands that you consume a lot of food.

I mean, you're eating for two or three after all. What is even worse is that once these belly residents move out they don't even take the weight they gave you with them (the nerve!!!). Now it's up to you to lose the weight and you have no idea how. Well, there's definitely help.

The biggest problem that I run into with new moms is the lack of balance and time in their life. They want to work out and look slim again but just can't find the time to attend a gym or even work out. Well, this is definitely an issue but not the end. Nowadays, the fitness business gurus have realized that fitness isn't just for the young, that people have families and children so what did they do? They built childcare centers inside of the gym. You can simply leave the little ones at the center and workout. Most of the time this is even covered by the basic membership.

If your child is much too young for that then the first thing you need to do is get the child established to a routine as soon as possible. If your child naps then this is the perfect time for you to bring sexy back mom. There are plenty of "At Home" training programs around from zumba videos to full body workouts like the P90x system. Use this window of free time to sneak a workout or two in.

If the time and balance isn't something you can establish immediately that is not too much of a problem. The real issue why you can't lose the baby weight is (drum roll please) NUTRITION. We spent the last year or so really hammering down the calories eating just about anything and everything. Well, now we have to do the exact opposite. We're no longer feeding for two, now it's just for us so we have to make sure we are eating enough and the right things. I guarantee you that if you eat the right foods six times a day every two hours you'll lose even more weight without ever having to do a single workout.

Here is an example plan:
- Breakfast: 3 egg whites omelette, 1/3 cup of oatmeal
- Snack: 6-10 berries, small protein shake
- Lunch: Broccoli with 4oz of salmon
- Snack: Protein bar
- Dinner: Asparagus and 4oz of turkey
- Bedtime Snack: 1 serving of casein protein

If you can follow something like this daily, in the next 2-3 months 145lbs won't be the goal but instead you'll think 145lbs is overweight. Following a healthy eating plan daily is also the same way you not only slim down but get your abs to start coming in.

Crunches and sit-ups are great but in between your abs and the eyes of the world lie fat and water. You have to trim down in order for you to have a nice belly and unfortunately doing sit-ups all day isnt going to do this. You need a complete nutritional plan and a fully functional workout routine where you workout your chest, arms, back, abs and legs and do cardiovascular training on a weekly basis. Remember, the more muscle you build overall the more your body releases fat cells so just because we want chiseled abs doesn't mean that's all we workout. The goal is to eat right and train with high intensity. Again, if the gym is not something you can access buy some small weights and equipment and try something like P90x right at home.

Stay Focused. Stay Strong.