A LITTLE FOOD FOR THOUGHT

PREGNANCY WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

I have been asked how I was able to loose the baby weight so quickly after my pregnancy.  Before I got pregnant, I was in the best shape of my life.  I had recently competed in a bikini competition. So, I believe the muscle I had gained from training helped me to loose the baby wight quickly.  And I gained nearly 60 lbs. during my pregnancy, so I had a lot to loose!  So, ladies, if you are getting ready to get pregnant, get in the gym!  Get in shape now, so that when you deliver your bundle of joy, it will not be so difficult to loose that baby weight.  

In addition, I ate SUPER clean while I was trying to loose the baby weight.  But, I made sure to consume enough food so that I could breast feed my baby. Surprisingly, I did not exercise much at all because quite frankly, I was exhausted. My little bundle of joy was not sleeping well at night and I did not get much rest during the day.  I did not really start exercising again until my daughter turned one. But, I do believe that exercise is important after you deliver.  You should start slow. Begin by taking walks and then slowly get back into the gym or take a group fitness class.  Avoid the temptation to over eat.  And most of all, get your rest!  

Many women develop a condition called diastasis recti.  This is a condition where the two large parallel bands of muscles that meet in the middle of the abdomen separate during pregnancy.  This condition makes it tough to get rid of pregnancy belly fat.    One thing that I did that I believe really helped my tummy to go back is I wrapped my stomach. The day after I delivered my baby, I put on a belly wrap. Yep, I did it while I was still in the hospital.  As my stomach would shrink, I would purchase a smaller wrap.  I would also do exercises which targeted the abdominal muscles. It is imperative that women wrap their abdominal region and do abdominal exercises to pull those muscles back in place after delivery.  I think that is where many women go wrong causing them to be left with the infamous pregnancy pooch long after they deliver.

Finally, don't be so hard on yourself as you travel the weight loss journey.  It took nine months to put the weigh on, so it will take time to get it off.  

"HEALTHY" FOODS THAT ARE NOT REALLY HEALTHY

We must be really mindful of what we put into our bodies, especially if you want to loose weight. Most of us are on the go and we look for quick meals and snacks.  But, beware.  Quick and easy foods are not always healthy.  Below, you will find 4 foods that many believe to be healthy, but are not. 

1. Whole Wheat Crackers - Whole wheat crackers are heavily processed and are generally composed of a long list of artificial ingredients.  They also contain loads of inflammation-promoting gluten, and many popular brands are also loaded with partially hydrogenated oils (aka trans fats).  This even applies to 100% Whole Wheat crackers, so don't be fooled by all the "heart healthy" health claims.  Make no mistake, whole wheat crackers are a bad choice for your health and your fat loss goals.

2.  Most Protein Bars - Most protein bars are nothing more than glorified candy bars.  Full of artificial, damaging ingredients, cheap protein, and loads of sugar, the vast array of protein bars on the market fail to make the cut for a healthy snack.  

3.  Fruit Smoothies - We're not talking about homemade fruit smoothies, but rather the sugar-laden, syrup-derived, so-called fruit smoothies that you'll find at your local smoothie shop.  Some of them have upwards of 75 grams of sugar in a small smoothie - yikes!  

4.  Granola Bars - Somewhere along the line we were all taught that granola bars are healthy.  Why or how, I'm not sure.  They're high carb, high sugar, low protein, and fail to provide any truly "healthy" ingredients whatsoever.



Source:  Biotrust Nutrition

PROGRESS

June 2010 (Before baby) Age 37                                                  October 2013 (after baby) Age 40