Losing the baby weight is on a lot of womens minds when they first get pregnant. I know for sure I was one of them. I was so afraid that I wouldnt be able to lose the baby weight after I had our little boy.
I managed to lose the baby weight by 4 weeks even after having a c-section. Now this may not be your timeline, but I strongly believe that every woman can have a fit body after they have a baby. It will take time, but I know that with hard work you can get there!
I will share all of the ways that I managed to lose the baby weight by 4 weeks. Also at the bottom of this post I have tips from my other mom friends on how they lost the baby weight.
Most importantly you should love your body for bringing a child into this world. Remember that every person is different some can lose it in 6 weeks, a few months, a couple years, and some may never completely lose it.
You are beautiful the way you are and you should do your best to keep your body healthy.
How I Lost the Baby Weight by 6 Weeks
Excuse my silly husband in the background.
Pregnancy
With losing the baby weight a very helpful tip is to prepare while you are pregnant.
When I was pregnant I ate healthy most of the time and worked out, most of the time. Now I was far from perfect. I most definitely did not eat healthy 100% of the time and I did not workout 5 days a week every week.
I had my up and down moments, but for the most part I watched my weight gain and what I ate close enough.
During pregnancy staying within the recommended weight gain makes losing the baby weight easier because a lot of that will be the baby, placenta, extra body fluids, breasts, and enlarged uterus.
I gained 23 pounds so that was my goal weight to lose. You may want to lose the amount of body weight you gained while pregnant, or you may have a few extra pounds you want to lose.
As you have a fit and healthy pregnancy it will help you in labor and losing the baby weight easier after you have you baby.
Did you know you could also lose body fat while pregnant!?
Eating Proper Nutrition
Nutrition is a big part of weight loss. You can workout a ton, but if you don’t have proper nutrition then it makes losing weight more difficult.
One of the main things you should get rid of or at least limit is high fat and processed foods.
You should try to get a good amount of fruits, veggies, whole grains, dairy products, poultry, fish, and lean meat.
Much like the food options that are great to eat while you are pregnant to help your baby develop properly.
Or do you remember in elementary school when they talked about the food pyramid and how much you should intake of each food group a day. I also remember there being a plate picture on portion control, it was very colorful.
Now if you are breastfeeding you will need an extra 500 calories a day, but make sure that those come from nutrient dense sources. This will help your breast milk to be nutrient dense and help you lose the baby weight.
You should try to make healthy nutritious food more convenient. It’s way easier to grab a bag of chips than to put together a bowl of fruit, yogurt, and granola. Chips are my downfall so I know that sweets and or salty foods can be your weakness.
There are some great healthy snacks that you can eat everyday and try to make more convenient. Such as:
- Fruit or veggies
- Yogurt with fruit and granola (this is my breakfast everyday because it’s so good!)
- Apples with cheese or peanut butter
- Trail mix
- Crackers or veggies with hummus
- Homemade smoothies
- Banana and peanut butter
- Peanut butter and banana slices on toast
- Fiber bars, they help you poop!
- Tortilla chips with guacamole
- Half of a tuna sandwich
- Protein bars
- Lara Bars
- Cliff Bars
- Ants on a log (celery with peanuts butter and raisins)
- Eggs with spinach on an English muffin or toast
- Cottage cheese with fruit
- Grapes and Cheddar cheese cubes
- Fruit salad (cut up fruit then add a dash of lime juice and honey)
- Cucumber sandwiches (cucumbers, dill, and cream cheese)
- Frozen grapes with string cheese
- Real fruit popsicles
- Hardboiled egg or half of an egg sandwich
- Toast with avocado
- Popcorn
- Salad
- Quesadilla
- Toasted English muffin or bagel
- Applesauce
- Dried fruit
- Pretzels
- Pickles
- Beef jerky
- Kind bars (they are the nut bars in the granola bar section)
You could also follow my healthy meal prep board on pinterest for dinner and lunch ideas to make your healthy meals more convenient.
Drink A Lot of Water
Most moms don’t drink enough water. I get it, it’s hard to remember when your time is so consumed by your children.
But getting enough water is so important for your health and your milk supply.
I was talking with one of my doula friends and she said that when she talks to breastfeeding moms who have a low milk supply, getting enough water was their main struggle.
It makes sense because think of all the water your body needs to function and also your body uses water to make your breast milk. As your baby gets older and drinks more you will need to drink more water to keep your supply up.
You should strive to drink at least half your body weight in ounces. Have a full water bottle by your side at all times to make it more convenient. Another great way to getting enough water is to drink a glass of water before and after each meal.
“Drinking one glass of water 30 minutes before a meal helps digestion. Remember not to drink too soon before or after a meal as the water will dilute the digestive juices. Drink water an hour after the meal to allow the body to absorb the nutrients.” (Source)
Some moms will even drink a gallon of water a day to help with weight loss.
Exercise
Exercise goes alongside nutrition when it comes to weight loss. Exercise will help tone up your body, especially the tummy area where you were all stretched out.
You will need to start out slow and progress to more difficult things as your body feels better. Ease back into exercise and add it to your daily routine.
Your body is healing and it will take time to fully feel like yourself again.
Walk a Lot
Now for the first few weeks of your postpartum journey most doctors don’t approve of intense exercise because your body is recovering after having a baby. Especially if you have a c-section sometimes they have you wait 8 weeks.
I had a c-section so I couldn’t do to much intense exercise, at least my body didn’t feel ready for it. Which I’m huge into listening to your body.
I remember I was in so much pain after having my surgery and walking saved my life. Okay maybe not saved my life, but it definitely impacted my recovery in a positive way.
The very first day in the hospital I walked to the bathroom and back. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to get up and walk again after having a c-section.
They also had me walk to the end of the hall and back as much as I could while I was there. I felt like a literal zombie walking the halls of the hospital.
When I got home my goal was to walk to the end of the street and back, then every day after that I would try to walk farther and farther with my baby.
Your goal should be getting to 45 minutes of daily walking till your doctor approves tougher workouts.
Walking helped me bounce back so quickly and helped me with my recovery. I lost all of my baby weight by 4 weeks and my tummy was flat by 6.
I was able to start lifting weights again at 6 weeks and was doing an ab recovery workout at 4 1/2 because my body felt a lot better.
Now however you birthed your baby it’s important to discuss with your doctor when you should get back to workouts. And listen to what your body is telling you.
Postpartum Ab Workout
Recovering your abs postpartum is key before you start doing crunches, twisters, and planks. 2/3 of women get diastasis recti after they have a baby.
Luckily you can do an at home test so you can get on the right path to recovering your core.
Do this workout 2-3 times for a good workout to help recover those abs. You could also do a yoga routine if you aren’t quite ready for an ab workout.
Heel Tap x20
Single Leg Lift x15
Pelvic Tilt/Hip Bridge x15
Bird-Dog x10
Cat-Cow x10
Additional Tips from Other Moms
My hope in showing you tips from other moms is to give you confidence that you too can lose the baby weight with some hard work and dedication. Taking care of our bodies as moms can be difficult to find the time, but it makes playing with our kids so much easier and more fun!
“I had such an easy time losing weight after my second child mainly because of my activity level. My two-year-old is constantly moving and keeps me active. My baby had a lot of allergies too, so at 3 months I cut out dairy, eggs, and gluten. My weight loss happened so fast after that I actually had to eat more calories so I wouldn’t lose weight too fast. I would definitely recommend talking to your doctor first because if you’re breastfeeding it can lower your supply.” -Ashley from Survive the Kidz
“I lost the 60 lbs I gained with both of my pregnancies by drinking a gallon of water a day and doing moderate exercise. It came off pretty quickly.” -Erin from Mama We Match
“I lost all the baby weight and then some because I was pumping and breastfeeding! It made a huge difference for me, and when I stopped breastfeeding I noticed I stopped losing weight. Moms burn an average of 700 calories per day from breastfeeding.” Kealy from Little Bear Care
“In my experience with having each of my 5 kids, I gave myself a grace period of one year to lose the extra pregnancy weight. Taking a gentle approach rather trying to conform to a harsh expectation really helped me mentally. The SWEAT app has an postpartum workout series that is excellent. Combining that with walking (and eventually returning to running) is a great way to exercise. I also was sure to start my day with protein-rich foods like eggs to curb hunger and the tendency to start snacking later in the day. Drinking more than the recommended amount of water was incredibly helpful – it not only kept me well-hydrated for breastfeeding – it also kept me feeling full and less likely to snack. Finally, I stopped buying junk and eating most fast food!” -Jen from Jen Bradley Moms
“I’m currently 9 month PP with my 3rd baby, 1st C-section. In order to start losing weight after the initial weight loss after birth I have cleaned up my diet dramatically while exercise 6 days per week. I do anything from walking, running, and weight training. Of the three, the weight training has definitely been the most helpful to thin belly fat!” -Samantha from The Part Time Mama
“For losing weight after both my babies nursing definitely helped. Plus beginning a progressive strengthening routine to rebuild up my muscle mass to improve my metabolism. And then just smart eating…lots of veggies and lean meat, but also letting myself have one sweet treat at night to keep the diet sustainable.” -Monica from Moving Like a Mother
“I’m currently postpartum with my second child. What I’ve found that’s helped with weight loss is breastfeeding, eating a balanced diet that doesn’t include processed sugar, and using some kind of postpartum wrap like a belly bandit. I didn’t use a belly bandit with my first, but I’m using it with my second. I’ve been surprised at the impact it’s made in just a short period of time.” -Jacqueline from Mom Money Map
“My tip is to go for a slow and steady rate of weight loss. Stay hydrated, eat a balanced diet. Meal prep was a big help for me. I am also a huge advocate for counting calories, and meal prepping helps when you’re pressed for time…. and don’t beat yourself up.” -Melinda from Narwhal And Moon
“My biggest tip for losing weight after having a baby is to walk. It’s a gentle way to start getting back in shape and it’s so good for new mommas to get out of the house. Joining stroller walk clubs or work out clubs was so much fun and I made a lot of new mom friends that way too.” -Audrey from Two Pink Peonies
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Breastfeeding is a really easy way to lose weight after pregnancy- just make sure you are eating when you should be, eating the good stuff (most of the time), and go for a walk, it’s good for both of you!I struggled with not seeing the results I wanted in the time I wanted so I started skipping meals and my supply plummeted, my health plummeted, I was giving my only nutrients to my baby so *I* was suffering. I was skinny but not the healthy kind. Eat the meals you are supposed to! You can eat the unhealthy stuff too, but make sure you are eating nutritious meals for the most part, and then go for as little as a 10 minute walk. It doesn’t have to be a fast walk- nice and leisurely. You will both get fresh air, the baby will have fun seeing the world, and you, mama, will enjoy getting out of the house!” -Sara from SAHMable
“My postpartum journey has been different with every baby. I don’t really have weight loss tips — I have a long way to go — but my best advice is to not stress or place expectations on yourself. Pregnancy and delivery are incredible feats for our bodies and I think the most important thing is to give yourself grace, eat foods that make you feel nourished and move your body in ways that feel good. Listen to your body, take your time and work on loving yourself at every stage of the journey.” -Morgan
