Losing Weight and Getting Healthy After Little

I am 8 months pregnant here.  HUGE belly!

Just a disclaimer, I have had a pretty easy time losing my baby weight.  I've made quite a few good choices but I've also been blessed with good genetics and a baby who loves to eat.

I gained a lot of weight when I was pregnant with Little.  Seriously, I had a belly that weighed 35 lbs.  I was pretty concerned about how I would lose all that weight after Little was born.

The quickest way to lose weight is to deliver your baby.  Between your baby and your placenta, you may lose anywhere from 10 to 20 lbs.  I lost 20.  Little was a huge baby and the placenta normally matches the baby in size.  I left the hospital 20 lbs lighter than I came in but I still looked 6 months pregnant.

After Little was born, I tried not to worry about my weight.  The first six weeks after giving birth, exercise is not recommended and I mostly followed that guideline.  Husband and I did start going on walks when Little was two or three weeks old but nothing too long.  I planned to start running again right at the six week mark but I listened to my body and I just wasn't ready for that yet.  I tried to do as much walking as I could but I was just so tired taking care of a newborn.

The best thing I did to lose weight was breastfeeding.  When you breastfeed exclusively, all the calories your baby gets are taken from your body.  That is such an easy way to lose weight.  Breastfeeding is so good for you and your baby.

The last thing is that I do my best to stick to whole foods like fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and chicken.  We do eat red meat occasionally and I have been known to eat a box of mac'n'cheese but I try not to.  When you are nursing, you shouldn't eat a reduced calorie or even a reduced fat diet but it is important that the food you are eating is high in nutrients.

Here I am now.

Now, Little is six and a half months old and I am smaller than I was when I got pregnant.  Husband and I still don't eat perfect whole food diets but we are working our way there.  We want to be sure that we are modeling healthy eating and exercise behaviors for Little so that being healthy will be natural for her as she grows up.