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I’ve lost the baby weight after both babies 2 and 3 with all my pregnancies being very close together. Losing the weight, only to start gaining it again can be a little depressing. Having a baby, not losing the baby weight, then getting pregnant again is even less fun! My boys are 2 years and less apart, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of time to bounce back before getting pregnant again. I’ve finally started running consistently again after taking years off. I’ve also just started really repairing my core and pelvic muscles. Since writing this post, I’ve become a Pre/Post Natal Fitness Specialist and created The Postpartum Cure. This is a holistic program that focuses on a diet for breastfeeding mamas to keep their milk supply while losing weight, an ab rehab program and workouts to repair and rebuild your body after baby.
There are a lot of factors that go into why losing the baby weight after baby 2, 3 or more is difficult. The weight creeps on, then you become used to it and so does your body. Our bodies adapt with a higher fat percentage. This makes it hard to start using fat as fuel, even while breastfeeding. Our bodies naturally store extra fat and water while pregnant to make breast milk. But, if there is excess fat left over that stays until the next pregnancy, our bodies adjust and want to stay at that fat percentage.
Keeping this in mind, I have 5 tips to help you lose the baby weight, even if its after baby 2 or 3.
Focus on Real Foods:
Eat as many whole foods as possible! Some of the best ones are listed in this post, but I love apples, oranges, watermelon, cucumber, sweet potatoes and bananas. These are fabulous carbs for breastfeeding mamas, as well as wonderful fuel for your body postpartum. I eat lots of carbs, and I don’t do a low carb method postpartum because I believe our bodies need nature’s sugar and glucose with the vitmains and minerals. If you are interested in knowing more about the keto diet while breastfeeding, check this post out. It is still a healthy way to lose weight if you think it will work best for you. The more you fill yourself up on real foods full of water and nutrients, the fuller you will be and want less of the snacks and junk food. I highly recommend eating clean (try this eating clean challenge free!) or following a program to really help you eat the right foods consistently. Cleaning up your diet is more than just weight loss. It gives your body the nutrients it needs to function optimally. This is really important.
Eat Protein:
I can’t stop talking about how amazing this protein powder is for breastfeeding mamas, and mamas postpartum because it is super clean, full of nutrients and no chemicals. It blends well, you can bake with it, and it will help you get the protein you need in a tasty way. I LOVE carbs and sugar. Protein shakes are amazing ways for me to curb my sweet tooth and eat protein at the same time. I always add spinach to mine, and some sort of frozen berry. Here are my favorite smoothie bowl recipes to hopefully inspire you!
If you need a lactation boost, here are the essentials you should include in your protein shakes to keep your supply up.
I am SO EXCITED to share that I have launched Milk Dust, the only protein powder that pumps up your milk supply with a special lactation blend, while also curbing sugar cravings!! There is no other clean, super nutrient-dense protein powders like this, and I would love for you to check it out!!
Always Choose Healthy Snacks:
For some reason, as a mom, I snack a lot with my kids, find myself not being able to finish a meal because my kids are too busy, so I’m hungry again soon after. I just decided snacking a lot was easier for me, so I’m not hangry, and thus frustrated with my kids. I have a great list of healthy snack ideas for breastfeeding moms which includes homemade trail mix, popcorn, homemade Lara bars and more. Cheezits are my weakness. I LOVE them, and I won’t eat them if I have lots of good alternatives to fill up on.
Move Every Day:
You must at least walk every day. Walking is amazing for your body. It will boost your mood, suppress your appetite for a bit, and burn fat. I literally pile 3 kids in my double jogger to make sure I get out. Just follow me on Instagram, and you’ll be able to see all the antics. Cardio is your best friend when working to lose the baby weight. It will help you burn those extra calories. Burning calories by walking, and jogging if you can will give you more immediate gratification to keep going. From there you can add strength to maintain muscle and tone up.
Do Not Workout Too Hard:
This probably sounds weird, but it has been proven that people who make their muscles sore, overeat because they feel like they burn a lot of calories. They didn’t burn many at all, they just tired their muscles out. In the beginning, I don’t want you to get too sore because it will slow you down, make you take more rest days, and possibly make you eat more. Most people have an inflated view on the number of calories they actually burned, and because their body hurts all over, they think they torched fat and calories. Cardio is such a good starting place because it won’t make you too sore to start, so you can build a habit. Once that habit is built, and you have a base, you can start adding in more strength days that push your muscles to the limit.
These are my 5 tips to help you lose the baby weight after babies 2 or 3. If you focus on a healthy diet, even without walking or working out, you can lose weight. Your diet is 80% of losing weight, so you have the power to lose the weight even with more babies around.