Body for Life

i only have an almost 5 mo old son & it is time consuming to eat well. i just make sure to start off with protien in the morning. protien and lots of veggies for lunch and dinner. when i make my food i always make sure it's really colorful. all veggies are fresh, we do have to go to the store a lot, but it's worth it. i always have almonds or nuts around for a snack in-between meals or while i'm preparing so i don't go crazy once the food is ready. water, water, water! don't know if that's what you were asking, but that's what my day of food is like. good luck!
oh...rasberry leaf tea os great while nursing too!

I wouldn't stress about making sure to eat all the "right" foods, I was careful of what I ate, but I didn't stress about it, I just reminded myself that everything I put in my mouth would get to my baby. Are you taking a vitamin? My doctor had me continue taking my pre-natal vitamins while I was nursing, this helps baby get all the right nutrients too!! Good Luck!

Drink LOTS of water as you can become dehydrated quicker when you are nursing. You don't realize this as much in the winter either.

Focus on the standards, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins. Go lighter on the carbs as they have hidden sugars, and less on the starchy foods and desserts.

Don't forget that by nursing you are giving your child the best possible nutrition they can receive!! If you eat some junk, don't beat yourself up! Your body does filter out some of the bad stuff for your baby. Talk with your Dr or Midwife. They have lots of great resources available that are generally free of charge.

Remember that it took you 10 months to gain all the baby weight so be fair to yourself and take a year to lose it. When you're ready (and it warms up a bit) put the baby in the stroller and start walking! Combining exercise helps to loose the weight faster, you'll also get toned, and it helps you mentally too.

I gained 60lbs with my son 7 years ago and 45lbs with my daughter 2 years ago. I lost the weight within 1 year after each child just by eating "right" and walking.

I have not tried that program, however I found great sucess using Weight Watchers while breastfeeding. My baby got plenty of milk and is now 2 1/2 and very healthy. WW is good because it stresses healthy eating and lifestyle choices and there is special considerations given for nursing mothers, you are supposed to consume more than if you were not nursing to keep up your milk supply. Make sure and eat lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains and you will do fine losing weight and keeping you and your baby healthy!

As a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, not only can I advise you not to follow this plan when pregnant, I can’t even recommend it to any non-pregnant, healthy athlete. During a nutrition class for my Master’s in Health & Kinesiology, I had to do a diet analysis on Body for Life. I’ve pasted some of the finding below. Now I get up in front of my classes and slap a Mr. Yuk sticker on Bill’s cover.

The diet analysis revealed an unusually high amount of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Sodium and Cholesterol. The high amount of sodium may be an effort to help the body retain water as the diet calls for 16 ounces less water than recommended by the USDA. It even can reach toxic levels for Vitamin A.

The Body-for-Life book claims the diet receives 40-50% of its calories from protein and another 40-50% of its calories from carbohydrates, however, after a nutritional analysis using www.nutridiary.com it was revealed 20-38% from protein and 25-52% from carbohydrates. And 28-41% of the calories come from fat intake.

BFL is not recommended for those physically unable to work out at this level &/or those with certain medical conditions (such as kidney problems due to high protein intake). "If you are not blessed with well-functioning kidneys, you may have a problem." says Conrad Earnest, PhD, direct of human performance at the Cooper Institute.

BFL was a successful marketing plan to sell manufactured supplements. Any diet that relies on supplements instead of the best way to get vitamins & minerals – natural fruits & veggies – is not healthy. Any diet plan that requires strict following & lots of energy expenditure can not be "truly effective” for the average American.

If you would like more information you can write me at ____@____.com.

D.

I have done body-for-life, not while nursing. But I did read that it is the only healthy diet plan out there besides weight watchers for nursing women. It's really just eating six small healthy meals a day, which people should do anyway. Good Luck, I am in the same boat I am nursing and my baby is 5 weeks old and I am definately ready to lose some baby weight!

I have not done that specific program but I have done other diet and workout routines that are just as tough. I would really ere on the side of caution with this. These routines eat up a lot of calories which is good but hard to balance correctly with nursing. See if you can consult with a nutritionist or personal trainer to get a better idea of how many calories you need in the first place. Try not to cut out calories("diet") while nursing. You will only shortchange your body. Just the exercise alone will make a difference. It's helped me.
best wishes,
K.

It depends on the age of your child you are nursing. If the child is under 6 months you should be more careful about consuming extra calories. You can still safely take off 1/2-1 pound a week though. After 6 months you can lose weight more quickly & cut more calories. After a year it is pretty much like it is when you are not breastfeeding. You will find though as I did that breastfeeding will help you do a pretty good job of losing weight on its own. I did not change anything & listened to my hunger cues & lost 65 lbs over the course of 4 yrs (through 2 children).
Brekka

Fit for Life, by Harvey Diamond is a great resource and fun to read. With recipes in the back, his approach to healthy eating is refreshing.

I don't understand your question.

I did this with a couple of my kiddos and successfully nursed them for 10 months and 14 months (until I got pregger again). This plan still pushes fiber, which is great and as long as are still getting the calories to keep up milk (which if you are doing the BFL fitness part) you should be fine. This is great and easy plan to implement into life, plus forces you to be disciplined about eating well and planning it ahead of time. Eating well is one of the best ways to help your baby!

I tried the body for life. I liked the workouts as for the eating I found that cooking healthy things that we were already eating was what worked best for me. I have 4 kids as well and my husband is also in the military. Me eating the body for life was not realistic because my family did not enjoy it and i refuse to make more than 1 meal. I did try it while nursing as well. So it really will depend on your family on if you are going to follow it.

Hi Sarah-
My name is B. Jarmoluk.
I'm a wellness coach.
NO- haven't done body for life- but I have used and have several clients who've used Herbalife.
I'm now a distrib. too.
Check out the site at http://www.mydietshop.org
For nursing- you'd use the nutrit. shake once a day, cell activ. , vitamin and supplement with herbalifeline. You baby has depleted your stores of omega 3 fatty acids and it will take 3 years to rebuild without supplementation- heard of mom brain, tiredness, postpartum depression- our docs have shown it's a lot due to this and those who take throughout preg. don't have any of it.
I'm heading out of town til Mar. 8 but will be on email.
____@____.com
So if you want to chat or want more information, I'd be happy to meet with you when I get home.
B. Jarmoluk- mom of twin 6 1/2 yo girls who by the way have only been to a doc. once for illness!