Losing Weight - Ottawa,IL

Check out this article today from the NY Times:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/slow-eating-cuts...

Please keep in mind that having a child is one of the most traumatic things you can put your body through - which is why companies have to offer you a 6 week recovery period for a vaginal delivery/8 weeks for c-section before returning to work.

Alisa had some good advice, but I'd challenge her on the 1200 calories/day. Having worked with Dieticians closely over the past 10 years, few, if any, would recommend anyone be on a diet that restrictive except for people who are completely physically incapacitated.

If you lower your caloric intake to that level, your body will go into starvation mode, and you will have to remain there the rest of your life. Any excess calories beyond that will be stored as fat.

Most dieticians recommend 1800 calories for weight loss/2000 for weight maintenance based upon your metabolism.

Your best bet is to verify with your insurance if you are covered for a consult with a dietician to better understand which foods are most appropriate for weight loss, which are problematic, etc. For example: low fat almost always means high sugar, sugar free doesn't mean carb free, etc.

Almost universally, people who do Weight Watchers have the most consistent, steady and long-term results. I do not do Weight Watchers, but the people I know who have all have been successful in their goals.

Be careful with supplements: almost none are regulated by the FDA. Remember all the issues with Xenadrin/Hydroxycut the past few years and heart attacks/liver toxicity? They were considered safe because you could purchase them at reputable stores but proved to be dangerous.

Good luck with the delivery.

I am thinking about using the Fit Yummy Mummy program to lose weight. If you want to check it out the link is http://www.fityummymummy.com/cbae/?a=JIUxCC5

I've heard some good things about it from other moms.

I have used the Fit Yummy Mummy system. It is great. Take it from another c-section mom. Take the full six weeks to just heal without exercise. After that start at the beginning of the FYM system and take it slow. I used the program before my pregnancy, didn't like the modifications during so stopped, and picked it up again after. This program works and I thought fast. In six weeks(after my 6 week checkup) I lost 11 lbs postpartum!!

The program I have used and share with others is called the 5 Day Reset Program. It works very well. It is not a diet though. Would you care for some info? If so just email me and I can reply with what I use.

I've had 3 children, and I weigh less now than I did before my first child! People always ask how I did it, assuming I must be working really hard at it. Nope... just a few simple things I did/do:

1. Breastfeed (burns more calories/day than pregnancy!).
2. Eat sensibly and often (I stick to about 1200 calories/day... 3 meals, 1 snack, and 1 dessert/treat in the evening).
3. Weight training 3 times/week (the more muscle you have, the more calories/fat you burn).

Of course, running around after the baby will add to the extra calories you'll burn, too. ;-)

Good luck!

I breast fed and did weight watchers after my girls were born and at 6 months prego with our 3rd I weigh less than when my husband and I met! Since your not breast feading I also had good sucess with Quick Trim. I took the pills and ate healthy and walked and did some exercises on the WII fit and bought a 5 pound weight ball and did the exercises out of there. They sell a detox program, I havnt used that but I did like their other products. As far as c-section(I had 2)you gotta heal first before you do to much exercise. Good luck!

Detox programs are garbage. Sure, you'll lose weight and most of it will be water weight. But, it will all come back on and maybe then some. Magic pills, supplements, and miracle cures are all the same. Really - if these 'programs' worked, would we be a nation of obese people? Furthermore, our body has managed to do quite a good job at filtering out toxins for thousands of years, otherwise we'd all be dead at an early age!

Please remember that you spent the last 9 months of your life creating another human being and that was no small feat! You gained the weight slowly, so the best and healthiest way (not to mention the way that will help keep the weight off permanently) is to lose the weight slowly.

Jump start your weight loss by making sure that you're eating enough calories per day (1200 is the absolute minimum...if you go below that your metabolism will freak out and hold on to body fat for dear life wondering when it will be fed again) and exercising when you get the green light from your ob. Avoid processed foods - i.e. pretty much anything that comes in a box - and try to have the bulk of your daily diet come from items from the perimeter of the grocery store (fresh fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy and meats).

I know everyone wants to get rid of the baby weight as soon as possible and it's hard especially when all it feels like you're doing is tending to a newborn, but if you want the best shot at long-term success and keeping that baby weight off once and for all, you'll go slowly and embrace lifelong habits not band-aid versions that won't work and may compromise your health even further.