This is something I think every new mom struggles with. How to get back to your pre pregnancy weight and size while still juggling family life. This is how I fit my jeans 5 weeks after having a baby.
Now, before you read on I need to make something clear. I hate seeing posts around that make it look like these women have flat tummies and pop right back into shape after having a baby. I don’t think that is a healthy or realistic expectation and that certainly wasn’t how it went for me! So, needless to say, this isn’t one of those posts.
I encourage you to take this post as an opportunity to create a healthy lifestyle for yourself. Or, if you already have a pretty healthy one to start, to improve upon it to be ideal. Right now is the perfect opportunity.
Even though I ate cleanly and taught yoga up to 35 weeks, I still gained quite a bit (40 lb!). 5 weeks after I had my gorgeous baby girl, I was able to get my jeans back on…
One more clarification…when I say “I fit my jeans 5 weeks after having a baby” I mean I could get them over my butt and do the jeans dance and suck in and get them zipped. I had a muffin top for the first time in my life, but, they did NOT bust in the seams when I sat down. I’ll take what I can get. It’s the little victories, ya know? They, by no means, fit well enough to be seen in public. Cut to 5 months later, I was comfortably wearing my pre pregnancy jeans in public with no muffin top by following the tips I’ve outlined below.
How I fit my jeans 5 weeks after having a baby:
1. Clean Eating – NO DIETING!
Repeat after me: 70% diet, 30% exercise. Depending on which expert you talk to, diet could even be 80%. Regardless of the number, it’s very very important. By far, clean eating is THE #1 thing I attribute losing my baby weight to. As I write this I am currently 8 months post, and down all 40 lbs that I gained in my pregnancy.
Does this mean I didn’t splurge over the holidays? Nope. I splurged plenty. But, I eat 90% clean, which means that 10% of the time I can have carbs, eat out, and splurge. It’s all about balance. If this is new to you, I recommend starting at 80%/20% and for at least a week, write everything down so there is no guessing.
For all my clean eating tips read What is Clean Eating and also How To Eat Healthy When You Have No Time To Cook
2. Wear a Postpartum Girdle
Before you roll your eyes and say “hell no to medieval torture!” let me tell you there is a BIG difference between a corset and a postpartum girdle (trust me, I’m extra geeky and used to work at a renaissance faire). The girdle is meant as a compression garment to be worn to help reshape the body after giving birth. Water retention is also a common postpartum symptom and compression garments also help with that.
The trick to buying a postpartum girdle is to buy the size you want to be, or were before getting pregnant. That being said, don’t expect to fit into your girdle right after having baby. Please please don’t feel the pressure to put it on right away, especially if you gained more than 20 lbs during pregnancy. As I said before, I gained 40 lbs in my pregnancy, and it was 3-4 weeks before I could even get mine on (and it was so tight that I could only wear it for a short time). Patience is key.
This is the one I wore, I highly recommend it.
Trendyline Women Postpartum Girdle Corset Recovery Belly Band Wrap Belt, Medium,Beige
3. Drink ALL the Water
Water is so so so important, especially right after having a baby. Did you know drinking more water will help you get rid of your extra water weight? Sounds counter intuitive, I know, but trust me on this. Drinking water also decreases bloating and helps to carry toxins out of the body.
How do you know if you are drinking enough? The rule is drink half your weight number in ounces. For example take your current weight, and divide that number in half. That number is how many ounces you drink. So if you weight 150 lb you would drink minimally 75 oz of water every day. Not soda, not coffee, not black tea. Water.
4. Wear Baby
It’s not easy fitting in a proper workout especially with most exercises being restricted for minimally 6 weeks after having a baby. It’s not much weight at first but after a few months it makes a difference. Wearing baby will help you burn off a few extra calories. Plus it’ll keep you from feeling like you’re pinned to the couch as a human pacifier for the first month, and also still give you that bonding time.
There are a lot of really great carriers out there. We have two, and use them every day. In the beginning I started with a Moby Carrier but then switched to Baby Bjorn which is a bit sturdier and easier to use. Plus the Baby Bjorn can be worn traditionally, front facing, and on the back as well.
Moby Wrap Bamboo Baby Carrier, Charcoal
5. Try Not To Stress
Easier said than done, right?? We hear it all the time…”Mommin’ ain’t easy”. I myself am a first timer and figuring things out as I go. We have good days, and days that have room for improvement.
It’s not new news to hear that stress can have an effect on your weight by triggering the hormone, cortisol. Cortisol is frequently blamed for the extra cushion over the belly.
This tip however, comes full circle to #1, Clean Eating. Certain foods can also have an effect on the way we feel. Namely, the bad for you ones
Follow these tips and you’ll be as good as new in no time. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Congratulations on your little ones and enjoy your time with them <3
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