5 Tips to Help You Lose Weight After Baby

In this article you will learn 5 easy tips to use in your life, so that you can lose weight after baby.

You can get healthy and fit after your baby is born. But any woman who has gained excess weight during pregnancy knows that simply wanting to get into shape won't be enough. You're going to have to work at it. Not any one weight-loss method works for all women, but there are sensible tips all new moms should follow. Here, professional dietitians and trainers give the skinny on what to do to lose those postpregnancy pounds:

If you really want to lose weight after baby, you need to remember that nursing doesn't mean eating for two. If you're nursing, you need extra calories. But according to nutritionist Jo-Ann Heslin, RD, "That doesn't mean eating twice as much." According to Heslin, it's more like eating for one and a quarter. With your doctor's help, figure out what your calorie intake should be to maintain your optimal weight. Then add 500 calories per day to that while you're nursing. When you stop nursing, ask your doctor what your caloric intake should be to reach your weight-loss goal.

Exercise has always been a key to help you lose weight after baby. If you really want to look good and lose weight, you need to incorporate exercise into your life. "Cutting down on food without exercise will cause you to lose muscle mass; you need to combine diet with exercise for sustained weight loss," says Martha Walls, RD, senior nutritionist with Weight Watchers International. She also recommends walking as a great form of postpartum exercise because you can take your baby with you. Enjoy the time with your baby on those walks, knowing that it's good for both of you!

Use the buddy system to help you lose weight after baby. New parenthood can be lonely -- and so is dieting. Make it easier by joining a group such as Weight Watchers or finding another new mom to walk with, share dieting triumphs and disasters with, or even swap babysitting with while you work out to a video. Seek out others in the same boat as you, it will make the victories that much sweeter!

Be smart about snacks if you really want to lose weight after baby. Taking care of a baby is hard enough, but going around hungry will make matters worse. Just choose your snacks wisely. If cutting fresh fruit is too time-consuming, try prepackaged fruit cups. Other good snacks include pretzels, popcorn, yogurt, or preparation-free fruits and vegetables such as grapes, bananas, cherry tomatoes, and baby carrots. Dry cereal is a great snack because it satisfies your sweet tooth plus it's fortified with vitamins -- something nursing moms need. Put away the high calorie and high fat snacks. Focus on natural foods.

Patience is required if you want to lose weight after baby. You didn't put on those pounds overnight, and you're not going to lose them immediately. Nor should you. It's not good to lose weight too quickly because it can interfere with your milk production. While most sensible diet plans recommend losing only two pounds a week at most, nursing moms should beware of losing more than one pound a week. The payoff: What comes off stays off!

Use these 5 tips on a daily basis and you will soon see the new you emerge! You will lose weight after baby - just hang in there!