How to Lose the Baby Weight

I volunteer at the local community center three days a week, primarily with senior activities. I know all about being a senior, because I've been one for nearly 15 years since I retired at age 65. Most of my duties involve scheduling and conducting lectures, teaching arts and crafts and participation in the daily senior calisthenics hour.

The latter activity is my favorite, because many young members of the center join in with the old folks. Along with all the joking and ribbing, there's a genuine bond of respect among us, and between young and old. It is also my favorite part of the day, because several staff members who conduct the calisthenics are young, pretty and very physically-fit women. I may be very old, but can still appreciate watching the gyrations of a girlish figure in leotards or short-shorts.

Our chief instructor looks very girlish, with the tight young body of a high school cheerleader. She's actually 33, and a month ago gave birth to her third child. She had worked with our class every day up until her eighth month, cutting back somewhat on the more strenuous exercises as her due date approached. Of course, everyone in the class was delighted when the notice on the bulletin board reported she had given birth to a full-term, seven-pound girl. Several of us, both young and old, brought presents to her at home several days after the birth.Then, we all met at our usual hour each day with new instructors, also including pretty young women. So, who's complaining? Then, one morning just seven days ... one week ... after her baby was born, the cheerleaderish instructor showed up to conduct the class. As we all gathered around, she said she had returned to work the fat off as soon as possible. Except for some very slight thickening of her abdomen, tush and thighs as evidence of recent pregnancy, I didn't see much difference. Of course, I'm a randy old male, and my eyes for her restored figure, including the filling out of her tee shirt, were blind to any possible disfiguring changes.

We all marveled about her returning to exercise so soon after the birth, and asked how she planned to lose the weight. After the birth, she said she was about 20 pounds over her normal gym weight. She summed up her intentions in one word: exercise. Starting off slowly the first couple of days back in the gym, she increased both the time and intensity of her exercises until she could handle her normal regimen of about two hours of the usual class routines, as well as lifting weights and running around the community center track.The instructor also told us that during her pregnancy, on the advice of her doctor, she had eaten her usual spare, health-freak diet, supplemented by extra foods and vitamins that are deemed best for the growing life inside of her. Lots of milk, fish, lean poultry, fresh vegetables, juices and grains. After the birth, as she had with her two previous babies, she decided to breast-fed her new one. That meant, for nearly a year after each birth, she still needed to supplement her normal diet so that the babies would benefit from her healthful condition. However, she said that didn't deter her from continuing her regular regimen, including some days when she brought the infant to class with her. At feeding time, she discretely retreated to her office and closed the door.

In summary, if this advice from a very old guy can be of any help, my favorite instructor said she considered her pregnancies just a ... bad joke here ... bump in the road to her normal healthful routine. She confessed that in the months before the birth, there were all the normal temptations, both emotional and physical, for eating sweets and to sit and watch TV. She confessed she resisted them most of the time, and vowed to gain only the minimum amount of weight during her pregnancies. In that she was very successful.

She said too many women who give birth to a child of eight pounds gain 30 or 40 unnecessary extra ones because of forced inactivity, emotional stress and overeating. She said the secret of losing extra weight after giving birth is to avoid, by sensible diet and exercise, gaining any more than necessary in the months before the baby arrives. And, of course, getting back to normal exercise and diet as soon as possible after the birth.