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!