How to Lose the Baby Weight Without Exercise

(Top Photo: Taken 19 months after giving birth to baby #2 December 2017)

One of the biggest gripes and frustration with many moms is losing the baby weight. And while there is no one size fits all standard or solution to how you can go about losing the weight, there are some sure things that can help you with your weight loss goals after baby without exercise.

I gave birth to my first daughter, Opal-Rose in October of 2014. I had gained about 60 pounds. So you can imagine my horror when at around 37 weeks my ob/gyn told me I was just under 200 pounds. I couldn’t believe it! It took me almost a year to begin feeling like myself again. Then, I found out I was almost 12 weeks pregnant with my second daughter. (Yes, I know. What in the world was I thinking right?!)

(Photos taken 14 months after giving birth to baby # 2. July 2017)

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Well after giving birth to Ruby-Rain in May of 2016, I felt a lot more confident. I had only gained about 40 pounds and I did not suffer with all the physical pains (round ligament pain is the worst!) and other ailments ( I was diagnosed with placenta previa) as I did with my first pregnancy. About 14 months in however, I could really see the physical changes. I was just about back to my old self again and I was really feeling great about myself.

Although I am still working on implementing an exercise regimen into my daily routine, I am happy to share with you the steps I took that got me to this post-baby body without a single push up or abdominal crunch or a day at the gym.

1. Give Your Body Time to Heal

This is by far the most important step in my opinion. It is so easy to get caught up with all the hype. After all, Heidi Klum and Halle Berry did step out of the maternity ward looking like they were never pregnant at all. Keep in mind these celebrities have access to lots of money, nutritionists and fitness instructors, not to mention the plastic surgeons. I am saying all this to say, be easy on yourself after giving birth. Carrying life is a huge job. Your body goes through so many changes during those nine months, so you need to give yourself equal amount of time and then some to recover. So be patient with yourself and love yourself and your baby.

2. Breastfeed

According to romper.com, you can burn anything from 300-500 calories per day by breastfeeding your baby. Though not every mom is able to do this, if you can breastfeed your baby this is a sure way to begin losing some of the weight without lifting a finger. Not saying breastfeeding is easy, because it is hard work! But it is the safest and most natural way to lose the baby weight. It is also your best way to losing the tummy fat. I literally used to feel my uterus contracting with every suck. Seriously. If losing the weight is not enough of an incentive, you should also know that breastfed babies tend to have less health issues such as colds, flus and other viruses, fewer problems with weight and a lower SIDS risk.

3. Eat Well

Now this is key to it all. I truly believe that eating well is more than half the battle when it comes to weight loss. For the first 4 months I breastfed and certainly worked up an appetite. I had three meals a day and drank lots of water, with some snacks in between. Breakfast was usually fruit with eggs, avocado and/or toast. Lunch included fresh salads and smoothies. Dinner was light as well and would include veggies with a meat usually fish (salmon) or chicken breast. On the days when I was in the mood I would add rice, or quinoa and sometimes pasta.(small portions of starch only is key!) Download my "Mama Snap Back 5-Day Meal Plan" Here

4. Get a Belly Band or Waist Trainer

One of the purchases I made before even giving birth was a belly band or waist trainer. Now I had done quite a bit of research on this, because I wanted to ensure this was not just some sort of commercial hype. To my surprise however, many of the waist trainers and postpartum belly bands had some really great reviews (I don’t buy a thing if it doesn’t have good reviews. 4 stars and up!). I chose one from amazon, which I sometimes still use today. It also gives me really great back support, but I can also safely say, it did help with trimming the stomach. After wearing my waist trainer for about two months I had lost about 2-3 inches from my waist. Sheknows.com had similar results after her fifth baby. In fact, she found her results were quite dramatic and could not understand why more moms were mot using it. Belly binding is very popular in other cultures. In fact, it’s the norm, because it helps moms recover as well as lends support to her back and now soft middle section. Go give it a try!

5. Do a Cleanse

After breastfeeding my babies for about 4 to 5 months (I really tried to go longer, but going back to work is a supply killer!) I decided to do a colon cleanse. This is something I used to do every six months before becoming pregnant. I like doing it because I feel soooo much lighter after my cleanse. This is therefore a great jump start to any weight loss program. Other benefits include increase in energy and concentration, improved colon health and just an increase in overall feeling of well-being. I like using Dr. Tobias colon cleanse but there are many types of cleansers on the market just be sure to do your research.

***BONUS!!!!***

(Photo: November 2016 wearing my Shymay body shaper 6 months after giving birth to baby #2)

One of my can't-do-without items after having both my girls was this amazing body shaper that I found on amazon. After trying dozens or more and finding that none of them gave me the hold and fit I desired, just when I was about to give up I found this shaper. It cinches the waist, raises the butt, tames all the folds, even those around your back and smooths out the hips and thighs. It was perfect!!! The only con was you will not be able to get away with wearing this with a mini dress or shorts. Midis and Maxis only. In the photo above I actually rolled up the legs so that it did not show through my slit. Nevertheless, well worth the buy!!

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