Getting back into the jeans you haven't worn for nine months may seem as elusive as a good night's sleep after you've had a baby. But experts say it can be done with a little patience and persistence.
Candice Worthington, mother of four from Syracuse, says if she can do it, anyone can.
"After my third baby, I thought, 'Holy crap, I'm in my 30s and I better do something or I could be in trouble,' " she said. She started exercising before becoming pregnant with her fourth baby and continued through the pregnancy and after her six-week checkup. She's lost 20 pounds since April.
"Most women want to jump into a diet and be done in a month. You have to take it one step at a time," she said.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say women need to be patient with their weight loss.
"It's common to lose as many as 20 pounds in the month after delivery," according to that group's book "Planning Your Pregnancy and Birth." "It may be tempting to follow up this weight loss with a crash diet so you can squeeze back into your old clothes. Don't -- dieting can deny your body vital nutrients and delay healing after birth. Instead, try to be patient. Keep up the good eating habits you began in pregnancy. If you do, you'll be close to your normal weight within a few months. Combining healthy eating with exercise will help the process."
Focus on the basics
Mari Stuart, certified nurse midwife with the Ogden Clinic, said postpartum women should follow the same guidelines as everyone else hoping to lose weight: Eat small, frequent meals; get aerobic exercise every day; substitute lean meats for red meat and complex carbohydrates for simple carbs; drink six to eight glasses of water a day; and snack on a few nuts to curb appetite.
Sharon Puffer, owner of three Lady Fitness locations in the Top of Utah and certified fitness instructor, agrees.
"The biggest mistake is wasting your time on fad diets. The very best way to lose weight, whether it is after having a baby or just because you have put on a few pounds, is to always go back to the basics ... anything you can't do the rest of your life is not going to work," she said.
She recommends cardiovascular exercise four to five times a week, whole-body strength training three times a week and a balanced diet with complex carbohydrates, lean protein and vegetables.
Worthington says she's been able to lose her weight through a combination of exercise and better eating habits.
"I had to change the way I ate. I'm choosing things that are healthier for me. I still have treats, but it's all about moderation and how much you are putting in your mouth," she said. "Women at home are constantly snacking and putting things in their mouth. I have to sit down at every meal and eat. I don't grab a bagel while folding the laundry. I sit down, take slower bites and enjoy the food."
She says the drawback to her disciplined diet is having to give up breastfeeding sooner than she would have liked to.
"My baby wasn't gaining weight. When I pumped my milk, it was clear. Nursing was good for (my weight loss), but not for the baby," she said.
Breastfeeding factor
Physician assistant and lactation consultant Kendra Richards of South Ogden said serious dieting could stand in the way of breastfeeding.
"The body retains 5 pounds extra weight to lactate in reserve fat stores. You may need to decide if you plan on losing a lot of weight or plan to breastfeed. You need to hold onto a reserve," she said.
That doesn't mean women who want to breastfeed can't adopt healthy eating and exercise habits. Richards says any type of exercise, even training for a marathon, can be done while breastfeeding, as long as the woman is getting enough rest and calories to produce milk.
"Just keep a good balance between output energy expenditure versus intake. There needs to be a balance between exercise, breastfeeding and rest, and your system will run efficiently. ... Milk could be affected if fat stores are depleted, but if you are very sensitive to your well-being, it certainly can be done," she says.
Richards warns against dropping below 1,800 calories per day.
She says that nursing burns an extra 500 calories a day, but women should not rely on that for weight loss.
"The body regulates breast-milk productivity through prolactin, which also increases appetite. You need 500 to 600 additional calories, but you eat those easily. There is also a tendency to be less active. You're sitting down a lot nursing the baby. (The extra weight is) lifestyle and hormonal," she said.
Weight loss may get easier after four months, she says: "The body needs a lot of fat for newborn milk. It's the baby's primary food source. Women may get frustrated, but in a few months, when you introduce other foods to the baby, the prolactin level will decrease, and you'll start to shed the weight if you continue to exercise and eat a well-balanced diet."
Other benefits
Although weight loss takes time, experts say there are other immediate benefits for adopting a healthy diet and exercise program during the postpartum months.
Exercise and a balanced diet can help a woman's mood during the time when baby blues creep in. Richards said women should eat lots of whole grains and avoid high-protein diets because complex carbohydrates help boost seratonin, or the neurotransmitters that determine mood. Exercise will also help because of the endorphins.
"I am a 100 percent advocate of exercise after the postpartum visit," Richards said. "Go walking, take the baby out with you. I love it for moms to continue their prepregnancy habits. You'll get seratonin and feel-good hormones, which is a big plus."
Worthington said she is a happier, better mom since she's adopted a healthier lifestyle.
"You get those happy endorphins. Exercising is therapeutic. I'm a happier person and more patient. I have more energy," she said.
To reap those benefits, Puffer said, women must make exercise a priority.
"It is very important to schedule your life around your workouts," she said. "It must be a priority and you should not let hair appointments or nail appointments get in the way of your workouts. Those things should be scheduled around your time at the gym."
FINDING TIME TO EXERCISE
Between the diaper changes, laundry, cooking and cleaning, it's hard to find the time to exercise, but new mommies can find ways to work exercise into their daily routine.
* Do squats and lunges while holding the baby.
* Put your baby on the floor with your hands on either side of him or her and do pushups. It becomes a game, and the baby will think it's funny.
* Going up and down the stairs while wearing the baby in a front pack is a great way to get your heart rate up and burn calories.
* Think about sucking in the abdominal muscles throughout the day -- while sitting, standing, driving and walking. The muscles get stronger as the paunch shrinks.
* Use your biceps to carry the baby's car seat instead of letting it rest on your hips.
* Join a gym that offers day-care service.
* Let your baby watch you exercise. Put him or her in a bouncy seat or swing while you do your favorite exercise tape, do situps and other exercises on a large exercise ball or run on a treadmill.
* Put the baby in a stroller and get out and move.
Sources: Fitness instructors at Lady Fitness in West Haven, Layton and Pleasant View; sparkpeople.com.
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