Losing the baby weight (or, Walking until the balls of my feet are touching pavement)

Losing the post-pregnancy baby weight is a challenge nearly every new mom faces. I consider myself one of the lucky moms: I only had ten pounds to lose, post pregnancy. I've heard of women who have gained  forty, fifty, even sixty pounds of weight not related to actual "baby fat." They must have had a nasty surprise when stepping on the scale for the first time after coming home from the hospital.

When I took note of the weight I would have to lose, I remember thinking, "Well that's not too bad. It'll probably come off automatically, right?" I reasoned that, with my back-to-normal mobility, the weight that had piled on during pregnancy would just melt off.

I was wrong. Ten months later, I still had not lost a single pound. I knew I had to take action.

My baby is now 13 months old, and I have finally gotten my pre-baby body back. I can fit in my old jeans. I lost ten pounds in three months!

The fact is, I knew all along how to do it. But it was only in February that I decided to go ahead and actually make an effort. It worked.

I suppose some of my readers may be wondering how I did it. Let me first say, that I didn't do any Atkins, Dukan's (a new version of Atkins), South Beach, West Coast, whatever diet. I don't believe in diets, for the very practical reason that they are not sustainable. Ever.

So what, finally, is my secret to losing weight and keeping it off? Drumroll please ...

Eat well and exercise!

Allow me to elaborate:

• Eating well means eating food that is good for you. Whole grain cereal? Good for you. Pop Tart? Not good.
• When I go grocery shopping, the only things I buy that are not part of the perimeter foods (fruits & veggies, bread, milk, eggs, yogurt, etc.) are whole grain cereal, high-fibre granola bars, low-fat pudding (a relatively rare treat), pasta, and spices. 
• I listen to my body. I only eat when I'm hungry. When I feel full, I stop. Except in the case of soup for dinner, I never take seconds. The proof that this worked? I managed to shrink my stomach; I'm not as hungry now as I used to be.
• After unsuccessful attempts at trying to stop evening snacking altogether, I compromised: I only allow myself to eat fruit, yogurt, or a low-fat pudding after dinner.
• I eat fruit, yogurt, or a high-fibre granola bar if I'm hungry between meals. Incidentally, I don't force-feed myself raw brocoli for a snack. Gross. Those of you who enjoy it, you just go right ahead and indulge.
• I drink water whenever I'm thirsty. I only have one small glass of juice at breakfast, and a glass of skim milk for dinner.
• I cook at home nearly all the time.
• I read the labels to see what's in the food - instead of focusing on what the food does not contain. When I buy bread or cereal, I look at the ingredients and choose something that begins with whole grains or wheat.
• I never deny myself treats (surprise!) - within reason. Obviously I'm not going to scarf a chocolate cake every night. Fast food is a rare treat. Once every few months is ok. Once a week would make me gain weight. When I have guests, I prepare a dessert that is either healthy (ex: fruit salad), or that doesn't leave leftovers. Think chocolate mousse - it's relatively easy to adjust the recipe for the number of guests. When I am invited over to someone's house for dinner, I am not one of those women who beg for just a tiny sliver of cake. I'll take a regular piece, thank you. And make up for it the next day.
• I love chocolate. I don't believe in denying myself chocolate. I do, however, believe in real chocolate. A kit-kat bar is not chocolate. I allow myself one square of at least 70% chocolate or one low-fat chocolate pudding a day. I once bought myself a Lindt dark chocolate bar that lasted two weeks. And I wasn't the only one eating it.

When it comes to exercise, it took a long while to figure out what was right for me. Joining a gym is not for me - this usually results in my wasting money. I use workout DVDs at home - it took me a few tries to find some really good ones.
I used to do Winsor Pilates. But this kind of exercise, as my husband kindly pointed out one day, is practically useless. Instead of working the entire body, one spends twenty minutes focusing on one muscle. And lying on the floor, hoping to get ripped abs, isn't going to burn fat; you'll just end up with hard abs hidden under a layer of flubber. And, if you're like me, you'll also end up feeling bloated. That's why I don't do a lot of abs exercises - just a few effective ones, and I always make sure to suck my belly in when I'm doing them.
My husband, who, as I have before mentioned, is in the military, explained to me that it's really quite simple: the best way to burn fat, get in shape, and most important, feel healthy, is to work on strength and cardio at the same time. 

I was at Chapter's one day and I happened to notice a series of Jillian Michaels DVDs for sale. I bought one, thinking I would give it a try. It has two workout levels, 25 mins. each (which usually gives me more than enough time for a workout and shower while my baby naps), and incorporates weights into the workout.
Toward the end of the 25 mins., as I found myself doing jumping squats, feeling like my thigh muscles were going to fall off, sweating profusely, and listening to Jillian telling me I should be "gargling my heart in my throat," I knew I was getting a kick-ass workout. A few weeks later I bought other DVDs - it's important to vary your workout, to prevent your body from reaching a "plateau."

It's not easy finding the motivation to exercise. Instead of calculating how many minutes a week I "should" exercise, I ask myself, "how can I get some exercise today?" If I don't have time, I don't do it. But I always count it among my priorities. Today I spent the late morning, and most of the afternoon with my husband and daughter doing one of my favorite things: walking in downtown Montréal. By the end of the day, I felt like the balls of my feet had dug holes into the bottom of my shoes and were touching pavement. The muscle just above the back of the knee on my left leg felt just plain funky. My toes hurt. And when I got home, I noticed I had gotten a sunburn all over my face. In April. But I felt great! And isn't that what matters? Plus, I never for even one half-a-second felt guilty about the chocolate gelato I had had on rue Mont-Royal. I earned it!

I will finish by pointing out something I realized not too long ago: eating well and exercising shouldn't have an end-goal. In fact, one should never stop doing it. It's a lifestyle. I don't do it just to lose weight. I do it to feel good in my body. And if I do it for that reason, weight loss will naturally follow.