Weighting Line

5 Reasons to Lose the Baby Fat Now

by Diane Penna on November 10th, 2008

In honor of my youngest daughter’s 5th birthday today, I wanted to talk a little about losing the baby fat. For some, especially celebrities, it seems to be easy to do. I, on the other hand, have never understood how to go from looking like I’m carrying an overgrown watermelon to looking like a fitness instructor within mere weeks. It’s easier to see why Hollywood stars need to return to their pre-baby weight quickly, but did you know it’s also important for regular women like you and me?

Today, five years after giving birth to my little Sophia, I’m still holding onto the baby fat — 20 pounds of it to be exact. Here’s why I think I should have worked hard those first two months after her birth to get back to my pre-baby body…

1) The longer you leave extra weight on your body, the more complacent you’ll become.

Ever notice how you feel decent about your body, only to see yourself in a recent picture and suddenly feel disgusted with yourself? That’s because it’s easy to get used to the way you look and feel with extra weight on your body. After five years, you may figure that being 10 pounds overweight is no big deal, and there will go all your motivation.

2) As time passes after having a baby, you increase your chances of having more to lose than just baby fat.

After having Sophia, I only had 10 pounds to lose, which for me isn’t much at all considering at one point I was 100 pounds overweight. If you have just a little bit to lose and figure it’ll come off as time goes by, think again. I’ve now added 10 pounds onto that baby fat, making it harder to lose. If you plan on having more children in the future and are waiting until you’re all done, consider how much more work you are making for yourself. Losing 10 pounds twice may be easier than losing 20 pounds once…especially if the larger numbers intimidate you.

3) The longer you wait to begin losing the fat, the harder it’ll become as age catches up with you. 

Let’s admit it, as the years tick by, our bodies age and our processes slow down. If you were late in life having your kids, you may even get close to menopause before realizing you still have baby fat to lose. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about menopause from listening to others, it’s that your metabolism slows down and hormone changes make it even harder to lose weight. Do yourself a favor and lose the baby fat while you’re still young, agile, and energetic.

4) You may not have much time now, but believe me, you’ll have even less time later.

Nobody has less time or energy than new moms, right? Wrong. Those little babies may keep moms up at night, keep them nursing around the clock, or keep them exhausted during the day, but those babies grow up to become toddlers, then preschoolers, then children with soccer practice, homework, and play dates.  The worst thing you could do is think you’ll have more time later — if you’re a mom, you’ll never have as much time as you did before your kids were born. Never. So just do it; use the treadmill while the baby is napping, walk in place during each commercial, dance around the kitchen while making dinner. Be a creative mom and you’ll find ways to fit it into your schedule.

5) Leaving the weight on puts your health at risk, and possibly a future baby’s health as well.

Perhaps the most important reason to lose the weight now rather than later is because of your own health. Whether you have 15 pounds to lose or 50, our bodies don’t work properly with extra weight on them. If just a 10% reduction in weight can improve your chances of not getting cancer or having a stroke, imagine the difference a few pounds can make. If you’re planning another baby, leaving the previous pregnancy’s baby fat on can also increase your chance of pregnancy-related problems such as gestational diabetes, toxemia, and premature birth.

Come on and join me in losing the baby fat! I’ve got 20 pounds to go to get to my pre-Sophia weight. How much do you have to lose?

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POSTED IN: Moms & Weight Loss