How I Lost That Baby Weight - 10 Realistic and Practical Ways

I have had three pregnancies till now, first two unsuccessful though. I have gained & lost that baby weight three times in the last 5 years. And now, 17 months postpartum after my third pregnancy, I am slimmer than what I was when I conceived for the first time.

I know that baby fat is a matter of concern for many of us moms and we always have absolutely no time in hand for any form of exercise, or may be we make that excuse even when we could take out few minutes, but that's a different story. I too have this excuse till date that I do not have time to work out but I managed to shed all the pregnancy weight (10 kgs) by my son's first birthday.

After delivery, I also googled up tips & tricks to lose baby weight but most of the links suggested things that were pretty unrealistic, at least for me, like working out with the baby (naah that doesn't work for us!), sleep well (really?, I still breastfeed my son at 17 months & I have forgotten what is it to sleep through the night. He wakes up multiple times to feed at night), work out when your baby sleeps (those messy floors, unending laundry etc etc take up my time when baby sleeps).

Then I devised something that will work for me, it had to be realistic & practical. Sharing with you all, hope it helps achieve your goals in some way ...

1. Regular exercise before & during pregnancy - I know this might be too late to do but I really think this helped me a lot postpartum. I did regular yoga, pranayam & meditation throughout my pregnancy till the day I delivered. It helped my body to be fit & bounce back well after delivery. You can't be working out with a weak body to lose weight.

2. Breastfeeding - I can't stress upon this enough! It burns a LOT of calories apart from tons of benefits for mom & baby, that needs a separate post. I exclusively breastfed my son till 6 months, which means not even water or any other juices or solids till 6 months. And no, you don't need to be home bound for realizing this goal. I traveled cities, local places, nursed my son in public in my nursing cover (from Dulaar). And I have been nursing him on demand till now. I don't keep any counts or time interval between feeds, just trust my baby's cues.

3. Babywearing - We love babywearing!!! An ergonomic baby carrier is one of the best investments we have made. I have used a mei tai, SSC, ring sling & wraps & love the cuddles & kisses while carrying my baby. I used to go for regular 30 minutes evening walks wearing my baby in the carrier. It gave my baby natural fresh air & a brilliant workout to me. Trust me when you do a brisk walk with a 5-10kg something attached to you, it does burn more calories than a normal walk. And an ergonomic carrier does not put any strain on your back/shoulders. Having a vulnerable back, I have carried my baby for 3-4 hours at a stretch without any issues. Babywearing also demands couple of posts on this blog, that would come soon.

4. Green Tea -  Green Tea has been my ritual for the last few years. A little twist to the recipe has helped in weight loss too. In water I put cinnamon powder, lemongrass, ginger, green tea with a dash of lemon. I drink this green tea every morning & after dinner. Detailed recipe HERE.

5. Yogic Hand Mudra - I practice couple of yogic hand mudras for general well being & regulating metabolism. Some of them are Apan vayu mudra, surya mudra, praan mudra. They really do work! It's an ancient science & a simple google will give you results on how to do these mudras. Specially, I do surya mudra while walking or while sitting in the car or where ever. One can do it anywhere, no dedicated time required, just that your hands need to be free. It helps in regulating metabolism that in turn helps in weight loss.

6. Reiki Practice - I practice Reiki before sleeping, just a quick round of chakra cleansing. It helps to flush out stress & negativity from my chakras, and balance them. An equilibrium in the praanic body is important in general, all the more necessary if one is aiming some change in the physical body.

7. Lots of Salads & Fruits - ABSOLUTELY no dieting. I breastfeed my son, which means I cannot & should not go on dieting. I chose to eat healthy meals. We all know what is healthy food so no notes on that. I made sure to indulge myself with yummy (almost always unhealthy) food over weekends. It doesn't make sense to burn yourself up all seven days of the week ;) Main change in the diet was to have healthy alternatives for mid meal hunger pangs. I regularly eat fruits & salads for mid meal snacks. Having raw food helps a lot in weight loss.

8. Lauki Juice - Bless Baba Ramdev, he made lauki juice readily available or else I would have to make fresh juice every day ;) I drink it every morning empty stomach. Lauki is a natural weight loss helper!

9. Lots of Water - It's very important to keep yourself hydrated. I drink before I start feeling thirsty. Once my Yoga teacher told in a voice culture class that when you actually start feeling thirsty, your body is already in scarcity of water & your voice also gets affected by that, so keep sipping water & don't wait till you feel thirsty.

10. Be Joyous - Enjoy motherhood. Those early years are not going to last forever :) A happy mind & body is essential for losing weight!

Hope these tips will help you in achieving your weight loss goals. Start today & be consistent. Take your husband's support, mine helps me a lot! We both follow healthy routines so I kind of remain on track because of him :)

Do share how this helped you & share with anyone who needs these tips. Or if you have more tips, it would be great to hear.