Lose the Baby Fat

7 Surefire ways to get back into shape after having your baby. Plus, our best ab exercises.

BY Suz Redfearn

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5.Take naps
“Getting plenty of sleep has been shown to help with weight loss because you’re not compelled to binge on high-calorie, high-sugar foods for energy,” says Sheah Rarback, M.S., R.D., director of nutrition at the Mailman Center for Child Development at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Strange sleep cycles like those forced on you by a newborn can upset your metabolism and make it harder for you to lose your pregnancy weight, Rarback says. Take a nap anytime the baby does, housework be damned. That way, you won’t end up with a long-term sleep deficit, and you’ll keep your energy levels and your potentially naughty cravings in check.
 Whatever you do, don’t sacrifice sleep for exercise time in those early weeks. If you don’t sleep enough, you won’t have enough energy for satisfying workouts, anyway.

6. Eat healthful snacks
Eating too much sugar can send your blood-sugar levels on a roller-coaster ride. And when your blood sugar drops, you’re more likely to eat the first thing you can get your hands on. So skip the sugary treats. To avoid temptation, keep only nutritious foods at your fingertips. And stock up on low-fat milk and yogurt for snacks, as studies have shown that calcium from milk and yogurt actually can aid weight loss by blocking a hormone that allows the body to store fat.
Also, eat high-fiber snacks like figs and raisins or whole-wheat crackers with veggies, suggests Rarback. They can fill you up and help with digestion and regularity.

7. Get with other new moms
It can be helpful to connect with other moms for regular exercise. Carolyn Pione of Baton Rouge, La., just didn’t feel she had the energy or the time to exercise after she had her baby in 1999. Then, some pals who had formed an early-morning running group showed up on her doorstep urging her to join.
At first Pione, who had gained 38 pounds during her pregnancy, couldn’t keep up. But before long she felt compelled to catch up, and besides, she didn’t want to miss out on the friendly conversation. She lost all of her baby weight and now runs in 5k’s, something she never would have worked up to without the help of the group. “Alone, it would have been impossible,” she says.



4 Great Ab Moves
At 4–6 weeks postpartum, and only if your doctor has cleared you of diastasis (a separation of the rectus abdominis muscle), start with 8–10 reps of exercises 1 and 2, building up to 15. When you can do 15 reps of each, add exercises 3 and 4, reducing all reps to 10 and rebuilding. When you can complete 15 reps of all four exercises, add another set of 15 reps, resting 60 seconds between sets.

1. No-cheating chair abs Lie faceup on the floor, knees bent and lower legs resting on a chair seat, feet relaxed. Fold your forearms behind your head, hands resting on arms. Contract your abdominals, then lift your head, neck and shoulders off the floor, keeping buttocks and legs relaxed (shown). Slowly lower to starting position.

2. Supported bent-knee curl-up Lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent, calves parallel to the floor. Place your hands behind your thighs. Press your legs away from you, using your hands as resistance; at the same time, contract your abs and lift your head, neck and shoulders off the floor (shown). Slowly lower to starting position.

3. Super-crunch Lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Place hands, unclasped, behind your head. Contract your abs and lift your head, neck and shoulders off the floor. At the same time, lift your knees up and bring them to meet your elbows, lifting your hips slightly off the floor (shown). Lower to starting position.

4. Bicycle Lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent, calves parallel to the floor, and hands behind your head. Contract your abs. Extend your left leg out; at the same time, rotate left shoulder toward right knee, lifting your head, neck and shoulders off the floor (shown). Return to starting position and alternate with other leg and shoulder.

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