A friend of mine once said that the answer to weight loss is all about starvation.  I don’t think he was too far off the truth because planning a weight loss program around your diet does require caloric deficits that may leave you feeling less than satiated after a meal.  The only problem with that kind of weight loss plan after a pregnancy is that if you’re breastfeeding then you really have to be careful about restricting your caloric intake.  In my case, I’m breastfeeding for one and half – half because the toddler nurses for the psychological benefits and will ask for cow’s milk when he’s really hungry or thirsty – so I really can’t diet in the sense of the word that most of us know it by.

Besides, I’ve always believed that if you’re planning to diet to lose weight then you need to make sure it is a dietary change that you can maintain for the rest of your life.  You can’t diet to lose weight and then go back to your old eating habits and expect the weight to stay off.  The reason why you have the weight to lose in the first place is because of your existing eating habits.  Then again, the same might not be said for a post-partum Mum who’s been “eating for two” throughout the pregnancy and indulging like it’s her last day on Earth.  I know some of us tend to take pregnancy as a “no-holds barred” excuse to load up on the calories since it’s the only time we have an excuse for a fat belly.

I digress…  So what can you do with your post-partum diet without really restricting the calories?  I recently came across a list of Top 10 Fat Burning Foods from Lady Thrills.  I haven’t checked all the facts, but these are all pretty good foods to have in your diet anyway so it can’t hurt.  Here’s the list with my annotations in italics:

1. Cayenne pepper

Cayenne pepper not only helps you burn more calories by triggering a thermodynamic burn that lasts hours after eating, it also enhances the way cholesterol is processed by the body.

But you can’t just depend on cayenne pepper alone; this spicy additive needs to be coupled with lean protein to work its magic because protein is necessary to process and transport fat throughout the body adequately.

Cayenne pepper makes you sweat and raises your heart rate, so your metabolism shoots up for a few hours after eating it.

2. Cinnamon

Research conducted by the USDA has proven that as little as a ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon added to food helps your body to metabolize sugar 20 times faster and lower your body’s blood-sugar levels.

3. Ginger

A known vasodilator, ginger expands the blood vessels, increases body heat and metabolism by 20%. Whether you consume it ground, fresh or in a tea (found in your local health food store), ginger is a fat-burning beauty.

I thought this was particularly interesting since ginger is one of the confinement foods consumed in abundance.  Could this be part of the reason that facilitates women who go through the confinement practice to return to their pre-pregnant size?

4. Citrus fruit

Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, and limes are incredibly high in vitamin C, which has a fat-burning component. The C vitamin reduces fat’s effectiveness and can liquefy or dilute it so that it exits the body.

I’ve always had a hunch about this because there was a period in Australia when my parents were buying Navel oranges by the boxes and I was eating up to 10 oranges a day and losing weight for no reason I could fathom.

5. Apples & berries

Although all fresh fruit contain pectin, apples and berries have it in abundance. Pectin has a water-binding property and, when ingested, limits the amount of fat your cells absorb.

The watery buildup that results from pectin drowns out the fat from the cells and keeps your body from absorbing it. So pack on the apples and berries (do your best to go organic) and watch the pounds come off.

6. Soybeans

Packed with lecithin, this naturally occurring chemical in soybeans helps your body to keep your cells from accumulating fat.

Ingesting a handful of soybeans (find them at your local health food store) three to five times a week will boost your body’s ability to eliminate fat more quickly.

Does drinking soybean milk and consuming Taufu Fa count?

7. Bananas

Found in milk and oranges as well, bananas contain potassium, a naturally occurring chemical that boosts your metabolism and regulates your body’s water balance.

Bananas contain approximately 450 milligrams of potassium (a cup of milk contains about 350 and oranges contain about 250), and you should aim to have about 2,000 milligrams per day, every day.

8. EFAs

Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, should be a part of your dietary lifestyle. Women who consume fish regularly have lower levels of a protein hormone called leptin, which has been linked to a slower metabolism and obesity.

Do your best to eat fish three to five times a week. The best fish to reach for are wild salmon, tuna, herring, and mackerel.

9. Garlic

It may leave your breath smelling somewhat undesirable, but garlic has many healing properties. Besides being a natural antibiotic, a bacteria destroyer and a blood sugar regulator, garlic also has the ability to speed up your fat-burning.

Garlic works like a thermogenic in your body, boosts your metabolism and keeps your insulin levels low to maximize fat burning. It’s stinky, but worth it.

If you’re Chinese, then garlic is like a daily staple.  There isn’t a stir-fry dish that doesn’t require a little garlic.  That said, you can also add a garlic supplement to your diet.  It can also help stave off the colds…

10. Dairy products

The International Journal of Obesity published a study in April 2005 that concluded that calcium and protein that come from low-fat dairy products actually promote weight loss and help to maintain muscle mass.

Try to eat three servings of low-fat dairy products a day, which can come in the form of milk, cheese or yogurt. I guess milk really does do the body good.

One easy way to add most of these foods to your diet is to blend a fruit smoothie with a banana, yoghurt, milk, an orange, an apple and some berries.  You can also try adding some cinnamon – I’m not sure how that would taste, but I might try that this week.

On Wednesday, I did Yoga Zone: Strengthen and Tone (20 minutes).  It was surprisingly less challenging than the Yoga Zone Fat Burning workout even though it was also for Beginners to Intermediate.

On Thursday I tried The Method: Mom and Baby (40 minutes) since Gareth was awake.  The workout is 40 minutes, but I didn’t complete all of it because they included a number of abdominal exercises that I wasn’t supposed to do with my separated muscles.  Instead, I did the exercises that Debbie from Fitfor2 recommended in place of the ones they did on the DVD.  Occasionally, when Gareth was fussy, I would dance with him as well, so in total we completed 40 minutes of exercise together.

I guess that’s this week’s work out tip – when you’re a Mum trying to find time to work out, you also need to be able to improvise.  If you can’t do the work out, replace it with something else.  There are lots of ways to “work out” during the day if you can get creative about it.  If you’re a new Mum with a baby, you really have no excuse – take your baby for a walk, dance with your baby, rock your baby to sleep – these are just a few obvious examples.  If you carry your baby, you’ve effectively got a workout with weights.

After attending the Fitball class at Fitfor2 last week, I finally managed to ask for specific exercises that help to close the gap.  Debbie kindly provided me that information after class.  And here it is:

1. The best thing you can do for your abdominals after the delivery is the breathing exercise that is commonly taught throughout pregnancy.  Lie down on your back (or sit, if you prefer) and breathe in and out.  As you breathe in, expand your abdominal area as much as you can.  As you breathe out, squeeze out all the air by tightening your abdominal muscles. Rinse and repeat.  The more you do, the better.

You can see an example of abdominal breathing in the youtube video below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBFlDlnLEEc

2. When you’ve cleared your six week check-up at the doctor and have the “ok” to start exercising, you can start incorporating the “plank pose”.  Get into the push up position with your forearms on the floor to support you instead of your hands.  Keep your back straight with your bottom tucked in.  Try not to let your bottom sag or stick up in the air.  Hold for as long as you can without your back hurting.  Take a break.  Rinse and repeat.

You can take a look at the example in the youtube video below on what the plank pose looks like:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ar2iRusnnc

3. You need a fitball for number three.  Sit up straight on your ball and balance with one foot on the ground and the other leg in the air.  Swap legs and repeat.  Make sure you hold for an equal period of time on both sides.

The exercises you do all require you to hold in your abdominal muscles.  When you do each of the exercises above, think about which parts of your abdominals you are contracting.  That is the action you are trying to achieve and if you can find other abdominal exercises that achieve that, they will also help.

All other abdominal workouts, for instance sit-ups, crunches, leg lifts, etc. are off limits.

Monday – Yoga Zone Fat Burner (20 minutes)

It was a surprisingly tough workout – either that or I must really be unfit these days.  I remember the days when I could complete two 20 minute Yoga Zone workouts in one session.  The other thing I’ve noticed is that there is something seriously wrong with my balance.  I seem to struggle a lot more with my balance and I’m wondering whether it’s age throwing my equilibrium out of whack or if the pregnancy somehow leaves a lasting negative effect on balance?  Anyone like to answer that one?

Tuesday – Mummy and Baby Fitball @ Fitfor2 (1 hour)

Yup, I finally made it to a Fitball class after all the cancellations and reschedulings.  The class was a great cardio workout and – with Gareth weighing in at 8.2kgs – a good weight training session for me, too.

Wednesday – Break

Thursday – Yoga Zone Fat Burner (20 minutes)

After this session it all went down hill.  I started to feel achy not from the workout but from a new bout of mastitis.  With the frequency I keep getting sick at it is a wonder that I can even get into a regular exercise routine!  Unlike my early mastitis cases, I took longer than the usual couple of days it takes to recover.  Is that due to old age as well or because I was particularly stubborn when I decided to soldier on and take Gavin to his Heguru class?

On the flip side – the silver lining in the cumulo-nimbus – I seemed to have trimmed down a little.  I’m sure it isn’t just my imagination that my clothes are a little looser around the belly.  Please note that this is NOT a recommendation to get sick as a means to lose weight.  The weight loss is probably due to the fact that I didn’t have the stomach to eat much.  Now that I’m recovering and my appetite is increasing again, chances are the weight might come back.

Let’s hope this week is a better week…

Losing weight is going to take time so it is important that you get a few items of clothes that you can wear in your current state that you feel good in.

The common mistake a lot of people make is to reserve the clothes shopping for the end.  Since we’re planning to lose weight anyway, why waste money shopping for clothes we aren’t going to wear for long, right?

Wrong.

Working out and losing weight is about feeling good about yourself.  Wearing your pregnant clothes and your hubby’s old t-shirts and shorts are not going to make you feel good about yourself.  Chances are, it will be like the weighing scale problem all over again – it creates the desperate need to lose weight now using rapid and drastic measures that are neither healthy nor long lasting.

Remember, post-partum weight loss should be done slowly.  You should be aiming for a lasting change and to achieve a lasting change, you need to adopt a weight loss program that is sustainable.  In other words, we’re looking for lifestyle changes.  Anything drastic cannot be kept up over the long run.  Eventually, you will revert to your old ways and the weight will come back.

It will take time to reach your end goal so it is important to at least have a few items of clothing that you can wear now that make you feel good about yourself.

Thursday – Yoga Zone DVD Workout: Sunrise, Sunset (20 minutes)

Friday – Yoga Zone DVD Workout: Sunrise, Sunset (20 minutes)

Then again, I was still recovering from the bug I picked up from the boys last week.  I was essentially fine but trying to get over the congestion.  Now I know why they don’t recommend doing yoga when you’re sick – it is a little difficult to get the breathing right when you can’t really breathe through your nose.

I did work out quite a bit on the weekend giving Gavin piggy backs and playing rough and tumble games.  On the Sunday, I carried both Gavin and Gareth around the shopping malls which was quite a workout.

I’m afraid we haven’t done much exercise over the pass week except carry Gareth around and play with Gavin.  I did play imaginary trains with him where I was the engine carrying him around the house.  Does that count?

Finding time to work out as a Mum is definitely very challenging.  Last week I had mastitis and two sick boys.  This week, I was sick.  It was also Chinese New Year this week which usually means a lot of familial and social responsibilities.  Nevertheless, we can begin next week anew with my own Chinese New Year resolutions.

One thing I learned during this Chinese New Year which I thought made a great tip as far as those desiring to lose weight are concerned is this:

• Stay away from people who make you feel bad about yourself.

Who are those people?  Mine would be my husband’s second aunt. I believe the first thing she said to me when she saw me over CNY was: “Wow!  You are fat!  You’re so fat!”

Could she possibly have been any less blunt?  Didn’t she notice the baby in my arms?  Has she forgotten that I just pushed out a baby not that long ago?

Anyway, I think you know the kind of people I mean – anyone who has anything negative to say about you that is not at all constructive in any way.  These are the people you should avoid like the plague.

The coming week continues the Chinese New Year celebrations so I may be taking it easy again until after all the festivities are over.  I guess that’s two important lessons in one regarding getting back into shape after the pregnancy:

1. Don’t beat yourself up if you have to take a break from your workout schedule.
2. Yoga Zone exercise DVDs are the bomb for postnatal fitness programs.

When you’re a Mum, finding time to workout can be a real challenge.  Between the early morning wake-up calls from the toddler, the fussing baby and all the other things you need to do and only twenty-four hours in a day, there sometimes too many interruptions to get through an hour long class, let alone get out to a center to workout.  This is why I particularly favour the Yoga Zone workout DVDs – they offer the option of working out at home with a program that can either be done as a 20 minute session or a 40 minute session.

It is important not to get too uptight about missing out on your exercise routine.  Especially important is that you don’t try for a “make up” session where you attempt to do two days worth of exercise in one session.  The reason being that you will eventually expect yourself to keep it up and when you don’t or are unable to, you will lose heart and give up entirely.  Just do what you can and give yourself a break when you need it.  Remember, fun is the aim of the game.  The most stress you place on yourself, the less fun it will be and the more of a chore it becomes to exercise.

Exercise and working out should be a lifestyle change.  If you can’t keep up with the schedule, then it isn’t a realistic schedule for your lifestyle to begin with and you seriously need to consider reevaluating your program and your expectations.

Post-partum Weigh Loss Tip 1

Don’t worry, it’s normal.  Remember it took 9 months to gain the weight so don’t expect it to disappear in just two and a half months.  You aren’t a supermodel and you don’t have Demi Moore’s personal trainer.

The first order of the day is to throw away the weighing scales.  Or at the very least, resist the urge to get on it everyday.  If you must weigh yourself, then do so once a week.  Anything more frequent than once a week is more likely to measure body fluid fluctuations and will not necessarily be a true indication of weight loss or gain anyway.

Don’t get too focused on how much you weigh as it increases the temptation to employ drastic, non-permanent weight loss tactics in order to watch that needle drop.  The aim should be healthy, permanent weight loss and the ultimate goal is to be fit and healthy.

At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter what you weigh but how you feel about yourself and the confidence you feel about how you look.  Get this part right and your post-partum weight loss program should be a breeze.  Make sure you have fun along the way and you won’t even realise how long it took to get to your journey’s end.

Tuesday – Rest

Wednesday – Wii Fit

• Step Advance – 5 minutes
• Hula Hoop – 27 minutes (broke two records – Advance 3 minute round 888 spins; Advance 10 minute round 2009 spins)

Thursday – Rest

Friday – Wii Fit

• Hula Hoop – 11 minutes
• Boxing – 13 minutes

Saturday – Rest

Sunday – Rest