...Talks Babies, Bumps And Bellies Or How To Lose Baby Weight!

Recently many of my friends have had new babies and I’ve noticed one of the main things they all worry about is how will they lose their baby tummies! I have every sympathy for them because I know exactly how they feel and I also know a great way to lose baby weight.

So who am I? Well I’m Mumtaz, a proud mum of two and if its at all possible I’m even prouder of the fact that at 43 my body is the same if not better than it was at 27 when I had my first baby! But that’s the story for many women, I hear you say, but I’m guessing that’s not why you’re reading this…I bet you’re just like me and my friends wondering how to lose the mummy tummy? And so if I was to tell you that during my first pregnancy, at my heaviest I was 14 stone, does that make you want to read on? Great! Because I want you to know that you’re not alone! Also, there’s lots you can do to kiss that tummy bye bye! So get ready to lose your baby tummy.

First things first - the all important disclaimer: before you start any sort of exercise consult your health practitioner. This is crucial!

So, I assume you’re reading this a few weeks after your baby’s birth? You and your new family have settled into a new routine (of sorts, because truth be told, it soon dawns on us that life is just not ever going to be the same again!) and you have a chance to exhale…so…what’s the first thing you notice? Could it be that your belly resembles that of a woman who is 5 months pregnant? With a baby inside her tum? But how can that be fair, we all ask, because your baby’s outside now. Surely the belly should be gone too? So how do you lose baby weight?

Let me tell you I know exactly how it feels to long to wear jeans again…I must say I wasn’t bothered if they were skinny jeans, bootleg, straight leg or flares – I just know I wanted to get out of my elastic-waisted pants and back into my jeans. After my first baby was 2 or 3 months old, and we had all settled down into a bit of a routine, that was when I stared to gaze longingly at my jeans and then look at my belly and then back at my jeans and it was as if the two had become mortal enemies, never to be reunited. It was like fish and chips had fallen out and salt hated pepper.

But how was I going to get them back together? I needed a plan to lose my baby tummy.

A few short months after my precious baby was born I found myself with possibly the most unprecious figure imaginable! What was my plan to lose my baby belly and regain my lovely figure?

Going to the gym was out of the question. How many new mums and especially 2nd 3rd and 4th time mums have got time to go to the gym? What with all the laundry, ironing, cooking and cleaning, bedtime routines, wake-up routines.…shall I go on?? There’s really no need to say any more because I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about here. Even the list is exhausting and we simply don’t have time to include going to the gym into that crazy schedule!

So how did I do it? Basically I quickly realised (same as you have today and bravo to you all for doing so!) it was important for me to make time for me. So after the feeds and the changes I incorporated a simple but effective fitness schedule into my normal routine daily activities. I got into a pattern where I spent a few minutes every day focussed on me and my jeans.

So what did I do? Well one of my methods was to walk a lot! Once my bundle of joy was all fed and watered, cleaned and changed, I popped her into the buggy and off we went on a brisk walk. We discovered parts of our small town I never knew existed! And then when my second bundle came along a short 18 months later, I loaded them both up into the twin buggy and carried on with my routine. I did this daily in pretty much all weather conditions, for about 1 hour. The babies drifted straight off to sleep, so they got their naps, and plenty of fresh air. I was walking briskly so I got my exercise, plus a massive bonus was it got me out of the house and seeing real grown ups!

Another thing I did was lots of vacuuming! It really does help trim that tum! I did sit-ups whilst carrying my babies on my tummy and I ran up and down the stairs a lot too. I was determined I was going to lose baby weight no matter how hard it was!

Imagine how happy I felt when I started to notice my new trimmer tummy…and it was even better when other people started to comment on how good I looked. I was delighted, which meant baby was happy, my husband was happy…and to top it all, I fitted back into my skinny jeans. Yay!

Imagine how you’re going to feel when you get to that stage! And by the way you will get there – have a little faith in yourself!

So that’s how I lost my baby tummy and you can too! So give it a go…it wasn’t easy and it took a little while and a big dollop of determination and encouragement, but it was fantastic to know that I had spent some time and energy on myself and it benefitted my whole family AND I looked great!

Now that’s a win-win if ever there was one!