Lose 55 Pounds Baby Weight

by Melissa
(maryland)

I am a stay at home mother of 3 boys. I am a pear shape. I have most of my weight in my hips and butt. I am 5'10 240 lbs, size 16. I would love to be around 185lbs and size 12.

All my weight gain is due to pregnancies. I gained about 80lbs with each one. I have seemed to keep the weight on with this last one. What can I do to lose all this extra baby weight?

I have about an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon to workout. I have a slim in 6 dvd. I use that and we live on the 3rd floor so I use the stairs alot. I would say my fitness level is maybe a medium level. Please help me!

Thank you
Melissa

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Lose 55 Pounds Baby Weight

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Jan 12, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Long Term Weightloss Plan
by: Monica

Hi Melissa

Thanks for posting your question. The first thing I do when I start working with a client who needs to lose more than 50 pounds is to come up with a step by step long term weightloss plan.

Month 1 aim to lose 10-15 pounds by drastically improving the quality of the foods you eat, by implementing portion control, and by working out 3 days a week using the workout plan outlined below plus 2-3 additional days of fitness dvds, outdoor cardio, or other activity. 45 minutes is enough just make sure it's challenging.

7 minutes of warm-up (cardio and/or bodyweight exercises)
25 minutes of total body weightloss exercises
15 minutes of challenging cardio intervals and ab exercises

The key the first month is to be consistent with workouts and to really make an effort to clean up your diet and cut down on portions. Another trick I use with clients who need to lose more than 50 lb is weekly intermittent fasting. I make this optional but what I've noticed is the people who choose to do it usually get faster results. It's up to you how fast you want to lose and whether you can handle the 24 hour fast. Click the link to read more about it.

Month 2 & 3 is when I typically switch a client to 45 minute workouts 3 times a week that include only strength training plus 30-40 minute workouts 3 times a week that include tougher cardio intervals plus isolation work for trouble zones. I also take them off fasting and introduce them to carb rotation. These two changes will typically result in another 16 pounds of weightloss (8 pounds per month).

workout schedule for months 2 & 3
M chest back legs
T cardio glutes
W legs arms shoulders
Th cardio abs
F total body
S cardio glutes
S active recovery

You can find all types of workouts to fit this schedule here on the site or just get started with my 30 Minute Workout Plan.

Losing the first 30 pounds is actually the easy part. The hard part starts after the 3rd month. If you can get to the third month with these suggestions let me know and I'll take you the rest of the way until you reach your goal. The last 20 is a little trickier but I don't want you to focus on that just yet.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if you get stuck and don't forget to have fun and be patient. Long term weight loss goals can be frustrating but you can also learn a lot about your body along the way. Expect setbacks and bad days but most importantly have a plan to help you get back on track right away if you get off plan. Post here if you need help.
Jan 19, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		results so far
by: Melissa

Monica

I have lost 3lbs. That's in just a week. I'm very happy. Thank you so much for your help.

Melissa
Jan 25, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		week 2
by: Melissa

Monica, Another 3lbs. I am very happy. I have been doing just about everything you said. There are a few exercises I can't do yet. I want to thank you again, and I will let you know more next week. Thanks Melissa
Jan 26, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Rapid Weightloss
by: Monica

Woohoo! Great job. All this stuff works so well especially when you implement it all at the same time. If you just keep challenging yourself a bit more each workout (not crazy but just slighly more) you'll be doing those tougher exercises in no time and you'll get be able to drop another 4-9 pounds by the end of the month.

Just keep pushing. Once you get past this 15 pounds it will get a little easier before you really have to start getting a little more intense. If you have a bad day just get right back on track and don't look back.

Awesome job. So proud of you!!
Feb 01, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		week3
by: Melissa

Monica, This has been a hard week. Two of my sons have been sick. I got sick on Thursday. I have lost 1lb this week. I know you cant just eat right you have to exercise also. This week has shown that. This week we are still trying to feel better, but at least I feel good enough to do something. I had a road block and I hope I am getting over it. Melissa
Feb 01, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		workout options when sick
by: Monica

When I get sick I just do a tiny bit each day to boost my immune system. Any more than that can actually be bad for you. Try not to feel discouraged. We all have sick weeks and it's only a minor set back. The great news is you're still on track with your eating (eating tons of greens, brown rice, homemade chicken soup, and steamed veggies will help you get well faster).

What I do if I can't workout at all is I just cut my portions a tiny bit (nothing crazy) just enough to make up for the not working out.

Later this week once you feel better you can get back into your workouts. Hope you and our little ones get well soon and thanks for keeping me posted.
Feb 02, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Acai Berry Diet
by: Melissa

Monica, What do you think about the Acai berry diet? Do you think it would help me with my baby weight? Melissa
Feb 04, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Best Fatloss Diets
by: Monica

Hi Melissa

Hope you and your little ones are feeling better. I'm not big on diets but I do have a list of top 10 diets that I highly recommend for people looking to speed up the fatloss.

The reason I recommend these specific 10 fatloss diets over any other ones is that they actually work and are fairly easy to follow and researchers have found that any diet that you can stick to long term is the only diet that works.

I've had so many clients fail on programs like WW, Jenny, South Beach, and especially on liquid diets or diets that require buying expensive supplements. Nobody can endure or afford these diets for long so they may lose initially but then they re-gain and they gain extra pounds. Not good.

Check out the list and see if you can find one that works for you. I have a few favorites but don't want to influence your choice.

Feb 09, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Week 4
by: Melissa

Well I have lost 9lbs in 4 weeks not to bad. My two boys are feeling better but now the baby is sick sick. He's been throwing up and everything. I hope today is the day he gets better. My husband just got over it and I hope I'm not next with this. Once was enough for me. As far as a diet I think I am just going to stick with eatting right, and not waste my time on all the fad dates. Thanks for yuor top picks, but after thinking about it I think this is best for me. Melissa
Feb 09, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		No Diet Is A Good Diet : )
by: Monica

Great job with the 9lb. and good choice on the diet situtation! Like I've said many times healthy eating over time beats any diet because it's sustainable for life.

Some people do o.k. on diets but most people fail so it's best to do what you'll be able to stick with long term.

I tried many diets when I was trying to lose my baby fat but in the end most of my weight came off with sensible eating. Even these days the longest I can stick to some fatloss plan when I'm trying to lean out is two weeks. I really don't think diets are necessary as long as you are making healthy choices 90% of the time.

Check out my article on diet food vs. real food weightloss plans. This article really gets dieters worked up. Funny that dieters are the ones who end up shoveling junk food down their mouths more often than sensible eaters.
Feb 16, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		no weight loss
by: Melissa

Week 5 Not sure whats going on. I am eating right, and doing my exercises twice aday. I eat under 1400 calories each day. I got on a pair of pants I've worn in months, but still weighin the same. Why is that? Any other ideas? Or should I just keep doing what I'm doing?
Feb 16, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Progressing to More Challenging Workouts
by: Monica

Hey Melissa

Great job so far. The reason nothing is happening now is that your body has probably adapted to everything you're doing. For some beginners this happens in 6-8 weeks but for others it happens even sooner. It's time to kick it into high gear by increasing the intensity of what you're doing.

What workouts are you doing now? Can you kind of outline what you do each day each week? I need to see what may or may not be working for you to be able to make suggestions. Please be sure to tell me how long it takes you do do the workouts you list. Also don't panic. All plateaus happen for a reason and can be fixed easily. It just takes some workout tweaking and at times diet tweaking (don't think your diet is a main issue at this point though).
Feb 17, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		my workouts
by: Melissa

Monica, In the morning I do my slim in 6 dvd. I am on burn it up, that takes me about 45mins. In the afternoon I do squats, crossover lunges, bentover bandrow, mountain climbers, belly blaster, down ward facing dog, superman alternating arms, lateral lunges no barbell, side planks, and 50 sit ups. Sometimes I can get each in twice, doing 12-15 reps. I have about 35 to 45 mins in the afternoon and same for the morning. I have the resistance bands and 2,5,& 10lb dumb bells. I have been using the 5lbs. Thanks for helping me. Melissa
Feb 17, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Switching Up Workouts to Bust Plateaus
by: Anonymous

So here's the big trap that many of us fall into when we're trying to lose weight. When something is working we just want to keep doing that forever and we kind of get stuck in a routine that no longer burns that many calories so we stop losing weight. Our bodies are so smart and they adapt so fast so unless we challenge them with new and interesting stuff they just plateau.

So I think what you might need to try at this point is to focus on one 45 min. session per day that is either strictly strength circuits or strictly cardio intervals.

So day 1, 3 and 5 you would do only cardio that does not involve weights of any kind. Tough bodyweight exercises that you can mix into intervals work really well but save the weights and bands for strength days only.

Day 2 4 and 6 you would work strictly strength circuits. All 45 min. of challenging circuits that focus on one area at a time. Focus your first 20 min. on all upper body and try for 3 rounds of everything. Then immediately go into lower body circuits and aim for 3-4 rounds of everything. Finish up with some core work and stretches.

So what you're doing here is getting away from total body workouts and hybrid circuit workouts and your packing in more exercises that focuses on one type of training or one area of the body. This is not easy but it will push you past the plateau. Once you get over the hump you can cycle back to total body or slim in 6.

Breaking away from what you know is usually the hardest thing to do but once you do it a couple of times you realize that your training is constantly evolving and you can come back to any workouts you really love later on.

Another option is to try my toning workout routines plan. A little different approach but works too.
Feb 17, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		i'll give it a shot!
by: Melissa

Thank you. I'll give it a shot!
Feb 26, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		another week
by: Melissa

Well, another week down and another 2 lbs. Not much, but hey its something. I am going to try the carb rotation for 2 weeks and see if that helps me any. I dont understand why I always lose inches before pounds. Is that good? I am wearing size 14 pants now which is nice but have lost only 11 pounds. Melissa
Feb 26, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		2 lb per week of weight loss is great!
by: Monica

Hi Melissa

You're doing great. You've lost 11 pounds since you started 6 weeks ago. You're averaging nearly 2 lb. per week of weight loss and if you're losing inches that means you're also losing bodyfat but you can't see that on the scale so in reality you've lost a lot more fat weight than you think.

I know how easy is is to feel discouraged but try to stay focused on the positive. I've been there too, while other people were losing tons of weight and I was only averaging a 0.5 lb loss per week (that's SLOW weightloss).

9 lb in 4 weeks is a big deal and most people can't even do that but you did it. Then you got sick and then you landed on a plateau. Setbacks happen but you can't let that get you down.

I remember going nearly 6 months without losing any weight. That was seriously frustrating but it taught me to be persistent and to look for solutions.

You're doing what most people refuse to do. You're taking the weight off sensibly and actually learning what works and what doesn't work. When you reach your goal you won't ever want to go back to any bad habits because you are working so hard to get there.

Jeri who visits here from time to time talks about this in her weight loss success post and Andi talks about her Mom Butt issues now that she's at goal weight and in the best shape she's ever been in too. It's a constant process for us all.

I do think carb rotation will help you. I've used it and so have many of my clients and it's super effective but remember the most important thing to get out of all this is to pay attention to your body and learn what works for your body to lose and keep it off for life. This is the part that most people who regain their weight never bother to do (btw, 95% of people regain the weight they lose).

If you need help with your diet just journal a few days of food and I can take a look at it and make some suggestions. Let me know how the workouts are going next week.

Mar 09, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		1lb
by: Melissa

Well, I'm still working at it! One pound, not alot but its something. I guess I would rather lose it slow and keep it off then lose it fast and put it back on. Slow and steady win the race, right? (-:
Mar 09, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Fat Burning Foods
by: Monica

Hey Melissa

I know you're struggling trying to figure out how much harder to workout and how to eat. I just put up a brand new fat burning foods article that is just awesome.

You need to read it and really focus on this type of eating. Not doing this is probably the #1 reason why people have such a hard time losing fat and eating this way is what really turned things around for me.

Before that I was trying all kinds of diets, cutting calories, carbs, and taking fat burners and worst of all working out like an animal all for minimal fatloss.

If you want to lose fat faster then fat burning foods is the key. Watch the video at the bottom too and if you get a chance listen to Sean and Isabel talk about the most effective ways to lose fat. Great info!!!

ALL the top fatloss experts as well as all the best health and wellness experts endorse Isabel's Diet Solution Program because it's not a diet. It teaches you how to eat for fatloss for life. If you're still trying to figure out what to eat you might want to consider this program.

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