You are fondling your baby in your arms, and reading a lifestyle magazine, and what catches your eye is the sexy photo of Jennifer Aniston - her curves as well as her flat stomach. You look at your fat belly and immediately start hating it like never before. You now want your belly to be like that of Aniston. While it is possible, it would take you some work and self-discipline in order to achieve your dream.

First of all, you should be overjoyed at the fact that you have birth to a new life, your baby, and even if you have regained some extra pounds in the process, it is still a small price you paid to give birth to your baby. And by the way, don't forget that this situation is only temporary and if you follow my advice in this article, it is only a matter of time before you become your former self and gain back the slim figure that you had.

Be realistic

Like I said earlier, if you are serious about losing pregnancy pounds, you got to be extremely patient and realistic. Think about it: if you gained twenty pounds over the course of nine long months, is it realistic to think that you would lose them all within a month or two? Of course not. You should assume that it would take you at least another nine months to lose that weight, or maybe longer, since it takes more time to lose weight than gain it.

Breastfeeding helps

I would say that a mother is in a more advantageous position than an ordinary woman, so far as weight loss is concerned. Why? That is because as a mother you need to breastfeed your baby and you lose a lot of extra calories that way. You will be amazed at how much weight you would manage to lose everyday just by breastfeeding your baby.

But breastfeeding comes with a flipside too; since your body burns extra calories for the purpose of breastfeeding, it needs back those calories. Therefore, reducing your food intake is not an option for you. And of course you should stay miles away from fad diets which are more harmful than helpful for a mother.

Okay, so what should you do to lose weight? Eat healthy and in small portions. If you used to eat two or three large meals in a day, you would need to split those meals into several smaller meals, and eat each of those smaller meals every two or three hours.

Small and frequent eating would not only help suppress your hunger but also keep your metabolic rate high, both of which are required for fast weight loss.

When I mean healthy eating, I obviously don't suggest that you survive on a piece of lemon, as that is totally unhealthy. You should include foods such as whole grains, natural fruits, vegetables, dairy products, soy, nuts, legumes, fish, etc., in your diet. These foods are pretty good for quick weight loss. Stay away from sugary foods because they would make you fatter.

Workout:

You might be wondering whether workouts are at all needed since caring for your baby is work enough for you. Of course, it is true that you burn a lot of calories simply by caring for your baby, but that is not enough for losing pregnancy weight. You need to participate in regular workouts so that you are able to burn a lot of fat quickly. The more workouts you do, the faster you would burn fat and lose weight.

Moderate cardios are good for a mother. I would suggest that you don't do any form of intense workout such as strength training or weight lifting till your body has recovered completely.

Another exercise I recommend is the Kegels exercise. It is so simple that you can do it anytime you want. All you need to do is simply tighten and release your Kegel muscles, the muscles you use to urinate. Did I say it is easy?

Some mothers feel a bit weak immediately after childbirth, and may not be ready for workouts. If that is you then it is perfectly okay. Since your body went through so much strain during the pregnancy it is only natural for you to feel weak during the first few months. Just stick to eating healthy foods as I suggested above and you may begin the workout session when you feel better.