by Bonniel Rostok

Created on: May 21, 2009   Last Updated: May 22, 2009

I weighed 220 pounds. just prior to giving birth to my daughter. I had weighed a svelte 118 just 9 months earlier. I knew what I had to do. Give birth to a 100 pound baby. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, humans don't give birth to young that size. My daughter weighed a whopping 6lbs. I did not wake up the day after her birth with my pre-pregnancy body. I left the hospital with a baby and an extra me. I had chosen to be a stay-at-home mom for the first year of my daughter's life, which left me with very little social contact and a lot of time to cook and eat. And or course, with a newborn, one doesn't sleep. While up at 3 in the morning, watching a movie, nursing a baby, why not snack? In college, I had run, biked, done ballet, and watched what I ate. As a new mom, I made fabulous pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I ate a lot of them and then I sat. I breastfed, which everyone said would melt the pounds (recent studies show this is a myth); I'd take a walk on occasion. I lost some weight, but leveled off around 150 lbs. Nowhere near my previous weight. I tried the whole body acceptance thing. After all, I knew I'd done something amazing; I'd given birth. I was in love with my daughter; my husband didn't seem to mind the extra weight. For me, though, my extra poundage was a problem. And the conclusion that I came to was that it wasn't the weight or body acceptance; it was how my life had changed and my lack of self acceptance that had led to my dissatisfaction with my body. Thus, the post-pregnancy weight loss tips offered here are a combination of diet examination and life examination:

1) Do pay attention to what you're eating. A diet of highly refined carbohydrates and high fat foods (i.e., pumpkin chip muffins) is not conducive to losing weight. This may be a tough proposition. There is evidence dating back to the 1920's that suggests refined carbs and sugars are addictive. As a new mother who is potentially somewhat socially isolated and/or exhausted, these foods become that much more enticing. A cookie will give us a shot of serotonin to the brain much more quickly than an apple will. But you will crash and you will eat another cookie. Replace refined carbs like white pasta and sugar with whole grains and as many fruits and vegetables as you can. Make sure the proteins you consume are lean. Fish, skinless chicken, tofu, eggs, nuts, beans, and low fat dairy products are excellent sources. Proteins also curb the blood sugar

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