I have a confession: I still wear my maternity pants. In fact, I'm wearing them right now. The problem with that is that my son was born almost 5 months ago already. That's why this picture of Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio made me so angry. The nerve of that girl, wearing that skimpy gear in public! I mean, her son is about as old as my baby. Ugh!
Okay, I know I'm just jealous, I admit it and me thinking I'm going to look like her is completely irrational: Ambrosio is a world-famous model, she's paid to look like this. It's unrealistic to hold myself to that same standard. Yet, we all know the world kinda does. Which is why that ridiculous picture (jealous, I know!) has inspired me to continue my fight to lose the last pesky 15 pounds of my post-baby weight.
Here's my 5-step plan!
Read more ¿Qué más? How to use your baby to lose post-pregnancy weight (VIDEO)
1. I'm hitting the gym! Or at least trying to. I know it seems like a no-brainer, but finding the motivation to go back to the gym after I gave birth has been beyond difficult. Which is why to guarantee that I make my way to the gym weekly, I've paid for 4 sessions of 30-minute training with my awesome trainer Monica (there we are in the picture on my first day the prodigal daughter returned to the gym). So far so good: Monica has taught me some great full-body exercises I can do on my own after I finish my sessions, and I'm more motivated to work out. The next step: Getting to the gym at least one other time aside from my training and ultimately at least twice a week.
2. I'm taking full advantage of my long walks to the office. My daily grind starts with a 15-minute walk from the bus station to my office a few blocks away, which has been great for getting me active every day! I plan to be more mindful of my core while walking and just trying to use that part of my commute as part of my daily cardio (did you know that tensing your belly as you go about your day helps tone your core muscles? That's what I'm trying to do!). If you don't have the advantage of having to walk to work, try to sneak in as much walking, stairs, and activity as you can during your day.
3. With a heavy heart, I've said good-bye to arroz. As much as I love it, I'm parting with the rice in my life (or at least seriously reducing the amount I consume!). This has been the hardest thing EVER. As a Latina, I love my rice with just about everything. So I've vowed to not keep white rice in my house, opting instead for brown rice, quinoa, or other healthy grains instead. If I MUST have white rice–because let's face it, sometimes the brown kind just doesn't cut it–then I try to make it a teensy bit healthier by mixing it with quinoa. It gives the rice a little bit of a crunchy, yummy texture, but retains the white-rice-deliciousness I love.
4. I am trying to curtail the wine. After I had my baby, I was drinking a glass of wine here with dinner, a cold beer there on the weekend, which, without realizing it, started adding up. I was without a drink for so long while I was pregnant that I DESERVED all those drinks after my son's birth! But after I realized that I was pretty much having a drink a day, I understood that was possibly a huge reason I wasn't able to lose those last pesky pounds after the baby. Right now, I'm trying to keep to a drink a week.
5. Finally: water, water, water! In the past week, I've consciously increased my consumption of water significantly. After I gave birth and came back to work, my days have just been getting away from me, I've been so busy. But I've made a point to not let that stop me from walking the short walk from my desk to the kitchen to fill up my 32 oz. water bottle. I'm aiming for one of those a day for now, but will try to get to 2 as soon as I get used to the new routine.
And there you have it, my simple 5-step plan. I know I probably will never ever look like Alessandra Ambrosio, but at least I can get back to my pre-baby weight and feel good and healthy!
Image via The Grosby Group
