Getting My Body Back After Baby

It's been more than five and a half months since my son Jack was born, and while I still have a few pounds left to lose, I am slimming down much faster than after my first pregnancy. This surprised me since I knew I had the deck stacked against me.

Even though I am nursing Jack, like I did my daughter Ava, my body doesn't switch into a fat burning machine. Instead, breastfeeding has the opposite effect on my body. It seems to scream, "Hold on to those fat cells, there could be a famine in the land, and we'll need to be able to feed this child." Really.

The first six weeks postpartum, when I wasn't exercising, I lost absolutely nothing after the initial drop. In fact, I actually gained a couple of pounds from eating too much chocolate. I guess I needed the caffeine fix and happy feelings it produces to help get me through those first few weeks.

Additionally, I do not produce good little sleepers, which doesn't bode well for my weight loss either. One recent study found that people who are sleep deprived eat more. I barely got much sleep the first 11 months of Ava's life, and I'm just now getting more than two hour increments of sleep at a time.

Also, with two little ones who has time to exercise? Another study found that in order to lose weight you have to work out for an hour every day. That's impossible around here with a 3-year-old toddler to chase after and a wee one demanding constant attention.

Regardless of the obstacles, I do make exercise a priority, just like I did after my first pregnancy. Both times I gained the same amount of weight--about 27 pounds. The first time at almost 6-months postpartum I had more than 10 pounds to lose, but this time I am in the home stretch with only three pounds to go. The one big difference I made is changing my exercise routine from a longer, low-intensity workout to one that is shorter with bursts of high-intensity intervals. Studies have found that high-intensity interval training burns fat much faster than longer, but steady aerobic activity.

I'm a believer now. I lose about two to three pounds a month in 30 minutes or less a day. That's a workout that works for me!

Now if I could just get more sleep!!

(For those interested, I work out with a DVD by Turbo Jam called Fat Blaster. It's fun and fast. It incorporates kicks, punches and some stand-up ab crunches. I'm on the lookout for more interval training DVDs so if anyone knows of any great ones, feel free to send me any recommendations as long as they are only 30 minutes or less.)