How to stop the weight loss yo-yo: powerful solutions for moms

This post may contain affiliate links and I may make a small commission (at no cost to you ) if you make a purchase

Dear Moms,

I know how hard it is to lose weight. The media never ceases to blast the message that we are only worthy of attention and admiration if we have celebrity status and have achieved the unattainable weight of a size two! I know what it feels like after a baby when your pre-pregnancy clothes don’t fit and you’re feeling flabby and unfit.

But please remember and don’t ever forget that you are not your weight. You are soooo… much more! You are a mom that your kids need so much and they don’t care what you look like because you are so very beautiful to them. Your smile can light up their day and your kiss before they leave for school lingers through their morning

Mom, please love yourself because so many people are depending on you!

A Women’s Self Esteem is Often Tied to her Weight

But back to reality because I know you aren’t convinced. As women, our self-esteem is so intensely connected to the numbers that we see on the scale. And we certainly feel good when we are at a good weight, feel that we look good and can put a smile on for the world.

But I have had so many unhappy friends that are always on a new diet because the diet that they are on today never seems to work for tomorrow. It is so disheartening to see moms who work so hard to lose weight, only to have it return a few months later.

This applies even more so for moms after birth. It is often so difficult to return to pre-pregnancy weight. Nursing demands lots of energy and keeping up a milk supply. We really do have to eat more to keep up with our bodies demands.

This presents several challenges because our bodies go through so many hormonal changes, our muscles have been stretched from the pregnancy and our stress levels are often elevated from lack of sleep.

It is a time when many women turn to poor eating habits because they are so busy taking care of their new baby and the rest of their families.

Out of shape, busy with a new baby, not eating well and lack of sleep can leave a mom out of sorts. It can be hard for a mom to get back on track both physically and mentally.

There is also something that happens during pregnancy that many women are not aware of. There is a muscle called the diastasis recti that becomes stretched during pregnancy. It is the muscle that, once stretched, can make women look 3 or 4 months pregnant, long after birth.

Some Exercise Can Cause More Harm than Good After Birth

Returning to a normal exercise program after birth can sometimes do this muscle more harm than good. When you don’t exercise correctly, you may not be able to properly heal. This is regardless of proper diet and exercise and even a return to pre-pregnancy weight.

One of the programs that I have seen that really addresses the healing of the diastasis recti after birth is the MUTU system. It addresses the overwhelming changes that our bodies experience after birth and beyond. MUTU is a holistic approach that helps moms heal after the strain of our stomach and pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy.

It can be the answer for many women who have difficulty returning their muscles to their former strength and position.

I also like that it addresses nutrition and healthy eating which are so crucial to maintaining a normal and healthy body weight

Why Dieting Doesn’t Work

And that brings me to the next point that I have learned. If there is one thing that I have learned from watching my dear friends yoyo diet form year to year, it is this. DIETING DOESN’T WORK!

Well, sure it works for some things. Let’s say you have a big event coming up and you want to lose ten pounds. Well, you get your new diet book, read it feverishly and then you go off to the store to buy all of the ingredients.

You’re motivated, you’re committed and for the next six weeks, you are golden. You don’t cheat, you don’t have your after dinner ice cream – you are really good. And slowly, slowly you start to see results.

You experience encouragement the first week. You step on the scale at the end of the week and lo and behold you have lost two pounds! How wonderful, you are excited and begin the second week with fervor.

At the end of the week, you step on the scale and again- amazing! You are down another two pounds! Not only that but your clothes are starting to feel differently, there is extra room that was not there before.

Confidence is the name of the game as you begin week three with even more determination!

And so it goes, each week brings new wins and you come closer to your goals. How refreshing! It’s a week before your special event and you step up on that scale and see that magical number appear.

You have reached your goal and you are on top of the world! How empowering! The next day you are off to the mall and find the most beautiful dress that will showcase your hard work and make you feel like a queen for the day.

You can’t wait for your big event!

The day arrives. You roll up to your special day confident and poised. What a wonderful feeling! What a great evening!

Fast forward two months. You step on the scale for the first time in a couple of weeks and horrified you see that you are up five pounds! Five pounds! Where did that come from? Well, at least you’re not back to your original weight, right?

But the truth of the matter, it doesn’t end there. After diets, we usually return to our old eating habits and of course the weight returns. And that is because dieting is not a long-term solution. It is a quick fix that will always lead to long-term failure.

The Only Solution is a Long-Term Solution

So what works? A permanent plan. A plan that will see you through thick and thin and that you can commit to for the rest of your life. For the rest of your life??? Yep, it’s the only way. We all fall off our eating plans for special events, holidays and milestones! We’re only human.

But the point is that in order to maintain a healthy weight, our falling off has to be the exception instead of the rule

If you eat a certain way or according to a diet, then, of course, you will lose weight. The problem is that as soon as you veer from the diet, or go back to the way you were eating before, of course, the weight will come right back!

So I have found that the only way to maintain your ideal (or almost ideal) weight, is to find an eating plan that works for you. Once you find that plan, stick to it and you will always maintain your ideal weight.

My husband lost nearly 20 pounds and has kept most of it off by following an eating plan that he rarely veers from. It is one of the few plans that help real people lose real weight and keep it off. It is called the Fast Metabolism diet but it is an eating plan as opposed to a diet. The best thing about it is that you can eat lots of food and you eat five times a day to maintain a healthy blood sugar level

Yes, there is an initial eating plan for 28 days, when a person can lose up to 20 pounds. But after that, there is a maintenance program that includes eating 5 times a day from a variety of delicious and healthy food.

My husband lost weight and maintains it by following that diet plan and maybe you can too!

So wherever you are on your eating journey, I hope that some of these ideas will work for you. Just remember that you are not your weight. You are worthy and beautiful as you are now, but if you want to feel a bit better, you can try some of the options above. Here’s to the beautiful you!