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When women are pregnant they tend to focus their efforts on the health of the baby before anything else. Nutrition becomes about what the baby needs to grow and thrive and not about a woman’s desire to fit into her skinny jeans. Most people understand the post-pregnancy body mantra of, “it took nine months to put on the weight; it will take about nine months to shed it.”
Realistically we know this takes time, but when you’re at the grocery store checkout it’s hard not to notice all of the pictures of celeb moms. You know, the ones who have knockout bodies seemingly days after giving birth.
While most of us don’t have personal trainers or professional chefs at our disposal or red carpet events just a few weeks after the baby arrives, it doesn’t mean that we can’t learn via tips, tricks, and inspiration from our favorite celebs on how they shed their pregnancy weight.
Whether you’re looking to tone things up six weeks or six years post parenthood find out how these 10 celebs were able to rock their yummy mommy bodies and get back into shape post birth.
10 Uma Thurman
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Uma Thurman had just given birth to her son Levon when she began preparing for her role playing badass Beatrix Kiddo (Black Mamba) in the 2003 Tarantino film, Kill Bill. Apparently Thurman was still breastfeeding when her martial arts training began for the film and was frustrated that the weight wasn’t coming off as quickly for her as it was for some of the other women training for the movie.
With three months of dedicated martial art training she was able to shed 30lbs and was in the best shape of her life when filming began. While Thurman, and all of the other actors worked really hard to get into tip top shape for their roles, they also splurged on a weekly cheat day where they’d go out bowling and have pizza with their kids.
Real Life Mama Weight Loss Hack: Martial arts training doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Time strapped parents can purchase Tae Bo videos or attend regular cardio classes with martial art moves to get back into shape. Have older kids? Consider signing up for a family class where everyone can learn martial arts together.
9 Jennifer Lopez
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Having twins can often mean close to double the baby weight for new moms to lose, all while dealing with the exhaustion of looking after multiple infants. Jennifer Lopez is known for her dedication to fitness and tackled her post-parenthood weight loss with the same commitment.
In addition to dividing her food into five to seven mini meals each day (consisting mostly of fruit, veggies and protein) and drinking a lot of water, the diva decided to set some personal fitness goals by training for a triathlon just seven months after giving birth.
Real Life Mama Weight Loss Hack: Set some realistic and motivating goals with deadlines. It doesn’t need to be as lofty as Ms. Lopez’s, even a 5KM or 10KM charity run or bike event will help you make sure that you set aside time on a regular basis for exercise.
8 Melissa Joan Hart
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Mother of three Melissa Joan Hart is a Nutrisystem spokesperson, having lost 40 lbs last year. The former Sabrina the Teenage Witch star cut junk food out of her diet, eats protein with every meal and made regular one hour appointments with her husband to work out three days a week. The star will allow herself rare cheats and snack on her favorite treats like ice cream or chips and guacamole.
Real Life Mama Weight Loss Hack: The No S diet, that is more of a way of life than a diet, embodies much of Melissa Joan Hart’s philosophy: No sweets, no seconds, or snacks, period (except on days that start with S like weekends or special occasions like birthdays). Many people find these lifestyle “rules” help them keep on track.
7 Heidi Klum
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This supermodel has gone from nine months pregnant to runway show stopper four times. Heidi Klum credits her ability to bounce back into shape to dedication and keeping active throughout pregnancy to increase the speed of recovery.
The star prepared for a Victoria's Secret runway show just two months after giving birth to her second child by eating small, well-balanced meals, every three hours, and when she was hungry when it wasn’t time for a mini-meal, she would eat an apple and look at naked pictures of herself as motivation to stay the course.
Real Life Mama Weight Loss Hack: Have healthy mini-meals prepared ahead of time to avoid reaching for unhealthy, but convenient foods when you’re hungry. For people who need the extra push, put a photo of yourself looking healthy, and in great shape on your fridge to remind you of your goals when you get snacky.
6 Christina Aguilera
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Christina is a self-proclaimed junk food junkie and although she stays healthy by eating plenty of whole grains, fruits and veggies, she also allows herself one cheat day a week. The star followed her doctor’s orders and waited six weeks to start working out post birth. She credits much of her weight loss to breast feeding, but also began regular cardio training five days a week to get back into shape.
Real Life Mama Hacks: By listening to your doctor, and your body about when the right time to begin an exercise program is, you can avoid injuries and other setbacks while you recover from birth and really dedicate yourself to your plan, once your body is ready.
5 Gwyneth Paltrow
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The Macrobiotic Maven, who everyone loves to hate for saying ridiculous things, openly admits that she had a hard time losing the baby weight after the birth of her second child. The Goop founder dedicated two hours a day for appointments with her celebrity trainer to get her body back into condition. Paltrow says that time shouldn’t be an excuse for lack of focus on fitness goals and admits she has worked out while her kids crawled around her.
Real Life Mama Weight Loss Hack: While most people don’t have two hours a day to dedicate to the gym there are many ways to make time to work out with a baby. Consider taking a baby and mom fitness class where other moms work out alongside their baby, look into strollercize moves for when you go out on a walk, or see if you can find a gym that has nanny services, so you can work out while trained staff minds baby.
4 Niki Taylor
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The Supermodel and mother of three took a slow but steady approach to weight loss after giving birth to her third child. Over 13 months she lost nearly 60 pounds by making her meal staples oatmeal and berries and broiled chicken with coconut oil. The model mom also included 30 minutes a day of exercise each day, and if she had dessert, she added on another 30 minutes of exercise to her day.
Real Life Mama Weight Loss Hack: Remember exercise is cumulative, not dependent on doing a solid block of allocated time. Consider getting a pedometer to track your steps, walking to the store, doing crunches between episodes of your favorite show or getting off transit one stop early to get in extra steps.
3 Jessica Simpson
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Jessica Simpson had a strong support network to get her on track after two nearly back to back pregnancies. As a spokesperson for Weight Watchers she took off the weight slowly and healthily.
She also relied on regular workouts with her trainer and friends using a kettle ball to burn over 400 calories in just 20 minutes. Jessica also believes in being proud of your accomplishments, stating for the record that her bathing suit bod is care of a lot of hard work.
Real Life Mama Weight Loss Hack: Make fitness social. Go for walks with your friends instead of catching up over a meal or at a bar.
2 Jessica Alba
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Jessica Alba reportedly used her trainer Ramona Braganza’s 321 Baby Be Bulge Gone plan over three months to lose the baby weight. This plan involved three meals a day, 2 snacks, and at least one liter of water a day. Apparently Alba took the water request very seriously drinking over 2 liters each day while she shed the baby weight.
Real Life Mama Weight Loss Hack: Anyone can up their water intake to feel full, and the added bonus is that this will help breastfeeding moms increase their milk supply. Keep track of what you drink and keep a bottle with you at all times. Getting bored with plain old water, add some infused fruits or cucumber to help keep things fresh and interesting.
1 Gwen Stefani
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Gwen Stefani is known for many things including her singing, fashion, and "rock steady" abs. Gwen has been very public about her dedication to exercise to keep fit, and its importance, especially after having children. The singer relies on running as her primary form of cardio.
Stefani has been quoted as saying, “There is no secret: you just have to eat healthy, work out, and torture yourself!” Stefani’s former trainer says a high intensity weight training routine with circuit training along with a focus on a healthy diet can help get you toned like Gwen.
Real Life Mom Hack: Get some free-weights, fitness magazines, or circuit training DVDs and videos that you can tackle at home. Many online sites will offer suggestions on how to mix up your training and keep it challenging.