An Easy Guide to Losing Baby Weight: How to lose 40 Pounds Naturally

If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the place that I was a year ago. Searching the internet for tips, steps, ways, and anything to lose baby weight. Maybe you’re like me and you’re unhappy with how you feel and are tired. Maybe you have had enough and want to get back to the weight you were at before having babies. Or maybe you aren’t a mom at all and you came across my blog and just want to lose weight! I feel ya! I was there.

A year ago I was the heaviest I had ever been at 219 pounds. I’m not a tall woman, so 219 pounds was a lot and my body was tired.

I had my daughter in June 2023 and in September I was ready to commit to losing weight. People would tell me that I was still beautiful, but all I had to say is fat is not beautiful, it’s unhealthy. I really don’t know why people feel the need to make being overweight okay and try to soften their words with “You’re beautiful both ways.” Actually, those pictures above are not beautiful, they are unhealthy and not of someone stewarding and caring for her body.

A little quick history of how I gained all this weight.

Back in 2017 I hit a weight of 210 which at the time was the heaviest I had been, I had multiple hormonal issues, so I committed to losing weight, but I didn’t really stick to the habits. I got down to 160 and felt amazing! I then got married in 2018 and got pregnant right away and had my first baby in 2019. But I never really lost the baby weight after him, so my weight increased to the 180s. Then COVID hit and I got pregnant again with my second child in 2020. My second born son developed late-term hydrop fetalis and we didn’t find out until it was too late. He was born at 32 weeks and he died 15 hours after I gave birth. Again my body gained a lot of weight from that traumatic pregnancy and then grief caused me to quite literally “eat my feelings.” Then in 2022 I was sitting in the 190s and then I got pregnant with my daughter who was born in June 2023. My body was not at 219 and I was so unhappy with how I felt in so many ways. Now, I’m 40 pounds down, still working on getting to my goal weight of 160.

What did I do to lose 40 pounds?

Let me first tell you that the first step to losing weight is committing to making healthy habits and changes. It’s these habits that will help you lose and sustain healthy weight loss and it will stay off because you will have new found healthy habits.

1. HYDRATE! First thing every morning drink water, but not just plain water, add in electrolytes. My favorites are Re-lyte which you can snag here. By drinking electrolytes first thing in the morning it helps support your adrenals, digestion, energy, and mood. After drinking electrolytes I stick to only drinking water. I gave up coffee during my pregnancy (coffee is linked to major cortisol issues and adrenal issues so I gave it up). Instead of drinking coffee sometimes I enjoy a cup of black tea. I also enjoy drinking Oolong Tea which is excellent for metabolism and kombucha which is a great gut supporting drink. But when in doubt JUST DRINK WATER!
2. PRIORITIZING PROTEIN. Now I’m not saying you do go eat a carnivore diet. What I am saying is always make sure you are eating 30-50 grams of protein per meal. Eat your protein first before other elements of your meal this will allow you to be fuller faster and longer. As you prioritize protein then make sure your meals are balanced. If you decide to eat a protein that is higher in fats try eat less carbs with that meal. If you eat a leaner protein add some carbs with that meal instead of fats. A meal example: 2 over-easy eggs, chicken sausages, half an avocado, with some sauteed spinach or peppers. That’s a high protein and high fat meal. Another example: Egg white omelet with sauteed veggies, chicken sausage, slice of gluten-free Sourdough bread. That meal is high in protein with more carbs.
3. STOP SNACKING. If you’re prioritizing protein you’ll be full which will help you stop snacking. Snacking adds up and before you know it you’ve eaten 1000 calories just in the form of snacks.
4. TRACK YOUR FOOD. Download MyFitnessPal and track. When I first started tracking my food my mind was blown with how much I was overeating (a lot of it was in snacking) and it taught me to eat full meals that were high in protein so I stayed full longer.
5. STOP EATING AFTER 6PM. 90% of my days I stop eating at 6pm. I also make sure my dinner is my lightest meal of the day so my body can rest at night instead of the insulin levels increasing and digestive system working hard at night when it is meant to slow down and rest. Eating late at night and eating a large meal in the evening is counter to how our bodies are meant to function. Biggest meal should be breakfast, second biggest lunch, then a light dinner.
6. WALK. Walking is literally the best thing you can do for your hormones postpartum and just in general, especially as a woman. Aim for 10k steps a day. You don’t need to go to some fancy gym that costs you loads of money every month, you can literally just walk. If you have a hard time getting out with little kids get yourself a walking pad, I bought one for when my kids are napping so I can go for a walk in the house. This is my favorite one here that’s easy to store and small enough to put away when needed.

And that’s it. But the KEY thing is commitment. Stop making excuses. Stop eating out. Stop saying, oh a little bit extra won’t be that big of a deal.

Self-control, self-discipline, and healthy habits will take you far in life my friend! No one can lose the weight for you, only you have the control of what goes in your mouth and if you move everyday.

If you want to connect follow me on IG or Youtube— I talk a lot about lifestyle and healthy habits all the time there and i’m just an ordinary mom from the Midwest. I know that community and accountability is a big part of being motivated to stay on track with our goals, so if you wanna connect please do so!