Beyonce, Mariah, Bethenny and me (?) in the news

That's right - just me, Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Bethenny Frankel mentioned in an article together.  Well - the article mentions them where I'm quoted.  So, kinda-sorta!
Anyways, here's the full article.  I'd love to hear your feedback and thoughts.
Either way - enjoy.
~Carly

Celebrity moms lose baby weight fast, but slow and steady wins the race for most women

By Scott Gargan 

Call it the mystery of the vanishing baby bulk.

This month, Internet gossip sites gushed over Beyonce's rapid weight loss after giving birth to her baby daughter, Blue Ivy, revealing photos of the slender "Single Ladies" star in form-fitting dresses and sexy swimsuits.

It is a trick that Carly Kirsch, who delivered two children in three years, wished she could have pulled off. "The weight didn't come off as quickly as I hoped," the Cheshire resident said. "I tried low calorie diets, exercising more -- everything under the sun."

A lot of celebrity moms magically morph into their pre-baby shape within weeks of leaving the hospital, she added, "but for most women, it's not realistic."  Indeed, it takes most women six to nine months to shed the excess poundage put on during their pregnancies -- a fact they need to keep in mind, even as they're bombarded by images of strikingly svelte, postpartum stars, experts said.

Kirsch, owner of Newly Nested, a Connecticut-based baby planning and consulting service, said celebrities such as Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Bethenny Frankel enjoy a "support system" -- a team of nannies, trainers and personal chefs -- that isn't available to the average child bearer.  "You have to take that into perspective," she said, adding that "it's more practical to lose the weight a little bit at a time."

New moms pack on an average of 25 to 30 extra pounds during their pregnancy, said Barbara Schmidt, nutrition and lifestyle specialist at Norwalk Hospital who heads the organization's Transformations weight-loss program. If they stick to a diet and exercise plan, they can safely lose 1.5 pounds per week.

But that's often easier said than done, Schmidt said. After all, new moms have enough to think about. So they must make it a point to treat themselves right, Schmidt said. She urged them to avoid "empty calories" from juice, soda, cookies and candy and stick to "healthy choices" such as skim milk, water, lean meats and vegetables.

"You want to make sure to eat a well-balanced diet and, over time, you'll start to see the difference," she added.

Another important weight loss tactic will come a little more naturally. According to Kari Gravitz, a registered dietitian at Albany (N.Y.) Memorial Hospital, pregnant women store fat during their last trimester that is "meant specifically for the purpose of breast-feeding."

"While you breast-feed, you lose this fat," she said, adding that the activity burns about 500 calories a day.

Lactating women should drink plenty of fluids to maintain milk production and remember that "a healthy diet equals healthy milk," Gravitz added.

Of course, dieting and breast-feeding aren't enough to get back into those pre-pregnancy jeans -- new moms need exercise, too. And though they might not have a team of personal trainers backing them up, there are plenty of ways to stay active, said Linda Antignani, owner of Mother's Embrace Yoga Studio in Shelton.

At her studio, Antignani offers Postnatal Pilates Workshop, Zumba for New Moms and Mommy's Time Infant Support Group -- classes designed to "burn calories and get the metabolism working," she said. If they don't have the time to take a class, new moms can always push a stroller or strap on a baby carrier and go for a walk.

"I encourage everybody to be as active as they possibly can," said Antignani, a mother of three. "It can be frustrating trying to lose the baby weight, but once you start exercising, it will make you feel a lot better."

New moms also will feel better when they keep their weight loss expectations in check, experts said. Depending on their weight, activity level and rate of metabolism, it can take six to nine months for the scale to go back to the way it was. The average woman packs on 25 to 30 extra pounds -- sometimes more -- during gestation.

"We usually say that if it took nine months to put the weight on, it's going to take nine months to take it off," Gravitz said.

Moreover, jumping into a strict diet or demanding exercise plan post-pregnancy isn't usually the best way -- after all, new moms need time to heal and adjust to their new role as parents.

So, when images of postpartum personalities pop up on television with their bikini bodies weeks after giving birth, new moms needn't agonize over how they did it. Perhaps, it's best left a mystery. "People don't know how to talk about it or where to begin, and the media doesn't help," Kirsch said of the pressure put on women to reclaim their pre-pregnancy bodies. "It's better to be honest with yourself and just as important, realistic."

Baby Weight Loss Timetable -- After getting the ago ahead from the doctor, new moms can start dieting and exercising (typically six weeks after giving birth, experts said). Here's how new moms should shape up month to month.

First 6 weeks -- Dieting and exercise may not be recommended. Consult your doctor.

At 2 Months -- 3 pounds

At 3 Months -- 9 pounds

At 4 Months -- 15 pounds

At 5 Months -- 21 pounds

At 6 Months -- 27 pounds (A postpartum woman should have returned to her pre-pregnancy weight by this time, but may need to continue a weight loss plan if she gained more than 25 to 30 pounds during gestation).

At 7 Months -- 33 pounds

At 8 Months -- 39 pounds

At 9 Months -- 45 pounds

Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/health/article/Celebrity-moms-lose-baby-weight-fast-but-slow-3573662.php#ixzz1vWVIEZnY

Internet Find - Losing Inches & Free Dieting Tools

Good morning!

Stumbled across this web site the other day and it has a ton of free dieting calculators and tools -

http://www.freedieting.com

Specifically, I like this daily calorie calculator for daily caloric needs.

They also have a calorie calculator for caloric intake for during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
(Not recommending to use this instead of professional advice.  I'd still consult with a doctor or lactation consultant, but it's a good tool just to see)

There's some other good resources and information on this site.

Additionally, I found this article on Pinterest from Live Strong, called Losing Inches vs. Losing Weight.  It was published last year, but it's a great read.

Off to make my shake for breakfast!

Have a happy Friday and a great weekend!
~Carly

My story

As far back as I can remember, I've never been considered overweight.  On the flip side, I've never been considered skinny.  I was just an average kid/teenager/young adult weight-wise.

I participated in dance classes as a young child, played youth sports (was one of three girls that played on the team) and continued to play soccer throughout High School at the Junior Varsity and Varsity levels.  My mom packed my lunch every day from pre-school right up until the day I graduated High School.  She cooked dinner every week night and we ate out.  She was (and remains to be) an excellent cook - always incorporating vegetables, lean proteins, fruits and grains.

I continued working out in the campus gym, played intramural volleyball and walked a lot (to the bar!) and all over campus.  I pretty much ate what I wanted and stayed active.  I did gain the "sophomore 15" when I had moved onto campus after commuting my first year, but then lost it after realizing it crept up.

I think it would be safe to say that exercise has always been a part of my life.

When I first met my husband, we played tennis, hiked and were pretty active.  When we moved in together in June 2005 to our first apartment, we worked out in the mornings and weekends at the complex gym.  For our second apartment, we purchased a treadmill.  Again, we stayed active and I began to diet for our upcoming wedding.  With a combination of South Beach Diet and doing pilates and cardio - I looked rockin' for our wedding.


Well, at least I thought I looked rockin'. :)

Fast forward to 2007 - just nearly a year later, we found out we were expecting our first baby!  We were over the moon thrilled and excited.  However, I gained wayyyyy too much weight over the course of my pregnancy.  I'm pretty much I set myself up for the inevitable during the first trimester when I gained a ton of weight too fast because all I wanted to drink was milk.  My milk consumption went up 500% from having milk in only cereal to drinking 3 glasses a day!  However, I tried to continue to be healthy for myself and our baby and tried to maintain a healthy diet and took walks with the dog each day.  In the back of my mind was always my weight that I tried to keep from rising and rising.

However, the "damage" was done and I gained more than the recommended pregnancy weight by doctors and experts everywhere.  I decided to shake it off and figured after the baby was born, my decision to breastfeed would get my pre-baby body back in no time, flat!

Then, finally, we met our baby girl via emergency C-Section and life was forever changed.

And, so was my body.

By the time she was 8 months, my return to moderate exercise, combined with diet and the benefit of breastfeeding - I was within 10 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight in early 2009.  I was thrilled to fit into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes and it was just in time for our trip to Florida!

However, when we got down to Florida, trying on a pair of capri pants that fit just before we went as I was going through and packing, I found them to be a bit snug and hard to close. Whaaaat?  They JUST fit a few days ago - how are they not fitting.  Later in the week, after realizing I was "late", I suspected I might be pregnant again.

After sending the hubster in a somewhat panic to the drugstore, he shortly returned with two digital pregnancy tests.  Both of which turned up "not pregnant".  However, you and I both know a woman knows her body.  The Monday upon our return home, I tested again with a non-digital test - the one that promises to provide you with an accurate answer even before your missed period!  To my already-knowing "surprise", I was indeed pregnant again.  We were very excited - although unsure how 2 under the age of 2 would go.

As many of you know (or if you'd care to know), taking care of a baby and being pregnant is exhausting - especially in the first trimester.  However, I didn't let that stop me.  I continued to work from home part-time while staying home with our daughter.  We joined a mommy group, went on daily walks and continued to go out and about.

As I entered my second and third trimesters, my weight creeped up again and of course, life happens.  We sold our condo and bought a new home and moved in the summer of 2009.  Moving, being pregnant, taking care of a now very active toddler and working from home was very stressful and I did the very best I could to ensure I was taking care of myself and everyone else.

I entered the hospital in early December 2009 for my repeat Cesarean Section at the highest weight I had been - EVER.

Like most white lies we tell ourselves, I confessed to myself: "It's okay, I'll lose it all again in no time."

The months passed and even though I could not have been happier with our family, I was frustrated and down about myself.  Despite my weight loss with my first child, I found myself not losing weight as I had hoped as easily the second time around.  I breastfed again but found myself hungry, tired and turning to not always great food choices.  I decided to safely diet while breastfeeding to help lose weight, but nothing I tried worked.  My body didn't respond to the ways I used to lose weight pre-pregnancy.  My ever-faithful South Beach (Phase 2 for breastfeeding) didn't even help.  I tried and tried...and tried.

Needless to say I'm here today still stuck at the same weight as I was about 9 months post-partum with baby number 2.

Two years later, I'm here.  I still have the weight to lose - and that's right folks - you guessed it.

It's not called toddler weight.

~Carly