Yummy Mommy Blog

Back in Shape in 10 Months!

2007-03-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

Michelle,

I've been using both the Pregnancy without Pounds and Mommy without Pounds e-books and exercise plans, and am happy to report I am in great shape 10 months after our son was born.

I am also 10lbs lighter than I was pre-preg. My tummy still isn't "perfect" but I never give up hope that I can get it "close"....

Thanks so much for the great info! Love it all!!

Vicki Leesburg
Montana, US

Eat Without Fear of Weight Gain

2006-11-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

Things to Eat if You Fear Weight Gain and do not want to Gain Weight

Mommy without Pounds is always discussing the benefits of diet and what you should eat. We have even written a recipe book to help our moms with diet selection and meal preparation. We all know, a house can get pretty busy with children around. Remember exercise is only one aspect of a healthy weight loss program. The other critical component is a well balanced diet. What you eat is what you are.

One of the easiest ways to lose weight is watching your diet. That does not just simply mean eat less, it means watch what you eat - For example, there has been studies conducted in the past that point to fiber rich foods as an excellent source of food for your diet if you are looking at losing weight.

Foods rich in fiber can fill you up faster so you won't eat as much. They also have shown to help in the digestion process of your food which will help make you regular and ensure that your body is healthy.

Here are a few ideas of some fiber rich foods that you may want to add to your diet:

Whole wheat bread, brown rice, rye crackers and whatever else is whole wheat;
fruit such as raisins, prunes, pears, apples;
vegetables such as beans, corn, salads, spinach;
cereals such as bran flakes and oatmeal.

For more on diet and our recipes look into our Mommy Without Pounds E-book that comes with 30 ideal recipes and other diet tips.

More information on weight gain fear.

Mommy without Pounds Weight Loss Success

2006-11-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

From Curlyn J

Hi Michelle,

It's been quite some time since I have been in contact with you.

I am proud to say that I have a very handsome baby boy. He was delivered on January 20th 2006. Due to the information you gave to thousand of us, I was able to have a safe delivery. Most people was saying how terrible the delivery will be but as you say you have to listen to everyone and then you have to decide which you should choose.

Weight gain; I had no weight gain right now I am weighing 25lbs less than I weighed five years ago. I thank you and everyone that made pregnancy without pounds and mommy without pounds such a success and pleasure for everyone.

Thank you a million!

Curlyn

Weight Gain During Pregnancy

2006-11-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

From Amy Thomas

Michelle,

I have a 3 month old baby girl, and have enjoyed reading your newsletters all throughout my pregnancy. I also have your Mommy Without Pounds Kit and am proud to report I weight less now than before I got pregnant!

I also refer your newsletter to several of my patients who are expecting and concerned about weight gain during pregnancy. I am a Doctor of Chiropractic, and specialize in pregnancy and pediatrics. I was wondering if you had ever considered including Chiropractic in your segment about back pain. Chiropractic is extremely safe and effective throughout pregnancy (I received an adjustment right before we left for the hospital for delivery!). I have a lot of research and information, and would be happy to provide it to you. Just let me know if you are interested.

Thank you for all the encouragement you have provided to me.

Amy Thomas
Dr. Amy Thomas, DC
Thomas Family Chiropractic
1924 W. Stevens, Suite 101
Bozeman, MT 59718

Mommy Without Pounds Speeds Me Up!

2006-11-24T14:32:00.000-08:00

From Vicki Reisenauer

Mommy Without Pounds - As a highly active person pregnancy wasn't about to slow me down! If anything it sped me up even more! My husband and I are working on some huge home improvement projects that we hope to have done before the baby gets here! But as my pregnancy progresses and the day the baby is born draws closer I am now looking towards the future. The future in terms of breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, diapers, and the joy of seeing our little one and sharing the world with them! I am also looking forward to taking the baby with me as I hit the pavement in search of strong abs and tight buns once again! We have a jogging stroller/travel system and I am really excited about using it!

When I received the Mommy without Pounds book I was very excited about the information in it. I knew I wanted to breastfeed my baby but was worried about working out and then having sour milk! I was so relieved to see that issue addressed in the e-book. I found the information to be highly informative and reassuring... just like in the Pregnancy without Pounds e-book it was so nice to see information about topics I hadn't thought about. The New Mom Challenges in Chapter 1 were especially eye-opening! Of course it's too much to expect that after we bring home this beautiful baby our bodies would just be somewhat normal! But I am more prepared for what could happen now and plan to deal accordingly - and I promise to try not to freak out!

I am an aerobics instructor at our local gym, by teaching I get a free membership to the gym for my husband and myself which helps out immensely. I do a class that consists of step aerobics, toning, weight lifting, abdominal work and stretching. It varies in length from 70-90 minutes...depending on the fitness of my class. It can be a fairly intense workout, but I tell my class to take it up or down as needed. I am scheduled to return to teaching about a month after the baby is born. I don't expect fitness miracles, but I sure hope I can keep up with myself! I will be using the "Get your body back" exercise routine to help me get back into shape to start with and then on to the "Hot Mommy Makeover" routine. Many of the toning exercises in the "Hot Mommy" section are really great and I hope to incorporate some of them into my class! I am really looking forward to the challenge of getting back into shape! I'll let you know how it all works out!

Thank you, Michele for 2 great resources! I look forward to a third installment someday!

Vicki Leesburg

Kelly McFadyen's Success Story

2006-12-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

Hi Michelle
My Name is Kelly & I live in Auckland, New Zealand. I am nearly 35. Four months ago I gave birth to my 2nd daughter (Jorja). My eldest daughter is 16!

During the pregnancy with Jorja, I somehow managed to gain 23 kilos.... a huge amount! I was horrified! I had been watching my diet and walking as often as I could... but still the kilos kept on coming!

I gave birth to Jorja on the 12th August 2006 - she was a big girl at 9lbs 9! It was a natural birth, drug free and took just 5 and a half hours from start to finish.
After she was born I gave myself a couple of weeks rest then gradually started going for walks again (which was a bit tricky sometimes, as we were still in winter).
My diet continued to be reasonably healthy and I was also breastfeeding.

I first weighed myself when Jorja was 5 weeks old. I had lost 17 kgs! That was an inspiration and I just started doing more of what I had been doing... going for walks and watching what I ate - which was easier now, as summer was on its way! It was still challenging as being a breastfeeding mother my appetite was huge. I made sure I had a really good breakfast and made sure I had a smaller dinner - I didnt deny myself treats because I felt I deserved it!

I recently weighed myself again as I noticed some of my clothing was getting very loose. Jorja is now 4 months old and I have lost 25 kgs! I now weigh less than when I got pregnant!

I am surprised and thrilled! I thought that with being an older mum this time round, the weight would be with me forever...
Im so glad I was wrong!

Here are the pics.... I took the after pics today. Thank you for all your help and inspiration :)

Regards
Kelly McFadyen

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Amanda Purchase Roberts' Success Story

2007-01-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

Hi Michelle,

Here are my before and after pictures.

My name is Amanda Purchase Roberts and I was very worried about gaining too much weight when I found out I was pregnant. I was even more worried about not getting back in to my pre-pregnancy jeans, so I started taking your advice every time you sent me an email. I exercised regularly up until I was placed on bed rest and made sure to drink 64 fl oz of water everyday and watched what I ate. I gained 24 pounds during my pregnancy. When I was placed on bed rest I made sure to avoid eating junk food since I couldn't exercise. My bed rest was not a result of exercising or anything like that. I had a medical condition that was inherited.

This is me 9 days after giving birth. Kendall weighed 6lbs 6oz and was 19 inches long. I started walking around the neighborhood when Kendall was 2 weeks old and I was able to fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans a little less than a month after giving birth. I didn't have a nanny, personal trainer, or personal chef as we see many celebrities do in the media. I just stayed focused and knew I wanted to be healthy to enjoy playing with my new baby. Walking is such a great exercise shortly after giving birth because you can do it with your new baby. My pediatrician said that walking outside was great for the baby because the baby would get fresh air and not be enclosed with so many germs.

Thank you so much for your advice and support! It is possible to lose the weight if you don't allow yourself to eat whatever you want while you are pregnant and make sure to exercise. It was so much easier for me to get back in to a routine once I delivered and was given the okay to exercise again. I have to say that I was never much of a water drinker until I got pregnant. It was easier for me to swallow when I knew it was for me and my baby.

Thank you so much,
Amanda Purchase Roberts

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Elizabeth Rosas' Success Story

2007-01-03T03:35:00.000-08:00

Hi Michelle

Thanks for your emails. I am sending you my before-after pictures, although I KNow It was before the end of December. I want to inspire others moms that all is posible and that there is no need to be movie star or to have personal trainners or neither go to the gym!! I lost 18 kilograms after I delivered my boy so hoping this can help you...My secret??

Taking care of what I was eating, but I ate a lot and the most important one and I am very proud of that: I breastfed my super baby!! I often gave some bottle to rest the night but I can say that 90% was breastfeeding.

So here are my pictures. In the end of my preg I was 70 kgs. I am now 52 kgs. Thanks to Pregancy Without Pounds and Mommy Without Pounds.

Saludos,
Elizabeth Rosas

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Tara Wickett's Success Story

2007-01-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

Hi Michelle,

My name is Tara Wickett and I am responding to your request for success stories. I am 35 and just had my first baby on July 17th, 2006. I too would like to help other women realize that pregnancy doesn't mean having to put on pounds and never getting rid of them.

I was blessed with a great pregnancy (never once sick and rarely tired) and realize that not everyone is in the same boat, but would like to share my experience.

The bottom line for me was this. I'm pregnant, I feel great, so why change anything I do. I ate the same healthy diet, not more, and continued my active lifestyle. I like to walk, hike, ski, mountain bike, go to the gym, and ride my horse. I felt great doing these things so I never stopped. I weighed 123 pounds when I got pregnant and gained at least 35 pounds. I gave birth 2 weeks early so who knows how much more I would have gained!

My philosophy was, I am eating the same, having the same active lifestyle, so any weight that I put on is obviously weight that my body needs to support the baby.

The first picture attached is me at 7 months pregnant on the beach flying a kite. The second picture is taken on July 23, 6 DAYS after I gave birth. My baby is now 5 months old and I have been back at 123 pounds for about a month. I didn't go crazy trying to lose the weight, my body just went back to normal on it's own. Again, I had a easy delivery and could go back to my active lifestyle fairly quickly.

I know that I was very lucky but want to tell women that pregnancy shouldn't mean changing a healthy lifestyle to a more sedentary one.

If you have any other questions or if I can give you any more info please let me know. Thank you for your wonderful website and all your valuable information.

Sincerely,
Tara Wickett

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Amber Sannachan's Success Story

2007-01-03T12:27:00.000-08:00

Michelle,

Hi, before I got pregnant I was 135 lbs, by the time I was 9 months pregnant I had hit 205 lbs. I gained lots of weight, cause I ate every thing in site. Too bad I did not have your prengancy without pounds program during this pregnancy.

Thankfully, I had my beautiful daughter Jaden lily Nielsen July 2005. Mommy without Pounds was an excellent program for I wanted to lose all this weight because I was going to Mexico in March 2006, I wanted to look good so I walked took your advice and did such things as walked on the treadmill, did lots of sit ups and I few other secret weapons.

If you are interested in more photos, let me know and I will send more pics. I just cant find any of my really big girl pics at this moment.
Yours truly Amber Sannachan

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Jo's Success Story

2007-01-03T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hi there,

I attach pics of myself and my 3rd baby Ellie-Mia. I was 34 when I had her and she was my 3rd section. She is now 6 months old and I feel that I have got my body back to before the birth.

Hope they can be of some use to you and show other Mommy Without Pounds members that they can do it too.

Regards Jo,

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Gwen's Success Story

2007-01-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hi
I had twins in August! For the last month of my pregnancy, I was on bedrest which made me gain more weight than I wanted.

Nevertheless, with Mommy Without Pounds advice - diet and exercise, I'm almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight!

Gwen

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Christina Nayyar's Success Story

2007-01-03T13:08:00.000-08:00

Hi Michelle,

My son is now is 17 months old, I actually weigh 10 pounds less than I
did when I first got pregnant!! It was all the walking I did everyday, whether it was to the mall or just for a walk.

Here are two pictures of me - the pregnant one is about a month prior to me giving birth and the other is when my son was 11 1/2 months old.

Thank you for all your knowledge and support.
Christina Nayyar

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Mafalda's Success Story

2007-01-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Here are my pictures.

One before ( 5 months pregnant, very over-weight already)
and...
1 after picture - with 25kilos lost - just 5 months after Catarina was born!

Thanks!
Mafalda

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Stamou Fotini's Success Story

2007-01-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

Michelle,

All the best!!!

Thank you for your support all this time - Mommy Without Pounds was so helpful in
getting me back in to shape.

Stamou Fotini

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Amy Parks Success Story

2007-01-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

Dear Michelle,

Thank you for your Weight Loss Program for Mommies. Mommy Without Pounds.
Here are a few photos of me before giving birth and one a several months after.

Regards,
Amy Parks

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Monica Corcoran's Success Story

2007-01-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Michelle
I read your email this morning and thought to myself...I can send her a story that I am proud to tell.

In August of 2004, I gave birth to my son, Riley Matthew Corcoran. I made a promise to myself that after having my son completely natural (can't say I would do that again without the help of DRUGS) that I would do something challenging on August 30th for the rest of my life to help me remember bringing that little miracle into the world.

I have to admit that I was the happiest I had ever been over the course of the 9th months. I felt beautiful, strong and feminine and loved every second of it. However, I developed gestational diabetes despite exercising every day up until the day before I gave birth to Riley. I had to keep working out to keep my blood sugar down and I had to completely forgo all sweets, pasta, and Carbs that would send my blood sugar thru the roof. The women in my family have all gained huge amounts of weight during their pregnancies so I didn't want to follow suit.

However, there was (to my knowledge) no history of gestational diabetes. I ate right, swam every other day and delivered a Happy, healthy boy. I hadn't gained an enormous amount of weight because of the diatary restrictions and exercise but had worked hard!

On August 30 of this year, I climbed Mt. Whitney. It was the hardest thing I have ever done but I knew I had to keep that promise to myself. I felt that same strength standing on top of that mountain that I felt during my pregnancy.

I am including a photo of myself in my swimsuit the day before I gave birth(10 days early), a photo of me and Riley at DisneyWorld a year after that and this years photo on Mt. Whitney. I have kept the weight off and am 8 lbs lighter than before I was pregnant. I am trying to get pregnant as we speak and with God's blessing, I hope to have another wonderful pregnancy - before and after. Thanks for your Pregnancy without Pounds and Mommy Without Pounds Programs.

Cheers,
Monica Corcoran

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Jennifer Abudayeh's Success Story

2007-01-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

Hello Ma'am,

I would love to help out other mothers if I can. I too was worried about getting stretch marks and not being able to loose the baby pounds but I was worried for no reason. Don't get me wrong it was a lot of hard work but I did do it.

I've sent you a picture with me in Hawaii (where I was stationed) at 7 months, one with me about two weeks before the baby was born, one with the baby being
about 2 months, and then one with the baby being almost 6 months.

Thank you for doing this to help moms out!!! I wish I had seen this when I was pregnant!

V/R,

Jennifer Abudayeh

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com

Contest Winners Announced

2007-01-10T15:43:00.000-08:00

The winner of the MommyWithoutPounds Before and After contest is...
Joanna Petrou


Before	After

Read Joanna Petrou's Story

Runners up who we loved!
Helena Surowiec


Before	After

Read Helena Surowiec's Story

Gwendolyn


Before	After

Read Gwendolyn's Story

Mafalda


Before	After

Read Mafalda's Story

Tara


Before	After

Read Tara's Story

Jennifer Abudayeh


Before	After

Read Jennifer Abudayeh's Story

Amanda Purchase Roberts


Before	After

Read Amanda Purchase Roberts' Story

Joanna Petrou's Success Story

2007-01-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Michelle,

I hope I'm not too late to share with you my before and after photos and my yummy mummy success story.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was very excited, and thought to myself: well, my life will soon be changed forever (but so will my body).

I was right about the first part, my life has definitely changed (it's wonderful), but wrong about the second part: my body is unchanged, unscarred and fitter than ever! Only now I have an enormous respect for how amazing it really is. (Imagine growing a beautiful, perfect baby and delivering it into the world to bring such magic into your life and so many others!)

I've never been a naturally thin girl; I like to watch what I eat and keep healthy, so I thought I might lose control of my shape while pregnant and growing, and maybe not recover afterwards. Perhaps I was lucky that I didn't have cravings for junk food and more often craved fresh green foods, but when choosing what to eat, I always had the idea in my head from you, of considering the nutritional content of what I put in my mouth and if it would be of any benefit to me and my baby. Eg. Choose a romaine lettuce over an iceberg lettuce because the nutrients are way higher. I just applied this to everything I ate (or considered eating.) eg. "I could eat this Tim Tam Cookie, or this corn crisp with tomato and cheese".

As well as (irregular) gentle walking and swimming, I also did a yoga class every week, and some at home, which was wonderful not only for my figure, but also for my strength, breathing and ability to focus during my 44 hour labour. I would urge every pregnant woman to do regular prenatal yoga classes, they are invaluable (and very enjoyable).

I felt fantastic when I was pregnant. I never felt uncomfortably heavy, my energy levels were great, I wore my growing belly with joy and pride and when I got married at 6 months pregnant I felt more beautiful than ever.

I was 58 kilos (128lbs) when I fell pregnant, grew to 70 kilos (155lbs), then was down to 56 kilos (124lbs) within 1 month of giving birth to my gorgeous boy Ari. He's now nearly 9 months, and I'm still 56 kilos (124lbs). I don't know for a fact, but I feel breastfeeding seems to use up a lot of your kilojoules, and a baby sure keeps you busy and active. I'm not particularly strict with my diet but I still keep that question in my head when I eat: how much nutritional benefit will I (and my breast milk) gain from eating this? I think this is the easiest way I've ever found to watch what I eat and has been beneficial not only for weight control, but keeping me healthy in body and mind.

I know it may not be quite so easy for other women to keep their weight down or get rid of the extra pounds, but I just wanted to share my experience and hope it reassures some of your subscribers that their body doesn't have to be changed forever and that it might even be in better shape than before. And if not, realise what a truly amazing thing our bodies are capable of and be so proud of it anyway!

Thanks Michelle for your inspiration and advice.

Happy New Year!
Sincerely,

Joanna Petrou
(Queensland, Australia)

Before

After

Tell us about YOUR Success Story. Send your before and after photos along with your story to michelle@mommywithoutpounds.com