Get Your Pre-Baby Weight Back!
A lot of women, especially Indonesians, think that once you’re married let alone give birth to a child you don’t need to care about how you look and how much weight you put on. This is what you often hear, “Udah kawin, udah beranak, body melar, nggak apa-apa lah.. udah laku ini!”
But then we can’t help feeling envious when we look at other beautiful women. We make ourselves feel better by saying, “Of course she’s sexy! She doesn’t have two kids like me!” And although sometimes we won’t admit it, many of us become less confident when it comes to sex. The flabby belly and big thighs don’t make us feel very sexy. Any of this sound familiar?
Why can’t you be a mother and still look amazing? Do you have to be a celebrity like Jessica Alba to be one hot mama? Or Alya Rohali who can be the ambassador for an overrated-super expensive slimming center? I don’t think so. But one thing you must know though, there are no instant results. I believe the best results are always earned. So first, you have to want it.
I’m just an ordinary working mom with two little boys. I gave birth seven months ago to my second child, Navarro Kai Salim, through caesarean section — something I’m sure most of you can relate to. I had my second child in my early thirties, so I knew from the beginning it wasn’t going to be easy for me to lose the “baby fat”.
So I watched my weight-gain during pregnancy. How? I tried to eat only as much as I needed (don’t believe when people say you should double your portions because you’re eating for two) and not give in to the cravings (ind: ngidam).
And it paid off — I gained 12 kilograms which is still considered a normal weight gain during pregnancy. So you see, I’m not encouraging extreme dieting during pregnancy. You just need to watch your portions when you eat.
After giving birth, as soon as it’s physically possible, you need to start exercising. Since I had to do a caesarean, my doctor advised that I wait eight weeks before I hit the gym. But if you have normal delivery, you can start as soon as three weeks.
I’m a strong believer in exercise. I would rather torture myself at the gym than going for an extreme diet, because I love food! So rather than pay for an expensive slimming package, I spent my money on the nearest gym.
So, how do you fit time to go to the gym when you just have a newborn baby? The answer is you make time! In Indonesia, many of us are never really “on our own” in raising our kids — some have live-in nannies, some have parents or in-laws living with them, some have a combination of both. So be a smart mommy and take advantage of this luxury. I’m not saying you neglect your newborn baby and focus solely on your weight loss. But surely you can afford to hit the gym for a couple of hours. So two hours, twice to three times a week. That’s all! I’m sure you can make this happen.
However, it’s also important that you get a good quality workout. Pssst.. One of the special ingredients to my secret recipe is my personal trainer. He or she will keep you motivated and push you to do the right exercises for losing weight. So if you can afford to, invest in sessions with a personal trainer. Alternatively, find yourself a gym buddy. Someone who shares the same goal as you, be it your husband or a friend.
But the ‘magic’ ingredient to this remedy is YOU! Exercise sessions are only effective if YOU are COMMITTED.
For four months straight, I made sure I went to the gym twice to three times a week. My personal trainer didn’t come cheap, so I had to make sure he was worth every rupiah! At first, it was torture but after two weeks I began to look forward to the sessions as I start to notice the change.
When you first enroll in the gym they usually measure your current weight, body age, body fat and muscle mass. And after 12 sessions (more or less one month) they’ll check your progress. For example, I’m 33 years old and I was angry at myself when they told me my body age was 38! I was super happy to know that after one month of exercise my body age was 35. After four months working out, my body age is 31 (yep, younger than my age). I lost all the baby fat and can now fit into my old jeans!
I tell you now, all the gruelling exercise is worth it. I feel lighter, healthier than I’ve ever been and more confident. And I want to keep it that way. You can’t help feeling proud when people don’t believe you just had a baby. And guess what ladies, the regular exercise improves your sex life. You have better stamina and obviously feel good about how you look.
I believe every mother occasionally still needs and deserves a time-out from their kids. That doesn’t make you a bad mother. I use that time out to make myself healthy and being healthy makes me happy.
Don’t forget, a happy mommy makes a happy baby!
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Wowowooww hot MamaMia! This is a spirit injection in the middle of the night. Yes, I can! *semangat!*
myson / 08 Mar 2010 02:25 / Log in to ReplyI promise to join a gym (or yoga and pilates)! On purpose not wanting a luxury of having an assistant (and that has shed off the extra weight although i eat whatever hihi), now my homework is either to bug my hubby to spend more hours with our baby or to hire a “part-time nanny” (i.e. my mom/ sis). Thanks for writing this, your pics (lean lean lean!) have motivated me to tighten my jelly belly! Ngaku, terakhir exercise beneran…Nov 2008!!! >_<.
wo-ow! Pengeeeeen..
inga / 08 Mar 2010 07:49 / Log in to ReplyAbis melahirkan sih gue ngga bermasalah dengan BB.
Setelah Raka berhenti menyusui total (umur 3 thn), baru deh gue tambah melaaaaaaar. Melaaaaar banget. hihihihihi
Mama Mia, setuju sama toto…jadi bikin semangat banget buat balikin badan ke asal lagi, dan minimal skinny jeans yang dulu jadi andalan bisa muat lagi =) aku masih ada ekstra 5 kg yang numpuk di perut, argh, sebel banget deh. selama ini emang selalu ada excuse: udah balik ngantor, nggak ada waktu, uang dipakai buat keperluan baby…tapi kayanya semua bisa dilakuin selama kita emang niat ya. Minimal mulai spare money dan waktu buat ke gym. Thanks for inspiring ya…
Astrid Lim / 08 Mar 2010 07:54 / Log in to Replywhoaaa mama mia! keren banget body-nya. beneran kayak blm punya 2 anak deh!
mama kinar / 08 Mar 2010 09:08 / Log in to Replythanks for the tips! menyemangati gue buat ambil sepatu olah raga dan mulai jogging tiap pagi.
great tips, mia! thanks for sharing..
shinta lestari / 08 Mar 2010 09:46 / Log in to Replyagree with the others, you look great!! doesn’t look like someone with 2 kids.. let alone who just gave birth 7.5 months ago. thumbs up!
woowwww mama miaaa…thank you for sharing
eryka / 08 Mar 2010 10:52 / Log in to Replykemaren sempet ngedaftar gym sih, tapi ga pegi2 karena pulang kantor aja udah jam 5 sore, blom macet pulang kerumah itu 1 jam..*alesan*
plus itu ada rasa2 bersalah, bukannya langsung pulang kerumah maen ama kayla, malah ngegym dulu gituhh…
sempet mo di stop aja keanggotaan n bayar denda keanggotaan yang blom setaun nihhh gara2 ga pernah dateng..
tapi abis baca cerita mama mia..jd semangat lagiii…
ah ah ah 12kg to go deeeehh..
scara sebelom hamil juga udah semok*gamaubangetdibilanggendut* pas hamil naek 22kg, 1 bulan pertama turun 12 kilo tapi kenapa yang 10 kilo ini seneng benerrrr ngegandol yaakk…
exerciseeeeeee erykaaa…hihiihhii thanks mama mia
oiya mama mia…kalo bisa share asupan makanan nya juga donk…di forumnya urban mama…
eryka / 08 Mar 2010 10:54 / Log in to Replysoalnya kalo exercise aja tanpa memperhatikan asupan makanan kayaknya susah juga yah turun BB nya
mia!
keren banget badannya… bikin semangat buat olah raga lagi. bener banget, yang penting niat yah. biar ga males-malesan buat olah raga. selain ngilangin baby fat, buat kita sendiri juga jadi sehat & bugar.
TFS hot mama!
ps, navarro lucuuu! ganteng!
ninit yunita / 08 Mar 2010 16:13 / Log in to ReplyHey mommies! Thank u for your positive responds.. Truly appreciate it. I’m happy to share coz I know all of u can look HOT!
I don’t diet. I still eat what I like yg penting jgn terlalu berlebihan kalo makan. And if I hv a choice I eat red rice.
Kuncinya ada di diri kita, kalo mau pasti bisa. Usahakan frekuensi olahraga dijaga 2X seminggu dan jgn bolong2 supaya ngga mulai dr awal lagi.
Gym buddy is also important kl g mau ambil personal trainer biar bs saling kasih semangat.
Good luck!
Mia Kartina Salim / 08 Mar 2010 17:15 / Log in to ReplySalut salut salut…. sayang di sini muahal banget dan siapa yg mau jagain anakku
Liz / 08 Mar 2010 17:56 / Log in to Replywow…wow..mama mia..dikau bikin ngiriiiiii
keren banget body na euy.
TFS yah mom..jadi semangat lagi nih untuk membuang 3 kg yang masih tersisa..
kalo volatilitas (halah bahasaku) berat badanku, bisa baca di http://atisah149.multiply.com/journal/item/97
amnah atisah / 08 Mar 2010 20:44 / Log in to Replywow! mba mia pas hamil pun tetap terlihat segar dan hmm apa itu? cm perutnya yaa yg membesar? *iri*
shinod / 09 Mar 2010 00:05 / Log in to Replyduh jd inget masih utang 4kg niy.. :-/
wah, mia… keren banget. bener, pasti ga ada yang nyangka elo udah punya 2 anak… hu hu hu. waktu gue sih, 6 bulan setelah lahiran malah pas lagi bulet2nya, hu hu hu. ampe diketawain seluruh keluarga besar pas pulang kampung
emang bener sih, tanpa olah raga, kayaknya mustahil buat gue untuk ngilangin lemak2nya… setelah aina 2 taun baru gue nyempetin diri lari 6 kilo tiap hari selama bbrp bulan. baru deh barang2 pre-pregnancy bisa dipake lagi.
thalia kamarga / 09 Mar 2010 00:53 / Log in to ReplyWaw Mia, I’m not alone actually..ternyata, memanfaatkan waktu di gym lbh bawa hasil positif.
raina / 09 Mar 2010 08:41 / Log in to ReplyHealthiness is important,,Ibu sehat, baby pun senaaaang…
I used to be a gym junkie… And can’t wait to hit the gym.. Will definetely follow your footstep Mia…
Dian Sarwono / 09 Mar 2010 17:16 / Log in to Replysebener nyaaa sih utang msh 5kg,, tapi syukuur udah bnyak bgt yg blng kurusan *haha secara wktu hamil naek 22kg boo..
inez / 09 Mar 2010 20:03 / Log in to Replykrn msh menyusui jadi ukuran cup bertambah.. msh montok euyyy… klo ngecilin ukuran payudara gak bisa ya?? kqkq
Thanks again for all your feedback!
Thalia, hebat bisa lari 6 kilo setiap hari! Salut. My 2010 resolution is to run 10k. Mudah-mudahan bisa…
For former gym junkies or sport junkies, lebih gampang buat mulai lagi.. karena dasarnya udah ada. I was one. Dan emang bener, once you started you’ll love the feeling you get after a good workout. Apalagi kalo sisanya cuma 4-5 kg… 2 bulan olahraga rutin pasti hilang!
Feeling guilty krn milih olahraga drpd pulang ketemu anak pasti ada. I feel that way too sometimes. Karena tinggal jauh, I need 2 hours everyday to get home! Tapi kalau kita masih bisa punya waktu untuk arisan, belanja, kerja.. berarti kita juga bisa nyisipin waktu satu-dua jam buat olahraga. Investing in your health penting lho.. stamina kita jadi kuat untuk main sama anak2 and we live a long life to see our kids grow up. Tetep semangat ya girls..
Mia Kartina Salim / 10 Mar 2010 08:42 / Log in to Replymia.. hey, that’s my resolution for 2010 too. to run 10K and participate in the marathon. taun lalu gue resolution nya, ikut category 20K cycle singapore. dan berhasil!! taun ini ikut marathon yang 10K… eh taunya akhir taun lalu justru malah udah accomplish. tapi no intensive preparation karena sibuk ama pindahan.
taun ini resolution nya tetep sama, akan ikut 10K singapore marathon lagi, dan well-train for it. biar dapet waktu lebih cepat ke finish line.
tapi pengen banget sebenernya untuk ke gym juga, pake PT. tapi ini yang belom bisa, karena gue kalo pulang telat, kasian anak gue & pbt gue yang seharian udah di rumah. jadi mesti take over anak gue dari pbt gue biar dia istirahat, paling gak bisa utk masak & nyiapin makan malam. beginilah susahnya tinggal di luar negeri.
shinta lestari / 10 Mar 2010 17:27 / Log in to Replyselama hamil di sini, dipelototin terus sama suster2nya, katanya ga boleh naik banget berat badannya, antara 8-12kg aja. tp, pas hamil nala, ternyata, naiknya sampe 15kg, suster udah tinggal pasrah karena over 3kg, hehe, padahal 3kg aja tuh :p
*
nalabunbun / 11 Mar 2010 07:44 / Log in to Replyngurusin nala sendiri karena emang kita tinggal jauh dari orangtua, daaaaan… after 3,5bulan, beratku sudah tinggal sekilo lagi dari sebelum hamil hehehe…
*tp tetep harus olahraga nih, perutnya masih gondal gandul
Shin.. loe hebat ya bisa cycling 20k! Iriii… Banyak nih yg bisa kasih semangat mama-mama yang lain. Ngga harus gym, yang penting olahraga khan.. buktinya ada yang jogging, cycling, etc.
Ngerti banget pasti susah atur waktu. Juggling multiple roles are not easy. Dan challenge masing2 pasti beda ya.. tapi intinya sih cuma pingin ngasih semangat to other mommies that it’s not impossible.
Terus terang gue termotivasi karena suami doyan banget olahraga. Jadi ngga mau kalah dong… Apalagi mereka ngga pake acara melahirkan ntar badan mereka tambah bagus badan kita tambah loyo.. hahaha..
Enaknya punya suami yang suka olahraga, ngegym bisa jadi acara kencan kita berdua. So bagi waktu buat hubby juga jadinya..
Mia Kartina Salim / 11 Mar 2010 14:18 / Log in to ReplyKalau gak sempet ke gym,nge-gym di rumah pun jadi.Dengan modal skipping dan dumbell,kamar kosong di rumah pun dirubah jd gym-cave..hehe.Semacam bat-cave gt tp buat olahraga ;p
Indez Tri / 14 Mar 2010 15:31 / Log in to ReplySi anak tidur siang,saya pun berpeluh keringat di gym-cave.Kadang malah olahraga bareng sama anak.”Olahraga bareng” sambil direcokin.
And my son-Fabian- is my personal trainer now.Karena ia pasti ngomel2 klo liat saya leyeh2 nonton tv di rumah,”Ayo ibu olahraga supa badannya sehat !”.
Ayo ibu-ibu semangat olahraga semua !!!
keren! saya bisa kurus saat menyusui dan memecat asisten rumah tangga, tapi sebentar lagi berniat menyapih. takut badan melar. artikel ini sangat memotivasi! thanks, mba
Nazla Luthfiah / 17 Mar 2010 11:40 / Log in to ReplyTq for inspiring me…hampir aq mau beli produk slimming yg mahal tp blm tentu hasilnya. Oke deh…let’s start gym for my body
yenyatillaalmira / 07 Oct 2010 09:28 / Log in to Reply