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How to Lose Baby Weight


The stubborn tummy (why crunches don't always work)



Posture perfect


Two tummy toners

If you've just given birth, wait until your doctor gives you the green light—usually about six weeks post delivery—before doing these exercises.

Baby Reverse Curl

  • Lie on your back with your baby on your chest.
  • Bend your knees, bringing them in to your chest.
  • Rest your baby on your shins, holding her hands, and then lift them up so that your shins and your baby are parallel to the ground. Your thighs should be at a 90-degree angle to your torso.
  • Contract and engage your abs and lower your shins (and your baby) so that your feet are slightly off the ground. Hold for a moment, then lift your shins up so that they (and the baby) are parallel to the ground again.
  • Repeat 10 to 15 times (your baby will like flying through the air while you tone up).

Scissor Lifts

  • Lie on your back and extend your arms behind you as far back as you can reach. Hold on to a sturdy table leg or couch leg.
  • Bring your legs straight up into the air so that they're at a 90-degree angle to your torso.
  • Engage your ab muscles (especially your transverse ab muscle) and lower your right leg down so that it's just off the ground. Hold it there for a few seconds while keeping your pelvis stable, your tummy taut, and your back flat.
  • Snap your right leg up, and repeat with your left leg. Try 10 reps on each leg.

Bloat busters


  • Drink lots of water, to flush excess fluid out of your system and help move high-fiber foods along the intestinal tract.
  • Eat potassium-rich foods, like bananas, spinach, and apricots, since this mineral counteracts sodium and helps rid the body of water.
  • Eat slowly; when you eat quickly, you gulp more air, which leads to gas and bloating.


  • Drink lots of carbonated drinks, which cause gas and bloating.
  • Eat a lot of cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli) right before putting on a slim-fit dress, since this causes gas and bloating.
  • Eat foods high in salt, which causes water retention throughout the body and belly. Chew gum, as it makes you swallow air and become—you guessed it—gassy and bloated. - From Lyssie Lakatos, dietitian and cofounder of The Nutrition Twins

Looks to avoid

Tucked-in tops, which accentuate the belly.

Oversize clothes: "You may think you look thinner in clothes three times too big, but this actually makes you look larger, especially in the waist," says Rachel Florio, a celebrity-trend expert in New York City.

Empire-waist tops paired with A-line skirts: The two trends together will make you appear round all over.

Fat blasters (cardio counts, too)

There's no way around it: Cardiovascular exercise is crucial to getting rid of belly weight. But this doesn't mean you have to devote hours a day to working out. An easy fat-blasting exercise: a power walk, even with the stroller, keeping abs pulled in and spine straight. If you want to burn fat faster and increase metabolism (which enables you to burn more calories even while resting), increase the intensity of your walk for a few minutes at a time, or put your baby in a backpack to add extra weight to your walk, says New York-based fitness expert Ken Mahadeo. Also consider a weight-lifting program, since this builds muscle and boosts metabolism. Shoot for an hour of exercise most days. It doesn't have to be all at once—you can break it up into 10- or 20-minute slots.