Many moms dream of returning home from the hospital with their new baby and slipping right back into their skinny jeans. This dream, while understandable, is far from reality for many moms. In most cases, the process of returning your body to it’s former glory is a long one that will not take place overnight. If you have been fighting the battle of the bulge since the birth of your child, consider some of the things that may be contributing to your difficulty and how you can effectively overcome these weight-loss challenges.

Set Reasonable Expectations

If you are stressing about your seeming inability to lose weight, this weight-related concern could be playing a part in keeping you more-than-pleasantly plump. Don’t expect your post-baby weight loss to be an overnight thing. Losing weight after having a baby should be gradual. If you allow yourself to stress, you could actually reduce your body’s ability to lose weight, as stress hormones lead your body to hold onto fats instead of burning them.

The Diet Trap

Many moms come home with a rigorous diet plan in mind. While it seems logical to diet in your attempts to lose your baby-related poundage, as WebMD reports, doing so might not be the best choice. Instead of putting your body into starvation mode by consuming only foods that are orange or limiting yourself to a prison-ration portion of food a day, eat a balanced diet low in fats and free of junk food. When your body is hungry, feed it. By doing this, you can likely increase your diet effort effectiveness.

Failure to Exercise

The thought of hitting the gym is far from the minds of many new moms who are too up to their elbows in diapers and bottles in need of washing to even think of venturing out of the house. While you likely don’t have time to engage in formal exercise, this does not mean that you should forgo exercise completely. If you find that the only activity you get each day is walking your baby back and forth across his nursery as you try to lull him to sleep, amp it up a bit. Take your infant for walks around the block, or steal some time to workout on home exercise equipment while your child is in his swing or taking some tummy time on his play mat.

Impact of Baby-Induced Sleepiness

Many new moms view sleep as a thing of the past and spend their days in a constant state of exhaustion. If you are one of these beyond-tired mamas, it is important to remember that not getting enough sleep can actually inhibit weight loss. If you are up all hours of the day, your body can not properly complete necessary body functions and you are more prone to between-meal snacking. To reduce the impact that your sleepiness has on your diet efforts, steal rest whenever you can. If your infant is napping, do the same. By taking this trip to sleepytown, you may help yourself slip back into your pre-pregnancy clothes.

Drink Up

In the hustle and bustle of dealing with a new baby, many moms forget to do basic body maintenance tasks, like drinking water. If you find that you aren’t fueling your body with aqua as frequently as you once did, this lack of H20 could be leading to your weight retention. To ensure that you drink enough water, keep a bottle of water on you at all times and drink from it throughout the day. By sipping away at water throughout the day, you not only give your body the liquid it requires for proper functioning, but also fill your stomach, making over-consumption of foods less likely.