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While many women believe that ab toning exercises after c-section are useless, that actually isn’t the case. Though many women find themselves with the ‘mother’s apron’ that comes from having a cesarean section, there are ways that you can start to shrink this area and get yourself back into shape. The trick is you have to do more than simply ab toning exercises after c-section; you also need to diet, do some aerobic workouts in addition to the actual toning work. And while you may be tempted to skip one of these steps, that may be just the thing that’s keeping you from fitting into those skinny jeans again.

To help ab toning exercises after c-section work, you will need to revamp your entire diet. If you’re still carry around extra baby weight, just as with any weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you are burning off, creating a calorie deficit. To do this, you should increase the fruits and vegetables, limit the processed foods, sugars, and fatty foods that you are eating, as well as try to eat less. This is actually much easier than it sounds too. Start by leaving one to two bites on your plate at every meal. Then, start replacing sugary foods with sweet fruits, regular soda with diet. The smaller changes will add up as you go along, but it’s up to you to find ways to cut back your calories. By eating only when you’re hungry as well as starting to eat smaller portions five to seven times a day, you will start to notice weight dropping away.

The next step to help ab toning exercises after c-section be effective is to include some sort of cardiovascular workout in your fitness program. By taking the baby out for brisk walks of at least forty-five minutes a day, you will help to burn off more calories and increase your metabolism – not to mention your energy levels. If you don’t have time for a long workout, try to fit in smaller ‘chunks’ of workouts to add up to the calorie burn that you want to achieve.

Finally, there are a number of ab toning exercises after c-section that you can use to help tone that section of your body. Here are a few that have worked for other moms like you:

Pelvic tilt – By lying on your back with your feet on the floor, lift your pelvis off the ground while you pull in your lower abdominal muscles. You can either repeat this exercise or you can see how long you can hold your muscles in and then lower slowly.

Side crunches – To help hold in the skin that may be hanging on your stomach, you will want to strengthen your oblique muscles as well. Lying on the ground with your feet on the floor, put your hands behind your head, left up as though you were going to crunch normally and then twist to the side, letting the opposite elbow touch the opposite knee. Slowly twist back to the middle and lower down. Repeat on the other side.

By taking the time to create a plan that can help your ab toning exercises after c-section work, you will not only get your figure back, but you will also get your body in shape to handle the rigors of childhood.

Lynn VanDyke is a master trainer and nutritionist focusing on straight-forward fat loss workouts. Her wildly popular ebook, Melt the Fat is available for immediate download. Bonuses are being offered for a limited time only. Learn more about Melt the Fat at http://www.melt-the-fat.com

Eating alot of chocolate on a diet and still lose weight?

Im on a diet but I love chocolate and not just a tiny bite of something. If i eat 300 calories of chocolate in the evening instead of a dinner will i/can i still lose weight? As I am eating healthy the rest of the day and really not eating much I dont think I can diet without including chocolate

Um well mabey try cutting down? that is a diet is about of course right? eat 150 cals and have a small dinner. Good luck

The Gregory Mantell Show — The Five Bite Diet
diet bites

There are two mental and emotional habits that will keep you struggling for years to come. These habits are: overreacting, and believing without thinking. I know you probably expected the two habits to be about food or exercise but the truth is, in order to acquire healthy food and exercise habits you must first establish mental habits that insure long-term success.

Many people are stuck in a vicious cycle of all-or-nothing thinking when it comes to food and exercise. Healthy habits are not an enjoyable, integrated aspect of life. Instead, being healthy is something you tell yourself you have to do. Because you haven’t learned to enjoy healthy behaviors, you avoid them until there’s nothing else you can do but change. By then you are so mortified by your weight gain that you decide to do something drastic to get rid of it quickly. Many times, the very method you are using to solve your weight problem is actually creating the problem.

For example, suppose you gained 3 lbs. over the weekend. Perhaps you fear that you must do something immediately. You are terrified that if you don’t do something, the weight will keep creeping up and up. So you decide to go on a fast until the three pounds are gone.

First of all, fasting is a very drastic response to a 3 pound gain and secondly the mere act of fasting causes your metabolism to slow down thereby guaranteeing that you will struggle harder in the future! In this instance, overreacting is actually causing your weight problem.

Here’s another example: let’s say you’ve gained 35 lbs. and none of your clothes fit. So you decide to start a serious diet…on Monday. In the meantime, you engage in a feast of ‘no-no’s’ where you consume 2-5x’s more fat and calories than your body can process. When you finally start your diet, you are already at a deficit. Mentally you feel like a failure. Physically, you have more weight to lose now than you did last week. Many people go off their diet within the first few weeks of starting. If this is the case, you are actually guaranteeing future weight loss struggles. You’d probably be better off if you’d decided to do nothing at all.

Another habit that will make you fat and sabotage your life is: believing without thinking. Many times in our desperation or fear we believe and act on what we hear from others (especially authority) without question.

Here’s an example: buying the good ol’ ‘Finish everything on your plate, there are children starving in Africa” line. People from age 8 to 80 have heard this line so many times that they blindly believe, accept and act on it without question. It’s true, children are starving in Africa. However, finishing everything on your plate only makes you the processing plant for excess food that is guaranteed to make you fat.

Instead of putting leftovers in the trash or in the refrigerator, you put them in your body and your body has no choice but to turn excess food into fat. Meanwhile, the children in Africa are completely unaffected. They are still starving. Continuing to habitually finish everything on your plate is an example of how you literally create your weight problem.

So if you’re ready to take the leap and stop the struggle now, here’s a few things you can do:

• Chew each bite at least 10 times. Put your food or utensil down between bites.

• Remember, your stomach is the size of your fist.

• Stop when you feel satisfied or have eaten a fist-size portion.

• Always leave something on your plate to de-program yourself from automatic eating.

• When satisfied, stop eating. If you’re at a restaurant, push your plate to the edge of the table so the waiter will take it. If you’re at home, get up immediately and throw the food in the trash or put it in storage for another meal.

• Acknowledge your strength and self-control.

• Tell yourself, “I can do this.”

In closing, you have the power to challenge your thoughts and take note of any beliefs that don’t work for you. The great thing about doing this type of self-inventory is that when you realize how you are creating your results, you can take different actions and get different results. Once you access and utilize your ability to make positive changes you will feel more powerful, less insecure and better able to accomplish your goals and dreams.

About the Author:

Sheri O. Zampelli, M.S., CCH is the author of From Sabotage to Success – How to Overcome Self-Defeating Behavior and Reach Your True Potential. Listen to her weekly podcast for motivation and a fresh perspective. Visit www.donateyourweight.com for details.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Change Two Habits and Get Slimmer without Dieting

Eating alot of chocolate on a diet and still lose weight?

Im on a diet but I love chocolate and not just a tiny bite of something. If i eat 300 calories of chocolate in the evening instead of a dinner will i/can i still lose weight? As I am eating healthy the rest of the day and really not eating much I dont think I can diet without including chocolate

Um well mabey try cutting down? that is a diet is about of course right? eat 150 cals and have a small dinner. Good luck

diet bites

Did you know the average restaurant meal contains more than 1,000 calories? Even breakfast fare such as pancakes, waffles, and French toast, served in restaurant-sized portions can contain as many as 900 calories. And studies show that kids eat nearly twice as many calories when eating a restaurant meal compared with eating a meal cooked and served at home.

With all these extra calories, it’s easy to sabotage your diet. Plus, we all want to get our money’s worth and because we’re often paying a lot more for food served at a restaurant, we may use the prices themselves as justification for cleaning the plate.

The truth is, you don’t have to sacrifice flavor and nutrition when you are treating yourself to a night out. Just follow these simple guidelines.

Be wary of your drinking glass. It’s easy to consume vast quantities of empty calories through a straw. A large Coke at McDonalds has more than 300 calories. And when we are sitting in a restaurant, we often find our drinks refilled over and over. The bar is no better: A pint of beer will give you about 150 calories. And a glass of dry wine will contribute 100 or so, while a jumbo margarita can get up in the 400-calorie range. You can save lots of calories (and a few dollars, too) by opting for unsweetened iced tea, a diet soft drink, or simply water with lemon or lime wedges.

Skip the appetizers. Some of these pre-meal splurges contain more fat and calories than the entree. And many appetizers are deep fried and served with rich and heavy sauces. An order of cheese fries with Ranch dressing can exceed 3,000 calories, for example. Cut this part of the meal altogether.

Go for a salad. Replace those fatty appetizers with a pre-meal salad. Fill up on the good stuff before the main meal begins and you will eat fewer calories by meal’s end. And be careful not to ruin the healthy salad. Skip the Caesar option because Caesar salads are often saturated with creamy dressing. If there’s an option between spinach and iceberg, choose the former. Make sure that you ask for no cheese or croutons (or remove them once the salad arrives at your table.) Opt for a vinegar-based dressing if possible. If you love Ranch or Bleu Cheese, order it on the side, and try dipping your fork into the dressing before each bite. That will give you a nice distribution of flavor and you might be surprised by how little dressing you have used once your salad plate is clear.

When choosing your entree, opt for something that has been grilled or broiled, not fried. You’ll save fat grams and calories, and you’ll also eat fewer of those unhealthy trans fats.

Ask your waiter or waitress to replace the starch with a second order of vegetables. You’ll save on calories and get another serving of the good stuff.

Skip the cream. When ordering soup, opt for clear soups instead of cream soups. When ordering sauces, choose the tomato-based sauce over the creamy one. You’ll save even more calories if you ask for all sauces to be served on the side.

When the meal comes, split it. Make a mental line down the center of your plate and stop eating once you’ve reached the halfway point, if not before. If you have a hard time quitting when it’s time, ask for a takeout container at the beginning of your meal and remove half the meal from your plate before you even begin eating.

If you can’t skip dessert altogether, choose fresh fruit or another low calorie treat. Many restaurants are offering at least one or two dessert choices that are lower in fat or calories. Give these a try. Or simply order one dessert for the entire table and make a point to eat very, very slowly. Before you know it, the dessert will be gone and so will all that temptation. And here’s food for thought: Have you ever noticed that it’s the first three bites of any big indulgence that we truly enjoy: way more than we enjoy subsequent bites? So take a few nibbles and truly enjoy them. Then put down your spoon. Order a cup of coffee (with some skim milk) if you still need a little something to cap your meal.

Many restaurants are offering more healthy choices than ever before, so it is becoming easier to stick to a healthy diet and have an enjoyable dining experience, as well.

About the Author:

Jamie Jefferson writes for Momscape.com , Susies-Coupons.comand Susies-Travel-Coupons.com where you’ll find hand-selected online coupons, coupon codes and travel discounts.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Eating Out on a Diet: 8 Quick Tips

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The Gregory Mantell Show — The Five Bite Diet