I recently saw friends that I hadn’t seen in a while and many of them wondered where all my baby weight went. It has been 19 months since I had Ally so I was surprised at how curious and shocked everyone was. But then I realized that none of them had had babies of their own yet and they probably know a lot of women who have trouble losing baby weight.

So I’m going to share some tips based on my own experience complete with before and after pictures for all my friends and for anyone that might be getting pregnant in the future ! Consider this my baby weight secret.

Here’s a quick shot of myself right before I got pregnant…

And here I am about two weeks away from Ally’s arrival…37 weeks pregnant.

I know the pictures are small, but trust me, there wasn’t a ton of change. I gained 28 pounds during my pregnancy and most of it was in my belly. I wasn’t one of those women that walked out of the hospital with her pre-pregnancy jeans on or anything, but it only took me 3.5 months to get to that point. Why and how?? Here’s my first tip…

WORKOUT! I know, I know, real epiphany. But this workout begins BEFORE pregnancy! If you’re thinking about getting pregnant, start working out. Even if it’s just a walk or short run everyday. From what I’ve heard, most doctors frown upon heavy exercise during pregnancy if you weren’t working out prior, so if you think you’ll just wait to start an exercise routine once the baby weight starts to show, think again. I was already working out at least a few days a week by running, lifting weights and playing volleyball when I got pregnant, so I was able to easily continue throughout the pregnancy. So if you don’t work out before, you won’t be able to work out during, which takes me to my next tip…

36 weeks pregnant.

WORKOUT during! Don’t use your pregnancy as an excuse to be lazy. Use it as an excuse to either get in shape or stay in shape! It’ll be good for your baby and it will obviously be good for you, especially in the hospital. It’s said that women who workout during their pregnancy labor better and recover better than those who don’t workout. I have nothing to compare my labor and recovery experiences to since Ally was my first, but I felt good during the pregnancy and after (labor was pretty killer!). I quit playing volleyball as soon as the doctor’s office confirmed I was pregnant, but I kept running a few days a week. My last run during pregnancy was complete just five days before Ally was born, during my 38th week.

My last and final tip…

DON’T EAT MCDONALD’S! You don’t have to rid your diet completely of McDonald’s and other junk food, but don’t use your pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever you want, whenever you want. I hear a lot of women talk about all the bad, fatty foods they eat while they’re pregnant because they feel like they can. They figure since they’re going to gain weight anyways, they might as well indulge. I guess that’s ok if you’re being monitored by your doctor and not putting yourself and your baby in a completely unhealthy situation, but consider the aftermath. You’ll probably gain more weight than needed and it’ll take more time to take that off. I’ve been a healthy eater since high school, always opting for salads and low calorie options when possible, and I kept that up during pregnancy. I definitely ate more and had a few no-guilt indulgences, but I kept my diet healthy…and didn’t go to McDonald’s every other day “just because I could.”

And do I even need to mention working out after you have the baby as a tip? I think that’s pretty obvious and understood.

This was taken on Ally’s first day home…just two days after she arrived.

During the first week after Ally’s arrival…

Exactly one week after Ally’s arrival!

Christmas Day…exactly two weeks after Ally’s arrival.

So my big secret is out! That’s how I kept the baby weight off and got back into shape post-pregnancy. It’s definitely not rocket science and I’m thinking it could work for a lot of ladies out there. If you’re thinking of getting pregnant anytime soon, start keeping the baby weight off by putting together an exercise routine now! Continue that throughout your pregnancy and don’t visit the drive-thru at McDonald’s every time you think you get a craving. “Baby weight” doesn’t need to be taboo during and after pregnancy.