The Baby Fat Diet: Book Review

the baby fat diet

reviews & resources

A few weeks ago, I was asked to read and review the postpartum weight-loss manual, The Baby Fat Diet.  So…

It’s pretty good!

The book is written by two dietitians, Monica Bearden, RD. and Shara Aaron, MS, RD, both moms themselves who have battled the baby bulge we all dread. What really makes this book worth reading is not the letters after the authors’ names.  It’s the letters that are absent: EM.  These two ladies are Experienced Mommies and the greatest value of the Baby Fat Diet comes not from scientific studies, extensive meal plans or detailed nutritional information but from the two authors’ firsthand experience as mothers.  Interviews with other mothers at various points of the postpartum timeline helped the authors to fill in the gaps and create a survival guide of weight-loss strategies that is realistic and useful.

Now, there are a lot of maternal, prenatal and postpartum nutrition manuals out there.  There are also a fair number of weight loss and fitness books geared toward expectant and new moms.  So why this one?

The Baby Fat Diet is humourous, simply written and broken into 35 tiny chapters meant to be consumed (pardon the pun) a bit at a time and not necessarily in order, to accomodate the busy pace of motherhood.  This format does make for some repetition and simplification which might not hold the attention of a reader who intends to finish the book, cover-to-cover, in a few sittings or a reader with any significant prior knowledge of nutrition.  Depending on your level of knowledge and your attention span, the book’s format might be a pro or a con.

One great feature are the sections at the end of each chapter in which the reader can record her thoughts and plans based on the preceding chapter’s theme.  You might be asked to write down three things you will do to improve the whole family’s eating habits this week.  Or you might simply need to decide on two organic fruits or vegetables which you will substitute for traditionally farmed and chemically ridden produce.  If you’re like me, you’ll love interacting with the book by filling in these sections and taking the authors’ advice from theory to reality by planning to implement their strategies in your own daily life.  For the woman who needs more specific guidance, the Baby Fat Diet includes shopping lists and meal plans based on the authors’ principles.

I wholeheartedly endorse this book for any mom, expectant or in the throes of parenting, who desires a basic nutrition primer with realistic advice and a sensible, healthy approach.  You won’t find many rigid rules in the Baby Fat Diet – and when you do, such as when the authors recommend you not eat at all after dinner, you’ll find along with the rule some sensible methods by which to break the rule, such as sticking with fruits and vegetables or gradually weaning yourself off your nighttime snacks.

I like rules, but the teenager in me loves knowing I can get around them when I need to.

The Baby Fat Diet is available on Amazon.com.

Check out The Baby Fat Diet on the web for more information about the authors, the book or to read the Baby Fat Diet blog.

tasty turkey chili

“Almost mindless”

weight loss blog

In week two, our blogger A discovers some important secrets to great, lasting weight loss: plan, plan and plan some more.  Leaving your next meal to chance makes it much more likely you will choose unhealthy foods.

Weight: 152 lb Height: 5′ 3″

Day Seven — 1/20th of the way down the road to my new fit body and I’ve lost a total of……negative three pounds!  What!?  I’ve tried to be good, I really have!  Kind of.  There was last week’s birthday bash with way too much rich food, wine and tequila.  And there was the subsequent hangover junk-food day. And cheat night at my sister’s house.  And I skipped the gym one day and two at-home workouts…but really, I’ve tried to be good!

I’m proud to say I feel ready to get back on track though.  I had a great workout today at the gym, and have been paying a lot more attention to what I eat and when and why.  It took me a while to realize how often I eat out of boredom. I often find myself at home around 10pm — too fatigued from the day to start any activity of sorts, but still too wired to go to bed.  When books and TV don’t hold my attention I find myself wandering to the kitchen to kill some time.  Another trigger for me is when I’m hungry and I haven’t had enough water throughout the day.  I start to feel frantic, and I’m reaching for the closest thing edible to snack on while my pre-planned meal is heating.  I’m learning to recognize this and reach for a glass of water instead, which works instantly to calm me down.

Today I realized how important it is to know which fast-food choices to make.   I grabbed a Wheat ‘n Carrot muffin from Tim Horton’s thinking it was probably the best choice for an on-the-run breakfast.  WRONG! When I checked their website later, I found out that the innocent-seeming pastry had 400 calories, 19 grams of fat and over 5 teaspoons of sugar.  I spent less than five minutes on their website to find three options with less fat and sugar, and more filling protein — now these are on my “safe” foods list for the next time I’m running late in the morning.

I try to spend a few minutes each day doing calorie counts for my favourite meals and snacks.  This way, the next time I know I have only a certain number of calories left for the day, I can check my home-made recipe cards to find something yummy that won’t put me over the top.  It also means that I don’t have to do the math everytime I make a turkey sandwich for lunch.  Along with portion-controlled frozen meals, and lots of fresh fruit and veggies in the fridge, it makes it almost mindless to stay within my calorie-range.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see the dramatic change on the scale that you were hoping for.  When you look back on your week and realize you weren’t quite as virtuous as you meant to be, it’s easy to understand why you haven’t lost any weight yet.  Regroup and recognize your pitfalls, then PLAN to avoid them.  If you lay your ingredients or meals out for yourself or prepare ahead of time by using frozen meals and recipes to help guide you, the willpower to stick with your plan is the only thing you’ll need!