Tummy Tuck

Oh yes the dreaded. Some mom's have ventured into the dark world of plastic surgery, I know I have. Nope, not the tummy tuck, though I was afraid I might have to have one, I got my girls upgraded from 1.0 to 2.0.

So I have been on my own weight loss challenge for some time, well since February. I got the itch because I saw I was the fat chick.....and no one told me I was the fat chick. Granted, I had a second pregnancy with twice as much baby (the Squids) and carrying an 8 pounder and a 6 pounder will make your stomach look like the face of a bulldog shortly after giving birth. Needless to say most women will opt for the tummy tuck. I, on the other hand, have taken the long road traveled. Although my road is fairly short because when I started this ordeal in February I was a size 16. You got it!! I was close to having to cross that line in the "Women's." I am not saying this is a bad thing, however, for me....VERY BAD! So after 2 months I am down a total of 20 pounds and you wouldn't believe my jean size now....just guess.....

AN EIGHT!!!! AN 8!!! Can you believe it!? I know I couldn't.

So here is my tummy tuck secret for those of you who are in fear that you will forever look like a mommy tummy forever:

1. Layoff all the bubbly. By this I mean soda, Redbull, spritzers, beers, anything that makes you burp and fart. This stuff is not liked by your insides, so guess what, they react and they react by bubbling up and you look bloated. After one week of no bubbly, watch that belly smooth out.

2. Ease off the salt. Salt is in just about everything, I am even trying to test my bottled water for some traces. Your body has a perfect salt to water ratio and if you go over that ratio...POOF, you swell like a sponge in water. Foods rich in potassium like tomatoes and bananas are great for fighting off the bulge.

3. Cardio and Strength training. I am not telling you to go out and start Sweatin' to the Oldies with Richard Simmons or beef up with Hanz and Franz. I am telling you that I went out each and every night for 30 minutes and walked, power walked, jogged, whatever to get my heart rate up. Elevating your heart rate gets that blood moving and you need to sweat. If you aren't sweating, you aren't doing the right amount of cardio. Couple that cardio with some really good strength training exercises and VOILA! Bikini ready belly. A great place to check out some strength training moves is at Spark People or even Women's Health, they have some super core moves that will make you hurt!

4. Remember to get plenty of sleep, water, rest (don't work out 7 days a week and expect results, take some time off), and ALWAYS EAT. If you don't sleep your body never recovers, if you don't have water your muscles do not have energy to synthesize, if you don't rest you will just bulk up....and what woman wants to be bulky? Finally, always eat!!! If you miss a meal, especially breakfast your body goes into protection mode and starts protecting your fat! WHY? Well because your body thinks you are in distress, so it stores that fat and protects it as a reserve. So if you starve, and then eat, you will only get fatter. So always eat breakfast even if it's just a slice of toast with peanut butter and a glass of milk. Get some protein in that body.

5. Don't stress and keep going. We have such high standards and we want results NOW! Well guess what? Not gonna happen. You have to work hard and in time you will get the fabulous results you always wanted. Just remember to tell yourself how beautiful you are and love yourself, that will be your biggest motivation.

(Disclaimer: I am in no way a licensed medical professional. I have provided information that for the most part is already common knowledge exploited by many media outlets. I have also generalized what I have done as an individual and results will vary from individual to individual so my information is in no way to be taken as a proven fact just my opinion and personal experience.)