Hello, Baby Good-bye, Baby Fat

Book excerpt: Each year 400,000 pregnant women in the United States get the weight loss surprise of their lives: They lose so much weight after delivery that they weigh less than they did before they were pregnant. "The weight just seemed to come off by itself," they say. Want to know their secret? It's in this book--and in your "new mom" body. Contrary to popular belief, losing weight after childbirth is easier than at any other time--if you understand your body's unique postpartum chemistry. For the first time, weight loss expert Sheldon Levine, M.D., reveals the "three trimesters of weight loss" that occur after delivery, and how to lose weight at each stage, no matter how much you weighed before pregnancy: Birth to Three Months Postpartum: The best time to lose weight! The plummeting hormones and elevated metabolism of new motherhood naturally speed the process. Just follow Dr. Levine's simple dietary advice to help ward off the "baby blues" and boost energy, and your body will do the rest. Three to Six Months Postpartum: The key weight loss phase for overweight new moms: You can actually lower your set point--the weight your body "likes" best. Six to Nine Months Postpartum: Good news for overweight nursing moms: Their unique body chemistry allows weight loss to continue, offering a real chance of attaining (and maintaining) a healthy weight. Dr. Levine's simple fourteen-day menu plan is nutritionally sound for new and nursing moms. It increases energy, minimizes food cravings and mood swings, and includes recipes and lifestyle tips. His toning program takes only minutes a day. Both enhance the new mother's physical and emotional well-being. So forget sit-ups! Forget diets! Dr. Levine's new approach works with your body chemistry to make weight loss after childbirth easy, fast--and forever.