Because you asked

Thank you, all, for your encouragement off of my last post! I'm encouraged by everyone's stories of the same struggle to lose the baby fat and the dreams of the "what used to be" bodies. It's fun to suffer through this change with others.

In an effort to answers your "what works for you" questions, I have pondered, polled, and investigated the things in my life that may be helping. Unfortunately, I'm not coming up with anything that looks significant. However, there are a few things that, in theory, could be contributing to my weight loss victories:

1. Green Tea - my husband read a few studies on the fact that green tea can help with weight loss. He uses a natural green tea extract that has no sugar, no flavor...no thank you. However, I've tried my hand at the green tea phenomenon, drinking the all so delicious "Green Tea and Orange Spice" combination, and have notices a more rapid decrease in weight since then.
2. Portion Control - I'm not even going to pretend that I'm anywhere near being great at this, however, I'm trying to train myself to eat only when I'm hungry and to slow down in my eating so my brain can catch up. I have noticed that my snacking desires have slowed down because of this, and that I'm not overly stuffing myself at dinners. Plus, I do have an 8 month old who requires most of my time at the dinner table. So in the midst of feeding her dinner, my bites get few and far between!
3. Sugar - My husband and I have been fairly sensitive to items containing a lot of sugar. We have tried to stay away from these things, and use substitutes when necessary. Yes. We do have a box of Fudgecicles that forever reside in our freezer, but we do get the "no sugar added" kind (which are amazingly delicious and fudgy) and they have much less carbs then the regular kind. I have also tried to cut down on the continuous candy munching. This proves to be difficult when wherever I turn there is a candy bowl full of all my favorites...but it helps!
4. Chicken, Chicken, and, did I mention, chicken? - We eat a lot of chicken. Yes, because it has good protein, but mostly because it is cheap. Canned Chicken, Chicken Breasts and Ground Turkey are staples in our house. You can make numerous healthy and quick meals with all three, so we stock up. As you already know, chicken provides your body with many things you need without the added "junky" stuff.
5. Working Out - Anyone who knows me pre Mia, is aware that I did my fair share of working out. My husband is a regular at the local gym, and I would eagerly (for the most part) tag along, working out beside him, and watching my body slowly tone up. Even during pregnancy, I was at the gym, doing all I could between nausea fits and Braxton Hicks, trying to keep my body healthy. Post Mia has been a different story. In the first few months, I could tote her along to the gym, as I tried to shed those ugly leftovers, knowing she would sleep wherever she was. However, as her schedule solidified, trips to the gym for mommy has become more of a past-life. So, I am now stuck with Saturday and Sunday being my workout days, and the occasional day off work. As my husband tells me, though, "every little bit helps."

Ok. I know it's not that helpful, but I have noticed that through implementing these the last few months, the pounds have disappeared much quicker. Hope this gives you some ideas! Good luck on your efforts, too...I feel the pain!