Hi Rosa,

It excites me to see that you are very enthusiastic about getting yourself into better shape for your newborn child, yourself, and your family. I wish that you would have spoken with me or to one of our experienced personal trainers at Steel Fitness earlier so that we could have gotten you on a workout regimen during your pregnancy.  Studies have shown that, if you stay focused, watch what you eat, and workout on a regular basis while you are pregnant you will have a better pregnancy. The stereotype use to be that women who are pregnant should not exert any energy; however, that is no longer the case. If you ever decide to have another child I would enjoy helping you out with your routines during your pregnancy.

Now for where you are currently. I know that you are upset about the baby weight that you put on while you were pregnant. We can definitely do something about this. However, in order for that to happen, I need you to be thinking in the "future" rather than the "now." One of the things that I always preach about fitness is that it is a lifestyle. What I mean is that, while short term goals are great, you have to look at where you want to be 5 -10 yrs when your child is growing up. I want you to be able to keep up with your child and those are the type of goals that you will need.

To fully answer your question about how quickly you can drop the weight. I feel that the quickest way is to make sure that you are active at least 5 times a week. You also have to watch your eating habits, but you have to understand that it won't happen in one day. This is why I said that getting back into shape is a lifestyle change.

If you have any more questions, I would be more than happy to give you a free training session to guide you toward your goals. We also have a registered dietician on staff that can help you with your food plan.

Good Luck with your future success at Steel Fitness and congratulations on your new child.
 

Stacey,

In response to your question regarding whey protein:

In order to sustain or gain lean muscle you must have a sufficient amount of complex carbohydrates in your diet as well as other nutrients. If you're eating protein shakes for breakfast and lunch you're not allowing your body to take in complex carbohydrates. What will happen is your body will actually start to steadily lose lean muscle because your body won't have the carbohydrates stored for energy use and muscle growth.

If you are adamant about about taking protein shakes, have a healthy breakfast to start your day and then have a protein shake for lunch. Also, don't be afraid to have a piece of fresh fruit, baby carrots, or even whole-grain cereals to your list of snacks to get you through the day. They will provide you will your complex carbohydrates as well.