In order to do that safely and in a way that produces beneficial long-term results, take it slow and steady. Weight reduction and regaining muscle tone after birth takes time.

Hype in the media about rapid weight loss after pregnancy is common. Articles are written on celebrity moms that show them making miraculous changes after birth to regain those million dollar figures.

But such individuals usually have better than average metabolic systems in the first place. That’s part of what gives them an edge in that profession.

They also have very expensive consultants, trainers and money to burn on equipment. The average women could forego a lot of needless guilt by not trying to emulate their results. Instead, focus on what’s normal and average for most new moms.

It generally takes up to 6 months for a woman’s body to return to ‘normal’ after giving birth. Normal, here, just means the average metabolic rate and hormonal amounts that were experienced before conception. In some areas, and to some degree, those norms may never return. Motherhood often produces some permanent changes.

Calorie reduction should not be an overriding concern during a period of breast feeding. Apart from the still-required (though somewhat less) additional amount of energy, the added stress of worrying about weight is not something new mothers need. Night feeding and continual round-the-clock care for a year or more is difficult enough without unnecessary, self-imposed psychological burdens.

For the first few months, the focus should be very much on eating a healthy diet. A 2000 calorie diet that includes 50% carbohydrates, 30% proteins, 10% fat with adequate fiber is a good common sense starting point.

Notice the numbers don’t add up to 100%. Every diet should leave some leeway for enjoyment, increase or decrease of the other factors, etc. Going to extremes is the most common mistake most make when considering nutrition.

Moderate exercise is good, but here again the keyword is ‘moderate’. New mothers are busy enough without having to worry about whether they are getting that 5-mile run in every morning. The focus should be on gradually increasing stamina, tone and overall fitness. The goals should be mood-elevation and general health, not looking like a movie star.

After a few months, the program can be stepped up to desired levels in a graded way. The average gain during pregnancy is between 25-35 lbs and during birth about 12-14 of this is lost immediately. The other 12-21 pounds can be shed over 6-8 months without risk. Take it slow and steady and your results will persist over the long term.

But don’t lose heart. It’s natural that initial efforts at a certain level will get you only 80% of the way there. The other 20% is going to come harder. That’s just the way things are. There are techniques that can help you get that last 20% – and, more importantly, keep 100% of the results over the long term.

Sometimes the difficulty in shedding that last 10 or 20 pounds can be loss of willpower. After achieving so much, it can be easy to say ‘that is good enough’. If so, that may be ok. You may validly choose to reevaluate your goals and decide that it truly is good enough.

But beware of long term effects.

One long term effect is the difficulty of maintaining staying power for other goals. If you develop a habit of giving up before the job is complete, it becomes that much more difficult to stick with it the next time. On the upside, if you do go that last mile, the positive morale boost is a great reinforcer.

The other possibility in giving up too easily and too soon can be a greater difficulty in keeping the weight off. The earlier you let go of your original goal without achieving it, the more likely you are to gain at least some of that weight back. Sticking with it helps keep those hard earned results permanently.

There are physiological reasons as well why that last 20% can be tough. Some bodies just reach a natural plateau. It can be just a stopping point on the way to a higher peak, however. It’s difficult to know for sure unless you keep climbing.

You may have slacked off of the length of exercises, or it may just require a longer period to get the same results. By analogy, it’s easy to scoop peanut butter out of a full jar, but getting those last bits is harder and takes longer.

If you’ve been doing cardio 30 minutes a day, three days a week, you may need to extend it to four or five days. That’s usually preferable to extending the length of the workout. You can begin to get close to the injury zone if you work yourself too hard during a given workout. But, you can up it to 45 minutes with minimal risk, if you judge that you still have that much more to give.

You may need to increase the intensity, at least for a while. Getting the heart rate up from 65% to 75% of maximum is one possible way. Here again, be careful of overdoing it. You don’t want to achieve those weight loss goals at the cost of serious risk to your overall health.

You may have to try some new exercises. Muscles adapt. Trying some new ones works those that may have been getting less than the most strenuous workout while you were achieving that 80%.

Keep at it until you hit your final desired goal, then keep it steady. Long term results require a permanent lifestyle change.