The weight loss industry is massive and tends to target moms especially. From fad diets to wonder pills, we live in a world where weight loss seems impossible unless we can achieve it within two weeks. The good news is that we can start a diet program for post pregnancy and lose weight pretty quickly.

The trick, however, is to not sacrifice our overall health for a fast slim down that may not stand the test of time. As we get older, and possibly have more children, our bodies begin to change. It always seems like we don't notice the changes that are going on inside us until we look at the mirror one day and see someone two to three times the size that we used to be? How did it happen?

Answering that question may be the difference between succeeding at losing weight and not succeeding. What the weight loss industry doesn't want us to know is that by just understanding our eating habits and learning to listen to our bodies, we can do a lot to lose weight without spending our money on gimmicks that don't work.

Tip #1: Learn about nutrition and portion sizes.

As mom's we are always reminding our kids about the importance of things like education and eating healthy foods.One of the reasons we find it difficult to lose weight is because we are not educated about how to lose weight. We're taught that dieting means we have to sacrifice something that everyone loves: breaking bread.

Well we don't. Instead, we need to teach ourselves about things like portion sizes and how often we should eat a meal. We need to learn how to mix it up so that we are eating a combination of different foods. A successful diet program for post pregnancy begins with learning what and how to eat.

Tip #2: Remember the word moderation.

It's a rare mom out there who can keep from eating a piece of chocolate or enjoying a bowl of ice cream with the kids. We have needs too don't we? And those needs require us to enjoy the homemade chocolate cake or chocolate chip cookies we just backed for our kids. The trick? Just tone it down a little. Have one cookie, maybe two and a half a glass of milk. Buy yourself smaller desert bowls for that ice cream. And, finally, don't indulge every night. Try to keep deserts down to once or twice a week.

Tip #3: Slow down there mama.

Diet programs for post pregnancy, and any other program, worth their salt advise participants to chew slowly. Sometimes we eat so fast that we end up consuming more than our body needs to be full. Besides, eating too fast means we're not breaking our food down well enough before we swallow it and our digestive system has a harder time processing it. Try tan experiment one day and take twice as long to eat your dinner. You may be surprised to learn just how much food is left over when you start to feel satisfied.

All in all, starting a diet program for post pregnancy will be successful if done the right way. It's surprising how quickly those unwanted pounds disappear with a little knowledge behind our efforts.

Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos by postersize