After drinking your water and getting plenty of exercise, buddying up is typically one of the top diet tips that experts offer. It provides accountability, someone to use as a sounding board, and someone to offer endless high fives when you need them most. It’s not just something we all use out here in the real world as it seems the Hollywood set believes in “diet buddies,” too.

Jennifer Garner and Reese Witherspoon, both of whom delivered their third child this year, seem to have buddied up to support one another in getting back to their pre-baby bodies. According to reports from FemaleFirst.co.uk, the moms speed dial when their insatiable sweet tooths attack.

And since they’re practically neighbors, the two have been seen attending Pilates classes together.

If anyone is taking diet advice from Hollywood, we’d say this is the place to start. Forget the pills and potions and partner up instead!

“When dieting, there are many people who may unintentionally tempt you to break your commitment to healthier living through peer pressure. A diet buddy can be your support in these situations and other tempting scenarios,” explained Brooke Randolph, LMHC, our resident mental health expert. “Food can be closely tied to our emotions and mental functioning, so a diet buddy can also provide emotional support and commiseration.”
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If you’re a mother, you can certainly relate to first-time moms as they dream their dreams during pregnancy. We all did it. We dreamed of the new little face we’d soon meet, the blissful hours of snuggling, and we planned all the amazing ways we were going to educate, feed, and rear our baby.

I feel it’s fair to say I’m not alone in having most of those dreams dashed. Don’t hear me wrong, I fell in love with my son deeper than I thought possible. Our time together during his first few years was the most gratifying experience in my life. But it came with lots of tears (his and mine) lots of laundry, so many messes, lots of sleep-deprivation, so much poop, and a lot of saturated fat.

You read that right, saturated fat is part of the new-parent routine, unfortunately. According to a recent study, this chaos that hits new parents like a ton of bricks has lead to a trend in increased saturated fat consumption. CNN reported on a study from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Jen Christensen interviewed the lead author of the study, Dr. Helen Laroche. Essentially, the study revealed that parents eat more saturated fat than adults without children, especially within the first seven years of becoming parents. Laroche pointed to the fact that busy and tired parents tend to have more convenience foods in the home and many of these types of foods are high in saturated fat.
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For most women, postpartum weight can be a tough number to break. In 2009, Brandi Laughlin went to the doctor’s office for her six-week check up after giving birth to son, Tucker. Brandi thought her pregnancy weight would just drop off. When she saw 198 pounds on the scale something hit her, it was a sign, the weight wasn’t going to magically disappear. Brandi knew she had to commit to her weight loss.

Brandi’s husband supported her decision to lose weight, but he’d heard the line “I’m going to lose weight” more than once. He was skeptical of Brandi’s weight loss, but supported her like any good husband would. Brandi said she would be happy at 150 pounds, but set a goal of 135 pounds. She lost 15 pounds the first three months of her weight loss process with the help of Weight Watchers and some running.

She ran her first 5K within the first nine weeks of starting her weight loss. The running that she was doing to lose weight made her realize she actually loved the physical activity. She has a love/hate relationship with running, it’s her favorite exercise.
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On May 23, GNC and Discovery Fit and Health announced the launch of “Transformation Diaries,” a web series following four women with health and weight loss goals through their journey.

One of those women is 31-year-old Simona from Washington, D.C. who is working to lose weight and set healthier habits after the birth of her second child. Simona is on her way to success, despite the complications of being a working mom with very young children, and she took a quick break to answer some of our questions.

What was the most concerning part of the game plan for you when you started?

The plan required a lot of significant change, which concerned me given that we were already introducing so much change to our family with the new baby. It also required me to balance my needs against those of my family, which was difficult for me personally.

How do your children interfere with your goals and plan?

For me personally, children and family come first. That means that I need to think about what my children’s schedules, likes/dislikes, and needs before I think of my own. The lack of a schedule with a newborn in particular kept me from establishing a good fitness routine initially because I could never predict exactly when she would wake for feedings. Additionally, the stress of childbirth was harder this time than it was last time, so I wasn’t cleared by my doctor for exercise until about eight weeks after the baby was born.
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By Cat Poland, a work-at-home mom blogging at CatPoland.com.

Car doors closing quietly, subdued greetings, sneaker-laced feet shuffling as stretches begin, hands slapping at mosquitoes eager for an early-morning snack. At 5 a.m. on a weekday morning, these are the sounds of the Fitness Junkies, all mothers (or grandmothers) who are committed to pushing their bodies to the brink of collapse all in the name of getting a good workout.

I went once, puked twice, and haven’t returned. That was before my second child, and despite my utter and complete failure during my first go-round, I’m considering giving it another try. Why?

Well, I have a confession to make. Sometimes, I want to run away from my children. No, not “Thelma and Louise” style running away, but good, old-fashioned, feet-pounding-pavement running away. I just want to escape, feel blood coursing through my veins, and just be alone. Completely and sweetly alone.

Of course, I would eventually run back (if I didn’t collapse somewhere along the way). I love my darling babies, but as a new work-at-home mom, I need “me” time. Not only that, but I need more energy (and strength, mental clarity, etc.). I went from sitting at a computer for 50+ hours a week, to chasing around a one-year-old and three-year-old overnight. As much as I love my new gig, I’m not physically prepared!
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