Quick Fix Post-Baby Crash Dieting not part of the Take Care Project

Is fitting back into your pre-pregnancy jeans more important than having stable moods and the energy to lift your child?

In the June 2008 Glamour magazine's list of 5o most glamorous women, we are told that "real-woman beauty" is "big this year." We are greeted with Jennifer Lopez in a flowing ball gown, looking for all the world as though she had never given birth, and certainly not recently, and to twins, at that.

We tuned in back in May to find out exactly how Christina Aguilera lost 40 pounds in 4 months. On one hand, it was allegedly from exercising 5 days a week and avoiding items such as white bread. But she was voted in FHM as being one of the sexiest two months before she hit that forty-pound weight loss. Her post-natal hot factor coincided with a fuller figure.

Bombarded with images of celebrity mothers in ball gowns and jewels, holding infants that are sleeping peacefully, today's new mother might decide that weakness and mood swings are worth the weight loss.

But does spending the first few weeks of motherhood covered in breastmilk, wearing your grandmother's nightgown, make you an inadequate parent? Of course not!

Fitness expert and author Vianesa Vargas says "Mothers who are serious about weight loss need to take a balanced approach to eating and exercise and not look for a quick fix...Mothers need to be strong and healthy."

Vargas's eating plan emphasizes balance, not calories, carbs, or fat grams.

Every meal should include protein, carbohydrates, and either antioxidant-rich fruits or leafy green vegetables.

Skipping meals is ill-advised. Eating regularly throughout the day (including high-protein snacks) balances blood sugar levels and moods.

Vargas has degrees in biology and nutrition studies. She has a four-year-old son, and a newborn. Vargas, who formerly specialized in helping obese adults reach health and fitness goals, has founded the Take Care Project as an online resource for mothers who are finding balance in their busy lives by taking care of themselves first.

This free website includes:

• Articles on health and wellness, fitness, nutrition, recreation, and relaxation
• Forums for mothers to connect with one another
• Links to places in local neighborhoods for "me" time
• Vargas's blog, with personal insights, as well as expert advice on nutrition, fitness, and motherhood