It’s no easy feat to lose 60 pounds a mere three months after giving birth to her son Saint West but Kim Kardashian managed to do just that.
Harpers Bazaar magazine was so impressed by her weight loss that they checked in with Kim’s nutritionist, Colette Heimowitz, VP of nutrition and education at Atkins Nutritionals, to find out just how Kim seems to manage to do the impossible.
Here’s what she revealed.
1. Kim swears by Atkins
This is pretty obvious since she used the same plan when trying to lose weight after giving birth to her first child, North.
She’s also been pretty vocal about her love for the Atkins program on social media and has proudly signed on as their brand ambassador.
“Kim was originally introduced to the Atkins diet by her father when she was in college,” reveals Colette. “It was very familiar to her and she trusts the plan because it worked so well for her in the past.”
2. Protein is key
Her every single meal, whether it’s eggs, fish, chicken, or red meat, HAS to have protein, according to Colette.
The priority is to keep her full and satisfied while promoting weight loss, which protein has been known to do.
Pairing it with high-fiber foods such as squash and artichokes as well as healthy fats like olive oil, is a recipe for weight loss success.
3. It’s all about the cheese
Colette gets specific with Kim’s cheese cravings: Cheese omelettes with turkey bacon; sliced chicken with fresh mozzarella; onion soup with melted cheese on top and a few slices of cheese with black olives.
Sounds good? But wait, there’s more!
“Kim is limited to four ounces of cheese a day,” says Colette.
Flavor enhancers such as sour cream and butter are also allowed but only in certain amounts.
“Sour cream and butter aren’t unlimited, but she can have them…just enough to keep you satisfied,” says Colette. “Because a tab of butter on broccoli is way better than just boiled broccoli.”
4. No to low-cal
“A low-calorie diet leaves you hungry all the time, and you need to not be hungry in order to be successful,” says Colette. “When you have adequate calories, protein, fat, and high-fiber carbohydrates in your diet, you won’t be tempted to add something. All the willpower in the world is not going to keep you away from that donut if you’re starving.”
So mums, you don’t need to say goodbye to calories! This is especially true for breastfeeding mums because food comes with important nutrients your baby needs.
5. Kim keeps it at 1,800 calories a day
This is still a safe number for those who are still breastfeeding (which Kim still does).
Colette reveals Kim gets four ounces of cheese, eight to 10 servings of vegetables,four to six ounces of protein and two tablespoons of added fat per day (excluding the fats she gets from whole foods or protein sources).
6. Her strict no-no list
While on the Atkins diet Kim absolutely can’t indulge in sweets, cakes, crackers, white flour and white rice.
It’s all about making smart choices when it comes to carbs! The secret? High-fiber carbohydrates. For instance, when you’re craving white rice, choose brown rice instead. Instead of having that potato, choose yams. And, splenda instead of sugar.
7. The goal is to shed 2 pounds per week
This is a safe pace, according to Colette, because a more rapid form of weight loss could affect Kim’s milk supply.
This isn’t linear, however, it is just an average and they monitor her monthly weight loss as a whole.
It’s important to keep going even if you didn’t hit your weekly goal.
The key is portion control while finding out what no-nos work for you and your lifestyle. A lot of outside factors (such as stress and environment) contribute to weight loss so don’t be too hard on yourself.
The important thing is to stay healthy and keep going!
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