By Joanne

Kempinger Demski,Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Nowadays, it’s not unusual to see photos of starlets looking great in slinky gowns just weeks after giving birth.

But that’s not reality, writes La Reine Chabut in “Lose That Baby Fat! Bouncing Back The First Year After Having a Baby” (M. Evans, 2006, $17.95).

She calls her book a practical guide and her program a “reality-based fitness program for the real mom” who is trying to shed unwanted pounds in the first year after having a baby.

The book includes weekly goals, lots of tips and exercises. Each month is a new chapter with information on how you should expect your body to look, feel and how much you should weigh at that point.

In Chapter 2, she writes that you will probably still be wearing your maternity clothes, will be feeling “tired and a bit foggy from sleep deprivation,” and will need a stroller, baby carrier and an exercise ball.

By Chapter 9, Chabut writes that moms who follow her program will be back to their pre-pregnancy weight, will be ready to try on those skinny jeans and only need a jump rope and a coffee table for workouts.

The rope is, of course, for a cardiovascular workout. The coffee table is just one piece of equipment that will help you get in shape “because you are going to give Hillary Swank a run for her money with your very own boxer’s workout to whip your butt into shape – fast!”

She has exercisers use the table to do push-ups to work chest, arms, shoulders and upper back, dips to work triceps and then has them flip over for sit-ups with heels on the table.

She has all the right credentials. She’s mom to a 3-year-old, has a baby due this month, is a certified a fitness instructor with the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and is a certified as a personal trainer. For more information, visit www.losethatbabyfat.com

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