One thing that hit me hard going back to work was the fact that I still had 14 pounds of baby weight (19 from my lowest point in my pregnancy) to lose. I went back in mid-April last year so I never really had a chance to start “working out” or even taking our evening walks. Nursing had helped me drop some of my baby weight pretty fast but soon after returning to work I noticed that I started putting it back on. It didn’t help that my office has a food (and cake) problem. By October (my 28th birthday) I was weight 174 pounds (19 pounds heavier than my lowest pregnancy point). Little man and I walked every night, but it still wasn’t enough and something had to change!
In early December my husband and I joined our local YMCA. It started off as an easy “we’ll go once a week.” After a cookie contest at work, we had a “fitness competition” kick off, right in time for the holidays. I decided it was the kick in the butt I needed to drop some of this weight. I started a blog dedicated to my “weight loss journey” even if it wasn’t some massive 100 pound goal. I figured I needed something to hold me accountable. Therefor, Goodbye Baby Weight was born! Those of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter probably have seen the posts coming through lately.
Our fitness competition ran until this past week. All in all I lost 14 pounds & 4.5% of my body fat. I still have a few more pounds to go and a few more percentages to drop but I was extremely happy with the results. I came in second and was totally okay with that. The only person I was okay with beating me, did beat me. She and I were pregnant together and she delivered 10 weeks after me. Sooo, it’s okay!
How did I do it?
Well. I’m no fitness instructor, and I’m no nutritionist. This is purely what I found works for me. PLEASE, PLEASE ,PLEASE don’t assume it is a quick fix diet and I am not recommending it! I also want to note that I was in my final months of nursing and was ONLY nursing at night by this point for comfort. I did not have a daily ounce goal and I was not pumping. I was MAYBE producing 3oz a day, IF that.
The first thing that had to go was processed food, most sweets & pop. Yea, no fun. I ate a lot of cake and a lot of cookies before. I swapped out my afternoon cookie (or three) with dum dums or gum. I also started becoming quite the fruit fan. We had oranges, apples, bananas & strawberries on our grocery list.
Lunch became salads (instead of leftovers or fast food) that I brought from home. This was a HUGE key. I kept telling myself that a salad at Wendys, Culvers or Portillos was okay for me. One day I looked up the sodium contents and calories and was shocked. Just because a salad is on a menu does not mean it is any better for you than a cheeseburger.
One of my favorite things I have discovered in the last few months is Overnight Oats. I use this very simple basic recipe that I found. 1/3 cup oats, 1/3 cup skim milk, 1/3 cup danon light and fit non fat yogurt. All in all it comes up to be just under 200 calories, is so yummy & is very filling. I make it the night before and take it to work to heat up in the morning.
I also started working out at night. With our YMCA being open until 10, I started going 3-4 nights a week after little man went to bed. Okay, at first I started going 2-3 nights a week but then when our contest heated up it became 3-4 nights a week.
In all of this I re-discovered my love of running. If you follow my workout blog you will find that it is 95% running these days. I am now running 5ks, running a few times a week and have set a goal to run an 8k by the end of the year. All things I NEVER thought I would do again!
On nights I can’t make it to the gym, I found a few workouts online. Number one was Jillian Micheal’s 30 Day Shred Level 1. It is free on YouTube and honestly is a good, yet simple workout for beginners. She is easy to follow and easy to keep up with. I HIGHLY recommend it! I also discovered an app (and website) filled with 30 day challenges. I am coming close to completing my first one, give or take a few missed days that I had to makeup!
The last step I took was investing in a Fitbit Flex. This seems silly but I have learned so much about my daily activity with this tiny little device. I learned that while I thought I was sleeping a good solid night sleep, I’m far from it. I also learned that I am nowhere close to 10,000 steps on a daily basis and I actually have to really make an effort to get there. It’s a GREAT tool and I really do recommend it if you are serious about changing your habits!
All in all, what I’m trying to say is that it is possible to be a full time working mom, get in shape & have some time for yourself. I’ve been hearing since the day I got pregnant that it is not possible and it felt so good to prove some people wrong!
What did you find worked for you to drop your baby weight?