Getting fit post baby

From abs to flab’s, well, abs to balloon to flab’s... I am fed up of my jelly belly. My body housed and grew my beautiful little girl, but now I have no excuses, the fat has to go. I spent my pregnancy either asleep, working, hanging out with my partner, or overeating. Fast forward 8 months and I gave birth to a gorgeous little girl. The eating continued...

With a belly so blobby that I still use a maternity pillow to sleep, I felt that it was time to stop binge eating and start thinking about my health.

I was told that Breast feeding burns up to 300 calories, but I must of been eating about 3000 extra calories... Basically, I’ve not stopped eating and I now surrender! I accept that it has come time to regain my fitness and tackle my laziness.

When celebrities, such as Vogue Matthews (I’m not a hater, I love her!), go from pregnant to 6 pack in a matter of weeks, it is easy to judge yourself. Give yourself time with your baby, I’m 7 months in and I just personally feel as though it’s time. Your body, your decisions.

[Always seek medical advice from your GP before you start any diet].

Failure to plan is planning to fail.

In my opinion, there should always be a process to weight loss, going in blind will lead to failure.

Stage 1- why do you overeat? Or why do you want to lose weight? Where has the extra weight come from?

For example, for me personally:

pregnancy played a part in my weight gain
I am an emotional eater: I eat when i’m tired, anxious or stressed, even sometimes when I’m happy
I eat when I’m bored

Stage 2- counteracting the triggers

The first is easy, I had the baby! However, I have decided to breast feed, making me generally hungrier. Now, it is true that you use up calories by breast feeding, but the hunger feeling may just be dehydration. I need to choose healthier snacks and avoid the processed, sugary snacks, as well as drinking more water!

Tackling emotional eating is probably the hardest of the 3... tiredness should be cured by napping instead of coffee. For other emotions, a 20 minute pre-eating timer could be set to determine whether or not I am actually hungry. Equally, this method could be used to identify whether you are actually hungry or just bored. If you, like me, are an emotional eater, track your emotions alongside the times that you eat (and what you eat). It may give a better indication as to your specific triggers.

Stage 3- How do you plan to track your progress?

This is a very important stage in the planning phase. How to track your progress will depend on what kind of person you are. There are a few ways you can do it, including (do each one on the first day of your week, for example, I’m choosing Monday. Make sure it is always done in the morning before you eat or drink)

weigh yourself- this is probably the one I least recommend. A weight plateau can often be off putting. Muscle weighs more then fat, so if you are working out, muscle gain may cause the number on the scales to not change, or even go up.
Take your measurements- a very good indication of fat loss can be done by taking your body measurements every week. I recommend using; neck, bust, waist, hips, right arm and right leg.
Take photos of yourself- ideally a front and side photo. Mirror selfies work, or even better, someone else taking them for you. Is not always easy to see a difference, after all, you see yourself everyday! But, being able to compare photos of yourself, side by side, can give you the boost that you need to carry on.

Make an exercise plan

I would advise planning the whole week’s worth of exercise at one time. Be realistic when planning; don’t plan 2 hours of exercise when you know you will only do 30. Start small and work your way up, allow your body to get used to exercising again!

Plan your food

Last minute snacks and meals can lead to you reaching for the convenience foods. Try to consciously up your protein and greens, whilst reducing but not eliminating your carbs. Make healthy swaps, choose brown bread over white bread, brown rice over white rice etc. Try not to skip breakfast either, kickstart your metabolism with some oats or high protein!

Keep track

Get a little notepad to keep all of your goals, measurements, exercise and diet in one place. Equally, MyFitnessPal is a great (free) app where you can keep all of your notes in one place (there is even a facility to take photos of yourself!).

Set goals

Diets are very bad without motivation, but be realistic. Losing a stone in a week is far fetched and unhealthy. Aim for a maximum of 2-3lbs per week if using weight as a measurement. For picture trackers, maybe a goal dress size. And finally, measurement trackers, half a cm a week maybe? You can split your long term goals into weekly goals as well. Some people like to set rewards for achieving goals, just make sure that instead of treating yourself with food, go for the dress that you couldn’t fit into before, or new trainers to continue your fitness journey.

Goals can also be as simple as- drink more water, or, get more sleep (haha, funny). Decide what works best for you!

I will be sharing my progress every Monday evening, as well as my workout plan and weekly diet. Follow my Facebook page for updates of blog releases. Everyone is welcome to join me on my journey, and I would love to hear from anyone who is in the same boat, and whether my journey has managed to help you. Would you want recipes shared as well?