Weightloss and Motherhood: 3 tips for weightloss after baby

                                                       The baby weight after the baby      

    Okay here is my number...90. That's the number of pounds added on to my body at 5'2 while pregnant with my now one year old son. Holy Moses, I know. 90 pounds I had to wrap my mind around losing. The work I had to talk myself into and the time I had to endure waiting and pushing through. That first time stepping on the scale after having my son, sent so many emotions throughout my whole body. Why me? How could I do this? This is going to take forever. Where am I even going to start?!

    Notice how not one of those were even remotely positive?  Every Monday I started and never finished, the weeks that I did well, but finished with "treating myself" the whole weekend and the times I promised I would change my eating habits, but never did...all of those I never really started on my health journey. None of those I actually changed anything. I was not successful and I really didn't mean it until I changed my outlook on who I wanted to be and where I wanted my  health. Which brings me to my first tip.

     Tip #1: My true lifestyle change started with my mental health. I stopped having pity parties and questioning myself. Instead of asking "why me?" I asked myself "what do I want to change and how am I going to do it?" Victimizing yourself and letting yourself fall into the trap of why the world is going against you is one of the biggest reasons you fail each time. It is so easy to do. Here is a little scenario from me personally. 

      I started on monday, said I wouldn't quit. Maverick stops sleeping through the night and I am exhausted, the laundry is piled up, hes crying all day, dishes are piled up and I haven't showered in two days. The first thought that pops in my mind is I am on survival mode, I need an escape and I deserve to treat myself. So I go to the local coffee shop and order myself a large energy drink, but it doesn't stop there. I get home and soon realize it would be much easier to pop in a quick freezer meal into the microwave because I am tired, hungry and exhausted. I've already had my drink so I might as well have this meal too. I deserve this. So I dive in and of course we all know how the rest of the day goes and maybe even the rest of the week until the next time I step on the scale. 

      Here is how I changed my mental pattern that failed me over and over again. On the days I was just surviving I prepared myself mentally. Every time I thought I deserved a treat, I would remind myself of 3 reasons I did not want that treat. Try it... seriously, right now. 1. I have gained 90 pounds. 2. I want to wear a bathing suit and be confident. 3. I want to feel comfortable in a normal bra. Then I would literally say out loud "I do not want that." 

    Just doing that seriously changed my outlook. When I thought about what I truly wanted and how bad I wanted it, I was able to talk myself out of the cravings. It is just like when you have to go to work, sometimes it is so hard to get up and go, but you talk yourself into it and get your butt to work. You show up everyday. You train your brain to be mentally tough enough to work through those hard times. 

  Tip #2: Have a plan and execute it. 

When I dug deep and realized what I really wanted I knew this time I needed to be prepared. I wrote out my plan. I started by writing out my why. Why Do I want to lose 90 pounds? Answer: I want to be confident in my health to the point where I am someone who could be the perfect role model to my son on what healthy living looked like. I want to be able to appreciate my body and use it to its full potential. Then I wrote out my options for snacks and little pick me ups. Every week, I write out my meal options, snack options and treat options. That way on the days I look like I was drug behind a F-150 going 65 miles per hour on a dirt road, I know I can look forward to having that treat that won't cost me my health...an example, strawberries and frozen whipped cream...delish! Once I have a plan pinned down, I let nothing get in the way. Look at it this way... you can have a plan all you want but without execution where will your success be? actions speak louder than words. "I want to lose 90 pounds."  and then sits on the couch and eats pizza, or wake up and go on a 30 min run every morning and eat a balanced diet and then say "I want to lose 90 pounds so I have been running and eating a balanced diet." You simply cannot be successful without a plan in hand to navigate through all the bumps and bruises. 

    Tip #3: Enjoy the journey.

  I know it can be so hard to work your butt off for months straight  and then try to admire your fat rolls as you rest your sore body on the couch, or maybe try and realize the progress when your muscles are so sore you can't even sit on the toilet comfortably. Yes, I have been THAT sore. It helps you to keep going though. When you are enjoying your journey, you want to continue. No one wants to do anything they absolutely hate. Especially when your an adult, you really don't have to do anything you don't want to so you don't. The moment I realized that I instead of wishing I was further into my journey and just being  happy with where I was at, is when the time started to pass by quicker. Any thoughts of "I don't see any progress yet" were replaced by "okay, I can do a full 30 minute workout without stopping, I am way more fit than I was last week." All the small victories need to be celebrated! When those moments aren't celebrated then it gives more opportunities for negative thought to be dwelt on. The moment the scale doesn't move, but you fit into a smaller legging size. I do not care if they are stretchy I was a X-Large and now I can say I wear a small, Or how about the sports bra I couldn't get over my shoulders at one point that fits perfectly now. Just have fun and be happy with where your at. It is so worth it!

  These last 70 pounds I have lost have been full of all sorts of emotions. I have been incredibly grateful for where I am and I have also had to talk myself out of the weight loss pits. Life has gotten in the way, but I have never given up. Sometimes you do have to take a day and start your next morning like nothing even happened and keep going! Motherhood is exhausting and it literally tests every single bone in your body and then to put weight-loss in the mix, Geez! 

     There are other people who say don't do it and its not your time. Maybe part of that is true, the part where you don't get to have a six pack because your body is still recovering from childbirth, but I refuse however, to believe its not your time to take care of yourself too. Babies need their mamas in full working condition, who can teach them to be strong and to be confident. It will always be your time to take care of your body and appreciate what you have been blessed with. How can you teach a child to be confident, if you- yourself aren't confident? How are you going to keep up with a toddler if you already wake up everyday not feeling 100%? How is it fair to say you deserve to be over weight and unhappy with yourself and then to take care of a child all the time? I don't think that's right at all. I believe in finding a balance with yourself and being able to better appreciate the stage of life you are in, instead of fussing over that bathing suit you are trying to squeeze in that you promised you fit into by now. I believe in the "new mom" stage of life as being more than just survival of the fittest and who says your fit has to be the same of Karen down the street? I believe in being a mom and loving it to its fullest potential. I am proud to be 70 pounds lighter and making that happen within Maverick's first year of life because I chose to put my health on the priority list. 

I honestly can say I believe each of you can do it too! Your body's

are amazing and they deserve it!

-Kayleen