During pregnancy with my first and only child, I gained 50 pounds total.
I felt like a whale.
I did eat cookies and other things that I craved, but I like to think that I maintained a healthy, moderated, diet. I didn't really change anything from what I normally eat, but I did drink a lot more water! And most of the weight I gained was water weight from being so incredible swollen! So I figured that after pregnancy most of the water weight would slowly come off and I would have to focus on whatever actual fat I gained and try to tighten areas that got flabby and stretched out. Hello abdominal muscles, haven't seen you in 9 months!
When I was at the hospital with Galen I was on bed rest for the first night and had a catheter, so all the IV fluid that was being pumped into me basically just made me even more swollen. And with that I left the hospital two pounds heavier than I went in before giving birth. Yep, Galen weighed 7.5 lbs, I lost a considerable amount of blood, and yet I still gained weight! That was a little troubling, but I had bigger fish to fry those next few weeks so I tried not to worry about it. On a side note and a little bit of TMI, I was being loaded up with Percoset and apparently was supposed to be taking a stool softener or laxative, but no one told me that, so it was a full week before I had a BM, which also couldn't had a little something to do with a couple extra ounces of weight. haha.
Over the next few weeks the weight slowly did start to come off. I think I lost 15lbs within the first 3 weeks after Galen was born. I was quite surprised! I do believe that breastfeeding helped tremendously in the process. Breastfeeding uses a lot of calories and since I was up so often to feed him I got hungry every few hours too so my metabolism was working all the time! That is one of the most important things to know if you are trying to lose weight- eat every few hours to keep your body working on digesting. You will constantly be burning calories. You will feel more energetic throughout the day, and you hopefully won't get to the point that your stomach is so empty that you eat the quickest and most convenient food you come across. Overall it should help you make healthier choices about what you're eating, which is a fabulous cycle!
Ok, enough on my tangent haha. As soon as I was cleared I started to work out little bits at home. And when I say little bits, I mean very, very little bits. Doing a 10 crunches or leg lifts was about all I wanted to do at that point. By being so large during pregnancy I worked out very little, so starting out this small was completely necessary. When Galen was probably 2 months old I started taking walks with him everyday. It was great to get out of the house, it put him to sleep really easily, and it felt really good on my body! And I quickly learned that even pushing a stroller aids in burning just a few extra calories and tires you out quicker than I thought it would.
On top of that I had continued to eat my moderately healthy diet. I have never been super strict on what I eat, but I do eat a variety of foods and fit in fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins pretty much everyday, and as such I've never had a problem enjoying whatever sweets I liked, as long as it was in moderation. Expect when my lovie gives me an entire bag of caramel Hershey Kisses for Christmas, I just can't resist! But it was entirely important for me to remember to keep eating! Everyone told me to sleep when the baby sleeps. Well, when he's awake he required my full attention and usually both my hands, so when he fell asleep I got to choose between sleep, eating, or a shower, and usually sleep won hands down. So it took a little bit to get into the swing of things and remind myself to eat little bits when I could. Stocking up on healthy snacks was the most beneficial thing! I kept a box of granola bars and nutrition bars next to the rocking chair where I fed him along with bottles of water.
Another aspect of losing the weight was setting a goal. A resonable goal. I know celebrities lose all their baby weight and then some in three weeks, but that is not how I wanted to do it, nor is that how your body wants to do it. After losing most of the water weight in just a few weeks, I had a better judge of what weight I would actually have to work at getting off over the next few months. My prepregnancy weight was 115lbs, but I am not concerned with getting back down to that, so I set my goal to be 120lbs by the time Galen is 6months old.
You are 30% more likey to achieve a goal if you write it down, so that is exactly what I did! Next to our bathroom we have our decorative message board collage, so I wrote my starting weight: 160lbs, my goal weight: 120lbs, and my goal date: when Galen is 6 months old.
I am happy to say that Galen is 4 months old now and I only have two more pounds to go! And I feel fantastic! I have been doing Zumba about two times a week and doing my daily 5 minute workout for the past week now, so hopefully I will gain some muscle and tonage (new word!) while still losing a bit of flabby flab.
Remember: The most important thing is that you feel good and are being healthy and safe! Your body will be different after having a baby, so on top of getting back in shape, you will need to mentally adjust to your new body. Give yourself time to love and appreciate the new you!
xo JC
Daily 5 Mintue Workout- Do This Before Your Shower
50 jumping jacks
20 crunches
30sec wall sit
20 high knee jumps
10 push ups
I felt like a whale.
I did eat cookies and other things that I craved, but I like to think that I maintained a healthy, moderated, diet. I didn't really change anything from what I normally eat, but I did drink a lot more water! And most of the weight I gained was water weight from being so incredible swollen! So I figured that after pregnancy most of the water weight would slowly come off and I would have to focus on whatever actual fat I gained and try to tighten areas that got flabby and stretched out. Hello abdominal muscles, haven't seen you in 9 months!
When I was at the hospital with Galen I was on bed rest for the first night and had a catheter, so all the IV fluid that was being pumped into me basically just made me even more swollen. And with that I left the hospital two pounds heavier than I went in before giving birth. Yep, Galen weighed 7.5 lbs, I lost a considerable amount of blood, and yet I still gained weight! That was a little troubling, but I had bigger fish to fry those next few weeks so I tried not to worry about it. On a side note and a little bit of TMI, I was being loaded up with Percoset and apparently was supposed to be taking a stool softener or laxative, but no one told me that, so it was a full week before I had a BM, which also couldn't had a little something to do with a couple extra ounces of weight. haha.
Over the next few weeks the weight slowly did start to come off. I think I lost 15lbs within the first 3 weeks after Galen was born. I was quite surprised! I do believe that breastfeeding helped tremendously in the process. Breastfeeding uses a lot of calories and since I was up so often to feed him I got hungry every few hours too so my metabolism was working all the time! That is one of the most important things to know if you are trying to lose weight- eat every few hours to keep your body working on digesting. You will constantly be burning calories. You will feel more energetic throughout the day, and you hopefully won't get to the point that your stomach is so empty that you eat the quickest and most convenient food you come across. Overall it should help you make healthier choices about what you're eating, which is a fabulous cycle!
Ok, enough on my tangent haha. As soon as I was cleared I started to work out little bits at home. And when I say little bits, I mean very, very little bits. Doing a 10 crunches or leg lifts was about all I wanted to do at that point. By being so large during pregnancy I worked out very little, so starting out this small was completely necessary. When Galen was probably 2 months old I started taking walks with him everyday. It was great to get out of the house, it put him to sleep really easily, and it felt really good on my body! And I quickly learned that even pushing a stroller aids in burning just a few extra calories and tires you out quicker than I thought it would.
On top of that I had continued to eat my moderately healthy diet. I have never been super strict on what I eat, but I do eat a variety of foods and fit in fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins pretty much everyday, and as such I've never had a problem enjoying whatever sweets I liked, as long as it was in moderation. Expect when my lovie gives me an entire bag of caramel Hershey Kisses for Christmas, I just can't resist! But it was entirely important for me to remember to keep eating! Everyone told me to sleep when the baby sleeps. Well, when he's awake he required my full attention and usually both my hands, so when he fell asleep I got to choose between sleep, eating, or a shower, and usually sleep won hands down. So it took a little bit to get into the swing of things and remind myself to eat little bits when I could. Stocking up on healthy snacks was the most beneficial thing! I kept a box of granola bars and nutrition bars next to the rocking chair where I fed him along with bottles of water.
Another aspect of losing the weight was setting a goal. A resonable goal. I know celebrities lose all their baby weight and then some in three weeks, but that is not how I wanted to do it, nor is that how your body wants to do it. After losing most of the water weight in just a few weeks, I had a better judge of what weight I would actually have to work at getting off over the next few months. My prepregnancy weight was 115lbs, but I am not concerned with getting back down to that, so I set my goal to be 120lbs by the time Galen is 6months old.
You are 30% more likey to achieve a goal if you write it down, so that is exactly what I did! Next to our bathroom we have our decorative message board collage, so I wrote my starting weight: 160lbs, my goal weight: 120lbs, and my goal date: when Galen is 6 months old.
I am happy to say that Galen is 4 months old now and I only have two more pounds to go! And I feel fantastic! I have been doing Zumba about two times a week and doing my daily 5 minute workout for the past week now, so hopefully I will gain some muscle and tonage (new word!) while still losing a bit of flabby flab.
Remember: The most important thing is that you feel good and are being healthy and safe! Your body will be different after having a baby, so on top of getting back in shape, you will need to mentally adjust to your new body. Give yourself time to love and appreciate the new you!
xo JC
Daily 5 Mintue Workout- Do This Before Your Shower
50 jumping jacks
20 crunches
30sec wall sit
20 high knee jumps
10 push ups
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