My Postpartum Weight Loss Journey: Part 2

So last week....I had good intentions, did 2 workouts, kept my food decent most of the week, but quickly realized that somethings changed from my previous weight loss journey. I didn't have or feel that willingness to just stick to the plan regardless.  Previously I had an iron will....it was easy for me to say no to junk and stick with healthy foods and to wake up extra early to workout.

I'm not using my little one as an excuse, this new routine just means I need to switch things up from what I may have done in the past...because, obviously, things have changed a lot!!  Here are a few things I've realized:

1. Accountability is needed! This is where my hubby comes in....we've decided to do P90X together: the workouts and the meal plan.  Last night, he cooked some chicken and fish to eat for the next few days and I prepped some veggies. Tonight I'm planning to separate oats into ziploc bags for each day and maybe do a little more food prep.  Doing as much as we can on Sundays though is the most helpful thing to ensure we stick with it.

2. Simplicity is KEY! I need a food plan that is super simple. I don't mind eating similar meals throughout the week. With a family, full time job and lots of activities, making it as easy to grab & go as possible is a HUGE help.

My meal plan is basically the following:

Breakfast: 1 cup of oatmeal, 1 banana, a protein shake and 1 cup of Mother's Milk Tea (The tea and oats are also great for my milk supply.)

Lunch: Chicken, 2 cups of spinach and 1 cup of other veggies (Today my other veggies were a mixture of peas & corn.)

Dinner: Fish, 1 serving of dairy and 1 cup of veggies (For my dairy, I'll probably put a little cheese on top of my fish.)

Snack: 1 protein bar and a 100 calorie pack of almonds (I'll be switching up my snacks sometimes, but the goal is to keep them at 300 calories total.)

3. Everything needs a scheduled time! My workouts are going to have to move to the evenings.  There's just no way I can wake up any earlier than I already do. (which is 3:30-4am each day) That means giving up Netflix for the most part, but hey...I'd rather be fit than all caught up on my shows. HAHA (But seriously!)

So now that I've took this past weekend to find out all that, hone in on what I want and need to do to get there, I've started it all this week. I'm still holding at 174lbs, but that won't be the case for long.  My meals are prepped, I have a very specific, simple plan and I am FINALLY going to stick to it.  ((Which I keep repeating to myself mentally as I'm stuck sitting next to a 'birthday girl' at work with a desk full of delicious cupcakes and can smell Chickfila from a few desks away...lol))

Here's a little walk down the road thus far (from left to right) Pre-pregnancy, A few days for Elijah arrived and where I'm at now. I've got work to do, but I'm finally excited and ready to kick it into high gear.  Yay!!!

If you're getting started with your weight loss journey too, I'd love to connect in the comments and cheer each other on!!  Let me know what your plan is and the goal you're going for.  We've got this!!!

A Day in My Mom Life

I love organization, planning and just having a general rhythm to my day….and I’m sure there’s gotta be other moms out there who do too.  Well, strap in, because we’re about to go through a typical week day for me as a new mom.  To tell you my routine has changed doesn’t even scratch the surface, but getting organized and generally sticking to this flow (plus numerous iPhone alarms for everything) really helps me feel like I’ve got a handle on all the crazy that now fills my days.  

So let’s get right to it, shall we?

Around 3am: Elijah wakes up on his own. I change his diaper, breastfeed him and then get him back into his crib.

3:45am: Do a 30 minute workout…lately I’ve been doing Hip Hop Abs. The key for me is wearing my workout clothes to bed so I have no excuse. Lol

Once my workout’s done, I start getting dressed for the day.

4:30am: Wake up the hubby and give him a 10min warning

4:40am: Get the hubs outta bed and finish getting ready.

5am: Cook breakfast for the hubby, pack our lunch bags and Eli’s diaper bag.  Then put our bags in the car so they’re ready to go.

5:30am: Make Eli a bottle and pick out his clothes.

5:40am: Wake up and feed Eli.

6am: Change Eli’s diaper, get him dressed and then have a mini photo shoot.

6:10am: Head out the door with Eli in tow.

6:30am: Drop Eli off at daycare and jet. (Still haven’t managed to pull of my work commute fast enough to get there on time...but I’m improving!)

7am-4pm: (I usually get there at 7:10am) Work! I also pump at 8:45, Noon and 3pm.

4pm: Go pickup Eli from school.

5pm: Get home and have dinner (The hubs been amazing about making dinner lately. It’s soooo helpful!!)

6:30pm: Get Eli in his pajamas, feed him and put him to bed.

7:30pm: Get ready for the next day- wash Eli’s bottles and my pumping supplies, prep lunch for the Hubs and I, pick out my clothes, shower, etc. Then, if time allows, enjoy a little Netflix, which is a lot more rare since I’ve returned to work.

Around 9pm or 9:30pm: Go to bed

Eli generally sleeps though the night, but the last 2 days, he’s decided to have a little snack around Midnight….so I’m up for about an hour feeding him & getting him back to bed.

Then we start back again at 3am. J

After writing it all down, it sounds like A LOT….I mean my time is all accounted for, which is something that didn’t happen nearly as much pre-baby. There was a lot more Netflix and a lot less rushing, but you know what.  I’d choose this version of life every time!

Hope you enjoyed following along a day in my life!

Let's chat in the comments: Does your day follow a similar routine or are you more go-with-the-flow? How has your routine changed since a baby came into the mix?  I'd love to hear all about it!

My Postpartum Weight Loss Journey

Well hello again!!  It feels like it’s been a lifetime since I’ve posted here, but I just have to do a quick update and share as I start a whole new journey…..through motherhood & postpartum weight loss. Let’s start by chatting about motherhood a bit. 

My sweet baby boy, Elijah, joined us on March 28^th and it’s been a whirlwind ever since. He’s a super smiley baby, he loves to eat and he’s been sleeping through the night since he was about 5 or 6 weeks old.  He’s already 12 weeks tomorrow and will officially be 3 months next Wednesday.  It’s crazy how much he’s grown and changed already.  I seriously wish I could slow down time!!

 

My maternity leave was packed with a lot: traveling, the loss of my little brother, surgery for my mom and all the changes that a new baby naturally brings.  To tell you I feel like a completely different person, would be an understatement.  I am LOVING being a mommy.  I mean, I always felt called to be a mom, but I could never understand exactly how incredible, emotional and fulfilling it would be until now. 

Easy?! No way...breastfeeding was super hard in the beginning, hearing him cry was devastating, letting him sleep in his own crib was hard.  There are so many hard moments, but, boy oh boy, is every single one of them worth it!!  I share a TON of pics of him on my Instagram, so if you’d like to see more, be sure to follow me there: @itsmyevolution.

Now that we’ve chatted about that, let’s get to the reason I’m back to blogging.  (However often that may be…Mom life is unpredictable!). I gained 54lbs with my pregnancy.  The first 25lbs fell off pretty easily without me changing my diet or anything.  The remaining 29lbs are much more stubborn and, in all honesty, I wasn’t ready to give up all the indulgences of pregnancy and any sleep to eat healthier or fit in much needed exercise until this weekend. 

You see, it was my hubby’s very first Father’s Day so I made him & Eli matching shirts so I had someone at church take a family picture of us and when I saw it (the picture on the right, above) I wanted to run, hide and cry.  I felt awful…I hadn’t felt that bad about the way I looked since I originally started my weight loss journey back in 2011.  Since 2012 I had simply been maintaining my results until pregnancy hit of course.  Then I threw healthy eating out the window and ate whatever I craved at the moment.

I don’t want to feel that way again! I don’t want to let myself get stuck in a rut! I don’t want to have a bad body image that in any way affects my child (or future kiddos).  I want to be proud of how hard I work to get fit. I want to eat healthy. I want to get back in shape. I’m ready to commit and I hope you’ll follow along!!

Step 1: I’ve got the fridge stocked with healthy options and I’ve got a plan.  So here goes….

The Plan:

-Use the FatSecret App to track my food intake & weight.

-Use an app to track my water intake.

-Workout 5 days per week.

-Check in here on the blog once per week with an update to keep me extra accountable.

That about sums it up, a simple plan to loose those last 29lbs & maybe a few more.

Starting Weight: 174lbs

Goal Weight/Pre-pregnancy Weight: 145lbs

Thanks for following along & I’ll be back with an update next week.