Article Content
How I Lost My Baby Weight In Two Weeks
Maybe I am a freak of nature or maybe I just got lucky, but what I know for sure is that in ten days I lost my baby weight and this what I think helped.
Keeping A Food Diary During Pregnancy
I didn’t start taking stock of my calorie intake, or macro- and micro-nutrient consumption until two months before delivery. My husband’s dear friend from high school told me about MyFitnessPal, an Under Armour app that makes logging what you eat a breeze. If something you like to eat has a barcode on its packaging, scan the barcode with your phone and it’s instantly entered with just a couple clicks (for portion and to confirm that you would like to log the food or drink item to your food diary.
Basically I went from 167lbs down to 147lbs., the weight I was when I found out I was before becoming pregnant, in ten days. By June 21st, 2018 I was my even skinnier than my wedding weight (140lbs.), I weighed in at 134lbs and I’ve maintained it all to today September 10, 2018. I think being aware and more conscious of my intake helps me make better choices and keeps me diligent in not overindulging too much. It also helps me because I know what my goal intake is and that keeps my metabolism up as well as my nutrition.
Exercise and Fitness Mom Groups Like Fit4Mom
Although I didn’t go to a gym to lose the baby weight I gained during pregnancy, I did stay active by walking my dog regularly, at least twice a day.
After my recovering from delivery I resumed walking my dog and going on walks with my husband, but I also gave something new a try. Fit4Mom is a national mom exercise franchise and in Tinley Park we are lucky to be between two of the closest franchises: the Lemont/Mokena/Frankfort and Palos/Orland groups. I tried both and it was a cool experience, really showed me how weak my core had gotten, and the experiences inspired me to push myself to see how far I could go, but I felt way too guilty both times leaving my baby in her stroller.
My baby was almost three months old so maybe it was too soon for both of us in terms of separation anxiety, but I would definitely recommend Fit4Mom if you are looking for mom friends or expectant mom friends and you are not easily bothered by hearing your baby cry. Also, for me I felt akward. I was the youngest mom in both classes and it was hard to fit in and form connections. It felt like everyone went to the same church and knew each other so well that I felt like an outsider with a different lifestyle all together. The instructors try and make you feel a part of the group, and if you ask for help connecting they will definitely help you. For me I felt like I fit in with the Wild Child group better because you and your little ones are by each others side exploring a forest preserve and/or nature center together with a group of moms and their little ones too. The moms were just different, and again I was the youngest mom in that group too. I guess I’ll chalk it up to different strokes for different folks.
With exercise I know that I’m a more anxious mom when it comes to being far away from my baby when she cries. I don’t want my baby to feel abandoned but I also know I need me-time too. So for me if I did an exercise class I know I’d need someone to watch my daughter at home so I could be completely focused and not feel guilty. Maybe when my daughter turns one year old I’ll re-explore exercise classes, but I’m really happy exploring forest preserves and our neighborhood on nice long walks with my family and dog and doing my own led mini yoga sessions at home for exercise.
Genetics, Breastfeeding, and Luck
I have yet to do that 23AndMe genetic DNA testing thing to find out my exact heritages, but I know that my parents are Serbian and Bosnian. Slavic people tend to be more on the tall and slim side or curvy, so I feel like having my baby helped reset my metabolism. My OBGYN Dr. Yen said pregnancy can correct a lot of things and one of them is your metabolism. Also, breastfeeding has totally been like cheating when it comes to maintaining this weight. I can eat over 2,000 calories and nothing happens because I breastfeed so often that I burn more calories than I’m ingesting. Eventually I won’t be able to pull off this weight without exercising, but I’ve got to say that genes and the luck of breastfeeding have been awesome pluses for me. But, if we are bkessed with more children I don’t know if it will be this way with my weight. So I am totally counting my lucky starsright now and not taking my weight for granted.
So that’s how I lost my baby weight and got back to my wedding weight and then some.
Helpful Articles
The Reset Hypothesis: Lactation and Maternal Metabolism
Breastfeeding Linked To Thinness, A New British Study Finds | HuffPost
4 Fitness Tips for New Moms: From the Sweat post-pregnancy trainer Kelsey Wells.
0 comments