EAT THIS! How I got My Body Back after Baby

I'm definitely not a "trainer" or a "dietitian" but since I have had my son, I have been asked to sharemy experience of losing the baby weight plus more — So here it goes!

I didn't workout at all, not even walks my first 12 weeks of pregnancy, but I quickly picked up the pace once I felt confident with the way things were going. I always ate very healthy, lots of greens anytime I could get my hands on them....but I was very hungry! I gained a total of 40 lbs while pregnant with my son. I was always measuring ahead and it seemed like I was gaining a pound a week, well probably because I was. No surprise, Brock was a big boy and still is. He weighed 9.6 lbs when he was born...and he was almost 2 weeks early.THE DAY I was cleared by my doctor to begin working out as usual, I was back at it. I had cheated a little and already started long walks and light jogging with Brock in the stroller prior to 6 weeks post c-section. I also want to be very clear that I breastfed Brock and while I could be active again, I couldn't "diet" or it would effect my milk supply. I continued to eat healthy. I was able to make a lot of progress with exercise alone while I breastfed, however I wasn't able to get over the "hump" until I was completely done with breastfeeding all together.

Weight-loss in general is a lifestyle change. When it came to my eating, there were no "cheat days", "cheat meals" or "cheat snacks" (my vice) when I was trying to lose that last 10 lbs. When I would "cheat" my weight wouldn't budge — it was that simple. I also started realizing that "cheating" wasn't fair to me. I was putting in so much effort with my fitness so what was the point if I wasn't matching all of the effort with my eating?! I'm being completely honest, this was not easy for me to do! I love to snack between the hours of 3pm and 5pm so I had to find snacking "alternatives". I also have a big sweet-tooth, it wasn't realistic for me to not have at least a 'healthier' dessert option.

Snacking "alternatives" that worked for me were dried, unsweetened fruit (my favorite were mangos). Trail mix not packed with a ton of chocolate (be careful with this one). I also liked the Crispy Green Peas and Popcorn to help satisfy the salty cravings. Portion size is also important with snacking. See my favorites below.        Coming off a very hungry pregnancy and breastfeeding my son (which also made me hungry) I had to train my stomach to be OK with less food again. This was challenging at first (I was eating a footlong from Subway myself!!!) Portion control was huge for me. Learning to eat smaller meals, more frequently and learing to be satisfied before I felt "stuffed".Post-breastfeeding, a typical day of eating for me was as follows. 

Breakfast

High protein! A shake or 2-3 egg-whites with any veggies (mushrooms, spinach and light feta or goat cheese was my favorite). These were (and still are) my go-to shakes, I love the chocolate flavor.  These shakes also make a great snack in that time between lunch and dinner.

 

Lunch

Again, high-protein and lots veggies. I would make lunch my largest meal. I had a rotisserie chicken on hand or a pack of ground turkey every week to add over a bed of spinach or incorporate into a stir-fry. To change the protein up, 'Frozen Superfood Patties' were a good alternative too. I had also found these 'Protein Blends' that were super convenient and pretty tasty and they would fill me up without adding meat.  In my opinion the Italian and California flavors tasted the best. With all of these options (especially the veggie patties) I had to get creative to mix things up, I would melt a white cheese on top sometimes, add avocado to just about anything or dip meat and veggies into plain hummus. When making a salad, I never used "salad dressing" over my greens, instead I would lightly drizzle olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper.

                 

Dinner

Drumroll please.....high-protein and veggies again! Eating at home is always a "healthier" option because you can control what is going into your food (ie, butter, oils and salt).  Dinner was my chance to mix it up since my breakfast and lunch could get repetitive. My husband wasn't on a Post-Baby Diet so I would always add a carb to his plate but not to mine (at least until I got to my goal weight and was working on maintaining). Chicken, turkey, fish and shrimp were always the 'leanest options' but I would still cook pork and red meat occasionally. Let me know if you would like me to share any of my lighter dinner recipes - I am more than happy to do so :)

Dessert

I'm obsessed with the 'Healthy Choice Fudge Bars', they completely satisfy my sweet-tooth craving and they are around 100 calories. I also love anything 'Halo Top'!

            

Again, this was my personal experience with eating and weight-loss after having my son. If you have any questions about where to find any of these food items mentioned, please leave me a comment below :) My post-baby fitness routine will be included on a separate blog post → COMING SOON

As always, our goal with this blog is to help, empower, support, uplift, inspire and motivate other women that have gone through or might go through what we have. Women supporting other women is powerful. Thank you so much for reading!

XOXO,

Shawna

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