LIFESTYLE WEIGHTLOSS
Post Baby Chronicles
Summer time has come and gone, but
your body plan from summer can stay strong through the fall if you make the
right lifestyle change. Since the birth of my daughter in Feb. of 2011, I have
been working endlessly to lose the weight I gained during pregnancy. No matter
how easy celebs make it seem, real mothers know that baby weight is not so simple
to lose. Many trainers acknowledge baby weight as the hardest weight to get
off. The reason for this must be the fact that weight during pregnancy comes no
matter what we eat. Unlike most weight gain, pregnancy weight is not a sign of
laziness. When we are pregnant the weight we gain is a sign that we are
healthy, nurturing and growing a baby inside our bodies. Now after damn near
ten months, we finally have a beautiful baby but in the wake of such a perfect
day, one cannot help but notice the pregnancy belly remains. Only this time it
is a little more squish and a lot less becoming.
So after month one and two, your excited that a good half of
the weight you gained during your pregnancy has fallen right off. Sadly, for most of us this is the end of rapid
weight loss. The rest of this “baby” weight is not so easy to drop. During my
pregnancy I gained 35-40lbs, a normal weight gain even if it did not feel so
normal. After the first month, I dropped nearly 20lbs. After this excitement,
came extreme disappointment because no matter how hard I worked and dieted the
last 20lbs would not budge. This was until a good friend of mine told me an
interesting detail. She said our bodies accustom themselves to a particular
weight it feels comfortable with. (For me it was a whopping 150lbs.) She said
that in order to get past your bodies “comfortable” weight, one must do
something drastic. Challenge accepted!
To fight my fat, I decided to take my weight into my own
hands. I bought the Insanity DVD’s and started the grueling 60day insanity
workout. After day 60 I had dropped 5lbs, although I felt better about my body
and could see obvious toning, I was not happy. It was then I read about a
liquid diet. A woman said that over a 4-month period she dropped 75lbs on her
liquid diet. Even though, I was only dealing with 15lbs, I thought it sounded
interested and read up. I read that for a less extreme liquid diet you could
eat anything not solid; soup, Jell-O, pudding, juice. As a lover of soup I
decided this would work. Only, I decided to make my liquid diet a liquid lifestyle
that was doable and comfortable for me.
Twice a week, I prepare a large bowl of soup that I make
personally from scratch. I enjoy a basic chicken noodle, spicy Italian zuppa or
delicious black bean and chicken. The broth is made from chicken that I broil
down and then I add in a few veggies and seasonings that I enjoy. Now this soup
is not the quote unquote “LIQUID” diet soup exactly because it does contain
solid foods. I eat the soup throughout the week, with rice pudding, Jell-O and
green tea through the day. Sometimes I have granola; sometime I have eggs and
other times I may even make a sandwich if I am feeling really hungry. Then on
the weekends I splurge with solid food that I have may have been craving, maybe
something delicious and unhealthy for one of the two days. On top of my liquid
diet, I also made sure I worked out 3 to 4 times a week. I try to do 30-45
minutes of cardio or plyo using my body as an instrument to tone and mold my
silhouette. I also work my abs weekly, occasionally finding YouTube and body
rock ab workouts that last only 10-15minutes.
I made a healthy lifestyle that I could follow for a long
time, over a quick fix monthly diet. My new lifestyle lets me indulge
occasionally, and take time off when I need it. After three months, I am proud
to say I have lost 10 additional pounds, not only did I lose this weight the
right way, I lost it my way and even on my indulge days it stays off. I am now
5lbs from the weight I was before I got pregnant and even though I have a ways
to go, I know I can make it with time and patients. My lifestyle is healthy but
delicious and I have seen results. I thought it was a good teaching moment for
other women going through the same thing, and I advise you to create a weight
loss plan that works for me, and it works everyday.
