Lately I have had quite a few people ask me what I have done to lose my baby weight. I thought that I would just blog about it for whoever wants to know. :) Being pregnant with Madison, I gained a total of 29lbs. I was very proud of this because my goal was to not gain more than 40. I ate a pretty healthy diet and continued crossfitting 4-6 times a week up until my due date. The last month of pregnancy is when I really ate the worst and crossfitted about 3-4 times a week. I was lifting decent weight despite having a belly. I think the week before Madison came was when I did 145lbs front squats!
The first few weeks postpartum I lost most of the baby weight just through breastfeeding and probably just through my body going through so many changes. I would like to say that I ate healthy from day 1 postpartum but that isn't the case. The truth was that I really didn't have an appetite the first 2 weeks. They were kind of a blur and if my mom or Cody didn't make me something, I would seriously forget to eat. I ate whatever they gave me and drank lots and lots of gatorade. My food consisted of soups, toast, crackers, candy but I would only eat like 2 times a day. At 3 weeks my appetite came back and I was feeling a little more lifelike. I was within 4lbs of my pre pregnancy weight and was excited because I had lost all that weight without trying so losing the last 4lbs plus a few shouldn't be hard at all. WRONG. I should also note that despite losing the weight, my body still looked differently. I still looked about 15 weeks pregnant. I started eating a healthier, clean diet at 3 weeks. I followed a modified version of one of my Advocare Meal Plans. The biggest benefit I honestly got from this is that it reminded me I needed to eat so I never skipped a meal. When I started back up with Crossfit at 5 weeks postpartum I was discouraged that I hadn't lost a single pound since 3 weeks despite eating a clean diet. I decided to drop my portions to see if that changed anything and it definitely did. What changed though was my milk supply. It had dropped a bit. When I realized this, I had to make a decision. What did I want more? To reach my aesthetic goals or to continue breastfeeding my baby? I decided that as much as I wanted to lose weight, I wanted to breastfeed more. I love the feeling of breastfeeding. The closeness I feel with Madison when she is eating, and I love knowing I am giving her the best I can…that liquid gold :) I continued eating a clean diet following a modified version of an Adovcare plan, but ate larger portions than I normally would for my weight. I also incorporated more carbs. I also continued with crossfitting and noticed that as long as I am eating a decent amount, exercise does not effect my supply.
Currently I am 13.5 weeks postpartum and am 2lbs under my pre pregnancy weight. What do I currently do? I have continued eating a modified version of one of my Advocare plans. I follow the plan but eat a portion size above what I should be. I workout at least 4 times a week but try to get 5 if I can. I drink a TON of water. AT LEAST a gallon a day, usually more. I do take supplements that are approved for breastfeeding and I eat clean non processed foods. I do have cheats occasionally, but since January 1st I have only had 2 cheats. I don't even consider them cheats because the way I see it is a lifestyle. I eat good quality foods 95% of the time. The 5% of stuff I have that isn't clean isn't going to hurt my goals. If I REALLY want something, i will just get it. Typically this includes dark chocolate or chai tea lattes from Starbucks. Occasionally I will crave wine but because Cody is on a strict 24 Day Challenge I have held out since I don't want to drink alone :) AND, drinking wine and taking care of a baby don't really go hand in hand ;)
On a daily basis I eat eggs, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, veggies, turkey, chicken, fruit, and every few days some greek yogurt. I eat beef about 1-2 times a week as well. The supplements I take are magnesium, probiotic, Advocare Omegaplex, Advocare Catalyst, Spark, Vitamin D, Multi Vitamin, Calcium, and Fenugreek (for milk supply). I do eat Advocare's Muscle Gain for protein because sometimes I would rather have chocolate protein than meat for that source :) I enjoy the foods I eat and love the way they make me feel. Knowing I am eating clean whole foods that is getting into Madison's system through nursing is very empowering. I want to give her the best that I possibly can and by eating clean, I feel I am doing that. I also want to say that while this is based off a meal plan, I don't plan on stopping after x weeks. This is the way I eat and will continue until I feel I need a change. For now, I am happy with it. It may take me longer to reach my goals, but I will eventually get there and am definitely happy with the progress I have made thus far. Some days are harder than others and I feel discouraged but I know deep down that I need to just continue because that is what is best for Madison.
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