A Mother’s Challenge: Fourth Time’s a Charm!

So…as you probably noticed, I fell off the wagon.  For those struggling to get started, you should know that I had three starts and fails before I FINALLY began to stick with it.  I tried to start with the Les Mills Combat program (from Beachbody) at the beginning of May – lasted about a week.  Tried to get it going again in mid-May – failed again.  Made my own program with a calendar and everything in June – fell off after about 2 weeks.  Then we got married and went on vacation, and, well, you know how that goes (can we say “pig out”).

FINALLY, my husband (that’s still so weird to say) and I got serious around July 10.  We had a weigh-in, and we posted our respective weights on the calendar that we keep on the fridge.  It took a couple of days to really get in gear, but I’d say what really helped was using an app on my phone to track our food intake and exercise.  Though I know that tracking is what has given me success before, I think I was reluctant because I wasn’t sure how to figure in breastfeeding (well, pumping, in my case), and I didn’t want my supply to suffer.  But after two months of failing to stick to a plan, I decided to bite the bullet and start tracking.  (I should also mention here that Bella turned 6 months old on July 10, and due to finally sleeping through the night as of July 1, she was down to only 5 feedings a day.  I was pumping almost twice what she needed in a day, so I was freezing 6-12 ounces per day.  Additionally, I had a deep freezer full of milk should my supply suffer, so I became less concerned about supply issues.)  Just in case, through research I found out how, indeed, to add in breastfeeding to allow for more calories each day.

For the first couple of weeks, I ran in the mornings before Blaine went to work, so that he could be at home with Bella.  Getting my body used to counting calories was rough, as I had been just eating whenever I got hungry all through my pregnancy and had probably even increased how much I was eating as I was nursing and pumping.  But I was down to pumping only 4 times a day (and has decreased to 3 times a day within the past couple of weeks or so, soon to be down to only two times per day), so I probably didn’t need as many calories as I once did.  Tracking food, exercise, and pumping via MyFitnessPal helped tremendously in staying on track.  It was also helpful that Blaine was tracking his food and exercise, as well.  It’s always easier with a buddy!

In the past couple of weeks or so, I changed up my routine a little.  Instead of leaving Bella at home while I went running, I started taking Bella and Paisley (our Shih Tzu) with me on a power walk for 45-60 minutes.  Once back from the power walk, I started doing about 15-20 minutes of strength training exercises: squats, arms with dumbbells, crunches, etc.  I have noticed the biggest difference in weight loss, energy, and controlling my appetite since changing up my routine.  I have now lost a total of 4.5 lbs since July 10, and about a half inch each from my waist, hips, and thighs!

Here are pics of my progress thus far.  The changes are subtle, but overall I can that I’ve gone from having “rolls” to just being a little flabby.  The biggest noticeable difference is that my stomach is finally shrinking – yay!

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For those still struggling out there, just don’t give up.  Just because you pooped out once doesn’t mean you’ll poop out every time.  Sometimes it just takes some practice before you really get serious.    ;-)

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.