Postpartum Update [6 Months]

Wow, two blog posts in a week… watch out world ;) Work has been crazy these past two months. Which is a wonderful thing, don’t get me wrong! However, it has caused our house to turn into a complete disaster. Dishes are never ending, meal prep is at its all-time low, and the laundry….or the poor laundry. I have dedicated this week to getting my act together and getting household tasks done!

Okay, now onto postpartum me! Once I hit 3 months postpartum I was in a sludge. Every mom knows what I am talking about. After you have a baby you “shrink” pretty quick for the first few weeks then it just stops. You are then stuck in “lala” land with hair that is non-stop shedding! All of my postpartum experiences were different, but that 3 month sludge was one thing that stayed consistent for all of them. When I hit that 3 month mark after Wells, I was very motivated to get back to my normal self. I figured eat clean [whatever that means] and start working out to tone back up. Easy right?

A month went by and I saw some more weight loss and my abs were getting stronger. I would try to work out 3-4 times a week, nothing crazy. Trying to balance my desire to work out and sleep was hard some days. Around 4 months postpartum, I decided to try something new to gain the results I wanted.

1// A mom I follow on IG through Wells pregnancy announced that she is now doing personal coaching for anyone that was seeking it. It was a good price and what did I have to lose [besides inches ;)]? She always posted great workout tips and food options. Side note: I am SUPER simple when it comes to food. I’ll meal prep every now and then, but I want food that tastes decent, fills me up, easy to make and it is good for me.

I had weekly calls with her and during those calls we would talk about my food log, how the workouts went and made goals for next week. I would track my measurements and weight, even though she never asked for the weight part, it is always addicting to know. The workouts she sent me were manageable but still pushed me. Our goals were always reachable and I never made any drastic changes. I think that’s why it was more motivating for me; I knew I could reach the goals and get results while slowly changing my new norm. I know this sounds clique but the numbers didn’t matter to me in the end it was how I felt. Here are my numbers: I lost 4 inches and 4.5 lbs in the four weeks.

2// They always say nutrition is most important when trying to feel better and changing your body. Becky really helped with this aspect too. I am not about spending hours in the kitchen and I want food that my entire family can eat. Some of my favorite meals now include:

A. TONS of veggies. I use a Szechuan sauce over them most of the time, or else I just eat them seasoned.

B. I always had healthy protein with my meals. We love to grill over here so I stuck with grilling meats & veggies for most of my meals. Wild Tree meals saved us many times!! Simple – Clean Meals!

C. Breakfast had always been a struggle for me. It was one of my main goals I focused on that month. Having to get three kids ready to go for the day and out the door left little time for me. But I pushed through and it shot that 10:30 AM hunger that always struck. Adding more healthy fats into this meal was key!

D. Be prepared! I am in the car a lot running around and again, I sometimes forget to eat decent meals. I stocked up on some good, healthy options to keep in my car so I didn’t end up pulling over to Culvers. Trader Joes has some awesome “jerky” options. They are called EPIC bars and my favorite is the sriracha chicken flavor. I keep my G2G bars handy as well. I use those as a mid-day snack with a second [or third] cup of coffee.

E. Speaking of snacks… that has been a big adjustment for me too. I have fallen in love with rice cakes + almond butter + strawberries. I try to keep snacking to a minimum of course but finding and keeping a good inventory of healthy snacks is key! Fruit has always been a big go to for me as well. That way when my kids see me snacking and want some, its fruit, not the processed sugar food!

Overall, I am coming up on 2 months of readjusting my workout/ nutrition plan.  The best part is, it was a lifestyle change. I never felt restricted or had withdrawals. As we know, this is a process. I am still working on different goals and trying to find new ways to gain the energy I need. I just started up at a new gym and after the first workout I was HOOKED! Thank god my BFF joined with me though ;) I have debated doing the Whole30 again. Even though that’s considered a “restriction” diet, when I did it before I felt it was more of a lifestyle change and taught me how to cook differently. However, I think it will be a lot easier this time around because I feel like I eat “Whole 30” approved 70% of the time.

I look forward to seeing how my postpartum journey grows … it has just begun!