I wanted to write a blog post about this for a while now to share my experience and hope to inspire other women not only mothers but anyone who is struggling with weight loss.  Losing weight doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time, patience, and dedication. After giving birth to my son Christopher Jr., I was the heaviest I had ever been and was on an emotional rollercoaster.  I was tired, insecure, moody and would cry pretty much every day because none of my clothes fit me.  Carrying all three of my babies was a wonderful experience, but my third pregnancy really took a toll on my body.

To give you a little background on my previous pregnancies, I tested positive for gestational diabetes with both of my girls Kaylie and Layla, which developed later in my pregnancy; my glucose levels were too high and had to be managed through either diet or insulin. Luckily for me both pregnancies were managed through diet. When I was diagnosed with GD, I was very nervous not only for me but my baby; it made me aware of what I was eating.  While pregnant you are already limited to certain foods, and now I had to exclude even more. I had to be very strict with my nutrition and was told to limit my carbohydrates to less than 20 grams per meal.  Along with that, I was instructed to exercise daily and attend additional doctor appointments to monitor the baby.  In the end, according to my OBGYN I gained the “recommended” amount of weight.

Fast-forward 13 months to my third pregnancy with Christopher Jr. Turns out I did not have gestational diabetes with him and as you could imagine I was thrilled!  Maybe a little too thrilled and was celebrating every night with ice cream. I did try to pick healthier food choices, but ya know there were times where I didn’t.  I knew once I had my son I needed a lifestyle change. At my six weeks postpartum visit I was cleared for exercising, and the next day I began my weight loss journey.

Let me add that I am not a personal trainer, dietician, or nutritionist. I am only speaking from my experience and what worked for me.

So how did I lose weight after baby #3? Here are the five things that helped me lose up to 35 pounds.

EXERCISE

When I first started working out, I chose to do at home workouts, as opposed to a gym, because it’s where I’m most comfortable and it’s convenient with three small kids. I did a combination of weight lifting and cardio/HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) for 60 minutes, 6 days a week.  My favorite program was Beachbody 80-day Obsession. I did those workouts so many times I memorized the sets and didn’t need to watch the video half the time! 

After completing the Beachbody program, I wanted to try something different. I felt like my body plateaued and needed a change to get me to the next level. I switched to a local gym my husband Chris is a member of that recently started offering virtual workouts and we do the workouts together! I really enjoy working out with Chris and it keeps us both motivated. While most of my workouts are done at home, I also like to stay active by going on walks either around my neighborhood or a local park to get some fresh air.

MEAL PREPPING

The purpose of meal prepping is to prepare your meals ahead of time, especially for anyone with a busy schedule that doesn’t have the time to cook every night. It has saved me lots of time, and made a huge difference in the week ahead!  I portion out my food to help me meet my nutrition goals.  Depending on what I decided to make for the week would make my prep easy or a little time consuming, but I knew it was important to make it easier for me overall. I was committed, and knew this step was crucial to losing weight so I wouldn’t reach for something unhealthy, resort to take out, or skip meals. To this day, I still plan out my meals for the week, and make a list of all the ingredients I will need. I do my online grocery order so that on Sunday I’m ready to meal prep.

PROPER PORTIONS

Portion control is incredibly important, and people’s daily intake is different depending on their weight. I bought these containers from Amazon and honestly I can’t live without them!  I still use them every day. When I first opened them, I was shocked by how small they were. I thought to myself wow I’m going to be starving! In the beginning I did feel hungry after my meals because I was so use to eating till I couldn’t breathe, which we are all guilty of.  My body did adjust fairly quickly, and to this day I won’t go back to over eating.  Today, I eat every 2 to 3 hours to keep my metabolism up and stable my blood sugar levels to avoid those extreme cravings of harmful calories.

REDUCE ALCOHOL

I was never a big drinker to begin with but I did enjoy a glass or two of wine on the weekends. I chose to eliminating alcohol from my diet 95% of the time. I knew that alcohol was added calories, and the hard work I put in for that week with my nutrition and workouts was not worth it for me. If I felt the urge for a glass of wine or spiked seltzer, I would drink flavored seltzer water in a wine glass instead (and maybe some chocolate haha!). We are all human and are allowed to have a slip here and there, but if that happened I made sure I got right back on track with my nutrition.

 FORGET FAST FOOD, PLAN FOR ON THE GO

When I was on the go I had to plan ahead, and almost all the time my meals were prepped and ready to go.  Whether I was running errands or working that day, they went everywhere with me.  I packed them in a lunch bag cooler, and when it was time to eat it was right there waiting for me. It stopped me from making a fast food stop or binging on unhealthy snacks or meals, which in the end I would regret. I always make sure I have almonds or trail mix in my purse for a quick easy snack.

My weight loss journey was not easy for me. I had moments where I wanted to give up, but I stayed focused, and in the end my results were so rewarding it made me proud that I was able to accomplish my goal. I hope this post was helpful and if you have any questions feel free to comment below!