Get the best tips on post baby weight loss!
Something I haven’t written about much in the last two years is my weight loss journey.
For the longest time, I was embarrassed about my “before” pictures.
Even though I no longer look like that, I was ashamed of the way I looked and didn’t want anyone to know (even though I obviously looked like this to everyone all day every day, I didn’t have this visual image of myself until I looked at photos).
Now that I am 2 years out from starting my weight loss journey, and 1.5 years past hitting the big 50 lb mark, I feel comfortable sharing these images and also feel obligated to do so because I know there are so many moms out there struggling with the same thing.
You don’t have to do this alone!
Update: Ongoing Maintenance
Ever since writing this post two years ago, I find myself needing ways to stay on track without going to the gym as much as I used to.
I found the perfect solution – it’s Lindsey Brin’s Moms Into Fitness DVDs. I keep them at home for when I can’t make it to the gym, and I even take them on vacation (I try to fit in 1 or 2 workouts on vacation in addition to fun activities).
I know you’ll love Pretty Fierce Weight Loss as much as I do! (Note: these are affiliate links and will result in a small commission upon purchase – thank you for supporting my blogging endeavors!).
Once you’re at a high fitness level, then you might be interested in Pretty Fierce Lean Out as well.
I use these DVDs when I really need a great workout in a short amount of time. They’re awesome & very advanced.
Post Baby Weight Loss Tips
There are so many things I changed about my life once I finally decided to get fit and shed the baby weight
(although in reality I was already overweight before having kids…but it’s all related to the same bad habits that were just exacerbated by pregnancy).
First Step to Post Baby Weight Loss – Finding Motivation
The biggest thing I did before starting this journey was to find my motivation.
For me, it was getting healthy for my kids and also my future grandchildren.
My parents both have blood sugar problems in their 60s, and I don’t want to find myself in the same place thirty years from now. I want to give myself the best shot at being around as long as possible for my kids and their kids and so on.
So I decided to do something about it NOW.
What’s your motivation?
If you don’t find that first, it’s be too easy to get discouraged and quit before you’re done losing weight.
Being in the throes of weight loss mode is not an easy place to be. But if can get past the current difficulty and focus on the outcome, you’ll succeed.
Second Step to Post Baby Weight Loss – Education
One thing about being overweight that never occurred to me until I decided to lose weight for good….is the fact that I THOUGHT I knew about healthy eating and fitness. But I didn’t really. If I did, I wouldn’t have been overweight in the first place.
The missing link for me was NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE.
I started reading everything I could get my hands on about nutrition, dieting, and fitness, and the pieces all started coming together.
I remember one of the first “nutrition” books I ever read was Eat This Not That, and I was sincerely surprised by most of the recommendations. I just had no clue how to tell a good food choice from a bad one or which foods were better for you than others.
Slowly but surely I finally began to understand how sugar reacts in your body, how your body uses fats and protein, the benefits of certain exercises over others, the importance of stretching, and more.
I can remember exactly which books I read along my journey.
Read More: The Nutritional Books That Fueled My 50-lb Weight Loss
I cannot stress enough how important educating myself about nutrition, weight loss, and fitness was to the success of my weight loss journey.
With my new found knowledge, I was able to make informed decisions along the way and my mindset changed from one of deprivation (things I couldn’t eat) to one of information (what I should eat for optimum health).
I also now know how to fit sugar into my life without letting it ruin my results.
Third Step to Post Baby Weight Loss – Dedication
Honestly, the hardest part about losing weight is just sticking to it.
There are times when I felt so hungry I could have eaten cardboard. But I stuck with it, tweaked my diet along the way so I didn’t feel deprived, and came out the other side feeling great and looking better than I ever thought I could after having 3 kids.
I noticed along the way that I had a tough time sticking to my diet if I wasn’t properly hydrated. To help me keep track of water intake, I would either keep track of it on a sheet of paper or in MyFitnessPal.
Since then, I created a simple daily water tracking checklist that’s cute enough to go on my fridge. 🙂
Feel free to grab a copy for yourself here:
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO GET THE DAILY WATER TRACKER
In the midst of the challenge (as I call it), I felt like it would NEVER END. But in reality it was only 6 months of my life.
Six months! I was pregnant for 30 months of my life. That was wayyyyyy longer!
Lists to Help Me Stay on Track
I am a LIST MAKER, so I found that keeping a workout calendar of sorts helped me stay accountable.
Instead of pre-filling the tracking sheet with workouts, I challenged myself to fill all the spaces in as fast as possible. This made it a challenge as opposed to a chore, and kept me motivated on the way.
Below is a picture of the grid I created for this. I know it looks messy, but that’s because I like doing things by hand and I drew the grids and wrote in the numbers myself.
Here’s how it works:
Those numbered boxes represent ONE HOUR of exercise each. Any exercise that is moderately difficult (so, not walking).
I would consider an exercise moderately difficult if it made me sweat within the first 8-10 minutes and then didn’t get any easier (so, like a kickboxing class, jogging intervals on the treadmill, a weight lifting session, etc).
Every time I completed an hour of exercise, I would write down what that exercise was right below the number (it’s hard to see in this photo, but they’re there).
So, for example, if I did 2 hours of exercise at the gym, I would fill in 2 boxes for that day. The crazy color scheme is due to the fact that my highlighters kept walking off (a.k.a. the kids stole them! :0 )
I used this tracking method three times and each time my dieting efforts were different.
- I found that when I stuck to a STRICT DIET and didn’t take too many days off while exercising, I could lose 25 lbs within 100 hours of exercise.
- I found that when my diet was fairly strict with several cheat meals built in every week, I lost 20 lbs in 100 hours of exercise.
- And I found that a so-so diet (half way good, half way bad), still helped me lose 15 lbs after 100 hours of exercise.
I feel like doing this three times PROVED to me that this method works.
I highly recommend this to everyone who needs motivation for a LONG WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY like mine.
Before you start on your weight loss journey, I would give yourself a pep talk.
Set a specific goal and tell yourself you will see it through to the end. Keep working hard (smarter as you go, too, because you’ll be constantly learning more if you educate yourself along the way) and persevere. You WILL see great results.
I heard a great piece of advice that stuck with me throughout my weight loss journey. It was “Do it once, and do it right.” This helped me get through many rough patches and stick to my plan even when the world was conspiring against me.
If you have to, come up with mini challenges to give yourself something to focus on besides how hard it is to stay on track.
Even something simple like doing 100 jumping jacks every day will help you stay focused on what’s important – making yourself move away from being sedentary.
Kitchen Tools & Workout Gear I Use Daily
Whether I was tracking my food in Weight Watchers (what I did early on) or logging in what I ate to MyFitnessPal (what I switched to later on), I made sure to be as accurate as possible in my measurements. I found that when I didn’t measure my food, I grossly OVERestimated how much I was eating. I left a LOT of delicious calories on the table in the beginning! Not anymore. I now use the kitchen tools below regularly to keep my food logs consistent and accurate.
I also couldn’t do without a couple of integral pieces of workout gear. If I walk into the gym these days without my special earphones and armband, I almost feel naked!
1. Yurbuds Inspire Sport Earphones
Seriously these are the best earphones! I used to have the toughest time with all my headphones either A) hurting my ears or B) falling out constantly. These do neither – they’re very comfortable AND they’re made specifically for women (smaller size so they fit comfortably!).
Buy Yurbuds Women’s Earbuds HERE >>>
2. iPhone Armband
I use my old iPhone at the gym to stream Pandora via wifi. I like cute armbands like this one that also fit tightly. It’s super annoying when your armband slips while you’re trying to work out! Tip: Pandora costs $3.99 per month to play with no ads. It’s totally worth it for the uninterrupted workout motivation you get in return!
3. Digital Kitchen Scale
I simply zero out the weight of my plate or bowl using the Tare function, then put my food on for accurate measurement.
Buy Digital Kitchen Scale HERE >>>
4. Measuring Spoons
I think I have one set of measuring spoons for the family and two extras for myself! When I started tracking my ingredients, I found that there are A LOT of things that must be measured in teaspoons and especially tablespoons. So I never could find a clean one to use. Now I don’t have that problem! 🙂
Buy Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons HERE >>>
5. Sectioned Bento Box Containers
I have a set of 4 lunchbox containers just like these, and they have been INSTRUMENTAL in my weight loss journey! When I am really on top of my game, I like to prepare four day’s worth or so of meals ahead of time, and portion out each day’s lunches in these containers. I really need a second set for dinners, too, but so far have been making do with random plastic containers around the house (NOT ideal because the food gets all mixed up! yuck…).
Buy Bento Box Containers HERE >>>
You might be wondering what a sample meal looks like in these bento lunch boxes. Basically, it’s about 5 oz of meat (chicken, fish) plus 1/2 cup of steamed veggies (usually broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans), and 1/2 cup of carbs (sweet potatoe, quinoa, or wild rice). I keep it simple because I don’t mind eating the same foods all week, and that really simplies the cooking process.
Here’s other meal prep containers I like: Meal Prep Haven Stackable Containers
6. Brooks Ghost Running Shoes
These have been the best thing for my feet. I have high arches, and they provide great support while also having a flexible fabric that lets the rest of my foot move around properly. I replace these tennis shoes about every 2-3 months when I’m really workout out consistently 4-5 days per week.
Buy a Pair of Brooks Ghost 14 HERE >>>
7. Adidas Duffel Bag
I love my workout bag because it has a main compartment with an interior zippered pocket and also because it has a ventilated compartment that you access from the side where you can put your smelly workout shoes! It’s perfect for separating your smelly shoes from the rest of your stuff. This is especially helpful when you’re carrying around workout gear and a change of clothes in the same bag!
Buy an Adidas Duffel Bag HERE >>>
8 Things I Changed About My Life Permanently
Looking back on my weight loss journey and comparing the new me (fit, energetic) to the old me (overweight, lethargic, grumpy), some major differences stand out. Some things I changed on purpose and others just evolved. Here are some differences between fat me and fit me.
1) Fat me watched 2-3 hours of television every day. Fit me doesn’t watch much, if any tv each day.
Do I miss having favorite tv shows that I watched regularly without fail? Yes.
Would I trade my fit status for tv time? NOPE! I have a habit of making general “rules” to help keep me on track.
One of my rules now is that if I had time to watch a tv show, I have time to fit in a workout.
Because my life is already so busy with 3 kids, volunteer efforts, and blogging, I don’t have time to watch tv AND work out most days. So working out wins. If I can, I try to time my workouts when some of my favorite shows are on tv and I watch them on the treadmill or elliptical at the gym. It’s a win-win! 🙂
2) Fat me would set loose workout goals and try to “fit in” gym time. Fit me sits down with my planner every weekend to plan out my workouts for the week, down to the exact time I will be at the gym and what I will be doing.
For instance, I know which days I will do cardio and which days I will lift weights.
This helps me in figuring out child care and also plan my meals properly over the course of the day. It also helps me see what else needs to give so I can fit in the proper amount of workout time for weight loss.
Here’s an example of a schedule I did at the height of my weight loss journey: Weekly Workout Schedule for Losing Weight I wouldn’t recommend this intense schedule on a long-term basis because it is very tough, but for a major weight loss goal, it does get the weight off FAST.
3) Fat me would, when I did work out, put in 30 minutes of moderate exercise at the gym and call it a day. Fit me knows that 30 minutes of moderate exercise won’t stimulate fat loss unless I’m killing it on my diet (and I like to eat).
Fit me works out with purpose. You will NEVER see me wasting time reading a magazine on the treadmill!
4) Fat me sat down every chance possible. I was tired, or so I thought. Fit me stands up whenever possible.
Fit me knows that more active I am, the more energetic I will be. Exercise has an energizing effect.
5) Fat me ate foods advertised as low fat/low calorie/low sugar. Fit me understands that my body needs fats, carbs, and protein, and understands the proper balance necessary for proper exercise fuel, weight loss and maintenance.
Fit me enjoys foods fat me previously consider off limits because I now understand their place (or eat something I shouldn’t simply because it’s delicious with full knowledge of its impact on my body!)
6) Fat me wasn’t really sure what food was good to eat and what was not. Fit me can look at a food and instantly estimate its nutritional value. F
it me can also determine if there are better available options and make an informed decision at meal or snack time.
In order to learn about nutrition, I constantly consumed books about food. I checked out dozens of library books and read a new magazine or BodyBuilding.com article every week.
The best thing about learning is that knowledge builds on itself and can’t be unlearned.
7) Fat me ate whenever I felt the slightest bit hungry. Fit me only eats to not feel starving.
I used to eat constantly…overeating at mealtimes and snacking in between. I also usually ate a fourth meal at 10 p.m. because I was hungry and the fridge was calling my name.
Now I am able to recognize true hunger and distinguish it from gassiness and carb cravings.
8) Fat me moved at a slow pace. Fit me moves fast.
I get way more done AND burn more calories at the same time!
What I Ate to Lose 50 Lbs
Here’s a snapshot of some of my diet staples when I was on my weight loss journey.
And LOOK! You can see my exercise tracker on the wall behind the table. 🙂
As you can see, this isn’t so much of a diet food list. It’s more of a REAL FOOD list.
What I changed most about my diet was my overall food philosophy. I went from large portions of pre-packaged and/or fattening and/or high carb foods to more whole foods and fibrous snacks like popcorn. I filled in the hunger gaps with lots of tea (green tea during the day and herbal tea at night). And veggies with hummus was my favorite snack. Lots of flavor for very few calories!
Greek yogurt helped me reach my protein goals, as well did cottage cheese. And protein bars were there because, as a busy mom, I don’t always have time to prepare a proper meal for myself, so I had these on hand at all times to eat as a meal replacement OR as a snack (you need lots of fuel when you work out as much as I did!).
To keep myself honest, I used a food tracking app. I started with Weight Watchers (I think it’s $19 or so per month), but eventually switched to MyFitnessPal, which is free. I wrote about some free options here: 3 Free Weight Loss Programs with Apps.
I am constantly challenging myself in this area.
Eating the same thing ALL THE TIME can get pretty boring, so my new goal is to find a few healthy smoothies that I like.
I’m starting with these 7 Healthy Green Smoothies. Here’s the actually base grocery store shopping list I used for our family for many months ==>> Healthy Grocery Store List for a Family While Mom Loses Weight
That’s it for now! I hope to keep adding to this post as I think of things in the future. If you have any questions for me, please let me know in the comments! And good luck on your own journey!
Amy F says
Hi! Great tips and advice!! I tried to add myself to your mailing list, but wasn’t able to. It says it is not active. Can you please add me? Thanks!
Mickey A. says
Loosing weight depends on what you eat and your lifestyle. If really want to lose weight you have to monitor what you eat. Eat healthy food that has low carbs and calories and workout at the same time.
Anna says
Thank you for this, Lena. When I see your before picture and how great you look now, it gives me hope… I have 30 pounds to lose after baby #6. My last two babies were so big (11 lb 12 oz, 10 lb 12 oz) and I never lost all of it after #5. I have such a thick middle, it just depresses me. 🙁 I find it so hard to manage exercise and eating right since I started blogging. But I really, really want to get there this time. I’m sure I’ll be coming back to this post for encouragement!
Thanks.
Lena Gott says
You know, blogging is definitely TOUGH on your waistline! I’ve gained a few lbs since I started blogging seriously and am now back at the gym doing my tried and true Live Fit Trainer. I’ve decided I can’t have it all, so I need a balance going forward. Since I don’t have as much time to hit the gym as before, I definitely watch what I eat a little better. That seems to make a big difference.
Cc says
Did you have c -section with any of your kids? And if so did you find it harder to exercise?……my 11 month old baby was a c-section and I’m finding it’s really hard to start working out. Doctors say it can take up to a year or longer for you recover from a c-section. I have 50 pounds to lose before I can have another baby. Any thoughts?
Lena Gott says
No, I didn’t have a c-section for any of my babies. I have heard that it’s tough to get the scar area to loosen up and also just in general for your muscles to work properly again. Sorry I’m not more help!! 🙁
Sara says
I have been trying to get myself on the right path and start living a healthier life for sometime now; more then I would like to admit, but I like how you gave yourself a challenge, to fill in the spaces in the calendar then following one!
I also like how u picked a goal and motivator.
Really enjoyed reading this.
Must say I’m still worried about how to eat right, and sticking with it. With three young children myself and working a full time job as a nursing assistant (3pm-11pm) I find this to be the hardest part.
Any advice on really detailed basic diet to start out with would be really appreciated. Thanks god bless
Lena Gott says
Hi Sara! Lindsey Brin, who I mentioned at the beginning of this post, has a great set of meal plans that you get if you sign up for her email newsletter. You get options based on how many calories you want to Target each day and it’s real food you’d want to eat – not like an “egg white omelette with veggies.” Other than that, off the top of my head, you might like the Weight Watchers forums if you sign up for that there are all kinds of meal plans mentioned when you log in. I used that in the beginning of my journey and really liked it. The SparkPeople website (free) is also great and has a connected app kind of like WW but it’s free. Good luck with it all!
Why says
Id like to know how u even have time for a workout. I only have 2 kids n dont have a job and bust my butt and i dont even have enough time for cleaning let alone a workout.
Lena Gott says
I won’t lie – it’s tough! But I usually take them to the kidzone area at my gym or go later in the evening when my husband is at home. Sometimes I just workout at home with them around, too. 😀
Jen Shoemate says
I just found out I am pregnant with baby #3. If you had it to do all over again, would you wait until after the baby was here to start fitness and healthy eating, or would you try to attempt after delivery? I know I am going to gain some during this pregnancy but I want to keep it at a minimum so I can shed the weight off. Also we’re there ever any thyroid issues or did it just work out?
Lena Gott says
I would start exercising during pregnancy. I was pretty sedentary during my third pregnancy especially and all my muscle were weak…I felt like I was bending over all the time after delivery simply because my midsection was so out of whack! I would of course talk to your doctor to keep it within reason. 🙂
Lena Gott says
No, I never had any thyroid issues.
Adah Chanel says
I gained 40 lbs with my second one and was drinking a stuff called Mummy magic tea while nursing my LO. It helped losing all those stubborn stones just in three months.