How I Became More Confident in My Post-Baby Body Than Pre-Baby Body

For starter’s I’m in no way an expert on fitness and dieting I’m merely sharing my tips that helped me reach my goals and how I became more confident in my post-baby body than my pre-baby body.

After having twins my body went through a limbo of transformations. Struggling with body image came in full force after becoming a mom. It is possible to absolutely love your children but not be happy with what pregnancy did to your body. Not loving the way your body looks and feels after baby is in no way saying you resent your children. No matter how much my body changed I would do it again in heart beat for my kids. I know exactly how hard it can be to eat healthy and make time to work out with little ones taking all your energy. I’ve gone from feeling like my body wouldn’t be capable of ever looking healthy and fit again to having a body I’m more proud of then before I had kids.

We only get one body and I think it’s our responsibility to take care of it.

Abs Are Revealed in the Kitchen

Have you ever heard that saying “Abs are made in the kitchen?” Well somewhat true.

Abs are made in the gym but revealed in the kitchen.

You can crunch until your face turns blue but you’ll never see them unless you eat right. Before I changed my diet I worked out all the time. I did boot camp twice a week and ran 3-4x the other days but.. I still ate junk. I thought I deserved it and rewarded myself with bad food. Pizza, soda, chocolate, chicken strips, pasta, I love it all. My body was changing but I wasn’t getting the results I thought I had put in the work for. So step one.

Cut The Carbs

I said goodbye to Dr. Pepper, bread, pasta, frozen foods, and fast food. I think dieting is all about balance though. When I would eat well 4-5 days I would allow myself one soda and chic fil a but I didn’t go crazy on cheat day.

Allowing yourself a cheat meal every now and then is healthy and will keep you on track or at least that’s what it did for me! The first two weeks are the HARDEST. I took it day by day meal by meal and now I crave grilled chicken salad instead of frozen pizza. Cheeseburgers make me feel like crap after I eat them now.

What The Health

Read Those Nutrition Facts Before Eating

I learned that you can’t just count calories. I would eat a frozen “healthy” dinner and it would only be 100-200 cal. and I thought “hey, that’s awesome” when I was only counting calories. Then I researched more and starting to read the nutrition facts. It would say 64g of CARBS and ridiculous amounts of sodium. Seriously, horrible for trying to lose weight and shouldn’t be considered healthy in any way.

I ditched the frozen dinners and read nutrition facts on everything. Especially those smoothies/shakes you think are so low in calories. Check the grams of sugar and carbs before buying. After reading Jamba Juice nutrition facts I never trusted any smoothie places.

With that being said I did a lot of research and found foods that were low in carbs and fat and high in protein. Protein helps you stay full longer and helps avoid snacking.

Here’s Exactly What I’ve Been Eating For the Last Seven Months:

I stayed around a 1,200 calorie diet but my main focus was getting my carbs down. I tried to stay around 75-90g of carbs everyday. It all depends on your age, sex, activity level and health though. A low carb diet is around 100-125 grams a day. I also make sure my protein is high. My menu may seem pretty bland but honestly I crave all the things on this list now!

I stopped eating at 7:00PM everyday.

Once dinner ends stay away from the late night snacks! I like to workout around 8PM or an hour after dinner so that I’m not tempted to snack because lets be honest, no good food is eaten after 7pm. By staying out of the kitchen by that time it will help eliminate those empty calorie foods and help promote weight loss.

Abs Are Made in the Gym

I think the toughest part about working out is getting off the couch and getting to the gym.

Ouch. Yeah it’s the realistic.

The hardest muscle to train is your mind. The only thing stopping you from the body you want is literally and only you.

“Your body can stand almost anything. Its you’re mind you have to convince.”

Trust me. The first day is going to be the hardest you’ll want to quit 20x, especially if it’s been awhile. Take it rep by rep but don’t quit. A day will turn into a week and a week will turn into a month. Once I found my motivation and conquered my mind my whole life changed. Suddenly I was stronger, leaner, I had more energy, I didn’t run out of breath climbing the stairs and I felt so good. Find a friend who you can work out with or keep each other motivated and responsible.

If you pay for a boot camp or trainer you’ll me more likely to show up and not skip because well you paid to be there. I started out with a boot camp and it was the perfect atmosphere and push I needed. I trained with Gail Privott at 3^rd Degree Fitness for about 5 months. Here’s her facebook https://www.facebook.com/3rdDegreeFitnessByGail/?fref=ts

My Exact Workouts From the Last Seven Months

I use the Sweat with Kayla app! (linked at the bottom) You can do these workouts anywhere! I always do them at home when I couldn’t make it to the gym. It’s only 30 minutes long and you can choose your workout (legs, abs, arms)
I attend 2x a week a HIIT training class. It’s a body blast class that uses HIIT combined with hand weights to tone your whole body. (HIIT is the type of workout on the Sweat with kayla app) These classes were 1 hour long compared to Kayla’s 30 minutes.
I try to run 4-6 miles a week. Not all at once (I’m not there yet, but that’s my next goal). Let me tell you why people don’t like cardio.. because its HARD but it is so worth it.

Listed below is my favorite ab workout. Total you end up doing 300 reps and 3 minutes of planks.

-If you go to the gym, one machine you have to use is the stair master. If you don’t have a gym find the nearest bleachers or stairs! It is the best butt and leg workout!