I had my son in 2017 and I was way too confident in my body when it came to “snapping back”. I was young, 23 and assumed that because I had always been thinner, I wouldn’t have to worry. HA I was such a naive person pre baby. I threw up the first 4 months of my pregnancy and lost 13 pounds. I weighed as much as I did in high school. I figured “hey, i’m half way through, how much weight can I really gain?” I gained 45 pounds. Pretty much in 3 months and then just plateaued. This made my stomach break out in stretch marks and it was really hard to shed the last 15 pounds. Even with being a pretty active mom of a newborn and breastfeeding.
I tried going to the gym when I put my son down for bed. I couldn’t do it for long because my son did not sleep more than 2 hours and I was depleted of energy most nights. My husband owns his own business and works long 5-6 hour days. I didn’t get nearly enough time to myself and needed to figure out a way to get my body where I felt comfortable again. 11 months postpartum and I was feeling so down and did not recognize the woman looking back at me in the mirror. I knew some changes were permanent, or too soon to tell, but I still wanted a change.
I found beach body on demand and was especially drawn to the 21day fix. It was a complete 21 day workout system that you could do at home on your laptop or TV. I could do this while the baby was napping or playing. There was a meal plan that focused on eating whole foods and lots of fruits and veggies. You get containers that make it easy to portion out everything. Guys, it couldn’t be easier. I saw so many of my friends on facebook and instagram who tried it and got amazing results. I was hooked and ordered it for about $65 dollars.
I’m not going to get super into the details on the program, because you can check out their website and see all the programs they offer and decide which one is the best for you. All of beach body gives you the same at home workouts and a meal plan to follow. At the end of the 21 days I lost 13 pounds. I cheated a little bit on the meal plan and skipped a couple workouts but it made me have a lifestyle change. I overall ate better. My grocery lists after the program consisted of a lot more vegetables, fruit, smoothies and healthy nutritious meals. I had more energy to keep up with my growing baby and was so proud.
I got pregnant with my daughter a few months later and had a whole new outlook on the way i fed myself during pregnancy. I gained weight a lot slower and gained a more reasonable 30 pounds. When I was 6 weeks postpartum and cleared for working out, I did…you guessed it, the 21Day Fix. And I got back to my pre 1st baby weight! My body is the same weight, but definitely does not look how it used to. Things are saggier and softer. I have some fluff on my tummy and hips, and new stretch marks all around my belly button. I have more toning to do and need to strengthen my core muscles after they carried two babies in less than 2 years. Our bodies are amazing and complete an absolute miracle when our babies are born. Some of you are lucky and do “snap back” but a lot of us don’t and that is ok. There is such a rush to get our bodies back, but you will have plenty of time. The first year, or years actually are the toughest and there is too much pressure in my opinion, to lose the weight.
So take your time, or jump right in. Whatever works for you and makes you happy. You may never be in love with exactly how your body looks, but you must be in love with your body for what it has done. Being a mama and birthing a little human is such an amazing thing and the way we look should not be put into the spotlight. Enjoy yourselves and your babes and know that you are still one hot mama.
m0dernh0usewife 