The picture below is my one year postpartum transformation. Sharing it isn’t easy but my goal as a trainer & blogger is to inspire other moms on their fitness journey so I put on my big girl pants and did it! I took the before pictures when I was almost 3 months postpartum and the after pictures were taken around 15 months postpartum. Fitness has always been a huge part of my life but I entered a whole new world when I became a Mom! I had no idea if I could ever get back to the way I felt pre-pregnancy. You know what? I don’t think I want to. My body just isn’t the same, growing a tiny human kind of changes things around a bit, am I right? I had C-section which is a MAJOR surgery and the very first surgery I’ve ever had. So as I started getting back into shape, I focused on redefining my fitness journey as a Mom and took it one day at a time. It wasn’t about dropping the weight as fast as possible, it was about healing (and recovering from my C-Section), gaining back my overall strength, and feeling confident in my new body.

Motherhood throws A LOT at you all at once, so I really had to be patient with myself and find what worked for me. I was SO excited when I first got the clear from my doctor to workout but starting this journey came with a lot of ups and downs. First and foremost, the baby’s needs came first and took priority, especially as a breastfeeding Mama. I had to realize I couldn’t drop everything to do a workout or spend an hour meal prepping, it just wasn’t happening. I had to be available 24/7 for feedings so finding the time to get in a workout (let alone the energy) was really tough. Between my body healing from surgery, breastfeeding, lack of sleep, and being the primary caretaker for our baby….I had no idea when I was going to fit workouts in or make a meal for myself! So I started with a small goal of working out at home three times a week (and I tried to walk with my baby everyday) and once I was able to find a rhythm, I added in 4-5 workouts a week. I was REALLY sore the first time I did a strength training workout so I gave myself extra rest days when I needed it. Especially if my upper body was sore because as we moms know, you are constantly dong upper body work just by holding your baby all day long so that counts, right?

How I made the transformation

Overall, I took it one day at a time, one workout at a time, and one meal at a time. Below I will share my nutrition plan and workouts as well as tips for you to start using today!

Nutrition

I didn’t follow any fad diet or strict meal plan, I made a conscious effort to eat healthy and find a balance. I’m a big believer in the 80/20 rule! I I did take some guidance from one of Beachbody’s nutrition plans called the 2B Mindset since it’s very similar to the way I like to eat but overall I just found a balance that worked for me. I know eating healthy makes me FEEL better and it was even more important while I was breastfeeding because I wanted to pass on as many nutrients and vitamins to my son as I could. I breastfed my him up until he was almost 14 months (I weaned VERY slow to prevent plugged ducts & mastitis) and I will say I felt WAY more hungry while breastfeeding than pregnant. The first 6 months of breastfeeding I felt ravenous! So I really tried to make sure I got in enough calories to keep producing milk and that those calories were coming from nutritious foods (and not justifying dessert because I needed more calories).I had a hard time producing enough milk in the beginning so I didn’t switch my focus to weight loss until Ricky & I found our rhythm with breastfeeding (4-5 months).

Nutrition is a HUGE factor in losing weight and living an overall healthy lifestyle. I feel that I have a pretty good balance by following my own “rules” but that can be hard to translate to others so I am currently researching different programs to see which one aligns best with my nutrition to provide my readers and my clients with something a little more structured. I will keep you posted! Until then, I can give you an idea of what a typical day of eating looks like for me (see pics below). I of course deviate from my own plan on days (no one is perfect and I like chocolate!) but this is my typical meal plan each day. I usually have a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack depending on how the day goes so I listed some of my favorite snacks to give you some ideas. I’ve always done best eating every 3-4 hours so having 2 snacks a day just works for me but I know many people who don’t need it, it all depends on what works best for you. I post a lot of my meals & snacks on my Instagram stories so be sure to follow me there to get some food inspiration!

My Nutrition Tips

• Eat breakfast! I LOVE breakfast and personally think (I’m not a nutritionist, this is just my opinion) it’s not a meal you should skip, it gives you energy to power through your morning and gets your metabolism going.
• Never let yourself get hangry. I am WAY too familiar with this and I become a crazy person when I’m ravenous so I always make sure I have a snack on hand to avoid wanting to eat anything and everything I see, usually I don’t make the best food choices when I’m at that point.
• Incorporate veggies into every meal! Get all those good nutrients (for you and baby if breastfeeding) at every meal. I like keeping frozen veggies for this reason, they are readily available and won’t go bad before I forget to cook them.
• Read food labels. There is a lot of hidden sugar and carbs in foods we may think are healthy so be conscious of that when grocery shopping. For example, I never buy flavored yogurt because it’s just packed with a ton of added sugar. I buy plain greek yogurt and add in my own fruit and sweetner (honey or truvia).
• Drink A LOT of Water! Especially if you are breastfeeding, this is key to staying hydrated and keeping your supply up. 
• Don’t eat after dinner. This is the hardest one for me! I have a sweet tooth and am a late night snacker but I’ve made an effort to break these bad habits and I share tips that helped in this blog post.
• Have a piece of chocolate…if you really want it. Yes, I said it! I am not a fan of restrictions but I also know eating ice cream every night isn’t going to get me closer to my goals so I’ve had to find a balance. I share some of my dessert tips in this blog post and some ideas on healthier options.

My Workouts

Although I’m a trainer, I honestly had so much going on as a new mom that I didn’t have the brain capacity at the time to create my own program (I am working on that now!) so I followed a few trusted online fitness programs (see my Online Accountability page for before/after pics & details) along with my own workouts and I SLOWLY progressed. Honestly, I don’t think there is enough guidance for women on what to do/not to do when we get the clear to workout  (which is a topic for another post)  and it’s something I am trying to learn more about it to  help other Mamas! So I started with just bodyweight moves or very light weights and then worked my way up to heavier weights. I’ll be honest, I was nervous to do ANY core work at first because I didn’t want to rupture my C-Section incision so I avoided anything that didn’t feel right and the second something pulled in a weird way or hurt, I immediately stopped. Being a trainer I have the information and guidance to make sure I’m doing the right things, but again you have to find what works for you. Some exercises work and some don’t so during your workouts you have to make sure the exercises you are doing are helping and not hurting you. The only way to do this is to really focus on how you feel while working out. I also checked for diastasis recti (abdominal separation) before I started working out because there are specific exercises to help heal it if it’s something you have (if you aren’t sure or haven’t heard if it, I recommend asking your doctor). If you are looking for some guidance on where to start your fitness journey as a Mama, I created a FREE 3 week workout plan using the workouts on my blog that I’m happy to share. Please send me an email at sweatthestressfitness@gmail.com or send me a message through my blog!

My Workout Tips

• Start SLOW! We all want to give our workouts everything we have but when you are in Mom mode, up all night and barely functioning, take it easy on yourself and start slow. I recommend starting with some bodyweight exercises (squats, lunges, push-ups, planks, etc.) or VERY light weights (3-5lbs) to see how your body feels.
• Start with a goal of 3 days a week for 20-30 minutes. Your body is still recovering from giving birth so I recommend a few rest days in between workouts to give your body a chance to recover.
• Do the workout at your own pace and do what feels comfortable. If a movement just doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. This IS the time to listen to your body so you can build your strength and get to the point where you can push yourself harder.  
• Find a workout buddy or accountability partner. There are a ton of options to help keep you motivated and accountable, you can work with a trainer, an online coach, go to group fitness classes, or set a goal with your husband to do it together. Whatever works best for you!
• Pick a time to workout. I know this may not always workout (and it won’t, trust me!) but have an idea of when you can get your workout in. When I started, I told myself I would do it whenever my son fell asleep for his first nap in the morning because I knew the longer I waited, the less energy I would have. If you work full-time, I always recommend doing it first thing in the morning before your baby is up. This is WAY easier said than done but if you can, I promise it’s worth it!
• Workout with your baby! My son LOVED when I put him in the carrier and did my workout with him. He loved the movement and found it soothing so there you go! Taking walks and eventually a run with your baby is another great way to get exercise in.

I hope this helped give you some tips and ideas for your postpartum journey! As always, I am here if you have any questions. I offer in person training if you are local to Jupiter, FL and I also have online training available if you aren’t local or have a crazy schedule. Feel free to reach out anytime! Just remember, be patient with yourself on this journey, your body just did an AMAZING thing and brought you the most precious gift any of us could ask for. YOU GOT THIS MAMA!!