Well, it’s official! Emma Kate has been in this world for nine months today! When I was pregnant, I always heard people say to go easy on myself as far as weight loss goes, that it takes nine months to gain it, so it takes nine months to lose it. I had always given myself this “deadline” to be back at my pre baby weight, but yall…it’s hard.
A few observations. I am still about 5 pounds from my pre baby weight, HOWEVER, I have a lot more muscle than I had in the months leading up to getting pregnant. I am more going by how my clothes fit than the number on the scale. Don’t get me wrong, a LOT of my old clothes still don’t fit me. My body is shaped differently now, which is still weird to me, but not much I can do about that one!
I’m still not where I want to be, but I actually feel like in the last two months I have made some progress! It feels good to feel like you can see tangible evidence of change, so I wanted to share what has been working for ME the past two months.
1.) Running less. I know, weird, but I think my body is so used to running I’m just not seeing changes with miles on top of miles on top of miles. My body needs something to be mixed up a bit.
2.) Lifting and cross training more. I have been doing random You Tube videos and lifting at home. I just haven’t felt much like going to the gym lately. I either do HITT workouts, abs, arms, or legs and I alternate days.
3.) Drinking A TON of water. I feel like I’m drowning, but I think it’s helping me to not eat as much. I think a lot of time I was really thirsty and not hungry. Plus it’s getting so hot here the water helps keep me from feeling sluggish and getting headaches.
4.) Mindful eating. This is the big one for me, and what has caused the most change. I am great at justifying dessert or junk food, but lately I have been really THINKING about my eating decisions. I do a lot of mindless eating, so I have been trying to really just PAY ATTENTION, and after every bite, think if I am full or if I want to eat some more. I don’t NEED dessert after dinner every night, and I don’t NEED to order sweet tea when I go to my favorite restaurant. These little changes have been adding up, and I know I am headed in the right direction. I have even been eating a handful of salads (gasp!). Also I have been making a ton of smoothies with fruit, greens, and protein powder for breakfast or lunch, which are filling and healthy. I am buying a lot less junk so it’s not even in my house to tempt me. However, this past weekend with my birthday party and family in town I didn’t eat so great, but getting back on track now!
I still want to firm up and drop a few more pounds, but I know it takes time, and slow and steady is the way to go. I refuse to deprive myself of ALL yummy treats, but I am working on the definition of moderation right now. 
I feel good, and I am getting a lot of sleep which is also SUPER helpful for me. It’s not fun, but I force myself to go to bed between 9 and 9:30 every night so I get adequate rest. It’s worth it to me!
I will check back in at the one year mark and see where I am. Hopefully I am stronger and still proud of myself. I just want to keep working hard, and making good choices.
QOTD: Did your body shape change after you had kids? Did you build more muscle?
Salads! I’m impressed!! Haha! 🙂 Great job with mindful eating – it’s not always easy but definitely worth it in the end!
The McAlister’s pecanberry salad isn’t bad!
You look great, Heather! Your motivation is inspiring! Mindful eating is always hard, but you just keep rocking it out and you’ll drop that extra 5 pounds in no time!
Thank you!
Heather you look amazing! You’ve done a great job losing weight! Much better than I did…it took me almost 7 years to lose my pregnancy weight lol! Mindful eating is tough but it will help you drop those last few pounds. And I hear ya about your body shape changing. Pregnancy seems to shift everything around lol!
Yes, it will be interesting to see the swimsuit situation when I go to the beach next week haha
My body changed shape too after my baby. I have hips now! I think you look fantastic. Keep up the hard work!
haha my problem is I ALREADY had big hips. oy.
Girl you look fabulous!!
SO TRUE!! I was only a few pounds away from pre-baby weight and my pants still wouldn’t fit because my hips had changed. It’s so weird how your body really does change and carry weight differently after giving birth. It sounds like you are making really smart choices, especially in regards to not relying solely on the scale. It all about how you feel!
Thanks, it’s hard to not care about the scale but b/c I’m so hard on myself!
You look amazing girl!! No one would ever know that you gave birth less than a year ago!
haha thank you friend
You look fantastic momma!
🙂 thanks
You look great! At 8 months PP, I’m about 5-6 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight, too, but it doesn’t bother me because I’m also (slightly) more muscular. It’s crazy how our body shape changes so much, though. Certain things “fit,” but they feel so different. I feel like the mindful eating thing is going to be my biggest challenge when I stop nursing.
You’re doing fantastic. Be proud of how far you’ve come.
Thanks, and good luck to you!
My sister just had a baby a week ago! I am curious to hear about her transformation back after baby! It’s so interesting to me that your entire body shape changes and such! I am glad you seem very happy with where you are though 🙂
It’s very interesting for sure that i can be so close to my pre preg weight but still not have things fit!