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North South Blonde

A food and lifestyle blog

How to Get Your Body Back After Baby

March 10, 2016 Lifestyle, Wellness

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Before I met my husband 4 years ago, I was in the best shape of my life. It was so easy to focus on improving myself because I had nothing but positive support from friends and family. I had time to myself, I was disciplined, and I was confident in myself. Believe it or not, I was doing 5 Km running and biking. I was working full-time, ate clean foods and small portion sizes. I lived in a growing city and of course there was so much to do.

When we found out we were blessed with a child, sometimes you have to sacrifice certain things in life to do what’s best for you and your family. And for us, that was moving to Northern Ontario for a successful job opportunity. I found it very difficult to adapt to the new lifestyle at first. It was country living and very laid back. It took some time, but in the end, I was so busy after having two babies that I had no choice other than to learn, love and accept the big change.

How to Get Your Body Back

Pregnancy and Weight Gain

With my first pregnancy, I had gained a total of 30 pounds. It was a life changing event for me and even though I was so thrilled about having a baby, I wasn’t sure if I was ready yet. I indulged a lot during the 40 weeks of bearing my child and I wish I hadn’t, only in moderation. Stress played a big role in overeating. And lack of exercise contributed to weight gain. The more I sat down, the more tired I felt.

On to baby number two – I gained 20 more pounds. Before I knew it, I had gained a total of 50 pounds from having two back-to-back pregnancies. And although I thought that once it was over, everything would go back to how it was, I was dreaming of course! Not only was I exhausted, I was even more stressed out because I had a toddler running around and a newborn baby to hold. I was down on myself and started to believe that my body would never be the same again.

Being a mother changed my life. I didn’t have time to myself anymore, to do my makeup every day, style my hair, take care of me. I was the last person I thought about. My kids are my world. They come first. Caring for little humans can be the most difficult thing for a person with no experience.

Your motherly instincts usually set in and your love and care comes naturally as you drop everything and would do anything for your little ones. This is true and this is why a lot of people wish to not have children. They would rather have one responsibility only, to themselves.

For me, I began to forget about my self. I want my kids to have everything at all times and be the best mother I could be for them because I’m scared of failing. I forget to take care of myself the way that I used to, to love myself as much as I did before. Only with time did I become truly comfortable being a mother and began to realize that I needed to take care of me again.

Whatever I was doing wasn’t working. I was tired, I was drained, and I needed to change my habits and make a permanent change. I wanted to have the energy to look after my kids and be the best mother I could possibly be.

Diet and Exercise for Postpartum Weight Loss

My diet was the first thing I needed to change. I cut out all of the junk and started focusing on clean fruits and vegetables and lean meat. Also, I cut down the amount of carbs in my diet and limited myself to very little to no bread. Gluten-free and vegan diets are saved on my Pinterest boards, and before even starting my work-out regime I was noticing a difference – less bloating, a lighter feeling, and more energy.

Fat Burning Recipes
  • Fat Burning Green Smoothie (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Paleo)
  • Fat Burning Cabbage Soup (GF, Keto, Paleo, Whole 30, and Vegan)
  • Immune Boosting Keto Green Smoothie (GF, Vegan, Paleo, Whole 30)

Now, I squeeze in one hour straight of exercise in the morning and it usually involves working core muscles (on a yoga mat) or full body cardio (on our elliptical). I’m mixing up walking and jogging a minimum distance of 3 kilometres a day. Slowly but surely, I saw the results I wanted.

Just remember, the results will not come right away. Just like anything else in life, it takes work. You need to learn to be comfortable with your new routine because it needs to stick with you for the long run. It shouldn’t be an instant fix, a “loose 10 pounds in 1 week” fad.

How to Lose The Baby Weight

The key to getting your body back is a lifestyle change, a permanent decision, something you will do daily without having to think much about. It also needs to work well with your schedule.

Of course cooking, cleaning, and looking after your children is already a heck of a job. All you have to do is make the time for healthy, vigorous exercise and encourage the rest of your family to do so by getting them involved. Set an example.

Today, I am down 20 pounds from the total baby weight that I had gained. Thanks to all of the positive changes I made, I’m slowly accomplishing my goal, accepting what I have, and feeling confident in my skin. Even though I may not look exactly like how I imagined, I am strong and I am healthy. And that is exactly what my girls need in their life as a role model.

Workout must haves:

I would love to hear your story in the comments below. Feel free to leave a question!

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Comments

  1. Lauren says

    March 10, 2016 at 4:08 pm

    Wow Mich !! So proud of you!! You are so right, it’s definitely a lifestyle change but your health and wellness routine is so inspirational for the girls.

    Love you!!

    Lauren

    • North South Blonde says

      March 10, 2016 at 5:07 pm

      Thanks Lauren! It is all beneficial in the long run for sure. Glad I am an inspiration and keep in touch!
      Love you too!

  2. Franca Nemis says

    March 12, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    Excellent article Michelle!
    i’m sure it will inspire all the moms out there going through the same thing…we all want to strive to be the best moms we can be…whether we are stay at home moms or working moms….trying to balance raising our children, keeping our homes tidy, making sure our meals are healthy, and tending to our partner’s needs..
    we can start to feel overwhelmed, stressed out, and lonely….(this can also lead to depression)…..because we forgot to look after ourselves in the
    process…. we feel this enormous guilt if we take time out for ourselves…and this can be dangerous for our health…
    we have to learn to ask for some support, and not try to be supermom at
    all times…take the time out for exercise (very important to feel great again, mentally and physically) do your hair, makeup, manicures,
    its OK to do things FOR YOU…..
    Remember, once you improve yourself mentally, and physically, and do
    the things that make you feel good…..will you BECOME a better person,
    mother, partner…..and everyone around you will respond to this new
    person…..

    thanks for your inspiration
    love your mom

  3. North South Blonde says

    March 30, 2016 at 11:29 am

    Thanks mom! I love you and I learn from the best. You are my inspiration!

  4. Cate says

    April 12, 2016 at 3:26 pm

    Your article was so inspiring, it honestly felt like I was reading something I had written myself. I also met my husband four years ago and my health and fitness have both taken the back seat because of our relaxed lifestyle together. We got married, had a baby, and the rest is history ( except for my weight gain). But I just started my new fitness routine and then came across your story. Thank you for sharing! It was just what I needed.

    • North South Blonde says

      April 13, 2016 at 9:30 am

      I’m so sorry that your comment was in my ‘spam’ folder and I read it just today. I am so glad that my article inspires you and encourages you to be the best mother you can be and feel great about yourself. All of us mothers have been there, caring for a child, and loosing ourselves in the process. Keep doing what you are doing because you are doing a great job! And thank you for stopping by.

  5. Brisa Simmons says

    April 23, 2016 at 4:22 pm

    I absolutely love this, and you are very beautiful. I can relate to your situation a lot. I find myself thinking about my old life every day, and I feel guilty that I miss who I used to be. I used to be thin and I felt comfortable with my husband loving who I was. I gained a lot more than I wanted to during my pregnancy, and I am paying for it now. I have just recently gathered the motivation to eat better and exercise, and I hope to make a difference in my body appearance before summer is here! We were destined to become mommies, and it is all worth it because our children are here and we would never do anything to change that. I know for sure my daughter is worth my body being ruined, and I would rather it be that way than to not have her here at all.

    • North South Blonde says

      April 23, 2016 at 9:16 pm

      I am so so so happy that this blog post spoke to you. We’ve all been through it and we all struggle to get to where we used to be. Some of us are lucky but some of us need to work hard at it. I too am trying to get into great shape by summer. You are right about never regretting a thing when it comes to child birth because we were blessed with such a beautiful gift. We as mothers want to be in shape and energetic to keep up with our kids and everything they demand from us. We should try our best and be the best role models we can be! Thanks for your comment!


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