First Post of the Year & Postpartum Update

Yoooo!

So as I've mentioned in my last post (October 2019), I wasn't sure how often I would able to blog my postpartum weight loss journey. I've been back at pre-preggo weight for a while now, but I think I'm just now getting back to my pre-preggo fit status (and that's okay). What I mean by that is... I feel IN SHAPE.

How many weeks postpartum are you now? Time goes by so fast! Baby girl is 6 1/2 months and the boy is 6 1/2 years old. I'm also back at work...well, kind of. Depending on when you're reading this, look at the date. You'll see that we're in the middle of a pandemic now, which is why I have time to write this post. I went back to work at 6 weeks postpartum (:-/). Fast forward to March a Coronavirus pandemic is currently happening, so I'm remote teaching. It's a lot to deal with.

How have I been staying fit? During the last post, I was just about to start the HEAT Challenge. It's an extreme 8-week fit challenge. It was so fun to complete and just the thing I needed when dealing with postpartum blues, getting back into the routine of exercising, and meeting some initial goals. I was able to follow the entire workout plan minus a week EXCEPT the meal plan. I originally signed up for the Keto meal plan...seeing that there were other nursing moms who had success with following a Keto diet and it did not affect their milk supply. THIS was not for me. At least not this particular plan. My milk supply seemed to immediately slow even after 2-3 days. I just went back to what I knew worked. Eat CLEAN! I continued to meal prep, but I definitely had to have some carbs...rice and sweet potatoes. I won't be posting my before and after challenge picture, but trust me I made gains. ;-)

Are you still running / racing? After that challenge was over, I registered for the Hot Chocolate 15k which was in February. Following a running plan for that helped to keep me on track. I ran mostly and kept up some type of strength training because the two go hand in hand. I was sooooo happy I met my personal time goal given the fact that I had a new baby, my son, husband, AND not to mention the loads of work I had to catch up on being a Teacher. After that race, I continued to train for a half marathon, but unfortunately I waited until the last minute to register and it sold out. :-( I had been trying to run that race for years.

4 1/2 months postpartum

So now, "stuck" at home with the two kiddos and working remotely, I've been trying out different free workouts some businesses have been offering. I think I need to stick to one plan. Peloton has been free, so on some Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays I find a dreadmill workout (saving grace!) and an upper body workout to do. On Monday, Wednesdays, and some Saturdays, I've been doing Effect Fitness live boot camp with some added strength training. Hmm, I may stick with that schedule, but I'm not certain yet. Us Virgos and Type A folk like to have a clear plan. I also still have to work around my husband's schedule as he's an essential worker.

So there's my little update on fit life at the moment. Oh yea, my husband being a certified personal trainer has helped me to stay on track too because we have a little competitiveness going on in the house. :-)

How have you kept up your healthy routine during this pandemic? Did exercising help you manage postpartum depression? Or any other type for that matter?

Postpartum Weight-loss Journey

Disclaimer: You should do what feels right for YOUR body and what’s recommended by YOUR doctor. 

Postpartum life can be really in depth (mentally, physically, and spiritually) for the sake of not rambling, this post is only about my journey maintaining my health and weight.

At 3 weeks, 4 days postpartum, I’m down 26 lbs from the 35 I gained without doing anything special. Once I do, it'll be tricky monitoring amount of food intake and exercise while breastfeeding because you don’t want anything to affect your milk supply. Breastfeeding also makes me even hungrier!

I watch what I eat as normal, I just care a little more since I’m not exactly in 'IDGAF what I eat' mode like I was my last 3 weeks of being pregnant. Nah, but really. I haven’t obviously been given the OK to workout yet at 3 weeks so I’m focusing on food more because that’s 80% of weight loss anyway.

I found this timeline for runners in one of my groups, which syncs with my plan to establish core strength before anything else. Even if I had been given the green light I would now follow this guide. That was more knowledge I didn’t have with my son's pregnancy...the need to strengthen my core before beginning running or anything else yet.

Back to the timeline I found online...

I’m doing weeks 2-4, which include squats, lunges, bridges, and walking. It’s boring but it's proving that my core is so weak. I tried a plank the other day and could barely last to the count of 10.

Here’s a few pics from the two days I’ve done so far.

 

This journey is going to be more mental this go 'round. My life is jam packed with LIFE events so I’m really going to have to be mentally tough and strategic in order to make sure I get my ME-time in. I cannot stress enough the importance of taking care of yourself before you can take care of others. It just goes hand in hand. Motherhood ain’t no easy feat, and I wanna be sane sooooo, my husband knows I need to workout, lol.

For that extra push and accountability, I’m going to be doing the Fall H.E.A.T challenge. It begins 10/21. I’m the type that has to have a plan. And although I’m back in my pre-preggo clothes, I know what weight I feel the most comfortable at. After these last 10lbs, I’ll have more work. I’m trying to be a “hot girl” by spring, lmao.

Not sure how often I will blog, per usual, but I wanted to make sure I documented this period some kind of way so I’d have something to look back on for myself. 

Pregnant Does Not Mean Powerless: Fit Pregnancy Journey

First Preggo Race - Atlanta Women's 5k

I was cruising along on my maintenance mode journey, had lost my “first year at a new job” weight and boom...found out I was pregnant. That was January 2019. We’d been trying but not trying to conceive (does that make sense? Lol), so I was still a bit surprised. Nevertheless, I had goals and figured this was my opportunity to see how far I could push myself this time.

My first pregnancy ended in miscarriage at 11 weeks. I wasn't active, overweight, and sedentary. Five years later, during my second pregnancy, I ran until I was 4 months pregnant. I was very nervous about miscarrying again. I also remember it becoming uncomfortable to run past 4 months. I didn’t have as many examples as I do now, i.e. the plethora of women who workout during pregnancy and post on Instagram. Now there are tons of resources, personal and professional for pregnant women who want to continue exercising. It was even recommended by my doctor to continue. So, with that being said...here’s a few snippets from my workouts during my pregnancy.

Circa Month 1

Circa Month 2

Month 2

Circa Month 3

Circa Month 5

Circa Month 6

Month 6

My personal rule was to go as long as I felt good. This round was already different, as I now had a 5 year old and worked full-time...as a Teacher 🤯. So continuing to exercise was a huge mood and energy booster for me if anything else. Thank God for the summer off!

I had no complications and stayed within the recommended 35 lbs weight gain recommendation. The only thing that almost threatened my ability to workout at the time was me having placenta previa, but that was resolved. 

Month 7

I was feeling good, feeling great, and stuck to my routine until my family’s Orlando trip and then a week later it was back to school. Now, non-preggo, those are enough to mess up a routine, but being pregnant and having that to occur? Yea, unfortunately I could never get back on the 2-3 day a week thing I had going on. I just made sure to focus on my eating habits. I didn’t feel as bad because being a teacher, I’m on my feet all day and I did walk around two major theme parks in Orlando. 🤷🏾‍♀️ I was also starting to experience major, MAJOR pelvic pressure that the support bands just were NOT helping with anymore. That was something else I didn’t have or know to purchase during my son’s pregnancy.

Universal Studios 2019

I had a healthy pregnancy, a quicker, problem-free delivery, only gained exactly 35 lbs, and a healthy baby girl! I’d say I reached my goal and would recommend any already active person to keep it up in SOME way because pregnancy does not equal POWERless.