I gained 65lbs during my first pregnancy. I didn’t exercise and I ate the typical processed diet. I had nausea for the first 18 weeks and the only thing that made me feel better was carbs: specifically tater tots! After I had my son I walked and my diet gradually improved. I wanted to be healthier for him and I wanted to have another baby so I started making changes slowly then. I lost about 50lbs of the pregnancy weight that I’d put on by the time he was 18 months old. That’s when I got pregnant with my second baby.
During my second pregnancy I gained about 30lbs but the last few weeks added another 20lbs of water weight for a total gain of 50lbs. I was the same weight at her birth that I was for the birth of my son. After she was born I vowed to lose it all and then some. I healed quickly from her birth and started walking at 5 weeks postpartum.
By 7 weeks postpartum I started lightly jogging. I ran a 5K at 10 weeks postpartum in 32 minutes. It was tough but I did it. I was breastfeeding, so I made sure to nourish my body properly with healthy whole foods and I started logging my caloric intake on! Or join the gym or the YMCA and utilize their childcare.
There really are no secrets for weight loss. Nutrition and exercise are the two most important things you can do and they are two things that you can directly control. People ask me all the time “how did you do it?” and I always say “plain old diet and exercise.” You have to be honest with yourself and when things aren’t working you have to evaluate and adjust. It takes commitment and consistency but IT CAN BE DONE!
