{Take a look at my first post, Bye-Bye Baby Weight- The Melt-Off, to see where I started at.}
We are just two days away from Sophia turning four months, which means that I am almost four months postpartum! This weight loss journey has really been an incredible one for me- very informative and very encouraging. I hope what I've learned and how I've applied it mght be helpful to some of you as well!
At one month postpartum, I had lost 25 pounds without diet or exercise.
During months two and three (November and December,) I didn't do anything differently. I had good intentions to start exercising, but time would just slip away from me. As the holidays drew near my eating habits began to get out of control. I was eating tons of bread, chips (I hate chips, so why was I eating them? Because they were around.) and sweets. Add on top of that a particularly tight grocery budget and we found ourselves eating less veggies and meat and more rice, potatoes, and "filler foods."
Around mid December, at two and a half months postpartum, I told myself to just get through Christmas. I had plateaued at 25 pounds less and finally, around that time, I began to see movement on the scale. It may have only been 3-4 pounds, but it was big to me! I was within ten pounds of my prepregnancy weight goal.
New Years came with it a resolution of sorts for Ian and I. We started South Beach Diet, Phase One on January 1st, 2013. Ian had completed South Beach when he was in high school and was very overweight. He lost almost sixty pounds as a junior in high school and stuck to a very healthy diet and exercise plan for many years. That is, until we got married. I rubbed my sweet tooth off on him and soon he began eating like I was.
A year after we got married we had planned to move overseas but Ian's job was put on hold and we had to move in with our parents. Our time in Tennessee with my parents was great but very sedentary. We had no where to be, no work until our move came through, were eating poorly and excessively, and no friends or people to interact with besides my parents. It was a hard time on us. During this time my weight really sky rocketed, I think I put on close to 20 pounds.
When Ian's job plans began moving again we went on a modified version of South Beach and I saw those 20 pounds come off in four to five months. I didn't stick with the plan exactly and as soon as the weight came off I went right back to my old eating habits.
Fast forward to this New Year's Day.
We knew we needed a lifestyle change in our eating habits and we knew how to implement it. I'm lucky, because Ian was all for it and supported me in whatever way possible.
We chose to do South Beach diet again, following the strict two week, phase one and then making adjustments as we stepped into phase two and then three.
Three days into it and I was down another 4 pounds. At one week in, I was down 8 pounds from the New Year. Two weeks in and I had dropped a total of twelve pounds in the New Year.
My belly fat has gone down significantly and I look leaner, which, to me, counts more than what the scale says! I feel really great too and I have more energy and have been able to get a hold of what I am eating and when.
As we stepped into Phase Two of the diet, my weight gain stalled and I knew it was time to start implementing exercise.
I've started doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred which I have completed before and I am seeing the scale drop once again.
Total Weight Loss Postpartum: 41 pounds (sixteen pounds since one month postpartum)
I took measurements at two months postpartum but haven't remeasured- I will next month!
For those of you interested in the South Beach Diet and the science behind what it effects and why that helps lose weight, I recommend the book The South Beach Diet and will be posting more specifics about what we did and what we are doing now.
We are just two days away from Sophia turning four months, which means that I am almost four months postpartum! This weight loss journey has really been an incredible one for me- very informative and very encouraging. I hope what I've learned and how I've applied it mght be helpful to some of you as well!
At one month postpartum, I had lost 25 pounds without diet or exercise.
During months two and three (November and December,) I didn't do anything differently. I had good intentions to start exercising, but time would just slip away from me. As the holidays drew near my eating habits began to get out of control. I was eating tons of bread, chips (I hate chips, so why was I eating them? Because they were around.) and sweets. Add on top of that a particularly tight grocery budget and we found ourselves eating less veggies and meat and more rice, potatoes, and "filler foods."
Around mid December, at two and a half months postpartum, I told myself to just get through Christmas. I had plateaued at 25 pounds less and finally, around that time, I began to see movement on the scale. It may have only been 3-4 pounds, but it was big to me! I was within ten pounds of my prepregnancy weight goal.
New Years came with it a resolution of sorts for Ian and I. We started South Beach Diet, Phase One on January 1st, 2013. Ian had completed South Beach when he was in high school and was very overweight. He lost almost sixty pounds as a junior in high school and stuck to a very healthy diet and exercise plan for many years. That is, until we got married. I rubbed my sweet tooth off on him and soon he began eating like I was.
A year after we got married we had planned to move overseas but Ian's job was put on hold and we had to move in with our parents. Our time in Tennessee with my parents was great but very sedentary. We had no where to be, no work until our move came through, were eating poorly and excessively, and no friends or people to interact with besides my parents. It was a hard time on us. During this time my weight really sky rocketed, I think I put on close to 20 pounds.
When Ian's job plans began moving again we went on a modified version of South Beach and I saw those 20 pounds come off in four to five months. I didn't stick with the plan exactly and as soon as the weight came off I went right back to my old eating habits.
Fast forward to this New Year's Day.
We knew we needed a lifestyle change in our eating habits and we knew how to implement it. I'm lucky, because Ian was all for it and supported me in whatever way possible.
We chose to do South Beach diet again, following the strict two week, phase one and then making adjustments as we stepped into phase two and then three.
Three days into it and I was down another 4 pounds. At one week in, I was down 8 pounds from the New Year. Two weeks in and I had dropped a total of twelve pounds in the New Year.
My belly fat has gone down significantly and I look leaner, which, to me, counts more than what the scale says! I feel really great too and I have more energy and have been able to get a hold of what I am eating and when.
As we stepped into Phase Two of the diet, my weight gain stalled and I knew it was time to start implementing exercise.
I've started doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred which I have completed before and I am seeing the scale drop once again.
Total Weight Loss Postpartum: 41 pounds (sixteen pounds since one month postpartum)
I took measurements at two months postpartum but haven't remeasured- I will next month!
For those of you interested in the South Beach Diet and the science behind what it effects and why that helps lose weight, I recommend the book The South Beach Diet and will be posting more specifics about what we did and what we are doing now.
