Postpartum Journey - Week Two Update

Taking It Back To The Basics 

I knew that if I did it once, I could do it again. Except this time I wanted to do it faster than last time. What am I talking about? I am taking about dropping the baby weight from my pregnancy. 3 years ago I started my own weight loss journey to get back in shape after having my son Carter. He had just turned two when I started and I could no longer say it was baby weight because honesty,I let it hang around for TWO YEARS. It stopped being baby weight and ended up just being excess weight as a result of poor eating, stress, lack of sleep and motherhood. While I was able to lose the weight I feel like I waited too long to work on caring for myself again. 

Now that I am doing this again for the second time, my plans were to get right to dropping the baby weight. This time around I gained 47 lbs and I don't regret any of that weight gain. It grew me a perfect baby girl and my body did it's job. Now it's time for me to do my job and thank my body by taking good care of it. I made a choice not to exercise until I am cleared by my OBGYN at my 6 week appointment, but I did want to begin the journey by focusing clean eating. 

I took it back to what started the journey for me and that is eating mindfully by using the portion control containers that came along with my 21 day fix program as well as incorporating Shakeology into my daily routine.

One of my daily Shakeology treats! I like adding in coconut oil and shavings. It helps to build the immunity in your milk supply for the baby. 

This past week went better than I had expected. I was worried that going back to the mindset of caring about my portions rather than eating as much as I felt like it would be hard. After all, I just spent the last 10 months eating until I was full. While my nutrition during pregnancy this time around was much better than last I was still very lax in my ways. I found that instead of feeling hungry it actually was as much if not more than what I was eating while pregnant. I felt satisfied after every meal and stayed full for about 3 hours each time. To ensure that my milk supply didn't dwindle I made an effort to drink excessive amounts of water in addition to having my Shakeology each day. I am still having one small cup of coffee each morning but am finding that I don't even finish it. All in all it is very little caffeine intake and so far the baby seems to be fine with my one cup a day approach.

One of my many meals I got to enjoy this week. While this picture may make you think it's not much food, it's actually PLENTY!!!! You will not feel hungry when using these containers. 

I did begin to walk daily as my form of exercise. Nothing intense at all probably only half of a mile. I walked my son to school and tried to pick him up each day using the stroller instead of driving. (It's not far at all.)

I will say I caved once this week and had to have a cheat meal. Friday night we had our newborn photo session and I did not have my foods prepped ahead of time so I ended up with pretzels from Sheetz and a peach iced tea follow by a small ice cream treat. Okay so it was kind of a big cheat meal but all in all I am happy with my ability to stay on track this past week and love how great clean eating has me feeling already. It's really been helping me with recovery both physically and mentally. It's a good feeling when your making an effort to take care of yourself. 

Below you will find this weeks meal plan. I will try my best to follow it to a T. Stay tuned for next weeks updated picture and weekly progress update. 

If you were interested in getting help with your own postpartum journey, please fill out the application below. I will be in touch and would be glad to include you in my postpartum moms support group. 

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Post Partum Survival Challenge

Calling All New Moms... I NEED YA!!! 

As you may already know I am about to embark on my own weight loss transformation as I adventure into the "4th trimester" and begin recovering from pregnancy. I will begin my work to get my body back to where it was prior to having my sweet baby girl. I realize that this is going to be a journey and I plan to be kind to my body. I have to remind myself that it took 9+ months to gain the 47 lbs that I gained in pregnancy and that it will take some time to get rid of it. I am planning to wait until I am cleared by the doctor to resume exercise and will spend the next five weeks getting my nutrition under control all while keeping my breastmilk supply up. 

I plan to follow the portion control system that comes along with the Beachbody fitness programs. In addition I will be incorporating Shakeology into my daily diet as one of my six meals that I have each day. Typically I try to drink at least half of my weight in ounces of water, but I will be increasing that amount since I am nursing. I will also be adding in an additional 400 calories to my allotted calorie bracket that is suggested for my current weight.

Below is an example of what a typical week will look like in regards to my nutrition. I will create a different meal plan that I will follow each week that aligns with the container system.

I will be running an accountability group specifically for moms who have had a baby in the past year or are currently expecting. Others are of course welcome, but I will be incorporating specific help for those in a similar situation to my own.

Applications for this exclusive group are now being accepted. The group will begin on Monday June 12th and will continue into the summer to help you to stay on track once you get started.

Please fill out the application below to be considered. Participants should not be already working with another Beachbody coach.

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Starting Over...

Your Struggles Today Are Your Strengths Tomorrow 

There really are no words to describe all that I have been thru in the last few weeks. Our emotions have traveled a heck of a roller coaster. We were on a high because after three years, we were some how able to get pregnant. Then a few short weeks later we learned that things were not looking great and we spent a few weeks being terribly worried. Only to later to learn that the baby was not going to make it. This past week I had my surgery to remove what remained of the pregnancy. To say it was hard, it a bit of an understatement. 

Heading into surgery on Monday. 

I will be quite honest. When we learned I was pregnant, I was so afraid to mess anything up so I basically quit exercising. The doctors told me light exercise would be fine since I had already been active but I decided it was not worth the risk so I just stopped almost all together. Some would think oh no big deal who cares. Heres the thing though, for the last three years exercise was a part of my daily life. It was a part of me. The exercise was my stress relief. The workouts were not for weight loss they were for health and quite honestly it helped to keep my spirits up during hard times. I grew to really enjoy it and when I stopped I felt like a piece of me went missing.

All I was hanging on to was clean eating and truthfully that started to slip the more stressful things became as I learned something might be wrong with the pregnancy. I found myself slipping back to my old ways and getting lazy about what I was fueling my body with. The more junk I started to eat the more lousy I began to feel.  

I hit what I would call a bit of a rock bottom this week. Emotionally I have been a terribly sad and completely not myself. I spent much of the week recovering from the surgery I had on Monday. I went back to work on Thursday and Friday but have mostly been staying off social media and away from everyone. It seems the only person I feel like talking with is my husband and a very small handful of people. I realize it's not a great place to be but it's how I am getting thru and where I am right now. I also realize I need to get back to ME. While that may take time, I need to start somewhere and for me the only place I know can start with is my health. 

It's what feels familiar, its my old sense of normal and it's what I can control. So that is my plan. Controlling the controllable and handling the rest day by day.

The game plan is to start Saturday April 30th with the original program that I started with three short years ago when I started my journey as a challenger turned coach. I will spend the next 21 days doing the original 21 day fix. I will be drinking my Shakeology daily and using the portion control containers with my meal plan and working out 30 minutes a day each day. I am certain there will be days when I just don't feel like it, but I am making no excuses. I want to feel better about myself again and this is where I can start. Since March I have gained 9 lbs all of which I am almost certain I can drop in those 21 days. If I don't, that's okay too. This isn't about weight loss it's about getting back to my old self. 

I am asking for some support and extra cheering on in these coming weeks. I'm ready to turn my struggles into tomorrows strength. Your welcome to join me instead of just watching if you would like! Glad to have you along for the ride!

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Peanut Butter Bars - Fixate Cookbook Style

This is healthy? Seriously? Stop.... 

Everything you need to whip up a pretty darn good dessert! 

Here's the deal I HATE TO BAKE. Like hate it. I can cook you anything but if you put me in charge of desserts you would have been better to send me to the grocery store. Ask my husband if you don't believe me. That's why when I got the fixate cookbook, I pretty much just skipped right over the dessert section. Well this past week I was craving some sweets but didn't want to ruin all the hard work I had been putting in with T25. (That's the program I am currently working out with. 3 weeks in, no stopping me now.) I pulled out the cookbook and decided to see if I had anything on hand that I could somehow turn into a treat. The peanut butter bars looked easy and appealing so I went for it. What a win! I loved it and what I loved even more was that it really wasn't all that unhealthy. They were very moist and had a nice after taste. I will absolutely be making these again. Check out the recipe below to see how I made them.

Ingredients 
2 eggs
Pure vanilla extract - 2 tsp.
Maple syrup - 1/2 cup
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp.
All natural creamy peanut butter - 1 1/2 cups

Directions 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Spray a glass 8x8 pan - I used coconut oil
Combine all ingredients using a mixer
Layer into the pan using a spatula
Cook for 20 - 25 minutes
Allow to cool before cutting into squares
ENJOY!!!

Want to learn more about what the fixate cookbook is? Check out my video below! 

Click here to get your hands on a copy of the cookbook! 

The final product. Not too fancy looking but sure tastes great! 

Why I Am Going To Succeed Even Though All The Cards Are Stacked Against Me

Here We Go.... 

Tomorrow I am taking it back to my old school favorite workout program. The program that got me started on my own fitness journey and my quest to lose my muffin top after having my little one. Tomorrow starts the original 21 day fix. Why you ask - because I have a group starting tomorrow with many of my old 21 day fixers who had fallen off the wagon and I want to join them on the fun. I feel like I will be a better coach because I will be "all in"right there along with them. Since I did the fix last year I changed the way my brain thought about food. I use the 21 day fix system still to this day when it comes to eating but I have gotten a little bit lax in the last few months.

However, I will be really honest and say that all of the cards are stacked against me being successful at this round. WHY? Well let me explain:

1. I start another round of clomid tomorrow for infertility. It's awful - it makes me sick, lethargic, hot and grumpy. I found that during the last two rounds I had no energy to exercise but I refuse to make that my excuse.

2. I leave for the beach on June 12th. My round of the fix won't end until June 21st so I will be doing it while on vacation. I will plan ahead and do some grocery shopping while I am there. Thanks to Beachbody on Demand I will still be able to workout too - the best part will be my workout scenery will have a much better view then the basement.

3. I have several graduation, birthday and end of the school year parties to attend. Lots of unhealthy temptations.

But you know what - I am going to do my best and I am going to put forth all of the efforts I can. If I slip up here and there that's okay because I know I am in it for the long haul. The timing is never going to be perfect. Summers are busy and just in general life is busy. If I keep waiting for a time when I am not going to have something going on I would be waiting the rest of my life. So tomorrow I go all in. Meal are prepped, groceries are bought. I got this so stay tuned!

Some fresh foods to feed my family during week one! 

Breakfast, lunch and snacks for day one - packed and ready to go!

I am excited to also say that on June 22nd (the day after I finish this round) I will be hosting a Stripped Challenge group - How to drop the last 10 lbs. This is going to be a motivator for me while I am doing this round of the fix knowing that I am going to be participating in that next with my clients.

That group will be focused on really cleaning up their nutrition and cutting out the foods that are preventing you from getting to that goal weight you might have been pushing for. I am going to follow some of the curriculum from the Eat Clean Stripped plan that Tosco Reno has written. In addition we will be exercising daily, incorporating Shakeology and also really kicking it up a notch and doing the 3 day refresh at the start of the challenge. We are not messing around in this group!

What you can expect from me is support, accountability and motivation. I am excited to get started with those who are looking to say you know what, so what if all the cards are stacked against me, I am going to give it my best anyways.

Summer is crazy busy but it is not an excuse to give up on your health.

Please fill out the application below if you would like to secure your spot on the June 22nd Stripped Challenge Group.

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