You see, when you're breastfeeding you can't necessarily cut calories to the point I normally would to lose weight. At the same time, I couldn't get enough exercise in to burn calories the way I wanted with my mess of a pelvic structure.
So some weeks were OK, some were awful. I did my best to make it about become strong, rather than watching the numbers on the scale.
Some weeks, I eat macaroni and cheese a lot. Like for lunch 3 out of 5 days. But it's organic, so that helps, right?!
Now, I do weigh myself every week, but I try not to let those numbers affect a whole lot. For many reasons. First of all, muscle weighs more than fat, so as I gain strength my weight can go up! Also, weight fluctuates as your hydration changes, as you eat bigger and smaller meals, as you sleep better or worse. It varies with when you last POOPED, and it changes with your hormone levels. For instance, I've been getting my period for 5 months now since baby arrived. The week it's due I go up 1-3 lbs, no matter what. I could eat just salad and it would raise. So I don't fight it. I record the numbers and pretend like it never happened, because there's nothing I can do. It's probably a combination of water and bloating weight. The following week I drop a few pounds, so I just focus on my waistline and how I feel.
I started with just taking long walks and cutting back my second dinner (oh yes, second dinner was totally a thing while breastfeeding for a while). I switched out to only having a small bowl of cereal, to only having an apple and/or orange. I did my best to get at least 5000 steps a day on BAD days (no sleep, raining, freezing, cranky baby), and 10,000 steps on good days when Legan and I are out and about. I seriously LOVE my FitBit - it really lets me know when I'm being lazy and when I'm doing a decent job staying active. Somedays I'm surprised at the number - so while I know how much energy I'm expending to function, I have to remember that how it feels is not always a good picture of how much I'm getting done. On tired days even a little walking around feels like a ton.
Sometimes just watching his sass and laughing is enough workout for me!
That all being said, when I had more active days, such as a "hike" with the family, a much longer walk, a day at the barn, or when I started hitting up the gym regularly, I have been in a position where I just feel "empty." It feels like my stomach is a bottomless pit and there's nothing I can do to feel full.
Now, I work really hard at not overindulging, but it's also a personal motto of mine to listen to my body. On those days, I eat dinner, I keep it to a relatively normal amount. I wait 25-30 minutes. If I'm still feeling starving, I eat an apple and 2 oranges (mandarin size). If I'm still really hungry 20 minutes after that, I have another serving of something, because I know I've given my head time to stop lying to me.
Easter season is dangerous for me, because these are my ALL TIME FAVORITE CANDY EVER!
I remind myself that I am nourishing another being, and I am active, and I am sometimes not sleeping more than 2-3 hours a night - which not only makes me less efficient at everything but also burns more calories to stay awake.
I also make sure that if I am adding in extra meals at the end of the day that I do so with healthy choices. I'm not pigging out on chips, cake, ice cream, pizza, etc super late in the day.
On bad days, I do a ramen noodle packet with an egg dropped in it at like 9 pm - the protein makes me feel full, the salt helps hold more water in my system - helping me to feel more satisfied - and the carbs are just comfort food.
On better days I just have a small portion of our stir fry we had for dinner (like we do most days). That's full of vegetables and just a little oil to help cover my needs.
Fridge with leftovers and fruit and veg!
Hooray asparagus!
There's a difference between feeding your body's cues and stuffing your face with all of the things you can find.
It's a balancing act, but I try.
The nice thing is, the more I exercise, the more extra calories I can eat - the more I can indulge in luxury food items like chocolate or ice cream.
When in doubt - go swimming or even just walk laps in a pool. It really burns calories, and babies just LOVE water (at least mine does).
My water baby!
I finally fit into a few of my pre-pregnancy skorts and such that are fitted and not just made of stretchy yoga material - so it's all obviously working. Hooray for getting my cardio in and keeping my food intake from taking over!
High 5 for Dad!
Not listening to his culinary or dietary advice yet. He likes washcloths and syringes...
Mostly, hooray for Spring and walking outside, because that truly helps me the most, because I've found that being in an okay place emotionally is the most important step to actually losing fat and getting your strength up. Even if you have to fake it until you make it, I really only see a lot of change once my heart and brain are in a good place.
Remember, brush your teeth after dinner! It will help keep you from eating too much before bed. Or, if you're me, you'll just brush them again.
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