Post Baby Body: Before and After

Everyone knows that I have been following a consistent plan post baby (body) to get back in shape. I have expressed on Facebook last week-end how disappointed I was that I have not seen the scale going down in the past two weeks. I had reached a point in my work out regime that the pounds were shedding without even thinking about it and then I hit a plateau or at least that is what I thought/think.

No matter what I eat or how often I work out I can't seem to shed those last 16 pounds. I was surprised I got so many responses on Facebook. I never realized I had so much support and so many friends who are into fitness and health. I was reading that there are different reasons why even athletes hit a plateau. It could be that they need to rest more, eat more or eat less, increase weight, and so on. I even had a long discussion with my friend Sandy who is a professional Triathlon coach.

I feel for me working all day in an office has really slowed me down. I was instructed by my personal trainer to hit 10K steps a day. Well, that is not happening. If you think about it 10K is not that much. A jog or 50 minutes walk will get you there so how sad that we humans in this society do not walk. We are so busy with being busy that we don't prioritize what is important. And yet we set high expectations one being to get Miranda Kerr's post baby body in just few weeks.

I get up to get dressed for work at about 7am after a sleepless night with my newborn. I get in my car by 8:45am and then I come back home by 5:15pm when the baby sitter leaves. From there I just care for my child: bath, diapers, feeding, nap, etc. I go to the gym for one hour and then back home to care for Olly again or cook. By 9PM I am in bed trying to put the baby to sleep. And that is why I don't get 10K steps a day. At least now. I imagine with longer days in the Spring and a 6 month child it will get easier to be more active. I have visions of me jogging down being a cool fit mom....

The rationale 'you are building muscles, the scale does not count': I must admit, it's very hard for me to accept this concept because I was grown up to think that the number of the scale is what matters. Now, I don't strive to be skinny at all or to obtain Adriana Lima's post baby body; I just want to be able to fit in my clothes and make sure I am healthy for my child (obviously looking tone makes me feel good and proud of myself). And here my disappointment that the scale did not go down, despite my consistency at the gym and my ok diet.

The diet: I like to eat and I will start with that. I am queen snacker. I am like a mouse eating little crumbs all day long. Now, I eat healthy and organic. I cut on all dairy because it causes colic for Olly. I rarely eat pasta, rice or bread. This is very hard for me given that I am Italian. I do eat cupcakes and ice cream for special occasions like Christmas, birthday parties, etc. And if I want a beer I will drink it. I can' stick to diets. Today I was trying to follow a diet plan by Kayla which specializes on building strength and muscle with a 12 weeks work out and nutritional help. Well, I was hungry. Even  if her plans are supposed to be based on a 1,500 and more calories intake I was hungry. I will give it another try tomorrow but my point is that when I feel deprived of food I am not happy. I like to eat. I like the presentation of food, the social aspect, the colors, the meals, etc. And I don't believe in fads, or diets that eliminate one category or the other. Because that is unrealistic and again I like to eat. I think the real problem is our society, the fact that we don't move much all day long. So how do we fix that?

NOTE: I wrote this at week 8. Now I am at week 10 (beginning) and have already shed 2 pounds. I did adjusted my diet to include protein for every meal, even snacks I take. I guess I should not complain and I need to be patience and consistent.

PROGRESS: Week 0 - Week 4 - Week 6

Week 9: