Body After Baby & Whole30 Results

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

I started out 2017 at the top of my normal weight range in the high 150s.  I had enjoyed ALL the Christmas cookies and I was trying to get pregnant, so when my gym announced a nutrition challenge and there was some chatter in our Whole30 facebook support group, a January Whole30 was an obvious choice.  Things were going really well... until morning sickness took over and we ordered a pizza on Day 26!  Then, as you all know, I ate everything my pregnant little heart desired and gained approximately 60 lbs!

8 Weeks Pregnant (2/16/17): 158 lbs

39 Weeks Pregnant (9/19/17): 216 lbs

I lost about 30 lbs in the week after birth.  The human body is incredible!

39 Weeks Pregnant vs 10 Days Postpartum

I easily lost another 10 in the first month and wasn't feeling too bad about my body.  I mean don't get me wrong, there would be moments where I'd look in the mirror and question if I was ever going to like my stomach again, but then I'd literally say some affirmations out loud like "you created a human, you are strong, you are beautiful" and I'd feel better.  Overall I was happy enough with how things looked and I felt great physically.

1 Month Postpartum - RIP my beautiful long hair!

I think breastfeeding really did me a lot of favors.  For the first few months I was eating whatever I wanted and a lot of it and I was still losing a pound here and there.  I was doing some walking for exercise, but nothing super consistent.  I finally returned to the gym in January but only made it there once or twice per week at best.  It was some time in March that I finally decided I need to clean up my diet a little bit and I started trying to make some more Paleoish/low carb meals but we were still mixing in bread for BLTs, taco shells, etc. and not being strict at all.  The pounds were consistently coming off, slowly but surely.  I always had the 9 months on, 9 months off mentality and never wanted to risk jeopardizing my milk supply.

February // March // May // June

When summer came along, I plateaued.  I think it was a combination of my body trying to preserve the last 10 lbs to make sure my baby would always be fed, all the food centered fun that summer brings, and also knowing that my 1.5 year eating free-for-all was soon coming to an end.  I knew this Whole30 was coming and I had a lot of "last" indulgences that peaked during our 4th of July vacation down the shore.  I had been weighing in around 164-166 since May, but after pigging out and drinking all week, my Whole30 starting weight ended up at 170.

And then it was finally time!

Start Weight (7/9/18): 170.6 lbs

End Weight (8/8/18): 156.8 lbs

Weight Loss: 13.8 lbs

 

Other results:

• It's a lot easier to get my rings on and off
• I fit into some of my pre-pregnancy pants
• So much energy!  I never felt tired during the day at all!
• I somehow avoided the cold that Dave suffered with for over a week
• I went to the gym twice per week consistently and PRed my overhead press

I though this Whole30 would be so hard, I mean Whole30 is hard enough but doing it with a baby would have to make it my hardest one yet.  But it honestly wasn't.  I think a few key things really contributed:

• Keeping it simple: I stuck to easy meals that were quick to get on the table to avoid my usual mid Whole30 cooking burnout.
• Setting myself up for success: If I wanted to do something more elaborate or I had plans to go to the gym after work, I would prep some things for the next day after the baby went to bed.
• Having support: Dave was an awesome partner and always helped get dinner ready or keep the baby entertained while I was cooking.  He is also the master of dishes!
• Waiting for the right time:  Things are really smooth with the baby in general right now, she's sleeping through the night and we were already in the swing of getting dinner on the table before she goes to bed.  I'm really glad I waited until the right time and didn't push myself into it too early postpartum.

A side note on weaning:  I dropped my pumps week by week and then got down to just nursing first thing in the morning and right before bed, but Sunday morning was my last session.  My boobs are super full and I'm still hoping that once my body figures out that I'm done, my giant milk jugs will calm down and I'll lose another pound or two.

I had amazing Whole30 results, but I'd be lying if I said I was 100% satisfied with my body right now.  I'm down to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I'm right at the top of my range where my pants barely fit and I'd be thinking about doing a Whole30.  I am really proud of all the hard work I've put in and losing 60 lbs is no small feat!  And maybe I just need to accept that my body may never look the way it did before I grew a human inside of it.  But I'm going to keep pushing to eat the way I know I should and rebuild my strength so I can be the best momma I can possibly be!

Someone go back in time and tell me to look at the camera...