Hey there. My name is Alice. Like so many other women in there early 40’s, I struggled with weight gain following my second child. Over time, I formulated a secret weapon that helped me DESTROY my stubborn belly fat, boost my self-esteem, and altogether live a much healthier lifestyle. This is my diary of a fit mommy.
Below, you will find my weight loss diet that I’ve followed right after I gave birth to my now one-year-old baby boy. If you want to have your own diary of a fit mommy someday, follow my recommendations.
All my changed habits such as diet, regular exercise, and healthy eating, worked for me. They have really made me embrace a new lifestyle. Well, this was also due to my son, whose birth made me realize that I must take better care of myself. If I am not ok, I cannot take care of him.
Ok, let’s start unveiling my secrets. Enjoy your reading!
Week 1 – Starting Out With My Diary of a Fit Mommy
I feel like I weigh a ton after giving birth. I thought that once the baby gets out, I will regain my initial weight or at least close. Well, bad news mommy! Now, I will have to carry around all these extra pounds with me. I am still afraid of jumping up on the scale, even though a whole week has passed since baby Aidan was born. Well, but I am certainly going to do something about it because now everything seems quite harder than it used to.
Today, I finally went up on the scale. It seems I have gained 45 pounds. I am sure that during pregnancy I used to weigh more because of the baby, but now I have to find effective ways to return to my old weight. Recently, I started to search online for a lot of methods. In doing so, I found some nice cool workouts that you can do with your baby. This way, I will burn calories while I bond with my child. That sounds really nice!
Note: Since I wanted to publish this diary of a fit mommy to share my experience and my challenges with all of you busy mommies, I will also write the exercises that I did daily with my son. Let me tell you something. I know how difficult it is to make time for exercising when you are a full-time mom, but I promise you these exercises will make you feel better about yourself, and they will entertain your little one.
Diary of a Fit Mommy Exercises You Can Do with Your Baby
Source: Free Stock Photos
Let’s see what you can do to achieve that bikini body you want so badly. This bikini body workout will get you right back into the shape you rightfully belong to.
#1. Dancing with Your Baby Around the House
Dancing is a great cardiovascular workout. It involves all the main muscle groups and improves your coordination and balance. I personally love dancing and all things related to music. So, for me, it’s easy to turn on the radio or my favorite playlist and take my baby boy for a spin. He loves it too. I can tell by the way he laughs and giggles while I move around the room with him in my arms.
Especially after a sleepless night like the one that has just ended (Aidan had a little bit of fever, and he cried all night), I need my dancing routine. But I need to see first if he’s up for it. Dancing relieves my stress, and it helps me have a great connection with my lovely child.
#2. Doing Crunches with Your Baby
I know that babies cannot do crunches or abdomens. However, you can lay down on your back and hold your baby on your abdomen in an up straight sitting position. Hold him with your arms, wrapping your fingers around the little one’s torso. Then, it’s showtime! Contract your abs while you slowly lift your head. Then, lift your neck and shoulder as well. Lower your upper body back on the mat in three counts. During this exercise, you can make different funny faces to make your baby laugh. Trust me; this is the most rewarding sound you will ever hear.
#3. Lifting Your Baby Above Your Head
This is a great exercise that I’ve tried, and it works to make your arms stronger and fitter. Sit on the mat, crossing your legs like during a yoga class. Hold your baby from under his arms and start lifting him easily in the air, until his body goes above your head. Make sure your arms are straight when the baby is up. I usually do ten reps then I rest and play a little with Aidan. After the break, I repeat those reps, doing no more than two sets.
#4. Enrolling in the Stroller Strides Program
I admit, I am a huge fan of procrastination, also called laziness by some whom I don’t agree with. Therefore, for me, it is a lot easier to have a trainer motivating me than to do my own exercises at home. This way, I know I will stick to the program no matter what. This is why I enrolled in the Stroller Strides program. It is a great fitness program created especially for us, busy stressed out moms with babies.
With Stroller Strides, one workout lasts 60 minutes, and it is a complete body exercising session. It includes things such as walking, toning, stretching, songs, and other wonderful activities. There are groups of lovely moms and certified instructors, and the activities are both outdoors and indoors. What I love the most about it is the fact that you can meet new people and create long-lasting friendships. Networking is great especially for a stay-at-home mom
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Week 2 – Forskolin Extract
Source: Wikipedia
I’m in my second week of weight loss challenge. I’ve already overcome a lot of self-limitations, and I am more prepared than ever to continue my journey towards being fit and slim.
Side note: I never knew how hard could be to fight for a purpose while keeping a diary of a fit mommy. But I like the effort. At the end of the day, I feel a bittersweet tiredness.
Now, I feel it is time to introduce something new in my diet. I was thinking about taking Forskolin extract. From what my research unveiled and what I’ve heard from my friends, Forskolin can help you lose weight. Studies have shown that even though this herbal extract doesn’t make you lose a lot of pounds, at least it prevents weight gain. If it stops me from gaining more weight, while I use other methods to lose my extra pounds, I declare myself happy and pleased.
Week 3 – Mayo Clinic Diet
I’m starting to freak out. Yesterday morning, I got up on the scale only to discover that I’ve gained 1.7 pounds. Damn it! What should I do know? I’ve fought so much to lose weight, and now my body messes with me. Well, ok, it is true that last weekend my husband and I went to our friends’ house and I might have eaten more than I should. Also, the guest, Allison, made tasty sweets that you cannot refuse.
But today is a bright new day, and I am not going to quit. Seeing those extra pounds on my body again, made me even stronger and more ambitious, and I am determined to lose them asap. This is why I’ve done my own research online and have found some great weight loss programs and ideas.
Source: Pixabay
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Choose Your Dietary Weight Loss Solution |
Stroller Striders Meal Planner |
Forskolin Extract |
Mayo Clinic Diet Profile |
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This is how I’ve come to know the Mayo Clinic Diet. According to its reviews, this diet provides a new, different approach to healthy weight loss programs. It promises to offer you your desired weight and maintain it throughout your entire life. Tomorrow, I will start my first phase of the diet. Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you that the Mayo Clinic Diet has two main parts:
- Lose it! I will be in this phase for about two weeks starting tomorrow. I expect to lose between six and ten pounds by the end of this first step. As I have read on their website, the following two weeks I will concentrate on my lifestyle habits. I have to get rid of five bad habits and gain an equal number of healthy habits. This is the hardest part, in my opinion, because habits are difficult to eliminate especially after a certain age. But there is also an easier part: I will have to exercise at least 30 minutes every day. Hey, I said an easier part, not a completely easy one.
- Live it! This phase will last all my life. It will help me keep my ideal weight and it will teach me how to make wiser choices when it comes to my food, portion size, menu planning, and others. The plan is to continue losing weight in a balanced way every week until I reach my goal. Regular workouts are still an important part of the program.
Week 4 – P90X and PiYo Workout Program
Source: Wikipedia
I’m continuing my Mayo Clinic diet which seems to work just fine. If anything, it has helped me become a lot more disciplined. Now I eat healthier and my cravings are not as strong as they used to be.
But because I am so restless when it comes to my weight loss journey, I wanted to find out more ways and other methods that can help me achieve my fitness goal. Oh, don’t misunderstand me! I am not giving up on the diet. I will continue it. Meanwhile, I am searching for topical programs while keeping my long-lasting diet program.
Hey there, diary! Today I did something crazy. Or maybe is not that crazy considering my urge to continue losing weight. I bought the PiYo Workout Program. I’ve looked on their website and I was pleasantly surprised that their exercises combine all things that I love: muscle sculpting Pilates, yoga and continuous movement. This way, I can lose weight faster doing short but intense workouts. Just as I like them.
P.S. A friend of mine that I’ve met during my pregnancy has tried the P90X home workout plan (if you wanted an alternative to the previous program described above). I admit I did not try it yet, but I can see amazing results on her. Her baby is 2 months older than mine and she is now a gorgeous fit mommy.
Week 5 of my Diary of a Fit Mommy
I have now officially lost 33 pounds. 12 more to go. Yey! You cannot imagine how happy I am and how well I feel. I am even more motivated to continue until I reach my goal. I have to thank all of my friends who have supported me and have recommended me great exercising programs.
However, a part of that merit is mine, and I’m not shy to say it. I was the one who searched online until late at night, multiple times. On the other hand, I am well aware of the fact that I still have a long way to go if I want to regain my pre-pregnancy weight.
This is why, I will not give up, and I will not rest until I have accomplished my goal. After that, I can rest a little bit. But that doesn’t mean I will be able to eat whatever I want. I will do my best to maintain a healthy balanced lifestyle for the rest of my life. This is among the most important lessons I’ve learned from doing my P90X and PiYo easy at home workouts. Also, the Mayo Clinic diet has taught me to control my cravings.
Instead of choosing a drastic frustrating diet like so many people, unfortunately, do, I opted for a program recommended by true professionals, which is something I urge you to do whenever you want to lose weight.
Week 6 – Beachbody on Demand
Source: Vimeo
If you have discovered me from what I wrote above, you know I like to surpass challenges without giving up. Because I was so motivated by my weight loss progress, I wanted to continue this journey. However, now it has become harder to become slimmer because my body has already got accustomed with me pushing it to its limits. Therefore, I need to constantly find new effective ways to make it overcome those limits.
This is why, in the past few days, I have tried the Beachbody on Demand fitness program. I know the best is yet to come so I wanted to see how this program works. Even better, they offer 30-day trial period for all new clients, which I was glad to find out because this way I can see whether this program fits my needs or not.
The trial period lasts 30 days, and it is totally free of risks. For me it has been four days since I’ve started this program and so far, I am satisfied with their exercises. I admit I get bored quick, and this is why I need to combine different workouts to not create a boring routine. Therefore, I have continued my diet and I still keep in touch with other moms from the Stroller Strides program. We even hang out from time to time, doing power walks in the park with our kids. It is so much fun.
Also, some days, instead of doing my typical workouts, I redo some of my old exercises with my baby – remember the ones that I have talked about and described in the beginning of my diary of a fit mommy.
But let’s talk some more about BeachBody on Demand because I feel the need to tell you more about their benefits. I was just like you, a scared mommy who felt fat and frustrated because I thought no diet could work on me. Also, having 45 pounds more than my normal weight, made all my moves more tiring that before. I couldn’t go to the gym because I had to stay home and take care of my baby boy. On the other hand, I also was not motivated enough to do my own routine at home. So, I needed to find an effective solution, something in between.
Well, BeachBody on Demand is exactly what you are probably looking for. They offer you unlimited access to all their workout programs. After the trial period, I am determined to pay the affordable fee to continue having access to their exercises, which have helped me so far.
All their programs are effective and they have results to prove it. I know, I was also skeptical at first, but once I have seen their testimonials, my doubts faded away. Besides giving you access to their programs, they will also offer daily calendars and diatary plans. You will not need a DVD to watch the exercises. Probably one of the best things about BeachBody on Demand is the fact that you can cancel it anytime you want to, without paying extra charges.
Week 7 – 10 Minute Trainer
Dear diary, I am happy to announce you that I am almost there! Only six pounds to go and then I will finally become a better version of myself. Well, these last couple of pounds seems stubborn. They simply refuse to go away. I should probably stop going on the scale every single day, but it has formed as a habit.
A friend of mine from the Stroller Strides program called me the other day saying she is also struggling with losing weight. Even though the program has helped her lose 20 pounds, she still wants to lose more weight to feel better about herself. Don’t worry; her health will not be affected is she loses more because she has gained a lot during her pregnancy, which is not something to feel ashamed about, of course. In fact, I feel proud of these women who are busy with their kids, careers, and personal health.
Long story short, she talked about a program called the 10 Minute Trainer. She says it is quite effective, and some of her friends lost weight by following this program. Well, you know me by now! I went directly to my desk, opened my laptop and starting the research. I do this because I want to gather as many details as possible, to feed my brain from multiple sources, and to seek the best methods to lose weight in a healthy way.
Furthermore, by writing all this information here, in my diary of a fit mommy, I will send these valuable insights to anyone who is willing to read and apply these methods. Most of the solutions described in this diary were tested by me. A few of them were tried out by my trusted friends.
Well, enough with the chit-chat. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this workout system was created by the same guy that came up with P90X, which I had already tried.
Tony Horton is a celebrity fitness trainer and his program promises to provide great results with only ten minutes of daily workout. Of course, you should look at this as the minimum necessary to regain your slim figure. What I like the most about this workout program is that it is convenient especially for a busy mom. With only 10 minutes of intense exercising, you can lose weight. Of course, you will need to watch over your diet.
Extra tip: Eating healthy and doing exercises are both great habits that will definitely help you lose weight. But, if you want to speed up the process and get rid of stretch marks that I am sure most of you have after the pregnancy, you should also do something about it. For example, I have used creams and essential oils on my belly, thighs, legs, and buttocks. Remember to ask your doctor before applying a certain cream or oil on your baby belly; you don’t want to unintentionally harm the little one.
Some Final Words That Conclude My Weight Loss Journey
These last weeks were crazy. During this period, I have written in my diary of a fit mommy every week. To make this read easier, I did not include all my personal struggles; I left out the most difficult ones, the ones that refer to my mental interior struggle with myself. Looking back, I would do all those things again, because they really worked. However, I will admit, there were moments in which I wanted to give up, to quit, and surrender to my cravings.
As you can see, I didn’t, though, and now I am so pleased with my results. The most important things, besides exercising programs and diets, is to find your inner motivation. There are plenty of tutorials and diets out there; some work less, others work better. However, if you don’t find your inner strength to overcome your physical limitations, you will never lose weight nor accomplish something important. I know that this will probably sound cheesy to you, and I am not a psychologist, but the power lies inside you.
You can really make it happen if you put your mind to it!
Image source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5