Motivating Mum Jess MacCallum has lost an incredible 21kgs with Lose Baby Weight and shares how she stays active when life is busy!
When I first became pregnant I weighed in at 64kg, which was actually probably a little too light for my BMI. A week after my beautiful daughter was born (Dec 12th 2013) I weighed 100kg. Needless to say, I felt pretty terrible about myself, and had gained far more weight than I ever imagined I would.
I began using the Healthy Mummy Smoothies on January 31st 2014, when my daughter was 7 weeks old. I weighed 97.4kg. It felt like it was going to be a long road ahead of me, but I was prepared and pumped to achieve my weight loss goals! I was aiming to get to 70kg.
I started drinking one Healthy Mummy Smoothie a day, usually for breakfast. At the start I was worried about whether it was enough calories for breast milk production, and contacted the lovely ladies at Lose Baby Weight to check that it was suitable. They assured me it was, and they were right! I had no decrease in my milk supply, and the smoothies were so yummy! I was feeling positive and excited, and happy to be taking the first step in becoming a much healthier mum.
I printed out a large variety of smoothie recipes from the Lose Baby Weight site, along with the Healthy Mummy Smoothie Ebook, and put them together in a display folder to make it easier for me to pick my daily smoothie! I loved the recipes using flavoured So Good soy milk, and anything with bananas! After finding out that strawberries increase your metabolism, I made those a regular addition to my smoothies.
As the heat of summer began to die down, I was able to go for more regular walks, with my daughter in her pram. Pushing the pram definitely helped burn those calories! Before long, I was walking almost every day, and noticing small differences. I looked to the ‘Metabolism Boosting Snacks’ and ‘Low Fat Snack Recipes’ section of the Lose Baby Weight site for healthy snack ideas. What a relief knowing there were tasty low fat snacks that were suitable to eat whilst breastfeeding! It didn’t even feel like I was on a diet, instead, living a healthy lifestyle and benefiting my body and my mind.
At the start of May I began doing one session of PT each week, with local trainer Claire Ellis. She tailored our one hour sessions to areas I needed to target for weight loss and strength, such as my pelvic floor (goodness knows we need to take good care of that!). At this point, I was 88.1kg. Trying to manage working for my husband’s business, returning to my pre baby job (casual hours), spending time and caring for my daughter whilst attempting to keep up with the housework meant that my weight loss was slower than I was happy with, but I persisted. Besides, I had been told that it’s ok to lose the weight gradually; it means the chances of regaining it were much slimmer! (pun!)
In July I began doing two PT sessions each week. I weighed 83.4kg. My fitness was definitely increasing, and I was feeling better all the time! I had purchased an exercise bike to keep up my efforts during those cold winter evenings, or when my daughter was taking a nap and I couldn’t leave the house to hit the walking track. By this point, I was walking up to 6km within an hour, and feeling really good! It wasn’t long before 6km became 7km, and I felt like it wouldn’t be long before I was jogging around the neighbourhood! Achievements such as these kept me motivated, and helped keep me in a positive and happy frame of mind.
Not only have I had the Healthy Mummy Smoothies on my side, but also the Lose Baby Weight team. There were times when I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere, or I was confused as to why the numbers on the scales weren’t changing. They were there for tips, advice and support, and I felt like I wasn’t alone in my journey. I was always inspired by the Motivating Mums, and loved seeing regular posts of other mums who have had similar personal challenges as mine, and had done so well to reach their goals.
Many mothers I don’t know have kept me motivated, and have shown me that I too can reach my goals and be a healthier, happier mum. Today, October 2014, I weigh 76kg and am very close to being 100% happy and healthy. I am aiming to tone and reduce certain areas, whilst continuing to lead a healthy lifestyle and maintain my weight loss.
Jess MacCallum
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