Today we have a story from one of our Lose Baby Weight mums Stephanie that we thought could help a lot of other mums.
Stephanie wrote to us as she was feeling a lack of motivation, even after losing an incredible 31kg of post baby weight on our weight loss plans.
While she had lost a huge amount of post baby weight, for her it still didn’t feel like ‘enough’ as it didn’t see her fall below her pre-pregnancy weight or goal weight.
She also struggles with food, and finds herself turning to junk food as a way of coping.
Today we share Stephanie’s story, as well as offering some advice for her and other mums in a similar situation.

Stephanie’s Story

‘When my baby was born it was a massive adjustment period and I found the Healthy Mummy Smoothies great.
They were about the only way I had time to eat healthily in the day, with a newborn who didn’t sleep much.
I also started doing exercise with other new parents which I really loved because I got out of the house and it was social.
With just these two things I lost a lot of the weight yet it felt like it took so long.
Now that the babymoon is over I feel like it’s taking even longer to see the scale move, and I am struggling with motivation.
With the help of the 28 Day Plan I am so close to my pre-pregnancy weight that I now fit into my old ‘fat jeans’.

But at Christmas time I fell off the weight loss wagon and head first into a chocolate binge that I am still putting behind me.

In some ways losing baby weight is harder because when you are putting the weight on everyone reassures you that it will ‘fall off’ when you breastfeed.
This wasn’t my experience. Instead I was hungry all the time and had the misfortune of adjusting to a new me that was 35 kilos heavier, uncomfortable in my own skin and very low in self esteem.
Even as I’m losing the weight it doesn’t feel like an accomplishment because I’m still bigger than I was before – which I hate.
I also turn to food a lot for comfort. So every time I have a bad day of eating I tend to beat myself up big time then go on a guilt fuelled junk food bender.
Then I try and reign myself in when I put on the weight I worked so hard to lose (and I hate diet plans).
No matter how delicious the food it feels like a chore to follow a diet but I have found the lose baby weight definitely the easiest and best to do.
I am still trying, and healthy living to me is about learning to overcome your own personal temptations and the best ways to look after your body long term.
With what I am learning of my weaknesses and temptations I hope I can recognise them and distance myself from food earlier next time.
I know I’m not quite there but hopefully soon I will get there!
Thank you for your healthy mummy products that have seen me little by little get smaller even if it’s one step forward three steps back!
This week I was so much better because I had a long conversation with my husband who has more self-control than me.
I asked that he gently remind me of my own feelings and that food won’t help if he thinks I’m about to devour something.
Surprisingly because I asked him I find it endearing when he reminds me because he is risking me getting angry at him and it makes me feel like I’m not alone.’
– Stephanie Goldner

The Lose Baby Weight Advice

Stephanie you have already done so well – losing 31kg is a MASSIVE achievement and you should be so proud of yourself and also not put pressure on yourself to reach a weight goal that may be unrealistic too. Losing weight should make you feel happy, healthy and confident and if shouldn’t take over your life in the aim to reach a set number on the scales.
But if you do still want to have some  extra help,  we would try to give you some advice

• Motivation

It’s understandable that you feel a bit deflated by the fact that this huge accomplishment hasn’t seen you fall below your pre-pregnancy weight.
But the good news is that you are well on your way to achieving your goals.
Imagine if you hadn’t done any of the hard work yet – you would still have 31kg to go plus whatever else you hope to lose. You’ve come so far!
Try to set yourself some smaller goals, so that you can reward yourself when you reach these milestones. For instance you might set a goal of walking for 40 mins four times per week; or a goal of losing 4kg before a significant event in your life.
Often this is much more motivating than setting a huge goal which might feel a long way off.

• Food and Drinks

Using food as a crutch is a really hard habit to break. After all, it starts young when we are given an ice cream for being ‘a good girl’, given a biscuit when we are trying to be placated, or handed a lollipop when we feel upset after a visit to the dentist.
This just goes to show how important it is to be a role model for our own children, and help them learn to use food as fuel – not as a way to deal with emotions.
Try to find some healthy options that you really love, and stock up on those. For instance maybe you love avocado, Greek yoghurt or cashews but don’t buy them all the time – so you could be sure to always keep some in the house.
Or another idea is to stock up on healthy versions of the unhealthy food that you crave.
For instance if you love dip, try some of our healthy home made dip recipes. If you like chocolate cake, whip up one of our guilt free options that won’t undo all your hard work.
Check out our Summer Cookbook or the recipes pages for more ideas.
It’s great that you are enjoying the Healthy Mummy Smoothies – it’s handy to have a highly nutritious staple in your diet like these as it takes the guess work out of what to eat for breakfast.
Breakfast can often be a minefield with all of those cereals made with so much added sugar (even the so-called ‘healthy ones’), toast with added sugar-filled toppings (jam, Nutella), or cooked breakfasts with animal fats such as bacon. So this is a great start to your day which you should definitely continue with.

• Junk Food and Alternatives

One of the first points we would address is access to the junk food – it is so important for you not to have the unhealthy food in the house.
Even if your partner or kids want/demand it – ultimately it is up to you to say ‘no’ and enforce that you as a family don’t eat junk food.
It doesn’t have to mean there are no treats ever again, in fact it just means a new definition for the word ‘treat.’
Why not try baking something from our recipe collection once or twice a week for the kids (and yourself as a special treat) such as our healthy banana bread, carrot cake muffins, muesli bars, or our coffee and date slice.
This way you can enjoy the treat (not every day, but when you really need something) and you won’t feel as though you need to reach for a chocolate bar or packet of lollies which are really not going to support your long term pregnancy weight loss goals.

• Getting Support

It’s great that you had the conversation with your husband and that he is supportive of your weight loss efforts.
So often as women we assume that our husbands know what we mean when we ask them to ‘be supportive’ when really they need to be told specifically what we want them to do (e.g. ‘if you see me about to devour a tub of ice cream, remind me that I am close to my goals, and suggest watching a movie instead’). You can also see some information here on how to get your partner on board too.
See if you can find a friend who could become a weight loss buddy – someone to chat to, swap recipes, exercise with and help each other out with child minding so that you can exercise on your own. This could be really beneficial.
Hopefully some of these ideas will help you on your journey to a healthier you. We would love to hear how you go!

• Back to basics

And here are some really useful links and resources to help you refocus and get back to basics

1. Work out your BMR so you know how many calories your own individual body needs. As you lose weight your calorie needs decrease so it is important to re-calculate and adjust accordingly. Use our BMR calculator here
   
2. If you haven’t yet joined up to our FREE members area, register here so you have your own private dashboard to log your weight, measurements, exercise and BMI so you can visually see your progress. Join up here
   
3. Snacking is essential for energy levels and for boosting your metabolism – see our healthy snacking category here
   
4. Are the scales not giving you the results you want – see what could be happening here
   
5. Read here about why you shouldn’t always trust the scales
6. Get some tips on staying motivated here
7. See the most common weight loss issues here and how to over come them

Extra tips on losing the last 5kg

• Get strict – while you may not be into counting calories, you might just find that when you work out your BMI and the corresponding daily calorie recommendation that you are over consuming each day. Every little bit helps, so why not spend just a few weeks counting calories until you are confident that you are eating the right amount. And get our Calorie Bible here
• Start swapping – so eggs and spinach instead of toast or cereal; try using 50:50 water and milk in your Healthy Mummy Smoothies; fill your plate with veggies and salad instead of rice or pasta; use lettuce or cabbage as ‘wraps’ instead of sandwiches.
• Up the protein – ensure that you are eating enough protein in your meals and snacks. This helps you to feel fuller for longer and gets your metabolism firing. Think nuts, LSA, boiled eggs, poached chicken, natural peanut butter, tofu.
• Cut back on the treats – if you are really trying everything then why not go for it and try really cutting back your treats for a few weeks. It might mean all the difference so it is worth a go if you think you can manage it.
• Say no to alcohol for a while – even the odd glass of wine adds up in terms of calories. And with no nutritional value it could be a quick and easy way to see results.
• Mix up your repertoire – our bodies get used to the same old same old. Why not challenge your taste buds with some recipes from our brand new Spring Summer Recipe Book?
• Stay focused – one day at a time is all we can do. Don’t let a bad day turn into a bad week. So if you have a slip up, dust yourself off and remember that tomorrow is another day closer to your goal.
• Get support – try chatting to a friend or other mum who has lost weight. Pick their brain and see if they have any insight for you about anything you are missing or not doing. Jump onto the Lose Baby Weight Facebook page every night at 9pm and chat to one of our Motivating Mums who have lost their baby weight. The free Q&A session runs for 45 minutes – ask them anything – and meet them all here.
• Boost your metabolism – get your insides to do all the work. Fire up your metabolism and the calories will burn themselves. Read our top picks for weight loss boosting foods here.
• Move move move  – for some people, a daily walk and some weekly strength training is enough to see great results. For others, you might need to get more of a sweat on to see the benefit. Try alternating your walks with jogging or a light run. Increase your strength training as this helps to build muscle which means you will burn more calories even from your daily movements. Need a bit more structure? Try our NEW Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD. Preorders are now open, and the DVD is $39.99. The DVD is perfect for brand new mums or mums with older kids too. We know how hard it can be to squeeze in time to exercise with kids. That’s why the six workouts are broken down into 10 and 15 minute sections that you can do when it suits you. Or if you have the time and energy you can do the DVD as one 70 minute continuous workout.

And one extra one – Watch your portion control – see some tips here and you can purchase one of our portion control plates here
If you are ready to lose weight then the Lose Baby Weight plans offer a healthy and safe exercise and diet routine and you can get a 10% discount by using code LOYALTY at the checkout
PLUS our BEST SELLING 28 Day Diet & Exercise Plan is available as a 200pg Printed Book and you can get your copy here 
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