Chantelle Vella Loses Over 10kgs And Becomes A Motivating Mum

Chantelle Vella has lost over an incredible 10kgs with Lose Baby Weight and becomes a Motivating Mum.


From as far back as I can remember I have been a chronic yo-yo dieter and the “chunky friend” in the group. I have a family full of short, heavy set people and have always had it in my head that I was never going to be that person. I worked out like a demon in my early twenties, at the gym every day, determined not to get “too heavy”.
After being on a strict regime before my wedding, I let myself go because I was sick of being on crash diets, quickly gaining 4kgs on my honeymoon and a further 4kg once embarking on our “TTC Journey”. When I fell pregnant with my son I weighed in at 68kg. Already overweight for my height, I instantly went into panic mode, worrying that I would blow out terribly over the next 9 months. Having constantly worried about how my body looks my entire life, pregnancy was hard for me, I spent the entire time hating how I looked instead of loving my body for what an amazing job it was doing growing my baby. I blew out to 82kg by the time I gave birth and there are very few photos of me around that time as I was so embarrassed about the way I looked, something I now regret.
Having heard about the Lose Baby Weight website and Healthy Mummy Smoothies while I was pregnant, I had purchased some in the weeks leading up to giving birth. I was excited that I had found a product that was safe for breast feeding and convenient for time poor mothers. I started with the smoothies very shortly after giving birth and found them both delicious and a life saver for a quick breakfast or lunch replacement, as well as nice and refreshing in the hot summer months.
Once I had settled in to my new life as a mum, I joined the Lose Baby Weight Facebook group and began interacting with other mums on the same journey and trying out some of the recipes. My weight quickly evened out to 71kg when I decided I needed to begin exercising again, starting with easy walks and light weights. I joined a fitness class that accommodated mums and bubs and began trying HIIT workouts at home that could easily be done in the lounge room in between nap and feeding times.
My first goal was to get to 60kg by Melbourne Cup day, as that would make my son 9 months old and I had a nice dress I wanted to wear to a lunch I had planned on that day. Normally I would go on some ridiculously restrictive diet that was bound to fail and exercise like crazy and lose all motivation in about 4 weeks.
Instead, I joined the first 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge that Lose Baby Weight put up and loved the daily exercise plans and all of the recipes were so easy to make and wonderfully tasty. I loved seeing everyone’s photos and used the group to motivate me when I was feeling sluggish or lazy.
Having just started back at work and really struggling with the work/being a mum balance, but made a lot of the recipes in bulk and froze them, as well as making bigger batches for my husband to try as well. The challenge was so well put together and doing it as a group was fantastic, hearing everyone’s feedback and adaptations to suit their lifestyle and families.
To further motivate myself, I signed up for the Color Run and City to Bay 12km fun run and aimed to actually RUN most of both for the first time in my life. I finally got my running up to 5km without stopping and managed to complete both fun runs quite well and in no time at all I was at Melbourne Cup day. Nervously, I jumped on the scales and 60.2kg! I couldn’t believe my eyes, I had achieved my first goal through determination and following the Lose Baby Weight recipes and the enormous support coming from all the other women doing the same.
Moving on I want to achieve my ultimate goal of 55kg and being the fittest and best me I can be. I am aiming for the first time in my life to love the skin I am in, to love my body and treat it well. I want my son to grow up seeing his mum be fit and healthy, making healthy food choices and showing him how to do the same.
I want to be able to run around with him and keep up with his young legs and endless energy and for him to see a strong female role model that loves who she is and how she looks. I want to show other women that having children doesn’t ruin your body and that you are still allowed to care about yourself and your needs once little ones come along.
I will never yo-yo diet again, I will never look in the mirror and hate myself again, I will never ruin another pregnancy embarrassed of my body again, my body is an amazing temple that has and will again house life and that I will love, protect and nourish. Lose Baby Weight has changed who I am and I want to show others how to do the same and feel so much better inside and out.
Chantelle Vella
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