Postpartum Weight Loss Journey

“Journey”… HA.

Considering it’s been less than 4 months since I had Kate, I’m obviously using the word “journey” lightly here. But while it hasn’t been a lengthy journey, it has been an emotional one. For some reason I thought losing the weight would be easier. The first 20 pounds come off FAST. Then, as all my friends and every article I read warned me would happen, I plateaued after about a month. Obviously I expected this. Not a big deal.

Let’s rewind though because really this whole “journey” began while I was still pregnant. I was very intentional during my pregnancy to not gain too much weight and to stay active. I knew every pound I put on would be a pound I had to lose when this was over. Based on my pre-pregnancy BMI (a muscular 150 pounds, 5 feet 6.5 inches tall - i.e. in the normal range), I was told by my doctor that a healthy weight gain for me was 25-35 pounds. Gaining 25 was my goal, and when all was said and done, I ended up gaining thirty-two. I didn’t enjoy pregnancy, so I was satisfied with that number since eating all those carbs and pasta dishes in my 3rd trimester really did make things easier for me. I don’t regret a single bite (side note: as a general rule I make it a point not to “regret” eating food).

I had a pretty textbook delivery with no complications and didn’t require a c-section. Accordingly, I was cleared by my doctor to start exercising again 4 weeks postpartum. I work out at my house with a trainer 3x a week, and we eased back into my workouts. I also did a lot of walking with Kate around our neighborhood + eased into some classes on my Peloton for cardio. By this point, I was also back to my regular, healthy eating lifestyle.

Two months later, I stepped on the scale. To my surprise I had GAINED about 5 pounds. Talk about frustrating. Then I talked myself down and figured that was fine because I was clearly just building muscle so certainly I’d see the results in inches lost. Later that same day my trainer measured me, and the results were in. I hadn’t lost (or gained) a single inch anywhere. Sigh. 😑

After my initial disappointment, I took some time for reflection and sorted myself out. I (quickly) recognized I was being way too hard on myself and have already course corrected. Ummm HELLO I just grew and had a baby! My body has been through a lot and so much is outside of my control (hormones, stress, etc.) Shortly after that weigh-in, we had a trip planned for Mexico. I decided to use that vacation as a physical and mental “reset”. On our trip, I ate and drank to my heart’s content and hit pause on the work outs.

While in Mexico, I ordered this bluetooth smart scale. It measures more than just weight and tracks things like BMR, BMI, body fat percentage, etc. Plus it allows you to enter goals (as an Enneagram Type 3, I LOVE goal setting) and can chart your progress with fancy graphs on their app. I stepped on it as soon as I got home from Mexico and THAT was going to be my new starting point.

The scale also pointed out something important. Turns out my BMR was 1650 calories, which meant I hadn’t been eating enough. Once I learned that, I started logging my food in My Fitness Pal to make sure I was eating at least 1650 calories each day. I actually think eating more has been the game changer for me because ever since I made that change a month ago, I’ve made slow but steady progress.

Okay so that’s enough background I think.

AS PROMISED, I’ve decided to share my progress on the blog. My intention in doing this is to 1) keep myself accountable (you guys are my accountability partners!) and 2) hopefully inspire or encourage someone else out there who’s on the same journey. Every 4-8 weeks or so, I’ll post updates here and will include my real numbers (good or bad!) for full transparency. The numbers will come straight from screenshots of my smart scale’s app. No pictures for now, but maybe once I’ve made more progress I’ll consider sharing before and afters. Maybe. Honestly sharing my weight is a pretty big step for me already! #babysteps

Without further ado, below are my starting numbers…

Any number above in orange means I’m outside the healthy range. As you can see, most of my numbers are green which is great. Dark green is “better” than light green. Based on this, my main focus is losing fat. Once I do that, my BMI and Metabolic Age will fall within the healthy range.

In a little less than 4 weeks, I’ve lost 3.4 pounds.

In a little less than 4 weeks, my BMI has dropped by .6.

In a little less than 4 weeks, my body fat percentage has dropped half a percent.

As you can see above, I’ve lost about a pound a week over the last month. Yay!

My pre-pregnancy weight was 150 pounds, but my goal weight is +/- 140 pounds. That’s the number where I feel and look my best. That means I’ve got about 25 pounds to lose. 😬 So this is where I have to say that - at the end of the day - it’s less about the actual number on the scale for me and more about how I look and feel. 140-ish is just the number I associate with that feeling since I’ve been there in the past! As I continue progressing, I may tweak my goal weight depending on how I feel.

And below are my measurements! My trainer took these with a measuring tape and entered them into the Trainerize app (which is an app she uses to track the progress of all her clients).

Not totally sure what happened with my shoulders, but maybe part of it is a measuring mistake? Seems weird that they grew that much but heck maybe so who knows. The important part is that I lost inches in my waist, hips, and thighs. The rest will follow. 🙏

So there you have it! That’s my progress since I’ve been home from Mexico. I’m happy with my numbers! Slow and steady is fine by me.

Unfortunately, I’ve already hit a bit of a snag with an ankle injury. I sprained it pretty bad! I’d share the picture, but I don’t want to gross you out - it’s a lot of swelling. I got an X-ray and it isn’t broken, so I must have just torn a ligament. It has been improving so my best guess is I’ll recover in about 4-6 weeks. Accordingly, I’ll be hitting pause on working out with my trainer and will instead stick to pilates (my instructor says she can create work outs that won’t impact my ankle) and clean eating. My injury may slow down my progress a bit, but oh well. I’m a big believer in signs, so I think God’s just telling me to cool it a bit and take it easier. So that’s what I’m doing!

I’ve got to go now! I’m in Nashville and all my people are about to be done with their meetings so I’m going to go hang out with them.

Until the next update…. XOXO.