Lost That Bump - Postpartum Weight Loss (Month 3)

My weight loss is slowing to a crawl at this point, but I just have to keep at it and I know it will be worth it in the end!

Start(ish) of the month
May 27th
Weight: 157 lbs

This month I have stayed almost the same workout-wise, but I have cut out a lot of fatty foods, meat and empty carbs. I am eating smaller meals and snacking less in the evenings. My meals are 3/4 vegetables, and if I want a snack I cook up some veggies or eat a bowl of salad.

I can feel a difference in my energy levels (which aren't that great due to having a three-year-old, two-year-old and two-month-old) and I feel lighter and healthier. I have never had any sort of ab definition and I can finally feel some now (I can't see it beneath the baby blubber but I can feel the muscles with my hand.)

Middle of the month
June 2nd
Weight: 160 lbs (oops!)

About the middle of my month (well technically the start of a month but I started on the 17th, so the middle of my month is the start of the month... if that makes sense). Anywho, the middle of the month I hit a bit of a wall, stopped working out and ate a bunch of junk. Only went up to 160 lbs but it scared me enough to get me back on track.

My baby bump is finally disappearing!
(June 5th - 155 lbs)

Just keep in my mind, if I can do this, you certainly can too! At this point I am down 35 lbs, and have only 15 more to go before I reach my goal weight. Now its crunch-time! (Pun intended).

Love ya's!
- M

Lose That Bump - Postpartum Weight Loss (Month 2)

Here we are... another month, another post!

This month I started cutting out a lot of refined sugars and flours, and drastically increased my consumption of fruits and vegetables (mostly vegetables, fruits are very high in natural sugars). Two thirds of my grocery budget is spent on produce.

I started a daily workout routine, doing a 30 second plank, 20 crunches, 5 push-iups and 20 jacknives (or similar abdominal exercise). By two weeks later, I was doing 75 second plank, 40 crunches, 10 push-ups and 40 abdominal exercises.

Beginning of the month (April 15th)
Weight: 165 lbs

This is the end of the month (May 14th)
(Sorry its not easy to see)
Weight: 159 lbs

More updates soon.

xoxo
- M

Lose That Bump - Postpartum Weight Loss (Month 1)

Earlier this year (March 17th to be more precise), I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy weighing 9lbs 2oz. While I really appreciate that almost 10lb head-start to my weight loss, I don't want it to end there. So I have started on a journey not just to lose weight but to be healthier!

So far I haven't been doing any sort of drastic dieting or exercise, just trying to eat healthier and try to get at least a small workout everyday and a good walk every other day. Besides that I am still doing my usual, cleaning the house and yardwork.

I am breastfeeding currently, which might help or hinder my weight loss. We will see I guess!

Here I am 8.5 months pregnant (March 1st)
Weight: 190 lbs

Here I am 7 days postpartum (March 24th)
Weight: 167 lbs

At this point I had already lost 23 lbs, although I can't really take credit for most of that. It helps that I had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery and was able to get right back into the swing of things immediately.

But most of the weight I lost was just from eating well, walking and trying not to spend TOO much time on the couch! (Two toddlers help with that.)

Blog at-cha later!

xoxo

- M

PS: Click here to read more about my weight loss journey!

Lose That Bump - Postpartum Weight Loss (Intro)

I can't believe it has already been 10 weeks since my darling little boy was born. It feels like just yesterday and yet at the same time it feels as though little G has always been a part of our clan.

After my last two pregnancies (A in 2011 and L in 2013), I didn't take any sort of proactive approach to my postpartum weight loss. This time things will be different. Giving birth three times in four years has really taken its toll on my body, so I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Some (raw/brutal) facts:

1. Before my first pregnancy, my weight was in the 120-125 pound range.
2. I topped out at 170lbs with little A (weight gain of approx 45lbs)

1st Pregnancy - 8 Months
(This was the only picture I could find)

3. I never dropped below 150lbs after giving birth to her.
4. I then went up to just under 180lbs when pregnant with L.

2nd Pregnancy - 8 Months

5. Got down to 155lbs in the year and 3 months between giving birth and getting pregnant with G.
6. Finally, went up to 190lbs in my pregnancy with G.

3rd Pregnancy - 8 Months

So here I go on my weight loss journey... hopefully I will have positive results to share!!!

xoxo

- M

The Adventures of Porch Kitty (Pt 3)

Yesterday, our foster mama kitty PK (Porch Kitty) decided to move her kittens under an end table in our bedroom. I understand she is trying to protect them and natural instincts and all that, but it made me really worried. They had no cover or anything to stop them from crawling away. No to mention the drawers are open underneath so could easily clip them when they get a bit bigger.

So I decided to try to find a better place for her to keep them that both she and myself are satisfied with, because clearly just a blanket lined box in my closet was not cutting it.

I was all over Google trying to find out what kind of places cats like to have their kittens. In the "wild" (I still can't picture domestic cats as ever living in the real wild) they are like most other animals mamas. They like dark, warm caves. They want protection from the elements and any predators.

Now, we don't really have "elements" or "predators" here, but we do have two other cats and two dogs (who I have been keeping away from the kittens, mostly for their own protection because PK can be really defensive). Not to mention a one- and two-year-old.

So I racked my brain for a place that was safe, dark and quiet. I thought of my craft room closet, but it is quite cold in there with no heating and being in the outer corner of the house. Maybe the hall closet? But there were a lot of shelves she could decide to put them on that would not be good if they fell from.

I finally decided on our upstairs bathroom cabinet. It has three doors, so I made a bed out of fresh blankets behind the far left door, closed it and left the far right door open, so that they were away from the open. I wrapped a blanket around the water pipes with twine, so no little kitties would get burns (not sure if the pipes can even get hot enough but I didn't want to take the chance). I put mama's litter box and food dishes close by, and closed the blinds over the window. I also made sure the heat vent was fully open. All in all, not too shabby.

Our bathroom has two doors, one to the hallway and one to our master bedroom. During the day I let her roam the house, but at night I try to keep her contained, so open the door to my bedroom but close the one to the hall. She is a huge snuggle bug, so she loves crawling into my bed in the middle of the night and meowing until I pet her.

Well, for now at least, our problem is solved. It has been almost 24 hours and still she hasn't tried to move them. Here's to hoping this lasts!

God bless.

- M

PS: Here is a picture of the three cats having a stand-off. They literally sat like this for almost two hours. The calico is Halo and the ginger is her brother Dexter. They were both too scared to move because PK kept growling at them. Eventually Dexter tried to run and PK chased him and Halo chased her. A few minutes later PK returned to my side please as punch. Silly kitty.

Disclaimer: No cats were hurt in the making of this picture.

You can read PK's story here and here.