Am I even allowed to call it “postpartum” anymore? I mean yes, it is partly baby weight, but it’s also a combination of all the biscuits and cake I have consumed. And my baby is nearly two!
My relationship with exercising and dieting
When people think of people they know who are “active” I promise you, nobody would ever think of me. I have a love-hate relationship with exercising and dieting and rarely attempt both at the same time… mainly because I like to retain some element of “joy” in my life. I’m, I would say, a reluctant participant at best, I want the results more than I want the enjoyment of exercise at any rate.
Dieting
Previously I have tried 5:2 and Slimming World when it comes to dieting. All with pretty good results. Slimming World gave me the more lasting results as it changed my eating habits. In fact, I would say most of those healthier choices have stuck around in respect to mealtimes. It’s all the “extras’ that have crept back in. I now use sweets and chocolate as rewards for getting through life in the same way as I used to reward myself with holidays and nights out, both of which were happening infrequently before COVID-19 and are non-existant now.
Exercise
Exercise has been the same mixed bag. I tried running for a while but I never really enjoyed it. It’s not something that favours the larger boobed of us and I quite honestly couldn’t see the point. My mum once told me that when I was six I refused to run in a school sports day race because I had discovered the reward for doing so was a packet of smarties… and I couldn’t see the point, it wasn’t worth it even to six year old me. I may have been rather precocious but I share the same reasoning now, even if there’s a G&T and cake at the finish line…. it’s not happening.
I was also a member of various gyms for a few years. This was where I started to find some enjoyment, I loved classes, especially spinning, and I looked forward to those days. It didn’t give me any weight loss to write home about, or at least not enough to be noticeable so after a 2-year stint, I quit. Like I say, I want the results more than the enjoyment.
Now the time feels right!
Although I haven’t been happy with my weight since having spud, I haven’t been unhappy enough to do something about it. Throughout my pregnancy, I had been pretty careful and didn’t put on a huge amount of weight. When my bump started to go down and my stretch marks started to fade I naively thought I had escaped the worst…
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I didn’t enjoy much of my maternity leave and I’m afraid to say that the comfort eating really took its toll on me.
Since then my weight has gradually crept up slowly to where I am today.
I’m 35 in a few weeks and I’ve realised this journey isn’t just about fitting into all my lovely old clothes, it about being fitter and healthier. Mainly so I can keep up with an increasingly active toddler, but also so I can be here to make the most of him for as many years as possible.
That might sound a bit morbid, but on realising my BMI had hit the “overweight” range, the health implications of that really hit home.
Enough was enough.
Starting Point
Probably should have warned you before sharing my “belly’s gonna get ya” shot (if you were a child in the 90’s you’ll get the reference!).
I thought I would try and squeeze into my old gym gear just for a laugh and to take some “before” shots. What an eye-opener THAT was. I encourage anyone starting out to give it a try, just let the reality sink in.
Diet
I’m going to wean myself into this gently as I’m not prepared to go cold turkey until I really have to. So instead, to start, I’m just cutting down on sugary snacks and making healthier lunch choices with less bread to begin with. I’m also going to be intermittent fasting. Not the same as 5:2 but my new window for eating with be between 1pm – 9pm. Outside of those times I will not be consuming anything.
If and when the weight-loss slows down, I will look to change this up again.
Exercise
Before lockdown, I couldn’t honestly see where the gym would fit within my routine. Spud doesn’t go to bed until 8 and then we have to eat, giving me a 2-hour window at best to “live”. I’m not prepared for that to be dedicated to the gym!
When the opportunity to go to a gym was removed anyway I started to look into other options. I had done the dreaded celebrity workout videos in the past and hated doing the same thing every day, so I started looking further afield, to YouTube and to “apps”.
It was at this point that I discovered FIIT.
Starting out with FIIT
I initially started with the free version. Via the FIIT app they offer a selection of free FIIT classes for you to try. I tried a mixture of stretch, cardio and core workouts and even started one of the free plans they offer.
FIIT offer loads of classes of varying lengths, I found the 25-minute classes worked best for me. I can pop the dinner on and then get cracking, using the cooking time, when I would usually be sat around on my phone, to do something productive.
I found I didn’t need a lot of space to workout with FIIT. Even with Spud’s toys all over the place, I could make room on the living room floor.
I even used the toys to my advantage. A quick mega block creation made a great holder for my phone to!
What next?
I think I’m going to give the premium version of FIIT a try. They do a 14 day free trial so I have nothing to lose!
Current Stats
| Current | Goal |
| 11st 2lb | 9st 6lb |
| BMI 25 | BMI 21.2 |
| Loss to date – 0lbs | -24.8lbs to go… |
