Six days ago, my baby boy turned 9 months. This once was a fitness blog and while I still make time regularly to exercise, my first priority is him. I set an unrealistic goal to get back to my pre-baby body. Then I pushed it back, and pushed it back some more.
These deadline extensions were all well documented on YouTube and self imposed for no particular reason.
I thought I’d be eager to get back into shape. I wasn’t.
I thought my hunger levels would somewhat resemble pre pregnancy. They didn’t.
Social media pictures of new moms with six packs didn’t bother me… a ton. I felt like it was irresponsible for these six pack new moms to show off unrealistic results so soon after giving birth. People thought my own progress pics were guilty of this. Point was taken so I stopped sharing.
I just didn’t feel any urgency to get back to any certain weight but I wanted to be strong and get back to a level of fitness I had pre-Tommy.
I worked out all summer and have been this fall about 5-6 times a week. I go to classes with babysitting, bring Tommy along in the jogging stroller or take advantage of a grandparent being present.
In July and August, I also ate ice cream sundaes and lobster rolls weekly. I wasn’t exactly dieting but I also wasn’t gaining weight with this plan. Even though the scale said I had 2-5 lbs to lose to get back to where I was, I felt confident in how I looked so I had no immediate motivation to change anything! That was until I realized my entire fall wardrobe was going to fit tight unless I lost the extra weight.
Then, things got real. I stopped drinking during the week. I kept my cookies and treats to one or two days a week, as opposed to daily and we stopped going out to dinner once September hit.
This coincided with Tommy’s new diet of solids. He now has a breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m still nursing but it feels less like a full time job these days, just 4 times a day.
The weight finally came off. I am convinced this is because of the introduction of calories in Tommy’s diet coming from food versus milk. I hear when you stop breastfeeding then the weight really comes off which is counterintuitive from what you hear child-less.
“Breastfeeding burns up to 800 calories a day!”
Yeah, maybe… but it also feels like you ran 8 miles and want to eat like you are training for a marathon.
We shot the video above about a week before Tommy officially turned 9 months. My fitness still consisted of 30-45 minute workouts 5-6 days a week. Some spinning, a little running but mostly HIIT workouts which are high intensity workouts that are shot. I discovered I love burpees and jump lunges because they felt efficient.
Then last week, I got food poisoning or more specifically noro virus. Then I really lost my baby weight AND then some. Specifically, I lost 8 lbs in 2 days. Don’t worry, most were fluids and I gained back 4 already. So I guess the first trick is food and the second trick is food poisoning. 😉
I’m not judging anyone here who hasn’t lost their bodyweight. I get it. I do not have a 9 to 5 job where my child is in day care. I am able to exercise without sacrificing precious time away from Tommy. I only have one kid to look after. My workouts are my me time that keeps me sane and able to be present with him as much I am. I’m sharing my journey which is my experience. I thought I would have arrived here in March but I didn’t and I’m happy to say, I took my time. It was slow and gradual.
I guess this means, it’s time to start all over again! Kidding. Having food poisoning made me realize how not ready I am to have morning sickness and take care of a toddler. No thanks or rather… not yet. 
Sarah i’m so proud of you! i’ve followed you for the past few years, back when i first started along my fitness journey post baby. Oh how i wish we had had babies around the same time! this is a fantastic and thoughtfully written article for moms. The hardest part of being a mom (for me at least) was thinking everyone would magically get their pre baby bodies back quickly like magazines say. Working a full time job and having two daughters made it tough, even harder since i always felt judged for not being back in shape in a set time frame. i went from the fitness trainer who had a large network of big-names, to the one that got pointed out as “letting herself disappear into momhood”. i’m back at it and better than pre pregnancy, but my daughters are 6 and 3 now and it’s taken the entire journey to find what truly drives me. This is exactly the type of material every mom needs to read and see, it’s hard work and something to be proud of whether you have a 6 pack, run marathons, or juggle work and motherhood. Thank you for writing this, it’s hard sometimes to make yourself vulnerable with social media so i’m so very very proud of you for not letting others influence you and who you are. Congratulations on your cutie!
I haven’t posted before but this really grabbed me by the heart strings and i had to let you know what a positively amazing woman you are and to never allow others judgements to cloud your passions, whatever they may be.
Thanks Heather for commenting! I too felt pressure to get back sooner because of my job but when it came down to putting down the glass of wine, I didn’t have the motivation or desire. It’s funny how hard at times it is to practice what you preach but these moments I think make us more relatable to clients in the long run I guess. I’m interested to see what happens the next time I get pregnant…
Woohoo congrats on meeting your goals! I’ve followed your blogs and YouTube forever and am 3.5 months postpartum myself. I lost my baby weight super quickly and was at my prepregnancy weight 3 days postpartum. My secret was being on the heavy side of normal before getting pregnant haha. Having a fit pregnancy and only gaining 25lbs helped I’m sure, and I was actually at my smallest 10lbs less than prepregnancy at 6 weeks when I was on leave and could walk and jog daily! I’m a pumping 9-5 working Mom and I’ve put 5lbs back on since returning to work. Honestly pumping is tough and I’ve been intentionally gaining and not working out much because it negatively affects my supply. All this to say, we should be supportive of one another and not put too much pressure on ourselves or each other to “bounce back”. It’ll happen when it happens and you never know someone else’s situation. Also I can’t wait to start solids! I’m dying to get back to my workouts and having the pressure to produce enough milk each day off my back sounds fabulous!
I give you so much credit for pumping. Pumping at work is a third job! You’ll get there when you are ready. At 3.5 months I thought I’d be back but it took another 6 months 🙂
Hey Sarah,
Congrats, you look great! Where did you get that orange and pink bra you’re wearing in the final video? I love it!
It is from Lorna Jane
Last time I saw you you were doing a race and very pregnant. You looked AMAZING then and now too! 9 mos is nothing, I hope you are super proud of yourself. Not to give myself excuses but I sense you are truly dedicated to living healthy. In my case its been hard to reprogram myself to LIVE that way. For me making poor decisions about food and exercise come more easily, it’s such a chore ???? And my weight fluctuates a lot. Like you said, you have to sacrifice in some areas and reward yourself too. Thank you for sharing so openly. I love everything you’re doing and your baby is precious ???? Congrats!
Hi Sarah,
I am 2.5 weeks postpartum and have started working out.
Can you suggest some good sports bras that would provide ample coverage without hurting my supply?
Congratulations! 🙂
Currently in my last weeks of pregnancy, I’m so excited for my bundle of joy! And eager and excited to get back to work outs.
Any advice on stretch marks?