Here's a little backstory. When I was pregnant with my daughter I gained about 70 pounds. It was miserable. Everything hurt and I was so swollen. After I gave birth I lost about 20 pounds instantly. Then I started working hard and lost almost another 20. I had about 30 pounds left to go and a floppy stomach still. But then my daughter turned one and on her first birthday I was pregnant again!
I was so happy because I knew there was another baby ready to be born. But I hadn't lost all my baby weight with Lucy and there was no way I was going to lose 30 pounds while pregnant. I actually ended up gaining about 55 pounds. So that is 85 pounds up from my original starting weight.
That's a picture from my baby shower. I was so big and swollen. I had a horrible pregnancy with him and I was just so uncomfortable.
I had a rough delivery and then the stress of him being in the NICU did not help me lose weight like I did with my daughter. I only lost about 12 pounds after giving birth immediately. Which isn't much considering he weight 8 pounds 10 oz.
Once we got him home and started to settle in I went to the gym again. I started off with light walking and bike riding. It was good to be back at the gym. I loved working out and had been very dedicated to working out before, during and after my first pregnancy. With all the complications I had during my second pregnancy I barely went. I lost almost all my muscle tone and it was just miserable.
Fast forward and I am now down 56 pounds. I have about 30-35 more pounds before I hit my goal weight. I hit a plateau for a little bit and ended up doing a crossfit challenge. It was so much fun! I did not lose the weight but I learned how strong I was. I took this knowledge and I applied it to my own workouts I do in the gym.
However crossfit was not providing me enough cardio. I have done HIIT (high intensity interval training) for cardio for years. I decided to start combining that with some fasted cardio and I have been able to lose weight quickly with that.
I track my HIIT training by using my polar H10 heart rate monitor. It is Bluetooth compatible and allows me to track my heart rate on my phone & apple watch using the app Polar Beat. When I see those hills on the heart rate monitor I know my HIIT training is effective.
Of course doing HIIT training isn't for everyone, you should always talk to your doctor before starting an intense physical activity.
I also realized how important it is for me to drink a protein shake. I get sick if I eat too much after I workout but I need to eat something and feed my body. I drink a Shakeology protein shake. I ended up trying it because it was plant based protein (I am technically lactose intolerant so the whey shakes rip my stomach up) & I knew a few people who used it and really liked the flavor. I am probably the most picky eater in the world but this protein is yummy with just plain water. Adding peanut butter or yogurt and fruit make it feel like a treat (which I LOVE).
If you are interested in ordering Shakeology protein I can help! I signed up to become a coach just to get the protein powder at whole sale price. It was totally worth it.
I plan on sharing more of my workouts with you all because I think it is nice to see REAL people in the gym and sharing tips and tricks that work for me! Maybe some will help someone else and that to me is worth it!
Here is the link to buy the Polar Heart Rate Monitor I use.
Also if you are interested in Shakeology just use the "get in contact with me" box on the right hand side & we will chat about getting you the whole sale price without the monthly bill (YAY saving money!)
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