My 25 Post-Baby Weight Loss Tips :: Part 1

I didn’t know if my body could do it, and I was completely OK with it. In a genuine exhale of peace and release, just last week, I accepted that my 33-year-old frame most likely didn’t want to lose the entire 62 pounds I gained in my third pregnancy. I hit my longest plateau, seemingly unable to shake the last few. My body had settled back into my usual size, though, and my favorite pants—and most importantly I felt and still feel amazing! Myself again, and yet new. 

But then one morning, there it was. The number on the scale where I’ve felt most comfortable for most of my (non-pregnant) adult life. Just a number. Nothing more, nothing less. A symbol of my finish line, though. A barometer for my goal. The digits telling me it is officially finished. With the power of God, great playlists, Weight Watchers, and the elliptical in my garage—I did it! I lost every pound of my baby weight, for the third and last time. 

Before I go into my tips, precious friends, I want to say something important. And that is, that my message to postpartum mamas will never, ever be: “Lose that weight! Get to the gym! Wake up early! Get your body back!” Nope. Nope. And, nope. If you’ve read my words on this journey, I hope that you know this! But I will say it again.

My message to you, postpartum mamas, is to love yourself wholly, deeply, and intentionally, like you never have before. It is to cradle that baby; to savor the slowness; to be kinder than necessary to your precious self. (Because it’s, in fact, so necessary.) To care for yourself in a way that feels abundantly, even overly generous—to lather the grace on your every breath and the rising chest of that tiny miracle whom your body is quite possibly also feeding.

Take your own sacred time. Choose peace and rest above hustle. Protect your body and soul with the actual ferocity of a mother bear in the woods. 

My pregnancies were a time when I experienced unrivaled physical agony and discomfort. I am typically a very active person, who genuinely loves exercise (most of the time-ha!) along with healthy food and nutrition (most of the time-double ha! #SidecarDonuts #MastrosButterCake). For my heart, for my body, for my mental health, I really do operate best when I’m prioritizing regular activity and nutritious food. With babies in my belly, though? I was straight benched, and that’s no exaggeration.

I grew during that time, in ways far beyond any scale. I became strong in that time, in ways surpassing physical stamina. I learned how to love myself during that time, no matter what the numbers said, or what my OB said, or what well-meaning (and not well-meaning?) strangers said to make me choke back silent tears.

I truly wouldn’t trade one last ounce of my journey for anything. My 162 pounds gained and lost have made me the woman I am, and the one I will always be climbing toward. But as soon as I got the green light, I was ready, literally, to get moving. To take my first (itty-bitty-baby) steps toward the newest, strongest-yet Me.

For me, getting back into a rhythm of working out and eating right has felt exactly like kindness, rest, healing, goodness and strength. For others, kindness, rest, healing, goodness and strength might look exactly a whole lot different. And that is OK! That is so beautiful. If the mere thought of “losing the baby weight”—or any weight—fills you with sadness or overwhelms you, oh my gosh, leave this page now! 

But if you have a desire to reach a goal, and feel stuck, or frustrated, or alone—this is for you, sister! It’s for you if your pregnancy pounds are climbing to Everest, and you’re wondering if ever losing them is even humanly possible. It’s for you if you need a cheerleader. It’s for you if you need some ideas. It’s for you if you’ve hit a plateau. It’s for you if you’re simply interested in my story! It’s for you if you need a reminder that I know you can do it. 

I’m not a nutritionist or a personal trainer or certifiable anything. I’m just a regular mom who gained a whole bunch of baby weight and managed to lose it three times. (And keep it off, too!) As it turns out, I, in fact, have so many thoughts on this topic just lodged in the crevices of my brain, that I couldn’t fit them all in one post.

So this is Part 1 of 2, and I am SO HAPPY to finally share it with you!

I offer these hard-won tips to you with one high-five in the air, and the other hand reaching out to you, lifting you up. My prayer is that these words might encourage another woman out there in the fight for freedom and strength against an enemy who would much prefer you chained-up and weak, unwilling to even try. Nope! Not today, Satan—not ever! We’ve already won the battle because we have Christ. And, while weight, and our bodies, and sizes, certainly do not determine one ounce of our worth, they can, in fact, be vessels of great war for the Kingdom, in both sickness and health.

I love you guys a lot! These are for YOU. The first 10 of my 25 tips! Here we go!

1. Have the Courage to Start Slow—Like, Super Slow

For the first time, this round, I took a clear mental snapshot of my very first walk after Reese was born. I uttered a prayer. “Here we go. One more time. Everybody’s feelin’ fine. Except me. I feel extra-large and a little sad, with twinges of embarrassment and fear and discouragement, and definitely like everyone on the path is gonna be staring at me when I inevitably collapse on the asphalt because I haven’t moved one inch in 9 years, and I’m pretty sure my core is destroyed irreparably so I won’t even be able to get back up.” Or, you know, something like that. I did pause to have a moment of surrender that I’ll never forget. I might not ever look the same again. I might not ever wear the same size again. But I have this sweet angel from heaven and this new emboldened spirit within my soul. In my deepest core—the one that matters—I feel pretty unstoppable. So here we go. One step at a time. Help me believe, God, that one day, I will feel totally fine. Because I already am. One step, my sister. One foot in front of the other. That’s where it all begins. You will get stronger. I promise.

2. Make Sure Your Holistic Health is On Point

I’m putting this one toward the top because that’s how important it is! As a given, if you have a brand-new baby, make sure your OB has given you the go-ahead to resume exercise. In addition to this, though, pay close attention to how you are feeling and sleeping. If you are suffering from head fog, mood swings, insomnia, irritability, or any host of *really fun* side-effects often served with the post-partum period, definitely tell your OB and also consider seeing a doctor who might give you some deeper insight into your whole-picture health. So many health-related issues can prevent or complicate weight loss—or even scarier, make your efforts a risk. If you live in Orange County, I have an incredible naturopathic doctor who not only helped me get pregnant with Reese (more on that someday!) but who continues to help keep my brain, body and spirit running happily and wholly together. 

3. Buy Some Cute Gear!

You’ve summoned some courage! You’ve got the ole doc’s okay! Next up? Never underestimate the power of proper and adorable gear! Obviously when you embark on a significant weight loss pilgrimage, you don’t begin at your goal size. Buy some brand-spankin-new cute athleisure wear anyway. Don’t go crazy! Don’t go broke! But maybe go to Old Navy or Target, both which carry darling, high-waisted, uber-flattering leggings and tops, for a few active options beyond that beloved XL t-shirt from high school that your husband keeps hinting kindly but not-so casually might look better somewhere else, like the bottom of a trash can. I mean, keep the t-shirt anyway, obviously! But embrace those curves with some sassy new workout clothes, too! Very high chances this will give you a fresh infusion of confidence and motivation. 

4. Pick a Plan, And Stick to It

This tip won’t be for everyone, but it sure worked for me! I really love having a plan. Like a clear-cut, super-detailed, A+B=C-These-Results kinda plan. By having a roadmap, I actually felt it was easier to compartmentalize my weight loss as part of my life—as opposed to an all-consuming endeavor. At first, it might feel all-consuming regardless. But once you’re in the groove of whatever plan you pick, I think it’s probably pretty typical to glide into auto-pilot with your go-to meals, snacks and a general workout schedule.

I know I’m a broken record, but all three times, I did Weight Watchers, with great success and continued results. With this program, each food is assigned a “points” value based on calories, saturated fat, sugar, and protein—and each person is assigned a daily points “target” based on body makeup and #goals. I absolutely love that they have a plan designed for breastfeeding women, and I did this version all three times until I finished nursing. You get so many extra points for nursing, by the way, that it hardly feels like you’re on any plan whatsoever! I love the Weight Watchers iPhone app, robust web resources, large community, zillion recipes and overall sustainability of the approach. There are plenty of other options out there—I just personally think that picking a guide you trust and staying organized can be a huge force in propelling you to your end-goal. 

5. Get Moving on the Reg

Whenever I’m in weight loss mode, for the most part, barring sickness or travel, I get in some form of cardio exercise four days per week—and on three of those days, I also do strength training. Most of the time, until very recently, this was usually 30-40 minutes on the elliptical followed by some strength circuits. Now, I am absolutely loving spin class at least once a week, as well as high-powered, boot-camp-style yoga classes whenever I can! Classes I count as both strength and cardio, since they are usually about one hour long and include both. I have never worked out more than four days per week—and I have never been hard on myself if I only hit three. Or if my kids were sick or things got insane and a week here or there got derailed. Overall consistency has been the key for me here! One workout at a time, I saw my muscles grow and the extra pounds melt. Keep showing up. After a bad week, after a hard workout, after a frustrating weigh-in. Keep on keeping on. The constancy will pay off! 

6. Walk it Out

In addition to your workouts, or you can TOTALLY count it as cardio if you want: I say, the more walking, the better! And better still with a friend! I went on SO many walks in the early days with every one of my babies! In fact, I’m already nostalgic for those times with a dreaming baby doll in a milk coma, snoozing away while I meandered the miles away, laughing, crying, analyzing, worrying, confessing, wondering, praying… with my precious mom friends, with whom a piece of my soul is now linked forever. It’s such a beautiful way to feed your body and spirit at the same time. I’d go so far as to say that I think it is holy. And this isn’t just a mommy or new baby thing. I think we were made to move in this way a lot more than we probably do. In fact, I often fantasize about life in a walkable city or small farm town. There’s something so earthy and human about getting from A-Z on your feet. Heart-healthy and holy, I tell you! 

7. Track All the Things

This isn’t the most fun tip in the world, but it’s another one that worked so well for me! I tracked it all, every bite of my journey, in the Weight Watchers iPhone app. And I found that if I started to skip, my eating would slip. The tracking keeps me accountable. There’s an old Weight Watchers saying that says, “If you bite it, write it!” So cheesy, so true. I do the same with my workouts, on a post-it slapped on my fridge. So high-tech, guys! I usually jot the workouts in my written planner as well. There’s something so satisfying about crossing those numbers out. Am I 10 years old? Sometimes, you bet! 

8. Stock Healthy Food Like It’s 1999 

The newest iteration of Weight Watchers includes a number of zero-point foods, which I really adore! Fruits, vegetables, eggs, black beans, nonfat plain yogurt and various other healthy selections have NO point value—meaning you can indulge as you wish and they don’t count toward your daily point target. I know! Go nuts! BLACK BEANS! Wow. Never knew I would eat so many black beans that I’d actually be making brownies with them! My point in sharing this tip, though, is to tell you how much it has helped me to have tons of healthy snacks around all the time. This round of weight loss made a Costco shopper out of me. I buy their bananas, berries, apples, hardboiled eggs, and sometimes other fruits, too. From other stores, and/or Costco, I also stash carrots and hummus; rotisserie chicken and spinach; yogurt; popcorn; avocados; and some yummy bars for on-the-go. ONE and Built Bars are my favorite—such filling, delectable treats! By keeping good food at the ready, you eliminate chances of reaching for junk food instead. Pretty sure there’s a whole Berenstain Bears book about this! 

9. Find Your BFF Snacks & Meals

With Weight Watchers, it’s been so helpful for me to have a whole bunch of go-to meals that I can repeatedly tap without hassle or thought. My favorite breakfast is oatmeal with almond butter or peanut butter, sometimes also half of a banana—or two scrambled eggs and wheat toast. Always coffee, too! Either my splurgey CoffeeMate for which I will admittedly sacrifice too many points, or more recently, almond milk or oat milk lattes with my Nespresso machine (this has been a gift and a game changer). Lunch is often salad with a hefty dose of lean protein, or a turkey sandwich with spinach on wheat bread along with some fruit. As for dinners, my absolute go-to has always been Skinnytaste.com, which offers hundreds of easy, delicious recipes, all listed with Weight Watchers points! I find myself making salmon, chili, chicken and brown rice pasta over and over again, but when I branch out, you bet it’s Skinnytaste!

In case it’s helpful, here’s an example of a very typical Weight Watchers day for me, once I finished nursing at 7 months and my daily target became 23 points. You also get extra “Weekly Points” which you can use anytime, on any foods, and I have always eaten every last one! (I personally never dip into my exercise points.)

Breakfast:

Almond Milk Latte: 2 pts

Oatmeal: 4 pts

1 TBS Peanut Butter: 3 pts

Morning Snacks:

Two Hardboiled Eggs: 0 pts

Half Banana: 0 pts

Lunch:

Turkey Sandwich on Wheat Bread with Spinach: 6 pts

Berries: 0 pts

Non-fat Plain Yogurt: 0 pts

Afternoon Snack:

Carrots & Hummus: 2 pts

Dinner:

Salmon: 3 pts for prep w/ olive oil (salmon is free!)

Kale Salad: 1 pt for parmesan cheese, 2 pts for lite dressing, 0 pts for garlic and lemon

Total: 23 points

10. Know Your Restaurants

Eating out. Anyone who’s ever lost weight will tell you that restaurants can be your arch-nemesis! However, they can also be a great ally. Weight Watchers makes it super easy to eat out. Not only does the iPhone app include menu point values for hundreds of popular restaurants, but the zero-point system affords you the chance to order generic protein-packed items with zero stress. I personally hate getting sucked into my phone’s vortex for anything during a dinner out—especially tracking food, OMG!—so I have always tried my best to get an idea beforehand of what I might eat. I also found it helpful to know which restaurants I could genuinely enjoy in the strictest throes of my weight loss. My favorites during this last round were Cheesecake Factory (anything from the Skinnylicious menu!), Chick-Fil-A (Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Grilled Nuggets, Diet Dr. Pepper), True Food Kitchen (Vegetable Crudite, Tuscan Kale Salad with Salmon, So Many Things on Their Menu!), and Blaze Pizza (build your own pizza on their super-thin yummy crust—pile on the protein and veggies)! We eat out pretty often, as a family and as a couple, so knowing my hometown food joints has been key along the way. 

That’s all for now, folks! Questions? Ask me anything! To be continued! 15 more tips coming soon!