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It’s been another month since LG’s last postpartum transformation journey post, and for her final update, she’s letting us know what she has in store for the future in terms of balance, baby and getting back into further shape. I hope you enjoyed her series! If you’re a new mom who’d like to dedicate time to your fitness but don’t have the time to write out a plan, this bundle of health and wellness programs includes an 8 Week Postpartum Transformation plan with personalized meals from Certified Personal Trainer, Bree Cox, and thirty other online courses and wellness tools. It’s on a crazy flash sale this week with over $5,000 worth of content for just $99, so check it out! xo - Candace
It’s time for my final update in my postpartum journey! Ten weeks of consistent macro-counting and circuit training has lead me to a great starting place! Yep, this is where I plan on starting my ‘real’ transformation. I have such an appreciation and a renewed respect for my body after the birth of my second baby that I’m excited to see where I can go from here. That at 39, and with the birth of two babies, I can become stronger than I ever was before! Here’s a quick recap on the last month of my postpartum journey.
Postpartum transformation front view before and after
Postpartum side view (wrong side!) before and after
Nutrition
Aside from a few days here and there of pure indulgence (birthday parties), I’ve stuck to my meal planning and macro counting. This just happens to be what proves to work best for me. As I’ve said previously, I don’t feel restricted, and I feel that honing in my macronutrients balances my mood and hormones. One more thing, after discussing with Coach Keeler, I introduced intermittent fasting. I do a 16:8 ratio meaning I fast for 16 hours and eat within an 8 hour window. Because we eat dinner as a family, I break my fast at 10am, so that we can sit together at 5:30pm for dinner and wrap up by 6pm. It is something I’m just trying right now to see how my body reacts because I am still breastfeeding and don’t want my milk production to suffer. It’s been about two weeks of intermittent fasting, and all is well. The benefits have been everything from weight loss to improved mental focus, and I’m here for it! Moving forward, I plan to maintain my meal prepping as it helps me stay on track with macros and saves me both time and money. I also plan on tweaking my macros when I stop breastfeeding - whenever that may be. I don’t know how long I’ll attempt intermittent fasting - we’ll just see how my body reacts.
Fitness
While I’d love to get back to strength training, and even yoga classes here and there, right now I’m sticking with my circuits for the purpose of time management. I’ve drastically improved my endurance and my strength is right back to my prenatal standards, and that’s just with a quick 30 minute workout five days a week. I usually stick to the same 30 minute AMRAP structure of a 3 minute row followed by 3 exercises. For instance, today I did a 3 minute row, 20 GHD sit-ups with 20 Russian Twists, 20 KB Snatches (10 each side), 20 KB swings, and 30 seconds on the assault bike - rest for 1 minute and repeat until the 30 minutes expires. This is all I have time for before Nash is either hungry or tired or just wants me back!
Mentality
Holy crap mom-ing is tough. Most days I just lean in and get the job done and figure if we make it to bedtime with only a tantrum or two and a few good naps between them, then I did a good job. My successes used to be marked by a glowing yearly review, coinciding with a raise if I was lucky, or the completion of a successful Congressional Delegation visit, but now no one is there to tell me how great I did or pat me on the back for a job well done. Some days I don’t speak with another adult for almost ten hours. Some days I miss feeling like I was ‘doing a good job’ or having some tangible marker of success to hold on to, but this time with my babies trumps all of that. I get to see the world through my babies’ eyes, and it’s all so beautiful. They are happy and healthy, and that’s all I can ever ask for. Before Nash I was uncertain of so many things. Can I take care of two babies? How will I make it through each day? Will I ever sleep again? The answer is YES.
Status Update
Current physique
Duration: 10 weeks (almost 18 weeks postpartum)
Current weight: 138 (down 9 pounds, 17 pounds total)
Workouts: 30 minute circuit training 5-6 times per week
Nutrition: Meal prepping, macro counting and intermittent fasting
Goal: Lose fat and build strength
Concerns: Nada!
If you have any questions or comments, write below or just drop me a line! If you’re interested in getting your own set of macros, email Coach James here or check out his IG.