Hi everyone! I have officially been a mom for 5 months now, and it has been quite the journey. I wanted to give a quick update about where I'm at, and also give you an overview of the approach I took to get here.
UDPDATE: As I said, I'm 5 months out, and I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight. I hit my pre-pregnancy weight at about 2 months PP....but don't let that fool you (details below). I'm finally feeling like my body is beginning to be fully-functional again, and I'm emotionally in a great place.
HOW I GOT HERE: My whole approach has been guided by thinking about myself as an athlete recovering after a seriously bad injury. My focus was healing, health, and functionality, NOT weight, image, etc. That's important. I have been a weight-lifter and runner for quite some time, and by thinking about myself as a recovering athlete, I was able to keep my mind focused on HEALING not on IMAGE.
Weeks 0 - 8: Acute injury recovery. These weeks were all about being nice to myself physically and mentally. I DID NOT diet, exercise, or worry about anything other than being as "nice" to myself as possible. I slept as much as possible, drank water, ate when I was hungry, and hopped on anti-depressants when my PPA kicked in (details for another post, but if you PM me, I'd be happy to chat about that too).
I also had a body composition test during this time & determined that, although my weight was back to where it was pre-preg, my daughter had eaten THREE POUNDS of muscle during my pregnancy. That means I had made up for that 3 pounds of muscle with 3 pounds of fat. No wonder why my body felt weak, my butt was deflated, and my clothes felt loose. My muscles had atrophied!
Weeks 8-10: Body weight exercises & PT. I began doing body weight work (squats, stairs, etc). I also noticed that I still had some issues with my abs. Still very separated, sore, weak, etc. I visited my wonderful friend who is an amazing PT, and I began a series of core exercises to help heal my abs. Again, my focus was on healing and functionality, NOT on "losing my mummy tummy," "getting a flat belly fast," or "getting six-pack abs." The only diet change I made was to amp up the amount of protein I was eating. I did NOT restrict calories, but the calories I did choose were slanted toward protein-rich foods (hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, chicken breast, protein shakes, etc).
Weeks 10-18ish: With my doctor's blessing, I began adding weight (squats, deadlifts, rows, etc), keeping in mind that I was still rehabbing my abs. The only core exercises I did were PT exercises. Nothing traditional (no crunches, planks, etc). I noticed that I was very weak and that my accessory muscles were not helping me lift appropriately. Because of this, I kept the amount I was lifting relatively low to stay safe & avoid injury.
Weeks 18+: I'm finally feeling tight and strong again, for the most part. I've begun loading the bar so that it feels heavy again, allowing myself to add weight as I am able, and I have only now begun traditional ab exercises. My butt looks less deflated (thanks to all of the squats, deads, etc), and my clothes are snug in places where my muscles should make them feel snug.
So, that's that. Again, the approach I took was to focus on healing and recovering functionality, I figured the "looking better naked" part would follow, and it has. I'd be happy to answer questions either in comments or PMs. I'm a HYOOOOOOGE believer in the power of lifting weights to build muscle, and I'm an open book.
UDPDATE: As I said, I'm 5 months out, and I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight. I hit my pre-pregnancy weight at about 2 months PP....but don't let that fool you (details below). I'm finally feeling like my body is beginning to be fully-functional again, and I'm emotionally in a great place.
HOW I GOT HERE: My whole approach has been guided by thinking about myself as an athlete recovering after a seriously bad injury. My focus was healing, health, and functionality, NOT weight, image, etc. That's important. I have been a weight-lifter and runner for quite some time, and by thinking about myself as a recovering athlete, I was able to keep my mind focused on HEALING not on IMAGE.
Weeks 0 - 8: Acute injury recovery. These weeks were all about being nice to myself physically and mentally. I DID NOT diet, exercise, or worry about anything other than being as "nice" to myself as possible. I slept as much as possible, drank water, ate when I was hungry, and hopped on anti-depressants when my PPA kicked in (details for another post, but if you PM me, I'd be happy to chat about that too).
I also had a body composition test during this time & determined that, although my weight was back to where it was pre-preg, my daughter had eaten THREE POUNDS of muscle during my pregnancy. That means I had made up for that 3 pounds of muscle with 3 pounds of fat. No wonder why my body felt weak, my butt was deflated, and my clothes felt loose. My muscles had atrophied!
Weeks 8-10: Body weight exercises & PT. I began doing body weight work (squats, stairs, etc). I also noticed that I still had some issues with my abs. Still very separated, sore, weak, etc. I visited my wonderful friend who is an amazing PT, and I began a series of core exercises to help heal my abs. Again, my focus was on healing and functionality, NOT on "losing my mummy tummy," "getting a flat belly fast," or "getting six-pack abs." The only diet change I made was to amp up the amount of protein I was eating. I did NOT restrict calories, but the calories I did choose were slanted toward protein-rich foods (hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, chicken breast, protein shakes, etc).
Weeks 10-18ish: With my doctor's blessing, I began adding weight (squats, deadlifts, rows, etc), keeping in mind that I was still rehabbing my abs. The only core exercises I did were PT exercises. Nothing traditional (no crunches, planks, etc). I noticed that I was very weak and that my accessory muscles were not helping me lift appropriately. Because of this, I kept the amount I was lifting relatively low to stay safe & avoid injury.
Weeks 18+: I'm finally feeling tight and strong again, for the most part. I've begun loading the bar so that it feels heavy again, allowing myself to add weight as I am able, and I have only now begun traditional ab exercises. My butt looks less deflated (thanks to all of the squats, deads, etc), and my clothes are snug in places where my muscles should make them feel snug.
So, that's that. Again, the approach I took was to focus on healing and recovering functionality, I figured the "looking better naked" part would follow, and it has. I'd be happy to answer questions either in comments or PMs. I'm a HYOOOOOOGE believer in the power of lifting weights to build muscle, and I'm an open book.
