My Postpartum Transformation Secret {it’s not what you think}

If you are looking at the above pictures and thinking “WOW! I wonder how I can do that too!?”, keep reading. I feel very compelled to transition my focus off of fitness with a post I have been wanting to write for a while. When I first made it known that I was eager to redefine myself outside of my physical attributes, I quickly got a flood of messages all with a very similar request to this example: “I am excited to see your journey and growth as a mom, but real quick before you stop talking as much fitness, can you tell me how you managed to bounce back so quickly after pregnancy??” So let’s get this conversation started as honestly as possible, shall we? I am finally ready to reveal my postpartum fitness strategies!

Here is my big secret and the BIG GIANT REASON YOU NEED TO STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO ANYONE ELSE— I did nothing. Nothing. NOTHING. This is my body, this is how God created me, this is uniquely MY journey. Diet? I ate what I wanted and what my body told me to in order to keep my calories up for breastfeeding. Workouts? I’ve worked out 5 times in the last 15 months. My milk supply did not tolerate any increased metabolic demands and would dip immediately after cardio or strength training. Breastfeeding? Yes, I feel fortunate enough that my body was able to take on such a big task and it. was. freaking. hard. While I do think being able to breastfeed helped me lose my baby weight initially, I also think it contributed to making me “skinny fat” over time. The demands on my body and lifestyle have caused muscle atrophy, the quick fat loss gave me loose skin, and the whole process drained my energy- I have spent the last year giving everything I have to feeding this baby and I am owning this body! I wouldn’t change it for the world but ladies, don’t think that breastfeeding is the magic postpartum fat loss secret! I have spent many hours completely jealous of moms who could not breastfeed who were able to get back to the gym quickly and eat a strategic diet to build muscle and burn fat! Try not to dwell on whether you were or were not able to breastfeed- there are benefits to both and the only important thing is that you are feeding and loving your baby however you are able to!

I was very honest on social media about my lactation supply issues with working out, but I felt obligated to say I was eating mostly healthy and clean which was contributing to my postpartum fitness goals (in order to be an example for other moms and keep up with the other #fitmoms). In hindsight, that was a complete lie and honestly, just plain terrible advice. Sure, I ate a few clean meals a week, but really I did not pay much attention to what I was putting in my body, just that I was putting in enough to keep up with my milk supply. THAT should be what I was preaching- LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND INTUITION!!! Whether you’re breastfeeding or not, whether you are a working mom or a stay at home mom, whether you are a mom of one or of six- whatever your situation, YOU know yourself and your body more than any cookie cutter fit mom instagram account you have been oogling. I want to kick myself for spending even one second admiring another mom’s life or body instead of spending that time focused on my beautiful daughter and family and feeling amazed and blessed for what my body has created. A body bouncing back is no indication of how hormones and emotions are bouncing back, and that is more important and what we should be focusing on. We all have our own unique struggles.

I feel guilty if I contributed to the problem that social media has created for new moms. The pressure to bounce back after 9 months of pregnancy and giving birth, and learning how to take care of a tiny human, is so overwhelming that it is suffocating! I feel guilty if even one mom looked at my instagram and worried why her body wasn’t bouncing back as quickly as mine. I feel guilty if a single person compared her journey to mine and for the amount of time I spent comparing my journey to others’. It is so sad that I will always wonder how much more empowered and happy I would feel in my postpartum body if social media never existed; however, it does and that is not changing. We just have to work together to change the conversation and focus.

So as I mentioned, and I am sure I will blog more on the topic, I do not want you to come to my page if you are looking for fitness advice because I do not feel confident at all saying what works for me will work for anyone else. I don’t want one person to spend money on any products that work for me that may do nothing or have adverse effects for you. I have no right giving anyone diet advice because I struggle with my eating habits on an hourly basis.  If you have fitness questions I would love to direct you to someone who can more confidently give you advice.  There are some really great mommy fitspiration instagram pages that I check daily- diaryofafitmommyofficial and fitamysuzanne. I love both of these honest women and they have great advice, but definitely keep in mind they have their own unique journeys and experiences!

DO visit my blog and instagram if you want to see my unique and honest personal journey as a wife and mom. Community over competition- whether it be in motherhood, personal relationships, physical fitness, professional careers- I want to be surrounded by confident and positive women who are unapologetically themselves.

So, as promised, I will close with a compiled list of how I achieved my postpartum physique:

I ate what I my body told me to (Peanut butter cookies every day? Yep. Pizza delivery? Baby loves some pizza milk. Clean eating? Occasionally.)

I did not work out.

I breastfed. (and yes I lost weight quickly and am now skinny fat- woohoo- OWNING IT!)

I stayed in bed all day with my baby from 3 months until 6 months. (I would have sooner except that I wanted everyone to think I was a super mom so I tried to do too much too soon. God my biggest advice is to NOT be the super mom. My best memories were the months I snuggled all day in bed with my birdie).

I was born in to this body. Beautifully and uniquely created by the Lord, this is ME.