Remember this?

That’s what I looked like 3 months ago.

Here’s what I looked like a week after giving birth…

See those red marks (no, not the stretch marks) on my stomach? They’re from squeezing into these all day.

Here’s me today…

Did you notice that the stretch marks have faded a bit (work with me here, people)? — more on that later!

The Stats:

Weight before pregnancy: 132-135

Weight at end of pregnancy (almost 1 week late): 175

Weight gained: ~40

Weight after pregnancy: ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I didn’t go anywhere near a scale until my 6 week appt. No sense increasing my chances of post-partum depression.

Weight at 6 week appointment: 147

Weight now: 138

The “how:”

1.) Breastfeeding – Breastfeeding not only helps your uterus shrink back faster, but it also burns a heck of a lot of calories. If you are breastfeeding, however, cutting calories IS NOT AN OPTION. You need to make sure you are getting in the right amount of calories and sustenance to produce milk and help your little miracle grow

2.) Walking — I started walking  about a week I got home from the hospital. There were honestly days I would walk 3 hours. Just yesterday, I walked for 4 hours. But it’s something I enjoy doing and I get to spend quality time with Bean. Now that I’m back at work, I only get to walk a few days a week.

3.) Weight Training — as soon as I got the go-ahead from the doc (4 week mark), I started doing my arm exercises.

I would like to note at this point that I continued walking an hour a day throughout my entire pregnancy — even the day before I delivered! In addition, I did my arm exercises every other day. Since I stayed active during my pregnancy, it was easier to add these exercises back into my routine.

4.) Diet – I eat when I’m hungry. Period. And sometimes when I’m not. But I try and fill my body with healthful and nutritious foods, at least 90% of the time. After all, Bean eventually eats what I do!

All in all, it has been SO much easier than anticipated. And I attribute it to keeping my diet and excercise in check WHILE I WAS PREGNANT. This not only made sure I’d have less weight to lose, but it also ensured I’d be able to pick up my activity level sooner.

So there you have it. Walking, a little bit of weights and a healthy diet is all it took — pretty simple, huh? Sadly there was no big secret and no magic pill, just good old-fashioned diet and exercise.

Of course I still have a bit of work to do in order to get back to me pre-pregnancy physique (hello, abs, are you there?), but I’m not stressing. I’m a new Mama and I’d much rather spend my time with my Mister and Little Bean.

And of course, stuffing my face with frosting and pizza when no one’s looking.