I am pleased to say that I am closing in on my pre pregnancy body. I am not there yet but I am getting closer each week and I am confident that by Christmas I will be back to my old self. I am in the fortunate position that I am armed with all the necessary tools to do this, yet many of the difficulties I face are still similar to everyone else, I want results to happen as quickly as possible, I want to enjoy myself at the weekend and I struggle to find the time to train. Overcoming these difficulties is all about focus, determination and staying motivated and there are few important techniques I have been using to stay on track.
I believe the key is not to stay too comfortable! I got rid of most of my maternity clothes pretty soon after giving birth. I tried as much as possible to wear my old clothes every day, even if they were a little snug. This was fine with tops and jackets but my jeans were a little too tight to be able to do this at first so I had to stay in my maternity jeans a little longer and this was a big negative. Maternity jeans are ridiculously comfortable! That elastic waistband makes you feel super slim every single day. The downside of this is that when you put on a pair of jeans with no elastic waistband they feel really tight and restrictive and in the end I put off wearing my old jeans for longer than I should have. However, I knew that as long as I allowed myself the comfort of my maternity jeans that I would never feel the pressure to lose that last bit of weight. They are finally gone now and every time I wear my old jeans they are a constant reminder that I need to focus on my nutrition.
Putting away the maternity clothes for the moment
Also, from day one of training post baby I put on my old workout gear. It was incredibly tight! However, I use it as a quick and easy equivalent to stepping on the scales or taking measurements. I have said this many times before that I never do a weekly weigh in. I take measurements and judge my progress by my clothes or more specifically by one outfit. By using just one outfit it is easy to remember how it looked and felt on and how much progress I can see. I am using my workout gear as this guide. This might sound strange as workout clothes can be more forgiving than say a pair of jeans but I can still judge the progress in my shorts and top. Plus, it gives me the extra push I need during my workouts!
Just in case anyone is wondering I do weigh clients but we have a discussion about the pros and cons of stepping on the scales and it is up to them whether they want to use the scales or not. I use measurements too and encourage them to use a specific outfit for reference as well. I find the biggest benefit of using clothes as your guide is that it is not open to interpretation. The scales can be misleading due to muscle being built, but if your clothes are looser then they are looser! Clothes fitting better also gives you the feel good factor that I find the scales never really provide. No matter what the scales say people always want more, but if an outfit looks good on they are elated and it means more to them than a number on the scales ever will.
As well as using old clothes as a measure of progress and to help me stay focused I also insist on only buying new clothes in my old size. I do need new clothes at the moment, but I am right in between two sizes. If I buy the bigger size, clothes would fit great and I would be really comfortable but the downside is this increases the likelihood that I would stay this size. Therefore, I am holding off and will only buy new clothes when I can fit my old size. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a bigger size except for the fact that I wasn’t this size before so I want to get back to where I was. The size I was pre baby is where I feel my best, not because of how I look but because it was at this point I noticed the difference in how my body performed. I felt strong, flexible and agile and, yes, the knock on effect of this was that I also felt lean, confident and comfortable in my own skin which I think is the most important way a woman or man can feel about themselves at any shape or size.
I really believe that if you are trying to lose weight in general or trying to get back to your pre pregnancy weight it is important not to feel too comfortable day to day. Our clothes and how we look and feel in them have such a strong link to how we feel about ourselves. Now I am not suggesting that everyone has to wear clothes that fit them poorly or that they cannot breath in but I think you can use your clothes as a motivational tool to help you get the results that you want.
Fit Bird
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