ARTICLE: TRYING TO STAY FOCUSED ON NUTRITION
The difficulties of trying to eat healthy with a newborn, whilst a new experience for me, were not unknown to me. A huge part of my job was to help new mums lose weight and in doing that we had to try to find solutions to the lack of time and sleep deprivation that they battle. Going through it was great work experience as I can now better understand the challenges they face and whilst my advice remains the same, taking your own advice is not always the easiest thing to do.
Lack of time and sleep are a very difficult combination. Time can be so short sometimes that it can mean you often have to choose between showering or doing your make up, let alone finding time to cook healthy meals! At the very beginning eating healthy wasn’t a massive priority. I didn’t eat unhealthily, just whatever was quick and available in the house so a lot of toast or pasta. Not perfect, but nor was it a disaster. Once I started to find my feet a little though I wanted to get back into a routine, not for weight loss, but actually to give me more energy. Eating well really is key in keeping your energy levels up which is crucial with a newborn! The problem is with energy levels being low and sleep deprivation being high, the desire to eat healthy is almost non existent despite knowing all the benefits. Lets be honest when you are that tired the only thing your body craves is chocolate and lots of it!!
However, as I said, I knew eating well was important so I decided to get on top of things and got back to planning and batch cooking. Two factors that are crucial to eating well at any time! Variety in these moments is not important at all. I made pots of soup, casseroles, healthy pasta dishes and trays of roasted vegetables, not all at once! I would plan to batch cook on days where I had a little help, so when Giulio was around on a Sunday or on a Monday if my mum could pop round. That way there was less pressure on me to multi task and then throughout the week all I had to do was ping the dishes in the microwave or even eat some dishes cold if I really only had 5 minutes.
Some serious batch cooking underway!
That was the organisation taken care of and in many ways it also took care of the cravings. You see when I did not have any meals prepped I would start to crave carbs and sugar far more. However, having a meal prepped means it stops your mind wondering towards more unhealthy foods, you start to look forward to the meal that is waiting for you much more. So being organised is the key to success for so many reasons.
Now I would be being disingenuous to say that I never slipped up or that I was able to resist sweet treats at all times. The struggle is absolutely real and some days the tiredness and stress takes over and chocolate is the only thing that will get you through. I am also totally ok with that! Focusing on nutrition, trying to be organised and trying to make the best decisions food wise is really all you can do. It wont always work but it will work most of the time and that is all you can ask for at the beginning. Things are easier now as I am in more of a routine and getting much more sleep, but at first it is just about doing the best you can!
Those of you that follow the blog will know that I have also started back training fully now and next time I will fill you on my training plan and how I am fairing since starting back.
Fit Bird
To keep up with more Diary of a Fit Bird Adventures follow me on social media:
Diary of a Fit Bird is written by the founder of The 4321 Method®. To find out more about our products go to:
The 4321 Method’s® Signature Collection
I designed the Signature Collection from my love of body weight training and from enjoying pushing myself further with my training. Sign up TODAY and challenge yourself to be your number 1!
Recent Comments