How I Lost 80 Pounds After Baby

**This post contains affiliate links, which means I may make commission off purchases you make at no additional cost to you. Check out my full disclosure on the disclosure page for more information!

If you've followed any of my earlier posts, you're familiar with my HORRIFYINGLY, over indulgent pregnancy weight gain. During my pregnancy I gained just over 80 pounds, by eating LITERALLY anything I could get my crazy little hands on...

In hindsight I've realized just how unhealthy my habits were, and I am absolutely certain that I will approach any future pregnancy in a much healthier and wiser direction. Either way though, weight gain of any amount is an inevitable part of pregnancy, and losing the weight afterwards can be such a struggle.

BEFORE - 250 pounds

AFTER - 170 pounds

I knew shortly after I had Olivia that I had to make a lifestyle change. I had to approach my health and weight loss in a way that would not only work for me, but that I'd be able to stick with long term! Unfortunately for me, I am not a Kardashian, and cannot look like a million bucks just mere moments after giving birth, so these are the ways that I managed to lose just over 80 pounds in the 10 months after giving birth!

1. MEAL PREPPING

Meal prepping completely changed my life, and I will swear by it forever! Every Sunday I've created my own little routine of doing all my meal prepping for the week. It takes the guess work out of making individual meals, and makes eating so simple.. I'm never without meal options, and I LOVE trying out new recipes. I generally meal prep all my breakfasts and lunches, then cook a sensible dinner once I get home from work. I normally do a breakfast bake with eggs, broccoli, and feta cheese for breakfast, and some sort of chicken dish for lunch. Another favorite of mine is overnight oats, especially when I have a sweet tooth! One of my favorite things to do is go on Pinterest and look for new and tasty meal prep ideas! Meal prepping has really helped me stay on track and focused on my goals!

2. DON'T EAT YOUR FEELINGS (OFTEN)

I am a big stress/emotional eater.. If something is bothering me, you'll know it because I am eating everything in sight. Candy, bread, cheese, fast food, anything fried... It is the worst habit to have... Once I decided that I wanted to take my weight loss seriously, I really began to try to be more aware of my feelings and not let myself eat things just because I was feeling upset over something. Obviously, I still have my moments and eat things that I shouldn't, but being more aware of why I'm eating certain things really makes a difference.

3. WALKING

I used to be a huge fitness nut. I went to the gym every single day and spent hours working out. After I had Olivia I was so out of shape... There was no way my 250 pound booty was doing any type of work out that I did in the past! So, I decided to start small, by walking... I'd walk on a treadmill as much as I could. Sometimes I would work on my blog or surf Pinterest while walking.. why not kill two birds with one stone right? Soon, I built up to fast walking, then to jogging, and now I can run, and it is amazing. I love seeing the progress I'm making. It keeps me focused and gives me hope!

4.BABY ASSISTED EXERCISE

This is one of my favorite things that I've done! I love looking up exercise routines where you incorporate your child into the work out! It gives me a chance to burn some calories while spending time with Olivia! These workouts are so fun and using baby means you don't need weights or other exercise equipment! Double win!!! As Olivia gets older she has really begun to enjoy the workouts as well! She smiles and laughs as I lift her around the living room!

5.NOT TAKING MYSELF TOO SERIOUSLY

I think this has been the key to my weight loss success...When I started my weight loss journey, I decided that I needed to make a lifestyle change, not to go on a diet. I needed to teach myself to make better choices because I wanted to, not because I HAD to. Realizing that although I am making these changes, I will still eat fast food once in a while, or eat my feelings, and that's okay, made all the difference. One slip up doesn't diminish all the great progress I've made. Cheat days happen, and I can still lose weight and feel like I'm being the best Mom that I can be.

I am so incredibly happy and proud of my hard work! I want every Mom to feel like they can succeed with getting back to their pre-baby body! If I can do it, I know that you can too!

Good luck!

**I am not a medical professional. This post is my personal story and is not to be taken as medical advice.