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Postpartum Weight Loss “Plan”

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Here I am at 31w3d pregnant with baby #2

Here I am at 31w3d pregnant with baby #2

I’m not going to lie I am really hoping that I actually lose the baby weight this time around. With Edith I gained around 25-28lbs and within the first 8 weeks I lost 15 of those pounds. Then I got the Paraguard IUD and quickly the weight came back on. I will also admit the Oh She Glows Chocolate Chip Cookies and the stress of moving didn’t help with my weight loss either. When we moved to Oregon I made an effort to get my diet back on track, started running 4 days per week and doing 1-2 days of strength training. Despite all of that I simply wasn’t (and didn’t) lose any of the baby weight.

1 Year Postpartum after having Edith

1 Year Postpartum after having Edith

Finally at 16 months postpartum I decided to have my IUD removed due to negative reactions to it (I’ll write more about that another time) and while I had it removed due to non-weight related reasons I was as little hopeful that I might start to see my weight go down. Well as you all know we are pregnant with #2 and due in 7ish weeks. So I never had a chance to test my theory. Also that means I started my pregnancy at the same weight I ended my last pregnancy and I have gained 20lbs so far and if you want to do the math that means I have between 45-50lbs to get back down to my baby #1 pre-pregnancy weight oh and on top of that I was already about 15lbs over my ideal weight when I got pregnant with Edith. So that is 60-65lbs to get down to my goal weight.

Summer 2011 before getting pregnant with Edith <-- also my goal weight

August before getting pregnant with Edith

Baby #2 Postpartum Weight Loss “Plan”:

  • I am not going back on birth control as we are two and done so birth control is officially all Neil *snip snip*.
  • My first priority is feeding baby #2 so for the 12 months my focus is to keep my milk supply up so I can feed my baby.
  • I plan to get back to running at around 9-12 weeks postpartum depending upon my healing this time around (with Edith it took me a lot longer to heal then I had hoped).
  • I plan to incorporate 2 days of strength training into my workout routine and light cardio once I am cleared to get back to normal activity.
  • I also plan to get back in a yoga routine since I have a 10 punch pass to a studio by our old house (and now by Neil’s new job) that I was lucky enough to get the expiration date extended until sometime in December.
  • Keep my eating in check! Postpartum/nursing hunger is no joke. Seriously when I first had Edith and was nursing non-stop I could have eaten everything in site.  This time around instead of lots of Oh She Glows cookies I’m focusing on keeping it healthy but also making sure not to be too hard on myself when it comes to having a treat here and there.
  • Drink lots of water! Nursing makes you crazy thirsty and staying hydrated helps to flush toxins out of the body and helps to prevent water weight (I know crazy right?).
  • Buy myself postpartum clothes in whatever size I have to buy. I wore maternity clothes until around 8 months postpartum with Edith because I was just waiting to lose the weight and didn’t want to spend the money on new clothes that I hopefully wouldn’t have to wear too long. The thing is that wearing maternity clothes after the first six weeks of being postpartum is just depressing. Wearing clothes that fit well and look nice is an incentive to keep with it! It’s motivating! Feeling confident in what I am wearing helps me feel good and keeps me on track so this time around I’m not going to be wearing maternity pants for months and months postpartum. I actually have been consigning maternity clothes as the seasons change so that they just won’t be in my closet ie. I won’t be tempted to wear them.

So that is my current plan. How did you deal with losing the baby weight?

Healthy Travel Snacks

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Hello from Vermont!

We are here for a few more days and have been busy, busy, busy! I wanted to stop by for a minute and share some of our favorite healthy travel snacks that we brought with us this trip. These are perfect for plane, train or automobile and are super tasty.

When we used to travel we would bring lots of unhealthy treats because I mean come on we were on vacation right? Well over the years we have changed our diet and lifestyle and instead of chips and candy we take fresh vegetables, fresh and dried fruits, kale chips, nuts and other healthier snacks.

Vegan Travel Eats

On this trip we brought:

  • Go Raw Pumpkin Super Chips
  • Fig Cookies
  • Glee Gum
  • Inner Peas
  • Freeze Dried Strawberries
  • Lots of Blue Diamond Almonds
  • Strawberries
  • Mangos
  • Bell pepper and carrot sticks
  • Hummus
  • Bottles for water

Vegan Travel Blue Diamond Almonds

We ate the fresh fruits, veggies and hummus on/in between our flights and have been snacking on the other items throughout our trip. We are staying with my parents and they live in the Middle of Nowhere, Vermont population 697 so we end up doing a lot of driving while we are here and healthy on the go snacks and bottles of water are essential.

I’m going to need to restock for our trip home so I might have a few new things to share later!

What are you favorite travel snacks?

Spirulina In My Smoothie

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The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Nutrex Hawaii.

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I fell in love with spirulina many years ago now when I first started out as a health coach. I was actually looking for something for myself that would be an excellent source of protein, Vitamin B12 and Iron. As a vegan I have dealt with B12 deficiency and I wanted an easy way to get more in my diet. To be honest it’s not only vegans and vegetarians that often have a B12 deficiency but many omnivores do as well.I found that spirulina is not only is it an excellent source of those but also of Vitamins A, K1, K2 and manganese and chromium.  To top things off one 3 gram serving of Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica provides 60% protein. It is also rich in phytonutrients such as carotenoids, GLA, SOD, and phycocyanin.

While I have tried other spirulina I have found that Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica is one of the top quality and provide so many amazing benefits. These benefits include:

  • Strengthens the immune system
  • Boosts energy levels <– it really does! Take this for 3-5 days straight and you will see a difference.
  • Supports cellular health
  • Supports cardiovascular, eye and brain health <– this is why I give this to my vegan toddler (and why my husband and I take it as well).

Hawaiian Spirulina is packed with nutrients, gram per gram it has:

  • 2800% more beta-carotene than carrots
  • 3900% more iron than spinach
  • 600% more protein than tofu
  • 280% more antioxidants than blueberries

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I prefer to add mine to a smoothie but on days when I don’t have a smoothie I love that Hawaiian Spirulina also comes in capsule form. My (and Edith’s) favorite smoothie is Banana Blueberry Spirulina and this is how you make it:

  • 8oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 banana
  • 1 tsp spirulina
  • 1-2 tsp agave

Blend until smooth and frothy! So easy right?

Have you tried Spirulina? What’s your favorite way to use it?

Healthy Living On A Budget: Dining In

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Earlier this week we discussed dining out now lets talk about eating in.

How can eating at home help?

You have control – You have all of the control. You can control: the portion sizes, the quality of ingredients and the costs. When we eat at home we are able to buy high quality ingredients to make dishes that are tasty, healthy and better fit our budget. You can control the salt and the fat, which helps you take control of your diet.

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Meal Planning Tips:

– Plan you menu for the week and make a grocery list. Make sure to include snacks and drinks on your list. Planning will help you to stay on track and to cut costs.
– Focus on simple, healthy meals during the week and one “WOW” dinner on the weekend. When you keep things simple you reduce stress and the desire to eat out. The “WOW” dinner is a replacement for eating out; make something special and make an event out of it. One of our favorite things to do is pick a movie and create a meal that follows the theme of the movie.
– Have a prep day. One of the biggest challenges many of us face is time. Take one day per week, I find Sundays work well for me, and prep your meals for the week. This helps things run smoothly through the week and you will have more time doing the things you want, rather than being in the kitchen all night.
– Buy in bulk and portion out. I love to buy nuts, seeds and dried fruit in bulk for snacks. When I get home I portion them out into little containers so they are easy to grab and go. This is also great to do with other snacks such as veggie sticks and hummus or whole grain crackers and salsa.
– Keep it simple and have fun.

July 2013 Goals

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Can you believe it is already July? I never even got around to posting my June goals last month, oops! Well here we are July and I have a busy month ahead of me. My parents are currently on their way across the country to visit for a few weeks, Edith turns one (!!!), my cousin is coming for a quick visit on her way to CA, and we are headed to a wedding in Virginia.  So many things going on this month so I have to be smart about my goals.

July Goals

  1. Keep up with Best Body Bootcamp.  The one thing I have been lacking in my workout routine is a consistent strength training routine and since starting BBB I feel like I am finally getting back on track. I really feel like it has made a difference in losing the postpartum weight as well. As most of you know I have been really struggling in that department and I plan to write a post on this soon; that being said lets move on to goal #2. 
  2. Create an editorial calendar.  I know I should have done this already but I haven’t so I am hoping that with two extra sets of hands around that I will have time to do so this week.  I have so many post ideas but have had my hands full with an active life and baby.
  3. Eat more plants.  I have been really going for the grains, beans, and other starchy foods (and sweets).  I really need to get back to regular plant eating! I am glad that we will have our Organics to You box coming weekly now instead of bi-weekly.  That being said I also need to continue to drink less coffee, eat less sugar and drink more water.
  4. Unplug more often. I didn’t read any books last month which is really not great so this month I want to unplug and read more.  I also want to unplug more because it is so easy to constantly be checking various social media accounts and email all day long when I am home and really I need to be a better example to Edith.
  5. Track all my food and fitness. I used to use My Fitness Pal all the time and it was really helpful for me to keep myself on track but it’s been months since I last touched it until today.  I am hoping that by keeping a running tally of food and exercise that I will be able to improve my diet and fitness levels.

My Fitness Pal jul 1 2013

I can think of about five more things I’d like to do this month but since I will be on the run all month I think five is a good goal. What are your goals for the month? 

#CSDCleanse Update

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So it has been 10 days since I started this cleanse and let me tell you it has been a rough 10 days. Well I guess that’s a big of an exaggeration because days 2-7 were going okay, day 8 was tough and then day 9 happened. This is the day that I had a happy hour date with a friend that we had planned over a month before so obviously I had the intention of having a cocktail. Not only did I have a cocktail but I had bread and then I went out after with Neil and Edith and we shared a cone of sorbet.

I hate writing this post and am a little disappointed in myself for falling off the cleanse wagon but I think it’s important to be honest with you.

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I dreaded each morning because of how much I hate smoothies or green juice for breakfast. I mean I like them but I also want something more substantial especially after a night of non-stop nursing, which we have had a few this past week. I have always had a hard time with doing smoothies for breakfast and yet I try again and again but I’m not sure why I bother. I can never seem to make them fill me up despite adding nut butters, protein powders, avocado, coconut, etc to bulk them up. That being said I have gone back to eating oats with fruit, or fruit with nuts and coconut or veggies and gluten free or sprouted grain bread.

The good news is that breakfast was the only real diet/food related struggle I had with this cleanse was the morning green juice or smoothies. I know I had a piece of bread and sorbet on Sunday but otherwise I have been feeling really good with my high alkaline foods diet, (pretty much) no gluten, (pretty much) no alcohol and (pretty much) no refined sugars.

I have to say I have been very successful with the no coffee aspect of the cleanse has been a success and here I am still going strong. Honestly this cleanse has transformed itself into a coffee free June cleanse and I’m going strong and staying strong with this. I have to say I have lusted after Neil’s coffee in the morning but I also know my body needs a break and that I need to get back to my old routine of only 3-4 cups per week versus the 7-10 I have been having.

I debated restarting the cleanse after my bad day this past Sunday but I decided that it just doesn’t make sense to right now. We have a rare date night coming up which we plan to enjoy with a night of amazing food at Portobello. Then there is Fitbloggin which I am sure I can keep it healthy but also want to enjoy a beer or cocktail as well and then my parents come right after that. I have to say it’s bad timing for me to even attempt to do a cleanse properly.

That being said this is my plan for the remainder of the month of June (and hopefully beyond):

  • Green Smoothie or juice for breakfast 2-3x per week; for me this is so much more attainable than 7 days/week.
  • Gluten Free 4-5x per week; I know that too much gluten bothers my stomach so my goal is to avoid it at lease 4  days out the week.
  • Limit adult beverages to a max of 3 per week, while trying to stick closer to two.
  • No coffee for the remainder of June, after June keep my coffee max at 4 per week, while trying to keep it closer to three
  • Continue to eat more raw veggies, lower glycemic fruit and lots of leafy greens while limiting the amount of grains, nuts and soy.

I am planning to do another cleanse in August probably not the Crazy Sexy Diet one but rather a three-five day high raw food, juice and smoothie cleanse. I would love suggestions for one if you have any.  I am actually working on planning my own and will see how it goes. Who knows maybe I will try it after my parents head home so I can give my body a break after showing them around to all the amazing food carts, breweries and eateries in Portland.

Have you ever done a cleanse? If yes, what kind and how did you do?

My June Challenge

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Hello June and summer!  As I said on my Facebook page my monthly challenges see going on dinner break. However this didn’t mean you can’t come up with your own challenges or join me in my personal challenges it just means no organized challenges (or prizes).

I will admit that the plank-a-day challenge lasted about 2 weeks before I missed a day and then it was two, then three and so on. Needless to say it was kind of a huge fail for me. I am actually pretty disappointed in myself as well.

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This month I am committed to successfully competing my personal challenge. Starting tomorrow I am doing the Crazy Sexy Diet 21-Day Cleanse (#CSDCleanse). This is a cleanse I tried about 8 months ago but didn’t complete. This time I will complete it!

There have been a number of questions from you via Facebook and instagram since I announced that I was going to do this cleanse. That being said I thought I take a moment to give a few details about the cleanse and answer the questions that have come up so far. As always feel free to email me or leave a comment below if you have additional questions!

So what is the Crazy Sexy Diet 21-Day Cleanse? This cleanse is all about eating lots of whole and raw foods, green juices and smoothies, while also cleansing the mind and body. While this cleanse does have some restrictions such as no coffee, alcohol, refined sugars, gluten and a few other things it doesn’t restrict calories, require fasting (although you can) or have a specific meal plan to follow. It is all about clean eating and lots of yummy whole foods. in addition the cleanse guide has tips, workouts and guides to cleanse not only your body but your mind as well. Honestly the easiest way to find out about the cleanse is to get yourself the book or visit the website.

Green Smoothie Day #1: coconut milk, banana, kale, pineapple, coconut oil and blueberries

Green Smoothie Day #1: coconut milk, banana, kale, pineapple, coconut oil and blueberries

How can you cleanse while breastfeeding? As for cleansing while breastfeeding the CSD cleanse is totally do-able! This cleanse like I said before is not about restricting calories or fasting so there is no need to worry about getting enough calories to keep up your supply.  Additionally, you will be eating so much cleaner and more nutritious foods that it will not only be great for you but your baby as well! Basically with this cleanse you eat 20-40% cooked and 60-80% raw whole foods vegan foods for 21 days and do green juices or smoothies for breakfast.  If you are hungry you eat more if you aren’t hungry you eat less. Plain and simple.

If you would like to join me please let me know! I’d love to be able to support each other!

As always I am health coach not a doctor so if you have any concerns please consult with them prior to doing any sort of dietary change. For me I am not personally making a huge change I am just cleaning my diet up so that I can get back on a better healthy eating track.