“I need to lose this baby weight but I have no idea how…” Her words both excited and terrified me at the same time. You see, my wife had asked me for fitness help in the past. And while things were great at the onset, I became more like “hardcore drill sergeant” and less like “caring and supportive husband”. Ultimately she started doing her own thing, we quit working out together, and my workouts haven’t been as spicy or fun since…
That was about 7 years ago and stasis has persisted from that moment forward.
Until today.
Today my wife was able to overcome the memory of me being an overly intense coach and the one who drove her away from P90X3 for good, all because she now faces an obstacle she’s never seen.
The woman was a track star, college volleyballer, and has always been in good physical shape. It had come naturally to her up to this point in life. But since she gave birth to our second daughter 9 weeks ago, my wife has hovered at the heaviest weight of her life – with no downward movement.
She needed to lose the baby weight but she didn’t know what to do
And after being burned 7-years ago, she again came to me for fitness help… And I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was 99% thrilled and a heavy 1% terrified.
Another thing – once she’s made up her mind, that thing is going to happen. So she took the kids for 30 minutes and I typed out this plan below.
Here’s how you’re going to lose the 25 pounds of baby weight in 6 months
OK, Love – First things first…
You have not been dealt some “defeat”, you haven’t “failed”, and you should not be too hard on yourself. You literally gave birth, had major surgery, and have had legitimate mental and physical changes when you had our second daughter exactly 9-weeks ago.
That’s real. That’s not an “excuse”.
And when you look back on this achievement you’re about to earn on September 30, 2019 – you’re going to be incredibly proud of the work you’ve accomplished and the results you’ve achieved.
This is how you’ll do it
First, your starting point and your goals:
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March 16 – 160 lbs
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April 15 – 156 lbs
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May 15 – 152 lbs
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June 15 – 148 lbs
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July 15 – 144 lbs
- August 15 – 140 lbs
- September 15 – 136 lbs
- September 30 – 135 lbs
1- Control your mindset
From this moment on, there’s no, “It would be so great to lose this weight!”
Or, “I hope this falls off by summer.”
And, “Wouldn’t it be great to have my body back again!”
Those are all great hopes and ambitions, but they don’t get the job done. “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” – Archilochus.
From this moment on, you are achieving this goal, and you are doing that because you’ve decided that’s what you need to do and because you’re using a plan that’s helped others lose tons of weight (this one friend lost 220 pounds) and it helped me lose 65 pounds for good about 5 years ago.
You’ve prioritized taking back your fitness – so lock your mind into that.
2- Create a calorie deficit (calories-in must be lower than calories-out)
If you only did this – and stuck to it 100% – you’d probably achieve your mission.
Download the My Fitness Pal app on your phone and record every single calorie that enters your mouth. Much like we had no idea where all of our money was going until we tracked all of our spending and made a budget, you’ll have no idea of the extra calories you’re consuming if you don’t first take stock of what a “normal” diet looks like for you.
From there, you’ll be able to weigh if that coffee creamer is worth the 35 calories/tbsp. And while it’s going to be burdensome and potentially hunger-inducing for the first couple of weeks, soon the meals and foods you eat regularly will pop up with ease and your body will get used to the new intake (the calories that will properly fuel you and provide you with increased energy and drive).
Junk in = junk out, and it’s so great to experience the energy surge that comes with eating healthy foods and portions.
3- Design your days and your meals for success
A huge part of becoming and remaining physically fit is by thinking ahead with your meals and snacks. It’s when you’ve packed your lunch but not your morning and afternoon snacks that those doughnuts in the office seem most tempting.
The best way to properly fuel your body with the types of calories you want to run on is by meal planning your entire week out during the preceding weekend. On the Saturday or Sunday before, we can batch cook enough dinners and lunches to last us during the workweek, and we’ll make sure that we have enough snacks (either healthy snacks or small portions of “cheat foods”) to keep you on the right track.
Recently, we’ve found a wealth of great and healthy meal plans from Samanne.fit on Instagram. Healthy, balanced, and tasty. Both Monica and I 100% recommend.
Pro tip for parents out there: 2 things – You’re still able to cook the stuff your kid’s love, but now you’ll also be able to have them try the oh sooo tasty (and healthy) stuff you’re cooking up as well. And during our 2 hour meal prep time, we prop little sis up in the bouncer on the kitchen counter while putting big sis to work. You don’t have to ignore your kids to be healthy.
4- Get active at least 3 times per week
Working out does a few things while you’re trying to lose weight. Exercise:
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Boosts endorphins and energy – you’ll be happier
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Promotes muscle growth – you’ll be stronger
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Leads to healthier skin, memory, and also improves your brain function – you’ll be healthier
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Improves sleep – you’ll be better rested
And – perhaps most importantly – exercise:
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Earns you the ability to eat (or drink ????) more calories during the day
You know I’m a fanatic when it comes to my fitness routine, but I’d recommend deciding how fitness can “fit” into your life so that you can best achieve your weight-loss goals. If that’s a long walk on the weekends, jogging before work on a Wednesday, or if you also decide to never miss a Monday workout – whenever you’re able to exercise is the best time for you.
Just make your fitness a priority at some point.
5- Take before pictures, only measure your progress on “Goal Days”, and print out your goals
Anyone I’ve worked with who’s been in pursuit of improved fitness, I’ve begged them to take before pictures. When you’re 2-3 months in and you’ve hit that first big plateau, you inherently start to think that you’re making no real progress and that the whole ordeal of working out, meal prepping, and counting calories is just a huge waste of time.
But!!
At that moment, I ask these people to take their before pictures out of hiding and compare them to their current selves. Every. Single. Time. That act produces a sense of accomplishment and pride at the progress achieved and it fuels the spirit and drive for the next few weeks because you can visually see the work that you’ve done.
I also recommend not weighing yourself daily. At the most I would go with weekly and preferably, I’d recommend every-other-week weigh-ins.
Much like the stock market can have huge daily fluctuations both up and down but the long-term trend is up, your weight performs similarly in the opposite direction. Don’t ride the emotional highs and lows of daily weight fluctuations. Check in and record your weekly or bi-weekly progress and move on with your day. It’ll be much easier to see the big picture this way.
6- Increase protein, decrease carbs, work to minimize sugar, and earn your rewards
By tracking your calories every day, you’ll quickly realize the value of a protein vs. a carb. Also, you’ll feel what empty calories are when after you’ve had that 350 calorie piece of cake that tasted sooo good but still left you hungry.
Healthy foods and portions tend to be very high in protein and vegetable portions and quite low on the carb side. Just like anything else, this is an adjustment that takes time for your body to acclimate to, but once you’ve made the transition – your energy, mood, and overall sense of “healthiness” will be much improved.
7- Be selfish and don’t sacrifice your goals on this journey
Within reason – don’t sacrifice your goals on this journey. There will be times where you have to stand out from the crowd and be a little different to make progress. Don’t shy away from those moments, but take pride in them. Stand strong in your plan and lead from the front.
If you need me to take the kids while you workout – I’m happy to.
If you need help with meal prepping and keeping bad foods out of the house – put your foot down.
If you need something else entirely that I haven’t thought of – say the word.
You’re not alone on this journey and I can’t wait for you to see the progress of all your hard work.
I love you and I’m proud of you
-Mike
Update
Monica started her weight-loss journey on March 16, 2019, and she’s asked for me to keep the updates coming on the blog for “accountability” reasons.
It’s currently April 3 and she’s down 5 pounds (ahead of her goals)!!!!
What have you done to lose baby weight or to just keep your fitness on the right track? Let us know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!
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I’m glad you’re here. Thanks again and talk soon!
– Mike
