C-Section moms losing weight and getting fit sometimes looks far-fetched and unrealistic to the moms engaged in the daily busyness of life.
I was planning on competing in a Bikini Bodybuilding Competition in October 2019. I trained for 10 months. I ate Tilapia TWICE a day, every single day for 10 months. Eating Tilapia twice a day was not fun nor sustainable. 8 weeks out,
I was shredded and had a 6 pack. It had never occurred to me in a million years that I would see myself like that. Never had I thought, with 2 kids that I would be able to get lean like that.
The possibility of C-Section moms losing weight
After 2 C-Sections, and used to the thought that these gorgeous, fit bodybuilders and fitness influencers spent hours at the Gym. I didn’t know if they had kids or a husband.
I was wrong as a C-Section moms losing weight.
Everything I thought was WRONG. You can get fit as a full-time Mom, working Mom with kids, a house husband, and NO nanny or NO family around.
What works for C-Section moms losing weight?
8 weeks out in this photo, I realized that this diet and workout regime is NOT sustainable for real life. Eating Tilapia twice a day will eventually go away. Doing 2 hours of cardio plus 1 hour of weight lifting is not a Mom way to Live and getting on stage for 10 minutes will complete me.
I decided to compete. This was not for me. However, I am grateful for the experience to have challenged myself, I learned a lot. How to get fit and how to gain weight because as soon as I decided not to compete, I stopped eating Tilapia twice a day.
I stopped doing cardio twice a day. I stopped tracking what I ate. I stopped checking-in with my coach. I stopped weighing every Friday.
When quarantine hit, I added daily chips and alcohol into my life. One day Facebook reminded me of the above photo and I got on the scale.
I was shocked to have gained 10 pounds, which was even higher than before I started training.
I was upset and had to figure out a way to get that back. My way of eating tilapia twice a day with 2 hours of cardio was the way. I developed the Eat Your Way to Fit way.
These lessons taught me how to stay focused on my goals and that I am capable of anything. Looking like this for 1 day was great but it’s not a realistic everyday look! I found my way, the busy Mom way to look.
What should C-Section moms losing weight do when eating out?
Anytime you dine out, you should know that is an automatic High Sodium outing period, not much anyone can do.
So while eating out, as a C-Section mom losing weight be mindful of that, and it’s best to avoid SHRIMP. Shrimp naturally is a high sodium food. Yes, it’s fewer calories but that doesn’t matter because sodium is what we retain and look skinny fat.
Baby Swiss cheese is also sodium. When you eat chicken during a meal there is NO need to add cheese which ads to the protein, sodium and there’s no value in cheese. It’s calcium sure but it doesn’t help you grow muscle.
Deli chicken is also sodium. All this sodium may be the reason the scale won’t change on Friday or the reason your stomach is not getting flattered.
Some recipes for C-Section moms losing weight
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 8 skinless chicken thighs
- fillets
- 1 tbsp. oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 tbsp. ginger, minced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1⁄2 tsp. black pepper
- 3 large tomatoes,
- chopped
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. turmeric
For the Rice
- 1/4 cup (60ml) boiling
- water
- pinch saffron threads
- (roughly 1/8 tsp.)
- 1 cup (225g) basmati rice
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 3/4 cup vegetable stock
Directions
- Season the thighs with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in the pan, fry the thighs on both sides until golden
- brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan sauté the diced onion, garlic, and ginger for 3-4
- mins, often stirring — season with pepper and turmeric.
- Add chopped tomatoes, and 1/4 cup of water, season with salt and
- bring to a boil.
- Place the chicken thighs in the simmering sauce, cover with a lid
- and cook for about 30-45 mins or until the meat is tender.
- In the meantime cook the rice. Combine saffron threads and
- boiling water and allow to ‘brew’ for at least 5 minutes.
- In a medium pot, combine saffron and the water with the rice and
- all other ingredients.
- Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15
- minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for covered another 10
- minutes before serving.
- Serve 2 chicken thighs along with sauce and a serving of saffron
- rice.
When you’re not hungry and don’t get enough calories
You must have heard before that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You’ve also heard that intermittent fasting is the way to go. There is a chance as C-Section moms losing weight that you might have been confused that you just don’t know what is the best thing to do anymore.
My Opinion
I cannot fast. I’ve tried but have not been able to just have black coffee. I like my coffee fake & sweet OR have a Coffee protein shake. Oh ya. The best of both worlds.
When you come into this group, you’ve probably been on some other way of eating and have tried other diets before and none of them compare to mine.
I’ve also tried everything under and when I started to eat this way, I too was shocked and challenged.
So the 1st thing I had to accept is that I wanted to be fit and eat even when not hungry because all the calories need to be consumed to build muscle and they had to be the right food.
What to consider for C-Section moms losing weight
To get fit, we have to lift weights to build muscle and then feed the body nutrients that build that muscle. Food is required to do that.
We want to focus on getting enough protein, carbs, and healthy fat, and eat less sugar, less processed foods.
We follow a lighter bodybuilding diet. To see a change in the body, the mind has to work on change.
The first step should always be;
Why do you want to change?
What do you want to change about your body? Write it down. This is very helpful With the mind.
The only way this worked for me is to have everything written down. It’s like a To-Do list. I cannot survive without having stuff written down on paper. If it’s not written, it does not get done. If the paper is not in my face, I am not doing it.
So let’s start with baby steps. If you are not eating breakfast, then try this coffee protein shake.
Morning Coffee Protein Shake
- 1 serving of protein powder, chocolate or vanilla flavor
- 1 tablespoon almond or peanut butter
- ½ cup of cold brew coffee ( or 2 tablespoons instant coffee)
- 1 teaspoon flax seed
- 1 banana
- 1 cup of almond milk (any unsweetened milk variety works)
- 4-6 ice cubes
- 220 calories, fat 7g, sodium 9, Carbs 13g, Fiber 8g, Sugar 11g, Protein 33g
Should C-Section moms losing weight, weigh?
According to health expert, doctor Dori Steinberg of Duke University and associate director Duke Global Health Science, weighing is critical in losing weight. Weighing daily helps in adopting healthy behaviors that could help C-Section moms losing weight.
There is an increase in awareness of how the things we eat and the exercises we do impact weight.
If you weigh yourself every day, you might notice, for example, that three nights of eating out causes the scale to creep up. The person not weighing might not make that connection. And that’s the key: understanding how behaviors impact your body and self-regulating to make changes. Real-time feedback provides a chance to analyze diet, physical activity, and stress, tweaking where necessary.
Stay accountable as part of C-Sections mom losing weight
It’s much easier to fall off the bandwagon when you don’t have anything to tell you that you’ve fallen off. The scale serves as a source of accountability, helping people stay on track.
Making a date with the scale part of your routine also helps you notice what’s working when it’s working and when you’re doing something right so that you can keep doing it.
Just remember, it’s best to weigh yourself first thing in the morning, before you eat and drink, with limited clothing on.