The post-pregnancy challenge seems to be paying off
Posted: 23 November 2010
by Alison Clarkson
I think I've had a pretty good week with my post-pregnancy challenge. The exercise plan isn't going too badly, I'm finding the moderate exercise fits in with my daily routine most of the time though I do have two days of the week when my commitments mean it's pretty much impossible to fit in 40 minutes of exercise. In the hope of make up a little for this I've been adding a long walk to my weekly plan. I've found a couple of circular routes that are accessible with a pram, one is 5 miles and the other is 7 miles and conveniently they both have a cafe half way around. I try to power through them as quickly as possible stopping for a rewarding skinny latte and to feed Dan.
I'm finding the eating plan quite easy to stick to; I love the flexibility it allows me. I've found myself falling into a bit of a rhythm already. I have muesli, yoghurt and banana for breakfast then an apple or pear mid morning and a sandwich for lunch with as much salad as I can pack into it. I've been getting smart about preparing it too. Before bed I make my husband sandwiches to take to work the next day so I've been making my lunch then too. Now, no matter what I'm doing with Dan, I get a healthy lunch that fits with the eating plan. It's easy to take with me if we're out and can be eaten one handed if necessary. No more quick toast and jam that was fast to prepare but left me hungry again by 2pm and no more soggy supermarket sandwiches loaded with mayonnaise.
At dinner time I try to batch cook as much as possible, lots of casseroles or soups, basically anything I can add a load of veg to and cook double or triple portions to freeze for another day. Tonight was fish pie and 2 extra portions have gone in the freezer for a day when I'm too tired to cook. I've also been surprised to find that I haven't craved sweet things as much as usual. Normally, in the evening my sweet tooth makes an appearance and I really struggle to keep it under control but my resolve seems to be holding. I even turned down a chocolate pudding my husband came home with a few days ago! Luckily, a day later when I wasn't feeling so strong and was rummaging for it in the fridge, he'd already eaten it.
So far sticking to the plan seems to be paying off; I've lost another 3lb, that's 5lb in total and 3cm more from my tummy, so 7cm in total. To be honest I feel a little bit of a fraud, I don't feel like I've worked hard enough for such great results, not that I'm complaining! I know that the exercise is increasing week by week so I just hope I can keep up and that the results keep coming. How is everyone else doing so far? Have you had a chocolate pudding moment?
Here's the exercise plan for week one, week two and week three, and the healthy eating tips, too.
Don't forget to come back on Thursday for my next instalment!
