Body after Baby: Tips and Recipes for Boosting Your Metabolism

After the birth of my first son, I was back in the gym at 6 weeks exactly. I had a relatively easy vaginal delivery and healed quickly. I worked out with my trainer two days a week and did yoga and cardio on my own. I ate healthy, nursed for 4 months and watched my body slowly return to normal. After five months, I was in a swimsuit. Then comes baby number two.

body after baby

The baby was breech, so I had to have a c-section. After about two weeks, I was able to get around better, but when my OB cleared me for exercise at six weeks, I was both excited and nervous. As I resumed exercise, it wasn’t just my stamina that posed a problem. I was still having abdominal pain and my back was killing me. I suffer from chronic back pain, so having my core cut in half was not conducive of my workout routine. Now that I am 12 weeks out, I am nowhere near where I was after my first son, but I hear it’s much harder after your second. I’ve lost the weight but things are.. Well, soft. So here I am, adapting.

Clean Eating

Green SmoothiesSince I am still nursing, I can’t go on a strict diet. And let’s be honest, I used it as an excuse to eat the occasional eclair or snowball. However, since it’s swimsuit season AND I have a wedding to stand in next month, I needed to get it together. I got back in the habit of drinking a metabolism and PH balancing drink each morning, along with my green smoothie and a slice of Ezekiel bread. This morning routine really helps keep me on track throughout the day. As busy moms it can be easy to skip meals and forget about yourself. You need your energy so don’t neglect this! I LOATHE the word diet, but rather focus on clean eating. It makes it seem less daunting, and I find it easier to work into your life.

For snacks, I stick to fresh fruits and veggies or all natural snacks like Lara bars. I cut back on dairy and salt, because it can cause bloat. Most importantly, drink plenty of water!! We should drink half our body weight (in ounces) of water each day. For example, if you weight 150 lbs, you should drink 75 ounces each day. Get a large cup (I love my Touro one!) or water bottle that you can tote with you all day.

If I’m craving carbs, I reach for Ezekiel sprouted grain bread because it’s a complete protein, contains amino acids and is easily digestible. My three year old Jude likes it too! I LOVE pasta, but know it’s not great for me, so I use quinoa when I can. My favorite, easy go to recipe is quinoa with roasted garlic, spinach and tomato. This recipe comes from Cooking Light, which I highly recommend. They always have yummy recipes that I can easily whip up on a week night, because cooking is quite a challenge with kids. I involve Jude when I can, so he’ll be more likely to at least taste what we make.

Meta-D Drink

My Workout Routine

Working out the first couple months was tough, but I did barre DVDs, walked around the neighborhood and various videos. As a busy mom, my workout routine has to fit my lifestyle. It’s important to listen to your body and only do what feels right. I see my chiropractor weekly to keep me aligned and stretch after each workout. When I can get in the gym, I love to do cardio on the AMT (Precor’s Adaptive Motion Trainer), which is very similar to an elliptical. It’s easier on my body and gives me the much needed heart pumping. I also like TRX, a fav workout of Drew Brees, that my trainer recommends. If I can’t make it to the gym, I do this toning workout or this yoga routine. If you don’t have weights at home, use water bottles or canned goods!

I have had to adapt my routine to meet my new challenges, learning patience along the way. As moms, we have to remember that we birthed a baby (or a few!) and what a miracle that is. It takes 9 months to put on the weight, it may take even longer to take it off.

The most important thing is not be hard on yourself and remember that all those little blessings you made love the heck out of you, no matter what.

Do you have any tips for getting your body back after baby?

4 COMMENTS

  1. Great post! I especially like the part about not being too hard on yourself. I will get down on myself for still trying to lose baby weight (2.5 years later), then I eat worse because I feel bad!

  2. This is really helpful! I’ve been needing a kick in the pants to get back on track. I had a c section as well – about 8 weeks ago. I actually lost almost all my pregnancy weight within the first 2 weeks because I was feeling nauseous and barely ate. Once I got my appetite back, I fell into bad habits again. I’ve always wanted to try out a morning smoothie, so I’m heading to the store after work to pick up some stuff 🙂

  3. Angelina, such a great post! I’m looking forward to trying that quinoa recipe you posted, it is a staple in our house!

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