The Baby-Weight Loss Challenge: How It Works

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution? Are you still on the bandwagon, or have you broken it yet? I’m not usually one to make resolutions because I’m not really great at keeping them.  But if you were following the blog at the beginning of January you know that this year I have resolved to lose the baby weight and get my body back! {Read more about that here.}  I’m happy to say that with the help of CSWfityoga I am keeping that resolution! And today I’m going to tell you how!

lana scale

Getting Started.

I have to say that making getting healthier a priority is difficult at first.   It not only requires a change in habits, but also a change in mindset.  This is especially important when it comes to food.  Why am I eating what I’m eating? Is it because I’m hungry? Bored? Tired? Do I REALLY need to eat 6 oreos? Is this going to get me to my goal? In order to help me track what I eat I set up an account on My Fitness Pal.  This handy little site allows you to input EVERYTHING you eat in a day, and gives you the calories for each food.  You set your weight loss goal, and then it will tell you how many calories you can have in a day in order to help you reach that goal.  If you’re exercising, input the exercises you do in order to see how many calories you’ve burned.  You can even download the app for your phone to keep track of what you eat on the go.  *One caveat: I can see how someone could easily become obsessed over their caloric intake by using this site.  If you sign up, use it as a tool in helping you learn moderation, not a reason to punish yourself because you ate a piece of chocolate cake.

The next step in getting started was to identify my goals.  Casey sent me some paperwork to fill out to help me determine what I want to get out of this experience and to help her tailor my workouts to meet those goals.  Of course losing weight is a priority.  But so is increased energy, stress management, strength, and overall health.

Then she had me take my measurements.  You can’t know how far you’ve come unless you know where you started.  I highly recommend taking pictures of yourself before you start working out and along the way.  When you’re in the day-to-day grind and slowly seeing the weight come off, you don’t really realize the changes that are taking place in your body.  Casey had me take a picture at the 4 week mark, and while in my head I didn’t think I’d made that much progress, the pictures told a different, much more positive story!

Work it out.

dumbbellOnce the initial goals were set, it was time to start working out.  Casey sends me personalized workouts 3 times per week (Mon, Wed, Fri), and the other 2 days are reserved for cardio.  I usually try to get cardio in on at least one of the weekend days as well.  All of the workouts are things I can do at home, with the equipment I already have.  My equipment at home consists of dumbbells and a jump rope.  A lot of the exercises also utilize my body weight and things I have around the house, such as a chair or the stairs.  I always thought that I would need a home gym or to head to the gym in order to get a good workout in.  Boy, was I wrong! These exercises are hard and they get results.  At the 4 week mark Casey had me go back and do the very first workout I ever did.  I really liked that because it showed me how far I have actually come in 4 weeks.  I felt a lot stronger this time around and was able to do more reps of the exercises than I did in the beginning.

My favorite thing about CSWfityoga is the variety of exercises.  Before starting to work out with Casey I usually did a workout video.  I never really gave it 100% because it was boring. Doing the same thing over and over, day after day, didn’t make me want to commit to working out.  I’ve been working out with Casey for 4 weeks now, and the only time I’ve done the same workout was right at the 4 week mark, when she had me repeat the first workout to see the difference a few weeks make.

I also really appreciate being able to work out at home.  Being a busy mom, I never know exactly when I’m going to get a workout in.  That has really been another hindrance to me working out in the past.  It never fails: I will set my alarm to get up at 6 a.m. to work out and then my 1 year old is up at 3 and my baby is up at 5.  They are definitely conspiring against my success! Some days I get my workout in before the kids get up.  Or while the girls are playing Barbies. Other days I’m working out at 9 p.m.  But the important thing is that I am getting my work out in.  And I love that Casey is a mom too, so she gets it.

Results.

So far I have been working out for 4 weeks and have lost 5 pounds! I’m definitely feeling a lot stronger and am starting to see that my body has shape again.  My problem area is definitely my stomach. When I am pregnant all of my weight goes to my stomach and I get huge. It takes a long time for my abs to come back.  So it makes me excited that I have lost over 2 inches in the belly area and I actually put on a pair of non-maternity jeans last week! They’re  not my pre-pregnancy jeans yet, but they snap and don’t have an elastic waist, so I’m calling that a victory! 🙂

I am really pleased with CSWfityoga and the results I’m seeing! I can’t wait to come back in a month and let you know how it’s going!  And show you pictures! If you are at a point where you are ready to commit to losing the baby weight, or just to getting stronger and healthier, then you should join me in my Baby-Weight Loss Challenge! I’d love to celebrate these victories together! If you’re interested, be sure to check out Casey’s website and send her an email!

 

Kaitlyn Swaim
Kaitlyn is the owner of Cedar Rapids Moms Blog and is an Iowa girl who has been married to her husband, Joshua, since 2007! She’s a busy work-at-home mama to their 5 children: 3 girls and 2 boys! A true Hawkeye, she graduated from the University of Iowa with her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, something that comes in handy on a daily basis while trying to raise 5 kids! Her favorite things to do include spending time with her family, cheering on the Hawkeyes, reading a good book, shopping (of course!), and checking out all the activities the Corridor has to offer!

2 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks for the tips and encouragement. My girl is going to come out in March and I’m thinking about what I need to do get my old body back. I’ll see if yoga will help me.

    • Hi Mary! Congratulations on your baby girl!! You should definitely try yoga! CSWfityoga also offers more traditional exercises, which are what I normally do. Like cardio, weight lifting, and resistance movements using your body weight. And everything can be done at home on your own time! She sends you all of your workouts over email! http://www.cswfityoga.com.

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