Some of you caught THIS post. I talked a little bit about my tummy. If you missed, let me sum it up. I’ve had 2 babies and haven’t done one single sit up in more then 6 mos. I go to the gym 3x a week but now that I’m older, it’s not enough. My gut is not flabby, it’s just out there. My theory is that my stomach muscles have not even come close to tightening since baby #2 and what is popping out could be the result of loosey goosey muscles. There’s fat too but having stretched out muscles makes everything protrude.
Now, I must admit-I have not been watching what I eat. I am a sugar-aholic and didn’t know how truly bad it had gotten until I spent a day analyzing every thing I ate as well as every urge to eat. It was like a constant thought to eat something sweet. Houston, we have a problem….
So, I’ve put a plan into action and I thought I would share it in case any of you might be in the same boat and need some encouragement or even need some ideas on how to get your plan going!
Things I’m doing to lose the bulge.
1. Tracking my food-
I love the app My Fitness Pal. Firstly, it’s free. Second, it’s very user friendly and will tell you exactly how many calories you need to stick to in order to lose your weight. It even tells you at the end of the day how long it will take to meet your goals if you continue to take in the same amount of calories you did that day. For example, I am supposed to eat around 1500 calories a day in order to drop 10 lbs. I took in a little over that yesterday (pizza night #notsorry) and it let me know that if I continue to go over, those 10lbs would take 5 weeks to come off.
Tracking truly works. Even if you hate it you should push yourself to do it for at least a week. You might be surprised at how many hidden calories you are eating. You’ll be shocked how much the calories add up every time you finish off your toddler’s nuggets or steal a handful of fish crackers! Oh, and coffee creamer-ugh! Plus, you need to know exactly how many calories you can eat to meet your goal and then you need to know exactly how that amount of calories looks and feels. Trust me on this one-do it, it works.
2. 2 minute abs 2x a day-
Ok, all you fit people out there-don’t laugh at me on this one. Like I said, I go to the gym 3x a week and do a cardio routine that hits my legs and butt but does nothing for my stomach. I’m just really not in the mood to do more then that to be honest. I mean, the last thing I want to do when my kids are in a nap is more exercise.
So, I came up with this plan-I watch tv. I really like watching TV, again #notsorry. I probably watch 2-3 different shows a day. I decided that during each of those shows (well, at least 2 of them), I would do a quick ab routine during the show. It’s so simple and it fits into my lazy “state of mind”.
Exercise #1 Lay flat while raising your legs to a 90 degree angle and then drop them as low as they can go without losing the engagement in your tummy. Repeat this motion at least 10x.
Exercise #2 Lay flat while raising your bottom upwards while legs are at a 90 degree angle. Repeat at least 10x.
Exercise #3 Raise your shoulders and head off the ground, placing your hands behind your head for support. Touch your elbow to the opposite knee and alternate sides for at least 10x.
Exercise #4 Come up on your elbows and keep your legs together and straight and draw a circle with your feet. After each circle reverse the direction.
I’ve only done this 1 time a day since I started so 2-3 times will come soon. Anything is better then nothing when it comes to building stomach muscles.
You can do whatever ab exercises you want but I felt like these were a good mix to really hit the lower and middle muscles that are so compromised during a pregnancy. I got my inspiration from THIS you tube video.
3. I’m moving my A.M. smoothie to an afternoon smoothie.
Once the girls are in their naps it’s like mommy gone wild time-On particularly challenging days, eating yummies seems so right once they’re in asleep! I tend to really get a sugar craving around 2, so moving my smoothie helps fill me up and gives me a bit of sugar that I’m craving. It at least gets me to dinner without doing something stupid! I’ve got a few smoothie recipes I’m cooking up so hang in there for that future post!
Also, I replace my smoothie I had in the morning with 24 ounces of lemon water-Find the best lemon essential oil HERE. You could also use fresh lemons! It’s a great way to get your digestive system going in the a.m.
If you’re wondering what’s in my smoothie, HERE is that post.
4. Build in a treat at the end of the day.
I’m all about rewarding myself. By the end of the day, when I’ve worked hard to keep my calories down, I like to indulge in a couple pieces of chocolate, a small bowl of sherbert or a glass of wine (or 2). I love Ghiradelli squares because I can limit my indulgence down to 1 or 2 squares. Plus, I buy dark chocolate because I can resist the urge to gorge better if it’s dark. They are individually packaged which really helps. Now, they have high fructose corn syrup and it would be nice to find a healthier chocolate that comes individually wrapped that I like as much as Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt or Dark Chocolate and Raspberry but I just haven’t. Sherbert has less then 1/2 the fat and calories of ice cream. Ice cream will kill your tracking and your waist line. It’s a no-go. I build in certain nights for wine. Like, the Bachelor isn’t the same without wine so I know I better budget my calories on Mondays.
My biggest advice is to find a balance. Don’t go overboard. Do what you can continue to do for the rest of your life. Make sure you are creating a doable lifestyle and not a crash diet. Most of us have plenty of time before warmer weather. (unless you’re reading this from the other side of the world!) SLOW and STEADY wins the race people!
I’d love some feedback on this. Am I alone with the tummy bulge most likely due to stretched out muscles? Share please!!
xx, Jenni
P.S. Have a good laugh at my exercise “videos”!!! I’m feeling a bit regretful about those but at least you can see exactly what I’m doing!
