When I was a brand new mommy, I lost nearly all of my baby weight via the magic of mastitis and a severe stomach flu.  Gross and uncomfortable as it was, for the most part I dodged a bullet when it came to enduring a long painstaking weight loss journey.  But recently, I had a holiday season positive pregnancy test (which of course led to extra cookies here and there “for the baby”) combined with a pregnancy loss five weeks later (which honestly led to an influx in calories that tasted a lot like my feelings – empty). While I certainly wasn’t 30+ pounds above my fighting weight, like I was after having Colin, I am now facing spring with a less than fabulous extra pounds clinging to my midsection. Whether it is after a loss or after a new baby’s arrival, no one wants to be walking around looking, “is she pregnant?” right?

So now, with spring supposedly on the horizon, I am forcing myself off of the couch, kicking myself into high gear and shedding those pounds that are sitting there as a constant reminder of what isn’t there. Here how I’m going to do it * :

1) Use the adorable twenty-eight pound weight who I am already responsible for chasing.  

My child loves running, jumping, flying, spinning and more.  Usually, since my days and weeks feel long, I am not always game for a game of chase. Now, no more excuses.  He asks, I come running.  He says jump, I say “how high?”  When the weather dips above freezing and the snow thaws, we can step away from the vehicle and resume neighborhood walks.  I just pulled the trigger and splurged on a used jogging stroller (we’re selling our other single stroller to cover most of the cost), so hopefully having the gear will help me actually use it.

And when it comes to resistance training, I can use Colin’s help for that too.  On days that I can’t fit in a visit to the gym, I can lift Colin up in the air for three sets of 10 lifts. I can do wall sits with him on my lap. I can do “girly” push ups over him with belly tickles and kisses (or if I’m ambitious, I could have him sit on my back). When he was a baby, I would put him in the carrier and do lunges, squats and have cardio dance parties in front of the mirror. While I don’t think he will sit still for a ton of this at once, we can definitely fit it in in spurts throughout the day.

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2) Make the most of my time at the gym.

I’m embarrassed to admit how many days since the holiday season I have gone to the gym to shower and have a little bit of peace while Colin was in Kid Care, skipping the workout portion of the visit entirely.  Not anymore.  I won’t come close to working out the full 2 hours Colin can stay with the child care providers, but I am going to use my energy and time wisely.  For me, this means mostly weight training and high intensity interval training.  My former trainer always taught me to do weights first before cardio, and in the past, I have gotten away with doing only weight training and have grown to love it. I have never been the type to get my groove on in the cardio area, so if I am going to torture myself over there, it is doing interval sprints (1 minute running, 1 minute walking, repeat.  Over and over).

3) Get rid of all the junk food in my house.

Guys, it is Girl Scout Cookie season.  I have so much trouble refusing the cute 5 year old Brownies at our local grocery store that I have accumulated a small stash.  They have got to go, them and the tortilla chips and the other overly tempting snacks that somehow disappear from my house during nap time (?!?).  The cookies will go with Mr. C to work, anything unopened will be donated and the rest goes in the trash. End of story.

4) Be more conscious about what goes in my mouth.

Living with a toddler leads to a ton of food waste.  And after we are all done eating, I may or may not be known to graze on what has been left behind. Even though we generally eat healthy food, overeating is never going to lead to losing weight.  Even without junk food in the house, I need to be more cognizant about eating healthy, balanced meals (and not a meal in a half, including Colin’s scraps).  Oh, and I am going to drink lots of water (in theory, at least.  I’ve never been so great at this).

*Disclaimer: I am not a trainer or a fitness professional.  Consult with a professional, doctor, trainer or otherwise before venturing into a weight loss program.

That is my plan, and hopefully, by the time spring really feels like spring in the Midwest (if that ever happens), I will be well on my way to my goal weight.  If you’re in the same boat, what is your strategy for shedding baby weight?  Any tips you can share?