Baby weight away! Six pack back on!

[Thesski]

I've been training all my life, the last 12 years with weights. Even did a few figure shows between 2006 and 2009. I LOVE working out in the gym, and I love dieting down for a show. But now, I'm a facing a real challenge...
In January I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. The pregnancy went by with more than a few complications, and I was forced to complete bed rest for almost 3 months.
Now, I hardly recognize my own body!!
I want to compete again, and I've set the date to December this year. To keep track of my training, and to stay motivated, I've decided to start this journal. Hope you'll enjoy my ride! I know I will :)

Before
86818

After
86817

[BigJD69]

CONGRATS on the birth of your baby girl. Stay positive and focused and you will be back in no time!!! My daughter B-Day is January 5th when was your daughter born?

[partsRheavy]

That is the most awesome tattoo!!!!

What is your little girl's name?

Welcome and I know you'll be able to get back in shape!!!!

[Thesski]

CONGRATS on the birth of your baby girl. Stay positive and focused and you will be back in no time!!! My daughter B-Day is January 5th when was your daughter born?

Thanks, and congrats to you to!! She was born January 4th :) A baby changes everything, I guess... Is it your first? How is your training coming along now?

[Thesski]

That is the most awesome tattoo!!!!

What is your little girl's name?

Welcome and I know you'll be able to get back in shape!!!!

Well thanks :) Her name is Indra (we live in Sweden). I hope so, I'll do my best!

[Thesski]

So this is my plan:

Feb 9th - Feb 22nd
2 weeks of total fasting, only water, tea and diet soda allowed, to speed things up, detox my body, and by that get more motivated. During these two weeks, I'll stick to low intensity cardio and light weight training.

Feb 23d - May 4th
10 weeks of dieting, with mainly protein and green leaf veggies. During these weeks, I'll increase the weights, but stick to low intensity cardio.

Hopefully, I'll have reached a shape that's ok by then, and I'll be ready to start some serious muscle building :yep:

Weight and pic updates will start tomorrow, since I need batteries for my bathroom scale...

[tammyp]

fasting for 2 weeks? are you mad woman!? can you say catabolism, loss of brain function and possible organ shutdown? not to mention your matabolism will be toast. you wont be able to walk across the street let alone do cardio. food is not the enemy.

and welcome to rx!

[Bryan Hildebrand]

"fasting" has lots of different meanings. what do you mean by fasting in your plan?
and welcome to the site. congratulations on your baby. nothing more important than our children...

[GirlyMuscle]

"fasting" has lots of different meanings. what do you mean by fasting in your plan?
and welcome to the site. congratulations on your baby. nothing more important than our children...


2 weeks of total fasting, only water, tea and diet soda allowed,

I can only imagine how much muscle you just ate up.

I agree with lean proteins and veggies...that's keto. I would never recommend fasting again. Rather than a jump start, it's going to slow down your metabolism and burn away precious muscle.

Congrats on the baby Indra!

[~Maz~]

~ Congrats on the little babe and welcome to RX!! :hmn: Give your body longer than a month after giving birth to settle down before doing something as drastic as fasting, you don't wanna pass out on the little mite!! You need to eat enough to give you energy to deal with her and your sleep will probably be out of whack for a while yet ... It might take time but you've done this before so you can get on stage you can do it again, just give it time!! ~ ;)

[The Big Sexy]

Plenty of detox methods out there that do not require a 2 week fasting of all foods. Although, I'm no expert on detox... I probably am more of a master of toxic... (unless ganja isn't toxic, then I'm like good). I have clients that do detox and have a certain veggie soup, fruit drinks (whole fruits mixed), and have usually a small meal 1-2x that week with some sort of fish or something. But they have some sort of caloric nutrient everyday.

Best of luck in your journey. Everyone here is very helpful - some more than others! :)

[LisaRD23]

Welcome:)

Remember you need food to fuel your body and you need energy to take care of your baby girl. It can be hard to want to get right back into shape after going through a pregnancy, but remember, your body went through alot of stress during that time, esp as you mentioned some complications. You need to heal, take things slow, and soon you will be right back on top of your game.

[GirlyMuscle]

If you do insist on fasting at least drink some protein shakes (little to no carbs) every couple of hours.

[Suzanne]

First off what was you non competition wt before you got pregnant? what is your wt now?

2 weeks of starvation will just eat up muscle and slow metabolism. Diet soda will not detox. The general consensus is that even detox product out there are waste of time and money. First if you loose any weight it is water and second our bodies are efficient and don't need to be detoxed

I take it you are not breast feeding?

you do NOT need to live on protein and veggies to loose wt. plenty of people lose whieght eating carbs and prep for shows on carbs. For wt lose especially after what your body has been through hormonally with the changes of pregnancy requires balanced food not a starvation or even a prep diet.

the plan you have laid out is a guide to metabolic shut down

[partsRheavy]

x2 What Suzanne and most everyone else said!

Please reconsider that idea about fasting. That is a very bad idea and I am surprised that you are contemplating it. I would have thought you would be better-educated than that!

You should also consider breast feeding the baby if you are physically able to do so. It is better nourishment for the little one, at least to start.

I know that your country gives generous of maternal leave, so this should be possible.

[Thesski]

Day two of fasting is soon to an end, and I feel great so far. Had a hard time at the hamburger restaurant with my family, but I managed.
Today's work out consisted of a 60 min powerwalk with dog and baby. And a whole lot of wind. Great :)

I truly appreciate all the input on my plan. It's always good to get others' point of view. I didn't write my plan out in detail, and I understand that it seems drastic. To some, it probably will even after this post :)
But to adress some of the remarks made:

Fasting:
I've been fasting a lot. Mostly intermittent fasting, but also with some deviations. I've enjoyed both the feeling and the results.
Important during periods of fasting is to add bcaa to the drinking water, to minimize muscle loss and to elevate energy levels. I do this during the day, and in higher concentrations before training.
Week one wont need any refeeds, week two might. If so, I will be on a slight caloric excess for 24 hours, and then go back to fasting. This in combination with light weight training, will make sure the loss of muscle mass is kept to a minimum, even if it will occur.

The metabolism will decrease, I'll give you that. However, not as much as most people fear. After 96 hours of fasting, it decreases with apx 8%, which is 160kcal a day. In favor of the results, it's a price I'm more than willing to pay. Metabolism will be restored when the caloric intake increases.

Due to medical reasons, I do not breast feed. If I did, I'd be a lot more careful about my diet, that's for sure.

Detox... I don't believe in traditional detox, where toxins are supposed to be released. By detox I meant the relief of the metabolic system. If that makes any sense? (Just the way most of us do when we get sick. We hardly eat, and increase the water intake for a few days. A spontanous fast, where the body's focus lies on recovery.) Something like that...

I know this is a bit controversial in fitness and bb circles, where the common law is to eat every 2-3 hours to avoid muscle break down. But to each his own, and if anyone´is interested, there's some really interesting reading on the topic here:
http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html


Like I said, I appreciate all your input! I will try to last my two weeks, and then evaluate here :)

I'll finish off with my (for now) horrific stats:

Height: 5'9
Weight on: 143lbs
Weight off: 181lbs
Weight post pregnancy:(Jan 5th) 229lbs

Weight of today, Feb 10th: 206lbs

Over n out :gn:

[Ibarramedia]

Congratulations on having Baby Indra. I look forward to your comeback. :ok:

[Thesski]

Congratulations on having Baby Indra. I look forward to your comeback. :ok:

Thanks! Glad you stopped by :)

[Thesski]

Today, I hit a new low. I moved to a new city right before all the problems started w my pregnancy. New city = new gym. So last week, I went to get a membership, and moved a few weights around, almost alone in the gym area. Today, I had planned a great work out, with kettle bells and some dynamic stretching. I went there, and the gym was crowded!
I just couldn't walk through those doors. It was impossible. I just imagined all those people starring at me, thinking "OMG, she's SO out of shape!! What's she even doing here?!" So I turned around to my car and went back home. And cried because I felt like a failure and an idiot at the same time.

I know it's stupid. And I know no one would pay even the slightest attention to me and my size 12 ass.

Tomorrow, I'll give it another go. I'll bring my husband and baby with me, to eliminate all possible attempts to escape.

Weight today: 204lbs

[tammyp]

people are not looking at you and are there for themselves. think of your mindset in the gym. ur there to workout, not look at others.

[Thesski]

people are not looking at you and are there for themselves. think of your mindset in the gym. ur there to workout, not look at others.

I know!! So stupid. And even if you'd look at someone, you wouldn't judge them for being there. Quite the opposite, I used to think it's great that people out of shape actually gave the gym a chance, and at least tried to make a change. I'll keep that in mind tomorrow! :)

[partsRheavy]

Who cares what you look like or what the other people look like in a new gym.

I find a new gym to be a really liberating experience myself. It's a new beginning with new equipment, new layout, different everything! (Except for gravity and the laws of mechanics - those are constant and they're what every gym is based upon.... :p )

You're in a different place and of course figuring out directions and where everything is a little work but it's what makes life interesting!

You don't know those people and they don't know you! They are definitely not deliberately staring at you!

I realize that between sets it's kind of hard sometimes to not watch someone else because they're in your line of sight or if you turn away, they're right there again in the mirror, but you can always bring some music or bring a notebook or something to look at in between sets.

Heck, take a notebook and write down the location of the equipment at the new gym or something to distract you. It'll help you get started....

If it were a little later in spring I would advise to do some walking out on paths and trails or some bicycling, but I think it's a little early for that where you are.

[Thesski]

Who cares what you look like or what the other people look like in a new gym.

I find a new gym to be a really liberating experience myself. It's a new beginning with new equipment, new layout, different everything! (Except for gravity and the laws of mechanics - those are constant and they're what every gym is based upon.... :p )

You're in a different place and of course figuring out directions and where everything is a little work but it's what makes life interesting!

You don't know those people and they don't know you! They are definitely not deliberately staring at you!

I realize that between sets it's kind of hard sometimes to not watch someone else because they're in your line of sight or if you turn away, they're right there again in the mirror, but you can always bring some music or bring a notebook or something to look at in between sets.

Heck, take a notebook and write down the location of the equipment at the new gym or something to distract you. It'll help you get started....

If it were a little later in spring I would advise to do some walking out on paths and trails or some bicycling, but I think it's a little early for that where you are.

I know, it's all in my head. And I need to turn it around and get my confidence back. I actually tried some light running outside today :) 35 min, icey road and freezing, but still...:yep:

[Thesski]

Today was a good day :) Great, actually. Went jogging with baby carriage and dog for 35 min, and walked 25 min. AND, I went to the gym. Not MY gym, but a collegue's. Great work out, some dynamic stretches, deadlifts, and TRX.
And the weight was down to 204lbs.
Things are getting better :)