6 things to do when weight loss has stalled

It’s Monday! Time to Grind and get the week started!

I wanted to jump on here and share a little wisdom with regard to weight loss & what to do when you reach a plateau! There is nothing more frustrating when what you have been doing STOPS working when you’re trying to get leaner or lose weight…so I’m here to help.

6 things to do when weight loss has stalled

1. NUTRITION: If you guys know me, you know how I preach that good nutrition is the key to getting to where you want to be. Re-evaluate how you’ve been eating. Remember, every little bit adds up. The small piece of donut or spoonful of peanut butter makes a difference. Reign yourself in and I highly recommend tracking what you’re eating whether it be by hand, or by myfitnesspal! This will be an eye opener for sure and get you back on track! Yes, I know its hard AF. But, if you want it bad enough you’ll get through those first few days. It takes 3 weeks for something to become a habit. That discipline will be like second nature after a week or two. My honest recommendation: focus on fats and proteins and lower your carbs.

2. Do Less: I know this sounds counterproductive, but believe it. I do less- but when I’m working out, I make it count and go hard. Days off are important, especially when you’re training hard! Our bodies needs time off.

3. Sleep: Sleep affects everything in your body including hormones, appetite, energy! Ever heard of cortisol? Do the research! Sleep is crucial to weight loss and just overall body function. Also, those of you who are postpartum are probably reading this thinking…umm its impossible for me to sleep! I feel you! I RARELY did morning workouts when I was nursing and the kids were infants. I fit it in during the day because I already wasn’t getting much sleep. Just know that your baby WILL sleep soon, and its just a matter of getting through it!

4. HIIT: Any explosive movements you can do in your workout will blast fat like you won’t believe! Think: Squat jumps, jump rope, sprints, broad jumps, burpees, or really any activity that you can do for 15 seconds-1 minute will raise your hear rate and burn fat. You don’t need any equipment! Search HIIT exercises on IG or pinterest. I guarantee if you add HIIT into your workout regiment 2-3 times a week you’ll see a difference in your body.

5. Resistance Train: Weight training has CHANGED my body for sure, especially after having three kids. It has been the #1 reason that I was able to lose all the baby weight. Weight training is critical for weight loss because it increases after burn exercise, and by increasing muscle size (this increases the number of calories we burn at rest). If you’re not comfortable and don’t know where to start, hire a trainer. If you don’t have the money for that, buy some bands and kettlebells/free weights. Watch videos online and look at the smallest details. Form is important!

6. WALK. I know this sounds silly, but i Walk SOOOO much and it makes such a difference in weight loss! Move more! Park farther away, walk to your errands, go for even a 10 minute walk 2 times a day. Trust me, it adds up! I shoot for a minimum of 10k steps a day, and usually hit 15k unless the weather has been super crappy! You don’t need to be a marathon runner to lose weight! All you need to do is WALK!!

Remember, be PAITIENT. This process isn’t a sprint, its a marathon!

xo

Alex

Meal Plan Monday: 3/11/19

Happy Monday!

Anyone else super happy about Dayoght savings? I know a lot of people hate it because you “lose” n hour of sleep…but when you’re used to losing sleep it means nothing— ! I know it can cause a lot of havoc on sleep schedules to parents all over the nation but right now I will take that over darkness any day! This winter has honestly lasted 49053 days and I’m ready for SPRING.

Our big kids were off at their grandparents this weekend so I actually went grocery shopping on my own #score. I wanted to share my meal plan for the week with you all!

Sunday: I made Arugula Chicken - you can find my recipe linked here. I like this meal because its a two for one- meaning I don’t need to make an extra meal for the kids (HECK YEAH). I just give them the chicken plain and then just steam some veggies and pair it with some noodles. This meal is SO good, fast, and you can make it ahead of time (like I did today-I just put it in the fridge and when it was time to cook, popped it into the oven!!).

Monday- I have two Sunbasket meals arriving this week. The first is a Crispy tofu stir fry with sweet Sichuan sauce. The second we will be having on Tuesday night and its a Chipotle turkey chili with cucumber sumac salad. For those interested you can use my code to save money on your first order with Sunbasket!

Use this code: https://sunbasket.com/invite/Alex398281

Wednesday- I’ll be falling back on the trusty chicken pepperoni meal-the kids love it, and its easy!

Thursday- I’ll be making this cheesy chicken bake . This is another good recipe that can be made ahead of time & thrown into the oven, the kids like, and I substitute plain greek yogurt for mayo to make this pretty healthy. Yes, it has cheese in it, but this meal HAS been part of my rotation when I’ve been in the process of leaning out! Because when I’m leaning out, this works because I tend to focus on high fat/high protein! *Also, I have had this WITH mayo and honestly I don’t even like mayo and it still tastes good. I obviously prefer the greek yogurt because it packs extra protein and is lower fat/cal and just all around healthier!

Friday- Will be your standard Friday fish day! Salmon with good ol Paul Prudhomme’s spices!

I can’t think as far as Saturday so that is it for meal planning! ha! I wanted to share every week a few of my favorites.

This Weeks Faves:

1. Teriyaki Wegmans Chicken: I really like their pre-seasoned chicken. Yeah, its more expensive but for the season I’m in I need something easy, fast, healthy, and convinient that I can just make ahead of time and warm up on the go at home or bring with me to work. TIP: Cut these in half before cooking!! This will help give it an even cook. I always found it hard when leaving it whole to get it cooked just right. Either the outside would get burned, or the inside would be raw! Added bonus: Both of my boys like this chicken and I give it to them for dinner/lunch one or two times a week. I always make these ahead of time and put in the fridge for a fast meal in a pinch!

2. Wegmans Turkey Bacon -This stuff has great flavor, is awesome paired with eggs, or in an omelette!

3. Eggs are a big staple in our house. May-October we get eggs at the farmers market, but in the winter we rely on the grocery store options. Wegman’s came out with these this past year and they are worth the extra money. The flavor of them is AWESOME.

Lastly, I wanted to share these Lara truffles. Only 7 ingredients (and all goodies) make these a great snack.

Have a great day peeps! xo
Alex

Week 2 Postpartum: The Body & Fitness

Happy Friday friends!

Wow..what a crazy SNOWY week we have all had. Hope yall are all thawing out :)

2 week postpartum thoughts

The last two weeks have pretty much gone by in the blink of an eye. Its funny how you go from one kid ((which you think is completely overwhelming)) to two kids ((a total adjustment and was even harder for me to adapt)) to THREE which …is just a complete circus ha! Probably hasn’t helped that its been zero degrees out, there’s been no school, and there has been 2 feet of snow! Can we say #CABINFEVER ?!!!

Tuesday was the first day that I had all 3 kids on my own for an extended period of time (like..6 hours)). …lets just say there is NO down time…and it is completely exhausting. haha. That also could be because I haven’t slept for longer than a 2.5-3 hr stretch in 3 weeks!!

It could have gone better…but it also could have gone worse. But with all that said.. I definitely feel like I’m adjusting to life with three better than life with two I don’t want to completely call it.. cause it’s still early days… but that’s the way it’s feeling anyways! I think once you hav mastered having two kids on your own, you’re used to playing zonal-so whats another one in the mix? LOL. I also think I’m more laid back about schedules, etc now that I’ve had to play zonal being on my own a lot for bedtime, etc. with 2.

Sammy is doing well and seems to have woken from his “newborn sleepiness”…which in a way is good, but in some ways bad. ha. I swear the amount of times he falls asleep on me and I set him down only to hear cries 2 minutes later….unfortunately with 2 other kids that need meals, attention, etc. its impossible for me to hold him nonstop. Luckily I saved one of my baby wraps so I strapped him in yesterday successfully and as I feel better and better after the c-section will be using it more and more…because I’m gonna need all the hands I can get.

I did a broad recap last week of how things were going after one week postpartum last week. This week I’m touching on where I’m at physically— thoughts after having baby 3, on my body, and fitness.

Mindset on going into Baby 3 Pregnancy:

To be honest, I was pretty scared about what my body was going to be like after this pregnancy. It took SUCH a beating from Seb and took the longest time to recover. My stomach needed so long to get it’s elasticity back and I had some stretch marks from him and the skin is CLEARLY not the same lol. I had thoughts of…wow look how rough and how long it took me to get back after baby 2…whats it going to be like after baby 3!! And I’m 2 years older..I was NOT optimistic!

I definitely felt like I got really soft at the end of pregnancy 2 and stopped lifting around 29/30 weeks. Mostly because I just felt so uncomfortable, it was SO HOT (hottest August in history) and I was feeling better running! I think the lack of lifting really hurt me in my recovery postpartum baby 2. I was so soft and WEAK postpartum. I know you can plan to lose a lot of muscle tone naturally through pregnancy, but it was crazy what I lost. So much so that I had a hip injury (torn labrum!…and hot damn that was painful!) due to weak core and glutes that sidelined me for a good 8 weeks. I did not want that to happen again!!

SO…My mindset with pregnancy 3 was to lift as long as I could, even if it was just body weight or lighter weights. I knew it would help me immensely, so ultimately that was my goal . I achieved that my lifting until about 37 weeks 2-3 times per week, and actually stopped running around 33 weeks. Sam was delivered at 38 +5 so I really only took a week off of lifting before I had him.

I have NO DOUBT that one of the reasons why my body has responded the way it has the last 2 weeks is because of the lifting I continued with 💪🏼!

Keep in mind I am a disciplined person and being active is just part of who I AM!! I watch what I eat (but I also splurge, esp when preggo!!) so those are all important factors that helped me!

You can look in my “fitness” section and “nutrition “ section for more details on my workouts and eating habits during pregnancy 3. I gained 34 lbs with baby 3- less than pregnancy 2 and I know I have less body fat this time around to work off.

NO FILTER…just me, some stretch marks, C section scar, some awesome cellulite, and huge nursing boobs. #2WEEKSPOSTPARTUM

Initial Thoughts 2 weeks out

Real talk: My stomach is a bit of a hot mess right now- wrinkly loose skin, stretch marks (mostly the ones from the second pregnancy)…fresh C- section scar. It’s not pretty.

In saying that, I am actually satisfied with where I’m at (I say that with a grain of salt because I’m such a type A and nothing is ever good enough haha) especially because I have photos to look back on from postpartum baby 2.

December 25, 2016- 3.5 months PP with Baby 2 vs Today (2/1/19) 2.5 WEEKS PP with Baby 3!!

And as you can see, I feel like I’m honestly at the same point at 2 weeks postpartum pregnancy 3 as I was at 3 1/2 MONTHS postpartum with pregnancy 2…if not in better shape!!

Progress photos are always good even if you don’t share them with anyone! It’s a good reminder of how far you’ve come and puts things in real perspective.

Staying positive about my body is my main goal as I work through the fourth trimester!

Weight Loss

I currently have lost about 1/2 of the baby weight. So basically I have about 17 or 18 lbs to go. Which is a lot, and I have a long way to go. But I’m just rolling with it and my main priority is healing completely from the C-Section and making sure my milk supply stays strong! I’ve definitely been sweating a TON at night losing a lot of the fluids that I was retaining during pregnancy so every day I notice the scale go down a pound or two. I know it will take time and I’m trying to not even think about it and just love on my baby!

Current Plan: Nutrition/Workouts

Current plan…is NO PLAN! Total recovery from the c section and no setbacks (my incision opened on a superficial level with both boys) and eating allll of the food to try and maintain my supply :) I honestly haven’t even gone for a single walk. I will probably try to start incorporating walking next week when the weather breaks and by that point I’ll be 3 weeks PP.

I’m excited for 6 weeks when I’m cleared to run and lift and share my journey back from baby 3 with y’all! For now…I’m just trying to rest and remind myself that I have tons of time to get leaner and just enjoy my time with the baby for now.

How did you guys feel with subsequent pregnancies? Worse? Better? Was the road back easier or harder?

Have a great day xo

Alex

Week 1 Postpartum & 10 Hacks to surviving the first week PP

My outfit: Free People top | Zella Legging | New Balance sneaks

Hey friends!!

Happy Hump day…although for me right now it seems like groundhog day lol. Allll of the days meld together and I don’t even have a day or night haha #postpartumlife

We welcomed Samson Alexander on January 16, 2019 💙💙we are so over the moon and BLESSED beyond belief

Wanted to give you an update and a few postpartum hacks for every new mama! Below is a few items I have been LIVING in this week cause just give me all the comfiessss.

Barefoot dreams socks- so comfy while the weather has been so cold ||| Barefoot Dreams Cardigan ||| Barefoot Dreams Cardigan || Graphic Tees | Loft Sweats literally the softest things I’ve had on my body!! || Ugg slippers ||

Update:

Birth

Everything went smooth during the surgery. We were scheduled for a 7:30 am, but it went a few minutes late. My spinal worked great and I was actually the most calm I’d been during any of the 3 of my C Sections. I did have some pain when they were taking Sammy out but other than that I felt fine. He had some problems breathing so the first 24 hours was pretty stressful but we got through it! I had a rough 24 hours post surgery, nauseous and throwing up (this didn’t happen with my other two kids)…honestly I felt HORRIBLE. I could hardly open my eyes I feel like…and combine that with trying to nurse your baby, etc. made for a tough day. More about the birth later….

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is going really well other than the fact that I feel like my boobs are the size of Texas and that someone is stabbing me with a knife in the nipple the first 30 seconds after latching… LOL. Its actually not funny though. Its so weird how I’ve nursed for over 2 years total with my other boys and my nipples are so sore still? Like why? It should be one of those things where it hurts the first time and then the next couple times you’ve paid your dues and you’re good- no pain. haha. Actually the whole child birth thing should be like that…who’s with me??!

Its always so crazy “learning” how to breastfeed again. I say “learning” because every baby is different and I feel like you almost forget how to breastfeed a newborn after a couple years. Older babies and toddlers are so different because they have the head control and know how to latch on their own so easily.

Breastfeeding a newborn is tough because you literally have to hold their head in place, and help them latch on and it can almost feel like you need an 7 arms to try and work through those first few feeds. Luckily Sammy caught on after the first day and has been doing great ever since. I definitely think the worst part of the first few days of breastfeeding is getting to know your baby and helping them learn how to eat…but also the engorgement ((and painful nipples!!).

I noticed for sure that the engorgement process got worse each time with each kid. With my second I was in a ton of pain and could hardly sleep when my milk came in…and with baby Samson even more so. I’ve finally JUST come through it and I’m so happy lol. They were rock hard and so sore for 4 days straight. Luckily, they gave me a hand pump at the hospital which helped a little, and this time around I was able to use my pump at home and that helped relieve a little bit. For some reason NOTHING would come out when I tried to express milk with Seb and I just had to keep nursing, and icing and it finally just worked itself out. I have about 30 ounces of milk already in my fridge ((um yes total oversupply over here lol) so I’m off to a good start. Its hard because I don’t want to pump too much; but at the same time I need relief!!
Sammy has already hit his birth weight 6 days after birth and I am so grateful for that! Our bodies really are amazing.

Home

The transition home was pretty seamless, mostly because my older two were still with their grandparents (Thank god!!) .

I stayed an extra day in the hospital- I’m so glad I did. I always get anxious when I get home and can’t take care of things myself. The first night home with Max is one my husband and I will legit never forget LOL. I don’t think we slept more than an hour. he honestly didn’t sleep AT ALL his first night home (haha this should have been foreshadowing for his first 8 months) and all he did was cry.

Seb didn’t sleep great on his first night home, but did ok. Sammy, the same. We were just grateful to settle him in and have some quiet time before the others came home! The boys just got home sunday so we are just trying to transition into 2 kids to 3!! It definitely is a lot louder with them home haha.

My biggest challenge is going to be getting rest and recovery but still carving out time for my two older boys. Also, our oldest is up super early ((like 6 am…ouch)) so there won’t be any sleeping in if I’ve been up all night with the baby. I think I’m going t o be permanantly exhausted the next year…but I guess you have done it twice so you kind of know what to expect. I also feel like right now I’m sleeping better than I was when I was pregnant ha! I had the worst insomnia and was so uncomfortable.

Recovery/Body

After the first initial few days, I am definitely feeling a lot better. I am still trying to sit/lay as much as I can to minimize movement with my incision and am avoiding stairs where I can. I haven’t really needed much pain medication since I came home which is great. Its a slow process but I keep reminding myself that every day I will feel 5% better. I came home from the hospital only dropping 8 pounds (like WHAT lol!!??Thats it?>)

I know from experience a lot of that is fluid retention(let the night sweats begin lol) so I’m trying to not read into it and give it time. My stomach is ((slowly)) going down and I know thats just a process!! I didn’t weigh myself the last 2 days (its been like a circus around here lol) but 5 days PP I was down 13 pounds/out of 35 total gained.

I wanted to share some advice/few of my Postpartum Hacks for surviving the first week postpartum cause it can be rough, yall!

1. Stool softener.: Ok peeps, if this your first kid this is a must have. Just thinking about going #2 PP is enough to make you cringe regardless of how that baby came out. This is my third time around so I knew to ask for it but they did not readily give it to me this time around (not sure why I had to ask) but it helps SOOOO much. Plz take it!

2. Nipple Cream: another must have for any breastfeeding mom. This has been a savior for me…it keeps your nipples hydrated when they get so irritated in the initial phases of breastfeeding.

3. Hospital Stay: I always recommend to people to stay in the hospital as long as you can. Yeah, I know there’s always people coming in your room checking on you, taking your vitals, etc. but BELIEVE me. Stay there as long as you can. Everything is at your finger tips. The second you get home you are instantly more active and have to be more mobile. I stayed in the hospital the full 3 1/2 days this time around and it was 100% better than the previous 2 deliveries.

4. Preparation is key: I can’t stress prep work enough!! Washing babies clothes, blankets, having a nursing station set up, baby items all set up, having items you need for postpartum life readily accessible (like clothes you’ll be wearing). I tried to get as much food prep in as I could too! As the female…you know where everything is so having it set up before hand so your hubby/SO doesn’t have to search for it is super important!

5. Ice Packs will be your BFF: Ice packs for everywhereeeeee. Down there, and for your boobs. Trust me. The best ones are the small kiddie ones from like the dollar store.

6. Belly Bandit: Get a belly bandit. I can’t say enough about this product and giving you support after you have baby…also it helps (I think) shrink the area and keeps your core “all together” and flattens it. Your core went through soooo much so its important to help it those first few weeks/2 months.

7. Rotate activity with rest: This is one I have a hard time with because when I’m home I just want to go, go, go regardless of how little sleep I get! I try to get 20-30 mins of activity (if baby is sleeping) and then the same ratio in rest time-ie. napping, sitting, reading, checking emails..just resting.

8. Take a shower everyday: Before I had my first, I heard these horror stories about people not showering for days so I always made it a priority for myself to shower every day. no matter what. It always made me feel more put together even if my life was a shit show! And my first was horrible - cried all the time-and I had zero help (as in was on my own with him about 8-10 hours per day every day) but I always showered. Self care people.

9. Take items from your hospital room: Use the products at the hospital as a resource and bring them home with you to make your transition home easier. Pads, granny panties, diapers, vaseline…bring it home!!

10. This is a season: Remember that honestly this is a season. things are going to be crazy, chaotic, frustrating, overwhelming…just remember that babies don’t keep. and that this too shall pass…!!!

Haven’t e a great wednesday loves!

xo

Alex