A few weeks ago my husband walked into the room where I was sitting with our 2 month-old baby, took a look at my outfit, and said, “Babe! Back in the skinny jeans? Niiiice!” To which I replied, “If by ‘back in the skinny jeans’ you mean, ‘Babe! You went to Target today and bought really huge skinny jeans!’ Then yes. Yes I am.”
Many of you will remember that about a year ago I shared my experiences losing weight and getting fit.
I accomplished that a few years ago and successfully kept the weigh off until recently. I know there are lot of people in this world who can carry a child for 9 months and then pop back into their skinny jeans a few weeks later.
I am not one of those people.
I knew that going into my pregnancy and I was actually okay with it. I knew I would probably gain quite a bit of weight, and I did. The difference between this post-pregnancy and my 3 previous ones is that now I’m not afraid and depressed of the “after.” Right now I look a lot like I did in that “before” photo up there, but it’s not scary for me anymore because I transformed my body once and I know I can do it again. I know exactly how to do it and I have the confidence I can. Even more importantly, I honestly and truly don’t care how many pounds I have to deal with when I have this to show for it:
Not to get all cheesy, but I can’t hate my belly rolls when I look into those little blue eyes. Carrying a child inside you for almost a year is an amazing, and also rigorous thing to put your body through, so I had a tendancy to reward that body with things like ice cream and onion rings-which is now very apparent.
SO. Why am I talking about all of this again? Because when I was working to shed those pounds a few years ago, I did it very privately. And when I finally shared my story last year, the response blew me away. Hundreds of you commented, and just as many have sent me emails, Facebook messages, and Instagram comments about how that post inspired YOU. I cannot even explain how awesome it has been to read your stories and cheer you on from the other side of the computer screen. So many of you had questions and needed help, guidance, and support, and now I’m in a unique position where I’m doing it all over again- so I figured a lot of us out there could do it together!
(Let’s be clear- I’m back at the “then” in that photo!)
Kate and I would like to do a regular series here focused on health and fitness, but we want to cater it to your interests according to your feedback. Obviously our main focus here at Our Best Bites is food, so we won’t take away from that. For all of you out there who don’t give a flip about all of this health and fitness stuff, no worries. Yummy recipes are still coming, and will always be the focus around here. But we thought it would be cool to use this great community for an OBB Fit Club for the next few months. Some random ideas I had were a weekly series, group challenges, workout plans, maybe a Facebook page to chat- some cool giveaways and prizes?? We’re up for anything. I just know from experience that it helps to have a support network.
So speak up. If this is something that interests you, you MUST leave a comment on this blog post! If you’re reading this via email, click here to hop over and leave a comment. If there isn’t much interest we’ll bag it and do it on our own! We don’t know unless you leave comments and tell us. If you guys speak up and want this to happen, let us know, and tell what you’d like to see/learn/do and we’ll make it happen! Together we can crush those New Year’s Resolutions!
Help!
Count me in!!
Yes please! I’m in almost an identical situation! But I agree these beautiful babies are worth the work that is coming
This would be great. I have always wanted to eat healthier but it seems to fizzle out after February. Healthy recipes for meals and snacks would be great. I’m trying to convince myself to join a gym for the first time and I just might do it!
I would LOVE to participate!! Love the idea of a weekly series, workout plans that are do-able, a Facebook group…all the things you mentioned! My goal this year is to be more fit and healthy, not to lose weight, I just want to feel better and have more energy!
Would love this!
yes I’d love to learn, hear more, and see more posts on this 🙂
Any tips/routines for exercising at home (inexpensively) would be awesome! I’ve got 3 young kids, and my husband is crazy busy (finishing up grad school), so I can’t just leave them with him while I go exercise. Plus, it’s freezing outside, and I’m a wimp. 🙂
Had a baby a year ago. Still haven’t gotten back to where I was kicking butt pre-pregnancy. Any motivation will help.
I’m in! I’d love to see healthy recipes and/or workout plans. I do alright with the exercise piece and have a great free gym at work, it’s really the eating well and not succumbing to emotional eating that I struggle most with.
I would love to see an OBB Fit Series! I was so inspired by your story, Sara, that I signed up for a TRx class at my local Y. And I love it! I would love to see you incorporate the food side of your blog into the Fit series, perhaps a personal food diary or something similar so we can see the types of foods you’re eating while getting fit (just to give us ideas for simple things to be eating/making, even if you don’t think that meal requires its own recipe post). Do it, girls!!! Oh yeah, would love to see you do a post on your motivating music playlist for working out…I know you mentioned that’s on your list, so just wanted to let you know there’s still interest for a blog post on that topic!
Totally in!!!
I love the idea. You’re such an inspiration. I think a FB group would be fun!
I feel like I am asking the impossible- but I would love to see healthy, low cost, calorie conscious, can be made in a reasonable amount of time, semi-picky family recipes that my brood will eat! I love your blog (and have referred to you guys for awhile) and have already used a bunch of recipes and tips that have become part of my cooking- Thank You!!!
I’m turning 50 this year and would love to lose the extra 25 pounds that have crept on over the years. I’m in!
yes please yes please yes please!
YES!
Yes please!!!
I’m definitely interested. I’m having my fourth baby any day now and would love to lose the baby weight quickly! Thanks for sharing your journey!
Yes please! I am in! I would love to have support in eating well but not following a crazy diet. Sugar is my biggest fight, it would be nice to find ways to control it. I know when I meal plan it helps so much, so maybe having a meal planning component (with real food 🙂 could be added. This last week I went through my OBB cookbooks and found recipes that I had forgotten about – it has worked well ( can’t wait for the new cookbook to come out) 🙂
Would love to be part of it. If you could post recipes and workouts that would be awesome!
Let’s do this thing!
I would love this! I’m in a similar situation where I did personal training and got fit a couple years ago but need to get back into shape. I know what to do, I just need support and some mix-it-up ideas for meals and workouts. You’re awesome!
I am so in!!! I had a little boy two days after you did. I had a pretty good routine while I was pregnant but now I’m stuggling to figure out how to lose the baby weight and nurse my baby. Last time I nursed I ended up gaining weight 🙁
Yes, I am in!
I would love to see what you are eating and making for your family as you are trying to lose weight!
I’m in! I loved your story and have since joined a gym to get back into shape after having 4 kids. I like how you talked about not doing just cardio but lifting weights as well to shed the weight and get strong. I’d like some ideas for doing that without having to look like a dumb girl with all the beefy men at the gym! 🙂
By the way, your baby is SO ADORABLE!
Like everyone else who has apparently read your blog today, I am in too!
I am totally perplexed by weights. I know people spend a lot of time there, but I am usually down with all the weights in 10 minutes. I would love advice in that area.
Im in!