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!
I’d be very interested…need some drive and motivation which I’ve been lacking for quite awhile.
Baby #5 is due at the end of April! And then we are done with this special time of our lives. I will be breastfeeding but I am ready to get fit and start feeling good again! Can’t wait for this! im going to start exercising again during this pregnancy as well, since I haven’t felt well enough to do it until now.
I think this is a great idea. I am totally in!
My hubby and I ALWAYS talk about working out more and losing weight and eating healthier. But that just it. We just talk about it. We never really put it into action. One of our biggest problems is eating out and/or unhealthy. Doesn’t help that we are both really picky eaters. But we are trying to sneak healthy foods into our diet. Could you post more super easy yet healthy recipes (and that require no or very few processed foods)?
Yeah, seems like this could be great!
I was so happy to read this post. I Am SO in and looking forward to what you’re putting together. Btw, your baby is simply precious.
I’m leaving my drop in the bucket to say I think this is a great idea! Love it!
I’ve enjoyed your recipes… But as a request in your healthy recipe posting is like to see some that an anti-vegetable person could eat. I recognize vegetables are like the staple in eating healthy and losing weight… I just can’t bring myself g to eat them! If you could keep me in mind I’d appreciate it!
I have a similar story about losing weight and then gaining it while pregnant. My baby is 5 months old and I’m ready to be more accountable about what I’m eating. I have a good workout plan, but eat whatever I want. Having some sort of challenge would be great.
I would love to read about what exercises you are doing (& length of time/days a week) and I love trying out healthy, whole foods recipes! Thanks for doing this!
I would LOVE this!! My husband and I lost 20 pounds each last year through diet and exercise (thanks Jillian Michaels Body Revolution!). We’ve pretty much kept it off, but our youngest has started school, I’ve gone back to work, he’s changed jobs, and finding time to menu plan healthy dinners is SO hard! I’d love to have a weekly menu plan with 3-5 dinner recipes.
I’ve been hoping you would do something like this! I just had my 3rd baby girl and 3rd c-section at the end of December, so I will be in need of some inspiration from real moms soon. Workout plans, meal ideas for all times of day, ideas for beginners-though I’m not technically a beginner, I figure recovering from a c-section makes me a beginner! I loved that your previous work out posts didn’t consist of like marathon training ideas, running is terrible-especially when nursing, or like juice cleanses, because what would I feed my kids? They aren’t on a diet! Resistance training and most especially good workout dvd’s/youtube channels would be awesome. Maybe a feature on different workout dvd’s that you’ve tried and then rate for us? I would love a One or Two week menu to get us jump started on eating right? Don’t want to steal your cookbook’s thunder though. Can’t wait for the new one! I’m glad you aren’t giving up fun food too! It makes this group one that can last forever instead of being just a temporary fix. Thank you!!!
I’m in! And like so many others, feel like I have time limitations. I’m feeding a teenage family now, which should make this easier!
Count me in too!
Yes! I’m so excited! Please share workouts, recipes, what to eat daily, fitness challenges! I’m in!
YES please!
Last year I turned 27 and decided it was time to shed all the kilos I put on through the years. Thanks to you I decided to take a personal trainer and in about 8 months I’ve lost 20kg but I still have 20-25kg to lose. Having a group where we can discuss would help me keep motivated 🙂 Also, a serie of good healthy and light recipes would be great!
sure i would like to see something like a fitness thing. I have not been exercising lately for a few months, I have been taking care of my husband Brother Joseph D. Whipple all year long he has been in and out of the hospital with a autoimmune antibody that was attacking his Skin and nerve endings and he lost 80 in a few months without trying to lose weight, he went to Johns Hopkins November 2014 they did a Plasma exchange Pheresis i stayed home here in Elkins the whole time he called me from the hospital and after a few days of those treatments he was pain free and has been for a couple months. Heavenly father does answer prayers and this just strengthens my testimony of that.
but we are not out of the woods yet. he does not have all his strength back
we are going to get him to physical therapy soon. so i have been just going and going. but i want to start back up exercising soon i have Ballet Beautiful DVDs i have not tried yet and a couple of Wii Fit disks to. but definitely a support network would be good. so i am in. i will try my best to keep up with this though. i feel sometimes i wish there was 3 or 4 of me, and i don’t have any children yet either.
I just started my first cleanse (yesterday) and I’ve been avoiding OBB because I didn’t want to be tempted with all your goodies. I came to check out the healthy meals and found this post and am absolutely ecstatic that I can do this with y’all! I’m IN!
I would love this! I am firmly in the “skinny-fat” camp. I’m a decent size but I would love more muscle and less fat. And I seem to have exactly no self-control so I’d love support and encouragement about weight training and nutrition. I’d also love at-home fitness tips since I don’t go to a gym.
I’m so IN!! I had my 5th baby a year and a half ago. I’ve been working hard on my own and have lost almost 40 pounds, but I still have 30 pounds to go and I am in a rut! Thank you so much for posting your story. I know it’s hard work and determination and discipline that will get me to my goal, but having others to help makes it so much nicer! Thanks again!!
I really would like more healthy delicious recipes!
This sounds great! I just got a new pedometer, and am committed to moving more this year, and to eating better,
What a great motivational tool! Im in!
I love this idea! I need help with quick, healthy dinners that my non-dieting husband will like too.
I’m in! Thank you for doing this! This is like an answer to prayer. I really need the support and motivation. I would love any and all ideas and suggestions. I live in a small town and the gyms here are too expensive. So I would love strength training tips, exercise tips, healthy food recipes. I want to FINISH.
Woo hoo! Woo hoo! let’s do it! I am in! I can’t wait I am so excited to come across this wonderful idea. I am looking forward to some heathly recipes and working out with others who share the same goals.
This is great! I’m in!!
I think that’s awesome and inspiring. It’s so much easier to stay committed when you have a friend helping you along the way. I have three months until my own baby boy arrives (!!!) and then I’ll be there with you! For now I’ll just have to cheer from the sidelines. Unless you have suggestions for exercises during pregnancy.
Yes!
I’m in