Carey’s Story:

Mom of 2, Carey Hodgeson (who lost over 60 lbs permanently), shares her best tips to Losing The Baby Weight.

Carey says, “When I tried to lose the baby weight after my first pregnancy I just wasn’t happy. I was scared to eat food and spent so much time doing cardio but didn’t get me anywhere. I wanted to enjoy activities with my family but felt so tired all the time.

Because I over dieted, I was so scared to eat carbohydrates and fats. But after my second pregnancy and working with a Weight Loss Coach, I stated eating more nutritious foods (yes even carbs and fats) and I immediately had more energy and felt great! Plus the weight kept coming off!

I lost over 60 lbs by eating more food and doing less cardio. This gave me more confidence with what I was doing in the kitchen and the gym!

And by prioritizing myself, it made me a better mom because I can now keep up with my 2 children.

Nutrition Advice:

On Sundays I batch prep my food choosing a wide variety of healthy foods. But I also include meals to enjoy with my family portioned to my goals. This is so different than having to worry about every meal when people “diet”.

I recommend bulk cooking your proteins and carbs so everything is prepared in advance. Weigh everything and put into the deep freezer. I use lunch and dinner Tupperware for my frozen proteins/carbs and add in vegetables and then pop them in the kitchen freezer. I always have it ready so there are no excuses.

Some nights I want to have meals with my family so enjoy it guilt free! We have stir fry, tacos, fajitas, rice paper rolls for dinner I simply grab a frozen portion of protein and cook that having the same as everyone else. When my family is having something else to eat, I always enjoy some of what they’re having so we eat as a family but also have some of my freezer meals ready if it’s not enough food.

I don’t want my kids to ever see me dieting again and want them to know mom is confident with food and her body.

When I was starting to lose the baby weight after pregnancy, I started off with body weight exercises and bands to allow my body to recover from child birth. Every month we added more exercise into my program until I was fully strength training. I don’t recommend doing too much, too soon. And don’t recommend waisting your time on the cardio machines either.

Exercise Advice:

When it comes to working out, the gym time is MY time. I now exercise 45 minutes per day, 4 times per week doing mostly weightlifting and doing circuits and I feel great! There’s a big difference with how I feel when I don’t exercise. I love sweating in the gym knowing that I’m strengthening my body. It’s such a great feeling to know that my family is proud of their mom.

What I would recommend for new moms, start out slow but have a plan. I don’t want my kids to have body image issues and think the best way to do that is showing confidence with what I eat and how I treat my body.