Hiroro Begins

[Hiroro]

I can't find my old battle log so I'm starting a new one. It feels right for this phase of my life in any case, since it is a new phase. I fell off the NF grid last year - it was a crazy season of life, with a job change, pregnancy, buying a new place and moving (in-town). 

 

December 26, 2019 my baby Mia was born, and of course her arrival has been a huge change. My priorities have shifted, but the need to refocus on my own health is front and center. As I provide her nourishment and care, I know that taking better care of myself will help me to be the best parent I can be.

 

I am currently 4 1/2 weeks postpartum, and after some recovery ups and downs I'm feeling ready to start working out again. Running doesn't feel great right now with extra weight around my belly, hips, and chest, and I'm home on my own for the next 10 weeks until my maternity leave ends. Since flu season is in full swing, we're mostly going to be hanging out at home - so Youtube bodyweight workouts are the core of my plan.

 

My current weight is my highest ever, but I'm not beating myself about it. Right now I just want to keep things simple, back to basics. I'll jump into the next challenge and say hi to my fellow Rangers, but in the meantime I'll be focusing on:

 

Nutrition: Eat 1 fruit, 2 vegetable servings per day.

Exercise: Blogilates 2020 challenge (2 exercises per day, 20 reps each) plus at least a 10-minute workout - anything goes!

 

Current weight: ~175lb (I've seen 172 and 176 on the scale one day apart so...?)

Goal weight: 130lb

 

My plan is to reach my goal weight this year, with the intermediate goals when I go back to work in 10 weeks, then my sister's wedding Labor Day weekend - honestly, I want to feel good in my matron of honor dress. 

 

April 16th

#1 Intermediate (A) goal: 165lb

#1 Intermediate (B) goal: sub-170lb

 

September 5th

#2 Intermediate (A) goal: sub-140lb

#2 Intermediate (B) goal: 155lb (early-pregnancy weight)

 

I also have a couple races I'd like to do this year, but I'm not going to put that pressure on myself until I see how returning to running goes - carrying the extra weight, permanent changes in my joints, and my weakened pelvic floor are all factors. I'm looking forward to running agin, but practicing self-compassion through this process.

 

Excelsior!

 

[fitnessgurl]

1 hour ago, Hiroro said:

Exercise: Blogilates 2020 challenge (2 exercises per day, 20 reps each) plus at least a 10-minute workout - anything goes!

Greetings from a fellow Blogilates user & & Ranger.

 

[Hiroro]

1/27/20 Monday

My dad came over to help out for my husband's first day back at work aka my first day being solo with baby during the day. I was pretty anxious since I am so darn tired after weeks without more than a few hours of sleep at a time, so it was a huge weight off having my dad able to watch/hold her for a bit in the morning while I napped and ate breakfast.

 

Breakfast - Quaker Oat Squares with unsweet almond milk, honeycrisp apple

Lunch - Broccoli slaw with sunflower seeds and dressing, 2 chicken tacos

Snack - Carrots with baba ganoush, granola bar

Dinner - More slaw, grilled chicken and beef/lamb kebab with rice and a dab of baba ganoush

Snacks - 2 chocolate chip lactation cookies (1 before bed, 1 in the middle of the night after feeding)

 

Workout - 2 Fitness Marshall dance vids (1 song each), 20min easy cardio, 20 squats, 20 "rope climbs" (YAY first postpartum workout!)

 

Last year I stocked the pantry and freezer with tons of easy food for post-baby, with various levels of healthy-ness. 

My wonderful cousin just sent me homemade chocolate chip lactation cookies, so I'll likely eat a few of those every day until they're gone. Not an issue as long as I don't go crazy. My stomach has been reacting poorly to some of the nighttime and morning feedings...probably due to being empty, so I'm going to try to be better about having a small snack before feeding. It's tough because I know it's <100 calories spent per feeding, but I need to fend of the nausea/stomach cramping, and make sure my milk supply stays up. It's a learning curve finding that balance.

[Hiroro]

17 hours ago, fitnessgurl said:

Greetings from a fellow Blogilates user & & Ranger.

 

Thanks! I've been away from the forums for a while, but it's good to be back!

[Hiroro]

Also...introducing Baby Mia. I made a human! (I mean...my husband helped, but let's be real I did all the work here)

[Elastigirl]

Congratulations! She's beautiful.

[Hiroro]

23 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

Congratulations! She's beautiful.

Thanks! We're pretty thrilled (and tired).😅

[Hiroro]

1/28/20 Tuesday

 

Breakfast - Quaker Oat Squares with unsweet almond milk, apple, coffee w/almond milk

Lunch - 2 chicken tacos

Snack - Carrots, orange, lactation cookie

Dinner - Tomato soup, grilled cheese, baba ganoush with pita

Snack - 1 chocolate chip lactation cookie

 

Workout - 20 cobra pushups, 20 roll up situps, 30-min cardio dance video, 6-min chill yoga video

 

I didn't love the dance workout (Zumba by Popsugar), it was just meh. Definitely got my heart rate up, but I generally want a dance video to feel so fun that time passes quickly. I was excited to complete a half hour workout though - feels good to know I can do it!

 

I also successfully talked myself out of a glass of wine, knowing it could only be bad news for my headache and fatigue. 

[Elastigirl]

What makes the cookie a lactation cookie?

[Hiroro]

26 minutes ago, Elastigirl said:

What makes the cookie a lactation cookie?

Oats, flax, and brewer's yeast to supposedly support/increase milk supply. I don't know if they work (the cousin who made/sent them thinks so) but they're yummy at least 😁

[Hiroro]

1/29/20 Wednesday

Oof last night was a bit rough with the baby. I caught myself thinking, "I'm going to be so tired tomorrow, eating and exercise is going out the window," but then I recalled the material in the book I'm reading (Indistractable), and told myself "I am still in control. Fatigue only depletes my willpower if I believe it does."

 

Snack - lactation cookie

Snack - 1/2 Lemon Zest Luna bar

Breakfast - coffee, protein granola bar (baby was not interested in napping anywhere but my arms, so...)

Lunch - cheese and chicken sandwich with mayo

Snacks - baby carrots, 1/2 Chocolate peppermint Luna bar

Dinner - roasted green beans, pesto pasta with chicken and parmesan

Snacks - 1 glass wine, 1/2 Lemon Zest Luna bar, 1/2 Chocolate peppermint Luna bar, lactation cookie (during early morning feedings)

 

Workout - 20 plie squats with baby, (I was supposed to do 20 V-ups also but do not feel great in that position...planned to do crunches or something to make it up...forgot), 18-min workout with baby because she did not want to nap in her seat. I found this one and enjoyed it (the baby in it is pretty darn cute), so I bookmarked it as a fallback for when I can't put Mia down. I did a few extra squats with her because she seems to enjoy that movement.

[Elastigirl]

Yay for eating right and getting a workout in even when you were tired!  Also another yay for eating 1/2 the Lara bar at a time. I tell myself I am going to do that, and then eat the whole thing☺️

[Fonzico]

Congratulations on your successful baby-making!! She's adorable! 

And you sound like you are doing well - I love that you're practicing all that self-compassion

 

That book sounds intriguing! I'm going to have to look into it. 

 

I'm always so astonished at American mat leaves though 😕 14 weeks?? That's crazy. You would be lucky to even find childcare for an infant under 1 year here, because it's not the done thing. 

[Hiroro]

1/30/20 Thursday

Breakfast - coffee with cream/sugar, chicken rice porridge

Snack - orange, bite of chocolate peppermint Luna bar

Lunch - 1/3 chicken cheese quesadilla

Snacks - garlic chinese broccoli, rest of the chocolate peppermint Luna bar

Dinner - baba ganoush with pita

Snacks - lactation cookie, ~5 club crackers

 

Workout - 20 crunches (making up for yesterday's miss), 20 'parachutes' (basically supermans), 20 jackknives, 15-minute easy yoga video

 

My stomach was not happy in the evening. Wondering if the baba ganoush = eggplant is not something I tolerate well.

 

Was super tired and proud of myself for doing something rather than nothing.

[Hiroro]

19 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

Yay for eating right and getting a workout in even when you were tired!  Also another yay for eating 1/2 the Lara bar at a time. I tell myself I am going to do that, and then eat the whole thing☺️

Heh well it helps that I haven't been feeling super hungry...so it's really a preventative measure against the nausea I've been getting when I feed the baby.

 

1 hour ago, Fonzico said:

Congratulations on your successful baby-making!! She's adorable! 

And you sound like you are doing well - I love that you're practicing all that self-compassion

 

That book sounds intriguing! I'm going to have to look into it. 

 

I'm always so astonished at American mat leaves though 😕 14 weeks?? That's crazy. You would be lucky to even find childcare for an infant under 1 year here, because it's not the done thing. 

Thanks! Actually I get 16 weeks paid and that's unusually generous. Plenty of daycares here take babies at 6 weeks! If I could have a year unpaid and my job back guaranteed I'd totally do it, *sigh*. 

[Fonzico]

How's your week going so far? 

 

High quality snuggles, I hope!

[Hiroro]

On 2/5/2020 at 8:15 AM, Fonzico said:

How's your week going so far? 

 

High quality snuggles, I hope!

This week was good! We had a pediatrician appt and baby girl is 8lb now! And we got the go-ahead to do on-demand feeding, which is AMAZING because it means she can sleep as long as she wants at night (rather than waking her to feed) - which means we also get to sleep longer. Last night she slept 5.5 hours at once!

 

I've been awful about updating this thread, I was keeping my food journal on my phone though. Not perfect on getting even just 2 veggies every day, but I'm also not binging like I used to, which is progress I guess? 

 

Since the baby is more alert during the day now but we're still sleep deprived, I'm struggling to get workouts in. BUT I am consistently doing the Blogilates 2020 challenge - it's just 40 reps/day, but it's better than nothing! I'm just over halfway through. My core is slowly healing still so I modify occasionally if a move feels weird.

 

I'm weighing myself every couple days but I don't really trust the scale...one day I weighed myself twice a few hours apart and got a difference of 4.4lb o_O

 

Now that my husband is back at work, I'm looking forward to weekends again - it feels like just as things were getting slightly easier, we're making this adjustment and it is TOUGH.

 

I'll have a much better chance of staying up to date in the NF forum if I download the app - these days one arm is typically occupied by Mia.

 

I took advantage of a Fabletics deal to get two pairs of workout leggings in my current size (XL, sigh) and I am super excited to start sweating in them.

[Fonzico]

Hurray for (relatively) more sleep! And new workout clothes

 

i mean, I've never had a baby, but I feel like you are freaking crushing it - your goals are hella ambitious but you're already doing great. Good job, mama! 

[Hiroro]

After I fell flat a bit on the last challenge, I've decided to just hang out here for a while and do my own thing. Despite only doing well on 1/3 of my goals last challenge, I'm down ~14lb so far over 2 months.

So I've actually surpassed my (A) goal early! I'm 6-7lb away from my (B) September goal which is amazing.

 

Howwever, I think I've plateaued a bit over the last week or two due to too many carbs, so I need to refocus a bit. Still working on incorporating more veggies, while limiting sugar and alcohol. I'm also doing an 8-week workout challenge with my sister so hopefully that will motivate me to ramp up my workouts. Today I did a workout with my baby for the first time in weeks (she went through a fussy phase...) and she seemed to enjoy it.

 

I'm back at work in 3 weeks which is going to be a huge adjustment and scary in a few different ways.