HOW I LOST A STONE IN 8 WEEKS

Since giving birth to Indie last year, I hadn't really tried to lose any of my 'baby weight' that I had gained whilst pregnant. I would rather focus my time and energy on raising my child to the best of my ability and decided to focus on that. Just under a year later I decided that I wanted to feel a little better about myself after losing some self esteem.

I was a size 10-12 before I got pregnant approx. 10 stone and wore a size 12 for comfort. Whilst pregnant I gained just under 2 stone and post-pregnancy I weighed just over 10½ stone.

Pregnant and 2 stone heavier than pre-pregnancy

In December I started to eat a little better, and come January I found the motivation to up my efforts. I never set out to 'drop a dress size' nor did I have a weight in mind as a goal. I simply wanted to feel better about myself. I decided to download an app I've used in the past called My Fitness Pal. I set a goal of eating 1,400 calories a day (a considerable amount less than I was eating) and started to do 51 squats daily (or every other day if my muscles ached and I felt I needed to rest). I chose 51 because I felt that if I could do 50, I could do 1 more. The reduced portion size was hard to adjust to at first but I was driven by low self esteem and knew that if I persevered then I would look and feel better about myself in time.

3 months after giving birth, these pictures really make

 me appreciate the weight I gained in my face.

I started to stay away from fizzy drinks, and up my water intake. I made small changes, like from white pasta to wholewheat pasta, white bread to wholemeal bread, white potatoes to sweet potatoes and reduced the amount of sweets and crisps I consumed. I still eat a variety of the things I love, I just have them as a treat or a reduced amount. For example, when I used to crave chocolate I would tend to eat a large amount at once. Now I opt for a bowl of Ready Break with a spoonful of Chocolate Spread in, so I still get my chocolate hit but I feel full and satisfied after.

 I have learnt since using the My Fitness Pal app, that the calories I consumed whilst binging on things like chocolate, were equal to the amount I would consume in a whole meal. I soon realised that I would rather eat a full meal than a snack, and now I look at bad food in a different way. I'll look at a piece of cake and think, 'Would I prefer that piece of chocolate cake for a sugar hit, or a really filling meal for dinner?' and 99% of the time I would rather sacrifice the treat for a larger and more filling meal.

I've also really tried to eat more fruit. I know it's a given, but whilst I love fruit I rarely used to chose to eat it; especially when chocolate or cakes were an option. I had totally forgotten how much I loved fruit, especially apples and how naturally sweet they were.

Last week I bought some new jeans. I ordered a size 12 as I always have and was surprised to find that they hung off me. I returned them and got a size 10 fully expecting them to be too tight (story of my life, pre-pregnancy I had always been between sizes and found most jeans to be either too tight or too loose). I tried the size 10's on and was amazed to find that they fit, actually with a bit of give! This gave me a bit of a confidence boost and reassurance that my hard work was paying off. It also boosted my drive and motivated me further.

Looking at photos I can really see a difference in the weight in my face.
This was taken last week, currently weighing 9 stone and a UK size 10.

After 8 weeks of making better decisions and controlling my portion size, I decided to jump on the scales (not something I usually do). It was a total shock to see that I had lost a whole stone. Again, it has given me a huge boost and reassured me that I am making progress. It really does pay off.

I know that not everyone is the same but I wanted to share my story and if nothing else document my journey for myself. I think that with portion control and better food choices, everybody has the ability to improve the way they feel about themselves, the weight loss has genuinely been a 'side effect' of trying to make myself feel good.

I now feel more motivated and driven than ever. I have alot more energy and I think most importantly, I am alot happier.