There is an air of excitement chez Mostly Mum this evening. So much so that, instead of getting an early(ish) night as originally intended, I am up burning the midnight oil (again!) to tell you all about the latest developments in my ‘blast the baby belly’ journey…

Regular readers of this blog will know that I hopped on the weight loss train back in April (for more details, click here: Mostly Mum’s Fitness Files – Part 1. and here: Mostly Mum’s Fitness Files #2 – #Diet Dilemmas!).

But embarrassingly, I dramatically fell off the diet wagon just a few weeks later, around the time of Baby C’s first birthday 😳  (you can read all about the whole sorry business here: 10 Perfectly Reasonable Reasons for Being a Diet Cheat! ).

Mostly Mum might fail at times, but one thing she’s not is a quitter! Oh no! Never! Not she!

Fallen at the very first hurdle? No problem! We’re picking ourselves right back up, formulating a plan of action and implementing it as of today.

This little plan has a name (or an acronym even): AAP. And it goes as follows…

Step 1: Accept

Since I gave birth to Baby C, I have been living in the land of denial. Wearing baggy clothes (so as I can’t feel how tight all my waistbands have gotten, if they even stretch to fit in the first place 😳).

‘That bulging belly can’t be excess weight, can it?! It’s just loose skin after my C-section, surely…? A ‘mummy tuck’ is the only way to get rid of it…, isn’t it?’

‘Ok, so if I stand like this, a little to the side, breathe in and snap… Selfie! There! I don’t look too bad! I’m no supermodel, but who is? Yes, I know lots of people with great figures after three or more kids but not thinking about that right now… 🙉  La, la, la…’

And on and on the soothing self talk goes until we finally realise that we are kidding absolutely no one aside from ourselves.

We need to squeeze into that uncomfortable skirt, take a more realistic picture (well, only slightly as the mirror might actually crack if exposed to the whole truth… and nothing but the truth!).

No amount of blurring by the background light (strategic placement of bags or sucking in, for that matter) can disguise the extra thickness 😩

Finally, I need to accept that I’m no Louise Thompson and that, if I want to come even close, decisive action will have to be taken…

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Another pinch me moment – I honestly don’t think I will ever get used to seeing my face on the front of a cover in my local supermarket and bookshop 🤭 IT IS SO SURREAL…. and what a nutty month it’s been! My women’s health cover comes out today and my book Live Well with Louise came out last week which is a HUGE deal for me 🙈. I love having the ability to talk about my transformation and the things I’ve learnt throughout my twenties. Sometimes you have to reach real lows in order to make fundamental changes and turn your life around, and I’m strangely grateful for those lows at this period in my life because I’ve learnt a lot from them and they’ve shaped me hugely. Without my rollercoaster past I wouldn’t have made such a drastic transformation to my mental and physical strength, I actually imagine I would have coasted through life without nearly as much motivation to achieve half the things I have. The gift of hindsight is awesome and a gentle reminder of how far we’ve come as well as keeping me driven to continue along the right path. Don’t get me wrong there are times when I crumble, and it isn’t always rainbows and butterflies (contrary to what’s seen on social media), so FORGET the illusion of a perfect life. There are also times that I wish I could have spoken to my former self and told junior Louise to stop being a people pleaser, stop comparing yourself to others, stop judging, and stop sweating the small stuff (part of the reason I wanted to write a book was to write a message to old me… this is probably why I loved writing the intro so much ✍🏽 ). I’m super proud of my achievements over the last year BUT I certainly couldn’t have done it all without the support from some pretty wonderful peeps. @ryan.libbey @itsjonskee @insanityhq @yellowkitebooks @womenshealthuk @samthompsonuk @karenthompson4 Now go grab your copy of the magazine, and give my fav arm workouts a go !! 👍🏽 Don’t forget to tag me in your snaps of the mag and the book because I love seeing them and keep the questions coming because I really enjoy chit chatting to you all…

A post shared by Louise Thompson (@louise.thompson) on Jul 10, 2018 at 3:28am PDT

Body goals

Step 2: Act

So, today, I did act. I stopped making excuses and I joined my nearest Weight Watchers group! After all, support groups are reportedly the most effective means to achieve weight loss goals.

‘The studies are unequivocal: People who attend support groups as part of a  comprehensive weight-loss program lose more weight than those who go it alone. Some things are hard to do alone. Riding a seesaw is one of them, and so is losing weight. That’s not surprising, considering how difficult it can be to cut calories and stay motivated enough to keep doing it, day in and day out. Having some help works.’ www.rd.com

 

No more excuses, decisive action is the key to success

Was it easy? By no means!

I had to convince the hubby to take over the childcare for a couple of hours (not an easy feat, I can assure you!). Not to mention the fact that I had to stand on actual weighing scales… in… a… gulp… public setting and have my weight status… gulp… confirmed.

(And yes, I am officially overweight! 😭 Not a huge surprise given the indisputable waistband evidence, but upsetting nonetheless, considering the fact that I have never been outside of my healthy BMI range before.)

However, the confirmation of my weight status (as painful as it was!) cemented my resolve to finally get on top of things, as it was no longer just a body image issue.

My very health and wellbeing are at stake!

Step 3: Persevere

From tomorrow morning, that oh so uncomfortable workout kit is going back on during Baby C’s nap time. (Major stuffed sausage alert!) It’s time to go back to my favourite YouTube Bodyfit by Amy vids…

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Happy #fitnessfriday friends! Who’s working out today? . (also, obviously #flashbackfriday as this photo was taken in December the first few weeks of this pregnancy!) . . #bodyfitbyamy #babyfitbyamy #fitfriday #weekend

A post shared by Amy Kiser Schemper (@bodyfitbyamy) on Jun 29, 2018 at 1:52pm PDT

More body goals ❤️

And this time, there will be no throwing in the (workout) towel until I get to where I want to be. My heels are firmly dug in… I. Will. Succeed!

Oh and I’m counting on you all to hold me to it! You are also most welcome to join me on the Mostly Mum AAP.

Let’s motivate each other to achieve our goals! 😊

To be continued…

Until next time,

💋 Mostly Mum