GETTING MY MOJO BACK: WEEK 1

So if you saw last weeks post you'll know that i've decided to undertake a health kick in a bid to shed the mum tum! Week 1 was actually a pretty good week, I could definitely of been slightly stricter but as a start I'm pretty happy with it really.

Eating

So I was hoping to be slightly stricter and live by a 90/10 rule but it ended up being more of the 80/20 rule. I started off the week really well having two healthy eating days on Monday & Tuesday followed by Wednesday being a no carb day and Thursday being a vegetarian day, follow. Friday was going well until I went to my cousins 21st birthday - I had some birthday cake and a couple of sweets but then I found it hard to reign it in after that. So on Saturday I ended up eating Frosted Shreddies for breakfast and on Sunday I still decided to have my 'treat' (even though by this point i'd definitely already had my treat for the week) and ended up eating two muffins. Whoops! Overall though I feel like it was a step in the right direction as generally my eating habits were far better than normal, I snacked loads on fruit & veg and I managed to stay away from the fizzy drinks.

Exercise

Exercises wise I again did pretty well until Friday. I managed to do circuits Tuesday & Wednesday, I had my mum and fit class on Thursday and I did yoga everyday from Monday-Thursday. Then I broke the DVD player on my computer so I didn't do any other yoga or exercise for the rest of the weekend. So right now it's apparent that I need to work on keeping the momentum up over the weekend.

Rules I didn't stick to...

Again I started off well with the 'drink when the baby drinks' but that soon tailed off, so next week I really need to get back on doing that again. However I did end up drinking far more water than I normally drink which is definitely a positive. I didn't manage to eat before 8pm so next week I'll be trying to eat before 9pm as that is way more realistic since most of the time I exercise after Mila has gone to bed. The food diary helped inititally but as soon as I started having treats I just abandoned it. I definitely want to try and do it again next week as I think when I'm strict at doing it, it really helps.

How do I feel & how much weight did I lose?

So after my first week I definitely feel like my clothes fit slightly better already and I feel like the water has done wonders for my skin as well as helping me to not feel as tired. I weighed myself on Sunday morning and was surprised to see that I had lost 4lbs!! So despite my treats I have managed to still lose weight and I think that is all down to the exercising and drinking more water. I definitely don't expect to lose as much as that in the following weeks but it's definitely given me some motivation.

What will I be working on next week?

So there is clearly some room for improvement with my eating habits. I think the main thing is that if I do have a treat I need to learn how to control myself and not go wild! I also want to try and complete my full circuits as right now I have just been doing either upper body or lower body. 

I'll be back next week with my week 2 update and hopefully another weight loss!

GETTING MY MOJO BACK

I'm going to be honest, i've been feeling a little bit lost lately. October was so busy as we'd just moved and I think I underestimated how time consuming unpacking and organising a flat is especially with a 5 month old baby that wants to grab everything. Mila is becoming super active, which is exciting and amazing to see but it's also exhausting and really doesn't leave much time for myself. Then just as I thought I was getting it together Mila fell ill, I fell ill and everything just kind of fell to pot really.

We've hardly got out of the house this week, something I feel like is a massive part of maintaining my sanity and even though i'm growing everyday as a mother I'm not growing any of my other interests. I haven't bought any new clothes in months let alone look at a fashion magazine and I just don't really feel like myself right now. I pour all of my time and energy into this tiny little human that i've realised I've just completely forgotten to take care of myself and I feel like i'm just getting by which isn't me at all.

So it's time to get back to myself and the way that I know best is getting back to exercise. I've totally been inspired by the lovely Kirsty from Tracking Twenty (see her post here) with her Bounce Back mission and I thought that it's time that I make a start myself. Before falling pregnant I had just completed my first 10K and i'd say I was in the best shape i'd been in for years. I had a balanced healthy lifestyle and that's exactly what I want to get back to. After having Mila I quickly got back to my pre baby weight but I wasn't being healthy, so as soon as I stopped breastfeeding I started putting weight on. One stone of extra weight later and I feel like it's time to make a change. We've also started weaning Mila and we encourage her to eat what we eat so there's never been a better time to get healthy again. So in an effort to motivate myself and keep myself on track i'm going to be documenting my process of getting back to exercise, losing a little bit of weight on the way and getting back to a healthy lifestyle.

MY GOAL

I've always found that having a goal weight in mind is a massive incentive for me to get back to eating healthily. Overall I would like to lose a stone and a half but I want to do it slowly and I want the changes I make to be something that becomes a part of my lifestyle rather than just to lose the weight and revert back.

I'm probably a little bit crazy starting a health kick around Christmas time when there's the most temptation around but for me that is something that spurs me on. I want to be able to enjoy Christmas and not feel guilty about indulging slightly and if i've been leading a healthy lifestyle I feel like i'll appreciate it far more. So my mini goal is to of lost half a stone by Christmas in the aims that I can enter the New Year having made a good start.

RULES OF THE GAME

Personally I find having 'rules' to stick to help me to make better choices and to not fall off the healthy wagon. Also for the initial goal of losing weight I do feel like I need to be stricter with the aim to be slightly more relaxed once I reach my target and focus on maintaining my weight rather than losing.

1. Live by the 80/20 rule

Overall I will be trying to loosely follow the anti-diet by The Londoner. She advocates that 80% of the time you are good and 20% of the time you are 'bad' to allow for the odd treat. I'm initially going to follow this idea but be slightly stricter for the first two weeks, more like 90% good and 10% bad. My plan is to have 2 days a week no carbs, 1 day a week meat free and once a week - most probably on a Sunday I can allow myself a sweet treat.

2. Do 15 minutes of Yoga 5 days a week

I know that this doesn't sound like much but 15 minutes of Yoga is achievable for me to do on most days and where I can I'll do 30 minutes or more. There will obviously be the odd days that I won't be able to which is why i'm aiming for 5 days but I've always found Yoga to be super beneficial in my exercise plan.

3. Do cardio 3 times a week

I already do a mum & baby fitness class once a week which is pretty intense and I want to incorporate a run once a week into my schedule as well as doing some circuits. Again I want to see how I go for the first couple of weeks and I'll try and schedule more exercise in if I'm not getting the results that I want.

4. Drink when the baby drinks

One of my major problems is that I don't drink enough water - a lot of the time I probably eat when in fact i'm thirsty. So my new rule is to drink everytime I give Mila a bottle which is around every 3 hours at the moment, that way I know that i'm drinking enough,

5. Snack more

I have a real problem where I either skip meals or leave it too long between meals and then I end up having a HUGE meal or don't feel satisfied by my meal and end up snacking later on. So i'm going to be snacking more on the right foods, lots of fruit & veg and healthy snacks.

6. No eating after 8pm

Ok so this is one I probably won't always be able to do as occasionally Joe gets home late from work and we have to have dinner around the 8pm mark, but where I can I won't be eating after 8pm.

7. Cut out fizzy drinks & sweet treats

I've always had a sweet tooth and it's most definitely one of my worst habits. So in a bid to start my journey off well I am going to completely cut out fizzy drinks and only allow myself a sweet treat once a week. For the first two weeks at least I will be completely cutting out all junk food - that means no pizzas, chocolate, crisps, takeaways and i'll be really focusing on clean eating.

8. Weigh myself and take a progress picture once a week

This is one that is very important for me as I can sometimes fall into the trap of weighing myself too much and getting too focused on the numbers. So limiting it to once a week means that is a fair representation of the week and not something I get too attached to. Also the progress pictures will help me to see what a difference the healthy eating is making to my overall appearance and will help to motivate me.

9. Keep a food diary

For the first two weeks at least I'll be keeping a food diary - there's something about having it written down on a page that helps me to not have that 'odd biscuit' and keeps me focused. I've always found this useful when trying to be healthy.

10. Only eat when i'm hungry

My last rule is to only eat when i'm hungry. I'm most definitely an emotional eater, had a bad day? Well then I must need some chocolate. Managed to finally get Mila down for a nap after an hour of trying? Well I need to reward myself with some biscuits. Even though I don't think i'll be able to completely cut out my emotional eating having a better relationship with food and limiting using it as a 'reward' or too make me feel better will hopefully help me towards achieving my healthier lifestyle.

So those are the rules that I'll be following for now and they'll probably change as I go but hopefully that will get me off to a good start. My plan starts tomorrow and i'll be back next Monday with my first update! Wish me luck...

BLOGTOBER: EVERYTHING IS CHANGING

So we are finally getting Mila onto solids! I was in two minds whether to start slightly earlier but I thought that with us changing over to formula i'd concentrate on getting her into a routine with that first and I haven't really known where to start with it all. But we got her a pack of the Ella's Kitchen banana porridge and she seemed to enjoy it which was really encouraging. Ideally I want to try and give baby led weaning a go which is another reason I wanted her to be closer to the 6 month mark so that she could sit up and develop her pincer grip.

I also went back to work today for a keeping in touch day which was actually super exciting. I still remember that first week Joe went back to work and thinking how would I ever be ready to go back to work when I was enjoying motherhood so much, but the time has slowly crept up on us and it's time to start thinking about it. My plan is to go back in January and 6 months into my maternity leave I can honestly say that I'm really starting to feel ready to go back. Having a baby and entering into motherhood is an amazing thing but I feel like myself when I'm at work. I've always been very career minded and having a baby hasn't changed that at all for me. So even though i'll miss Mila millions i'm excited to get back to work and get stuck into my career again.

BLOGTOBER: HELLO YOUTUBE

So i've bitten the bullet and put up my first Youtube video. I actually filmed this video ages ago, maybe a week after Mila was born? So in terms of links to products and things it isn't up to date and for the time of year it isn't that relevant, but it gives you an idea of what is good to put in your babies hospital bag. I for one didn't have a clue and watch SO many of these Youtube videos to try and decide what to take so I hope that someone finds it helpful.

I'm hoping to upload more videos over the next couple of weeks so keep checking back.

My Youtube Channel

BLOGTOBER: FAILTOBER

So I had a little 3 day break but I'm back! Blogging everyday is actually really hard and super time consuming when you don't have much of a plan of what you're going to post. Saturday came around and it was a busy day, we left Mila with my parents and enjoyed a baby free weekend which also involved going out, drinking far too much and rolling in at 4am. Not cool. Especially when you've had broken sleep for 5 months, my body just can't handle that kind of trauma. So i've been recovering and generally getting organised again because apparently I just don't function on a hangover.

So i'm now over half way into Blogtober and I might make up for the posts I missed I might not, no pressure but the main thing is I'm feeling inspired again and with that i'm going to take a big leap. BIG leap. Queue my Youtube channel that I've been meaning to get going for a while but I just haven't been able to face it. There's still something I find a little cringy about talking to a camera but somehow I find it much more personable & I find Youtube interesting to watch myself so I thought I'd give it ago. I'll be posting my latest video and links to it later tonight so stay tuned.

BLOGTOBER: REFLECTING ON SUMMER

Having a new baby meant we had a relatively quiet summer but reflecting on it now it was definitely one of the best. I remember the weekend that Mila was born being the hottest of the year so far and for me that's when summer started and maybe i'm seeing it through rose tinted glasses but I feel like we had some great British weather. So here's a little photo diary with some captions to show what we got up to on our first summer as new parents.

A BEAUTIFUL WEDDING

We started the summer off with the wedding of the year, Joe's sisters wedding. It was our first time travelling a long distance with a 4 week old Mila who was feeding every 2-3 hours, it was challenge but it was so worth it to enjoy such an amazingly beautiful day with a great couple.

BIRTHDAYS WITH SPECIAL PEOPLE

Summer means that it's the birthdays of some of the people closest to me. It was Joe's birthday and we had great time going to Crystal Palace Market (review coming soon) and Mila was still young enough to fall asleep in the restaurant whilst we enjoyed an amazing meal.

It was also my best friends birthday which was awesome as we got to enjoy a weekend together chilling out and eating cake (what we do best) she doesn't live close to me so it's always a special time when we get together.

BABYWEARING

Using our cuddlebug gifted to us by one of our friends I got to grips with babywearing. It was great to put Mila in the sling if I needed to pop to the shops or needed to get her to sleep as she loved it.

 STAYING IN

This picture is a very true reflection of my summer. Staying in (even on the warmest of days) with my sleeping baby, make up free, looking tired with a huge spot on my face. We spent a lot of our summer days like this feeding, changing and playing repeat. Now that Mila is so active I miss those quiet moments!

LEAVING MILA FOR THE FIRST TIME

When Mila was around 3 months old I thought it was time to see what Joe was really made of and leave him to tackle the bedtime all by himself and head out for an evening of food and wine with the girls. Having pumped a bottle of milk and not planning to be back for a couple of hours I treated myself to a glass of wine and enjoyed conversation that didn't revolve around my babies sleeping,eating and changing habits. At the end of the evening I went home a little bit buzzy after my glass of wine and feeling way more like my old self. Bliss.

CRYSTAL PALACE WALK

Started by the lovely Clemmie from the instagram account Mother of Daughters, most Mondays at 11am in Crystal Palace Park I met up with a bunch of other mamas and went for a walk around the park. It was a great way to start my week and we'd always end the walk by grabbing a coffee/lunch and feeding our babies in the park.

EATING TOO MUCH CAKE/DRINKING TOO MUCH COFFEE

If I had a pound for every coffee shop/ restaurant I visited this summer I would be a rich woman. My maternity leave has been all about enjoying the sweet treats and not caring whilst washing it down with tea & coffee but i've needed the energy after the sleepless nights right?

NEW BABY FRIENDS

A definite highlight of Mila's summer was spending time with her new pal Ludo. She wasn't too sure at first (as you can see from her expression in this picture) but they were practically holding hands by the end of the summer. Can you imagine if they got married? We aren't forcing this relationship at all. Promise!

WHACKING ON A MINI DRESS & GOING CLUBBING

Our good friends were leaving to go travelling so to say Bon Voyage we headed on our first night out as new parents, leaving Mila with her Nanna. It was strange being out - I hardly went clubbing after I left university anyway, but it was great to let my hair down, have a dance and remember the things we used to do before having a baby. At the same time it was also great to be reunited with my baby the next day, how amazing are those cuddles when you've been away from them.


FRIDAY MEET UPS & POKEMON PLAYING

Myself, my mum and my sister made it a tradition to meet up every Friday since Mila was born and it we stuck to it all summer, in fact we're still going now. Our meet ups have been spent Pokemon catching, talking about Brexit and watching the Olympics. So when I look back on Summer 2016 i'll definitely remember those lovely Fridays.

NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL & NIGHTS IN WITH FRIENDS

Having a new baby we can't always go out like we used to. Pre-baby our weekdays would be filled with dinners & drinks with various friends. Having a baby I thought it would all change and I would see my friends less but they've been amazing and come over for nights in where they can enjoy time with Mila and then with us once she goes to bed. In fact its become a bit of a ritual to cook dinner with our friends Hannah & Jack at least twice a month. But it always nice to have the odd night or two baby free, so our second baby free event of the summer was Notting Hill Carnival and it was awesome.

So overall it was a great summer spent seeing friends & family - there are definitely some things that i've missed. Having a new baby and being the first couple to become parents in our friendship group I wasn't sure what life would be like but we had a great time and I feel like we got a good balance of doing things that we enjoyed doing before having a baby and also enjoying new experiences as a new family. I can't wait to make even more memories this winter.

THE PROS OF BOTTLEFEEDING

I really struggled when looking for a picture for this post, I have so many pictures of me breastfeeding but absolutely zero of me bottle feeding Mila even though she's had the occassional bottle since she was 3 weeks old. The only picture that I have is this picture above of Joe bottlefeeding. In general I feel like the pros of breastfeeding are spoken about a lot and this post is in noway trying undermine those pros at all because they are brilliant in their own right but if I'm honest I haven't seen bottle feeding really celebrated very much. I'll be honest I felt a lot of guilt when transitioning over to bottles, something in the back of my mind telling me that I should of tried harder with breastfeeding, but it's only now 3 weeks into bottlefeeding that it is the best decision that we made and I shouldn't feel guilty for that. So for today's Blogtober I thought I'd write about the pros of bottlefeeding.

1. You can share the feeding duties

I think this is such a great pro as it means that partners, friends and family can all enjoy that special bonding time that you have when you feed your baby. 

2. You can share the night feed

Talking about sharing the feeding duties, it also means that you can share the nightfeeds. Although if your partner is anything like mine then it won't actually make that much difference, I normally have to wake Joe up and tell him to go and make a bottle at which point i'm awake so I may as well do it myself haha.

3. You can be away from your baby

I wouldn't say this is exactly a pro because it's always mixed emotions when I leave Mila but knowing that your baby will happily take a bottle takes some of the stress away from leaving them. 

4. You can tell how much your baby drinking

I found some comfort in this when switching over from breast to bottle as it was easy to know how much Mila was having, obviously it can vary slightly from feed to feed but if she's had less on one feed then I can add an oz to the next one.

5. You don't have to share your body

This is such a selfish pro but if i'm really honest it was nice to have my body back after breastfeeding. I didn't have to worry if I could breastfeed in certain outfits and I could have a couple of drinks without thinking about it and calculating when my next feed would be. 

So that wraps up my pros of bottle feeding at the end of the day feeding Mila is still a great bonding time whether she is being fed by bottle or breast. I'd love to know if anyone reading this is bottle feeding and what your pros of bottle feeding are.