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Two Years Postpartum Fitness Update

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Welcome to my “two years postpartum” fitness update! This post is a follow-up to my one week and one-year postpartum updates! I highly suggest reading those first if you’re curious about a realistic postpartum fitness experience. 

TWO YEAR POSTPARTUM FITNESS UPDATE
Complete with saggy belly and duck face.

In January I realized that I was already two years postpartum.

I wanted to do a fitness update then, but I remembered that I based my original postpartum journey updates on the date that I was cleared to exercise.

I felt that starting my journey comparison with “right after having a baby” wouldn’t be very accurate since a lot happens to your weight in those first few weeks.

Since I was cleared to exercise 6 weeks after having my last c-section, I decided to make 8 weeks PP my initial “starting point” for my personal postpartum weight loss journey.

So that means that March, not January, was my time for a two-year update! (My boy was born in late January 2018.) That post, complete with pictures and stats can be found here.

From then to now - two years postpartum

I want to start by giving some back story for those of you who don’t know me and haven’t been following me before this.

I’m Chantal, a 28-year old mom of two. I’m a personal trainer, blogger, and stay-at-home mom who has fought depression more than half of her life. I had severe postpartum depression after my first (she’s almost six now) and gained a LOT of weight during that time.

I was NOT a personal trainer then.

At my worst, I topped the scales at 174 lbs at 5′ 3″, and I was horribly unhappy and a tad bit suicidal. I felt gross, physically and emotionally. It was just a bad time and I was unhealthy in every sense of the word.

Related Reading: How To Exercise With Kids At Home

Anyway, I began to exercise more regularly after hiring my own personal trainer to help me lose baby weight. (I had already gone to my doctor for anti-depressants, but they made me fatigued and I felt worse, honestly.)

My oldest, Annie, is almost six now!

When I was exercising regularly, I began to see a pattern in my own mental and emotional health.

Long story short, I decided that exercise was super important for my mental health, and I became a personal trainer a couple of years later.

But becoming a personal trainer didn’t mean that I was suddenly fit – in fact, I still have weight to lose. But even though I’m a slightly overweight personal trainer, I’m glad.

I feel like my challenges have made me more relatable, and I understand the demographic I want to impact (moms) more because I have been through so much of what they might experience.

Ups & Downs Even At Two Years Postpartum

After both of my c-sections (which I feel impacted my depression and ability to nurse), I had back problems that set me back as far as exercise.

Within three months of having both children, I had crazy back muscle spasms that debilitated me and kept me bedridden for a few weeks at a time.

I went to the emergency room for the first one because I couldn’t move and the pain was insane.

Now I still have to be very careful about how I exercise, pick up my kids, and my posture. I still feel back pain, twinges, and weakness even at two years postpartum.

While my depression has been MUCH better with baby #2, I feel that it is just a part of my life that I have learned to deal with in healthier ways. I preach self-awareness for weight loss and overall well-being, so that has been key for me this time around.

Sawyer is two making me two years postpartum.
Sawyer and Annie a few weeks ago on a hike!

The Weight Loss Roller Coaster

With baby #1, I lost ALL of the baby weight in about two weeks. (Which P.S. was a whopping 45 pounds.) I was down to about 135 lbs and happy with that, until I realized how lonely and unglamorous it was to be a SAHM.

My depression and self-pity helped me gain back everything – and then some.

Like I said, I was topping out at 174 ish pounds, even at about two years PP with number one.

I managed to lose a little weight and start training a lot before getting pregnant with baby #2. But I still sat at about 163 pounds. Even when I was working out 5x/week.

So that’s how heavy I was when I got pregnant the second time, over three years later. I struggled at that plateau (just above 160) for YEARS.

Related Reading: 19 Ways To Start Losing The Baby Weight Fast

Now, nearly six years after becoming a mom and two years postpartum with baby number two, I’m finally weighing in at 156-ish. (Even after two-week long free-for-alls!)

I realize that I still have a long way to go.

Also, I know that I could have done a lot better with the time that has gone by, but I don’t care. I’m learning to give myself a lot more grace in this season of having young kids.

I feel that as long as I’m not gaining (even if I’m just maintaining), it’s okay.

There’s no reason to beat myself up. True change comes with time, and I feel that I’m slowly creating better habits.

I feel more stable mentally and emotionally, and that’s a win that I feel will spill over into my exercise and food habits. I feel like I have learned a lot about naturally combatting postpartum depression (and depression in general) and that’s invaluable as I have such a long life ahead of me.

This is a big deal!

Two Years Postpartum Body Stats

The picture at the top is me today. I tried to wear the same clothes as last year, but there’s not a huge difference to be seen.

Though I haven’t lost a LOT of weight since baby #2, I have lost all of the weight I gained (25 lbs that time). I am also about 6 lbs less than what I weighed when I got pregnant, so though it’s slow, it’s progress.

two years postpartum belly and stats

Above are stats from my lovely Renpho Smart Scale. It’s a high-tech Bluetooth scale that gives me so much more insight than just a weight. 

I am happy to see that my body fat percentage and BMI are down a little bit. I even saw a glimpse of 155 for bit (lol).

I’m “in the green” for a few things and body fat was most important to me. (This is compared to my last screening after having baby, which you read about here.)

I also see that my metabolic age has gone down, and it’s almost completely accurate now that I’m turning 29 soon!

after two years postpartum baby body

Thoughts On This Year’s Postpartum Body Progress

Since I have two-year old now, that means I am still in high-demand as a mama. This makes it hard to keep a strict food or exercise schedule/diet.

Flexibility is key when you have a baby, toddler, or even just more than one kid!

I often daydream of a time when I can drop both kids off at school, then go to the gym…every day!

But for now, I have to settle for *trying* my best. I will get some exercise in and eat well when I can.

I have to continue learning to prioritize these things, but I also find that there’s balance to be found too.

In recent months, I have found myself obsessing a bit too much about my weight. It seems to backfire.

So, instead of being a die-hard trainer with 10% body fat, I’m focused more on a sustainable yet healthy lifestyle.

And, since I’m healthy from a medical perspective despite being eleven pounds overweight, slow-and-steady is my main goal. (For my height and age, I should be no more than 145 lbs and am currently teetering between 156-157.)

So even though I’m not exactly where I wish I was at two years postpartum, I am okay with things for now.

*P.S. I wrote much of this before the whole coronavirus thing started, and things have changed a little. Whoops! So sorry I’m late one this one. 

Ironwild Fitness

 

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