When I was pregnant with my first son I gained 40 pounds on top of the weight I was already trying to lose when I got pregnant. After I had Joey I felt fat, unhealthy, and unhappy (with myself not my baby). It wasn’t until 3 months postpartum that I found my passion helping others as a fitness coach and discovered a program that worked for me. I lost all the baby weight in 8 weeks and then continued to keep losing. By the time my wedding rolled around at 16 months postpartum I was the thinnest I’ve ever been in my adult life. And I felt amazing. Then I got pregnant again.

Now, here I am again, at 2 weeks postpartum with another 40 pound weight gain under my belt. But this time is different. I’m not as upset with myself for gaining the weight. When I got pregnant the second time around I knew what to expect. I expected to gain weight. I also knew what to expect after I had the baby. I knew to expect to still look at least 4 months pregnant. I knew to expect to be tired. But I also knew that I had a plan to get back to myself again. And I knew I needed to start as soon as possible. So last week, at 1 week postpartum, I started back on my meal plan. And I didn’t expect to be perfect. And I haven’t been perfect, but that’s OK too.

In the past week and a half since we took our new baby home we have had many visitors. Visitors who brought cake, cookies, and ice cream (the really good kinds), and we served pizza and pasta and subs. And I had a little bit of everything. But that’s the key. I had a little bit. Not the whole cake, not the whole pizza. I knew it wasn’t on my plan, but it was there, I had a brand new baby, and sometimes I went for the convenience of what was there vs. taking the time to prepare something healthier. But the difference between this time and all the other times is I didn’t beat myself up about it. It happened, I accepted it, and I moved on. I started over with the next meal. I regarded everyday as a clean slate. I didn’t dwell over how much I ate or how much I went off track. I simply moved on. And guess what? I still lost 5 1/2 pounds. I’m enjoying the time I have with my new baby, and also laying the foundation for getting back to my old self. Am I perfect? No. But am I happy doing it? Yes. And I’m also making progress physically and mentally. Don’t beat yourself up, especially if you’ve just had a baby. Strive for progress, not perfection, and you will be back to yourself in no time. I promise.