Oops, I did it again...

I don't mean to blow my own trumpet, or toot my own horn, or whatever other saying there are about bigging oneself up, but I've pretty much lost all of my pregnancy weight. And before you stop reading, this is not bounce back culture. This is me telling you that weight loss can happen with the correct EDUCATION and in the correct time frame for you. I'll give you the basics right now because we don't gatekeep in this corner of the Internet:

If you eat in a calorie deficit you will lose weight.

If you eat in a calorie deficit and increase your daily NEAT (steps), you will be putting yourself in a deeper deficit, so you will lose weight.

If you eat in a calorie deficit, increase your daily NEAT, lift weights and eat a high protein diet, you will lose weight and gain muscle. 

The reason why I have been successful in my weight loss second time around is because I stuck to the basics. Calorie deficit, protein focussed, increased daily activity, lift some heavy circles a few times a week. Sometimes I wonder why I spent so many years thinking there was some magic way of losing weight, like the detox tea was going to magically burn away my body fat (which it didn't, it just made be shit a lot) or that the sweat I secreted from going for a run was fat leaking out of my body (gross) when really the basic principles probably should have been taught in school. Maybe it was?! But I don't remember that lesson.

There is a difference this time round, in that because I had already lost the weight before I did not have my coach holding me accountable, but I still had my accountability buddy in my partner. And I still had everything I'd learned from losing the weight first time around. I knew what would work, so I stuck to that. I am still breastfeeding my son, so I am in a mild deficit, but I also am going out walking every day which will put me into a deeper deficit. For some context, I weighed 90kg in September 2021, in 2023 my lowest weight was 63.8kg. When I was pregnant full term, I weighed 93kg and this morning the weight on the scale was 69.8kg. 

This is an article about weight loss, which is why I have mentioned scale weight. But as a coach, the number on the scale is simply something we use to measure numerical progress each week. For me, the things that give me way more excitement on Ambers Weight Loss Journey 2.0 and are the real things we should use to measure progress are as follows:

• How my clothes fit - I get such a buzz out of fitting back into my old jeans and being comfortable in them again. 
• My improved relationship with food - I make a conscious effort to ensure I don't demonise certain foods and class other foods as "good foods". Instead, I focus on balance and nutrition as well as foods that make me happy.
• The weights I lift in the gym - being strong is way cooler than being skinny. At this point, I'm not even bothered if I lose the last 5-6kg because the weights I'm lifting in the gym are getting heavier. There's something beautifully empowering about being a woman who is strong. Maybe because across history, women have always been depicted as being a weaker species.
• Having more energy - it goes without saying that I am incredible sleep deprived. I am an exclusively breastfeeding mum of two with a 7 month old, I do not sleep at night like the average person. But because I focus on daily movement and nutrition food sources, I am able function throughout the day.

This time round has been different, I have been raising a baby (which very much felt like "starting again" since there's a 5 year age gap between my two children), there have been no weekly check-ins or progress pictures for me to visualise my progress, I have not been doing it solo like I did first time round (as in my partner is also living with me) plus my daughter is at school (she used to have dinner at nursery 4 days a week which meant on those days I was only feeding myself - cue quick chicken wraps or scrambled eggs for tea) so every night I am cooking for a family. What I mean is, I have spent these months building a menu of family friendly, high protein, calorie controlled, nutritious and delicious meals for us to eat for dinner and if you're also a mum feeding a family you will know what a nuisance it can be when the dreaded question of "MUM, WHAT'S FOR DINNER?" is hollered your way. What works for me and my family may not necessary work for you and yours, which is why it is up to you to find the foods that work for you, bank them and use them regularly on your weekly meal plans!

It all sounds like a lot of work doesn't it?! It's no wonder so many businesses are successful at making money from you when they sell quick fixes to your weight loss problems. It seems like an easier option drinking a shake that claims to contain all the nutrients and calories you need to lose weight and be satiated but why would you want to drink a shake for lunch/dinner for the rest of your life? What's going to happen when you start eating actual food again? This is why it's important to educate yourself as you go, as you make progress. You find the things that work and that will work long term and keep doing those things, because they are sustainable long term.

The ideal situation is that you are not on a weight loss journey for your whole life, which is why education is so important. You'll learn how to eat and move your body long term. You'll build a healthy body, a strong body, one that will help you achieve your dreams and aspirations if you just follow the basic principles. And you'll pass those gems of knowledge down to your children. As if you needed a better reason to put your health and wellbeing first, there's them. 

Love, Amber xo