“Crowding out” or how I lost my baby fat finally!

Hey ladies (dudes, please look away),
I lost 9 pounds and two inches from my waist in four months. And I’m not only proud of myself, I want to tell you exactly how I did it and then graph it for you.

But first… let me remind you that this is not a site to talk about the D-word (if D-word is “diet” but maybe if it is “diapers, more fun than” or “dinner at a restaurant“) because we think you are beautiful how you are and we just want you to have fun with your baby and yourself the first year!

But if perhaps your baby has just turned two and people are still asking you, “when is the baby due?” it might be time to think about revising your meal plan just a smidge and perhaps stepping up the running of errands (like in spandex). So, this is where my story begins.

Imagine that I still look decent, kinda normal, kind okay with a little extra something-something around the middle and people are asking if I’m pregnant. While part of me actually considers getting knocked up to put an end to the awkwardness, the smarter part of me takes control.

I did my modified version of the 30 Day Shred for 6 weeks and got frustrated. I was getting stronger, building endurance, and now able to do a pushup but I lost zero pounds. Frick!

Knowing that I love a good challenge and I do better with a partner, I talked my bff Whitney into joining me for the next phase of the plan. Just after Valentine’s weekend, we embarked on a secret plan: Phase One of the South Beach Diet. Yep, the D word.

So we did the SoBe diet strictly for one week and each saw 5 pounds drop away. Kickass! I was exercising a little here and there — still with Jillian — and she was not. The next week, we kept up the fervor of saying no to all bread, sugar, and fruit and each lost zero more pounds. We thought that was pretty much BS, but we were also so happy to be at our pre-second-baby fighting weights.

The next two weeks were followed by Whitney’s modified phase two suggestions all leading up to my birthday, at which time we would both have cake.

Following my birthday in mid-March, I ate cake every day for a week or two. I’m not kidding, but I stuck with my new routine of eggs for breakfast and salad for lunch. I also started the “crowding out” maintenance plan of filling my day with so many healthy foods and good vegetables that I don’t have the hunger for the bad foods. So, when I go out for pizza, I’ll have a slice and a huge salad rather than eating my half of the pizza. For Zachary’s Pizza (heavenly version of Chicago deep dish), I ate half a slice with my salad and was still happy.

And that’s kinda where I am now. I try to stick to whole grain breads, but I don’t spit out pizza or a muffin if it’s all that’s available. I still tote around the fake sugar but I enjoy a good cupcake as the situation dictates. And I see how many vegetables I can cram into each meal. Today, I had a gajillion of them (mixed greens, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, soy beans, garbanzos, and more!)

Today, I was re-measured for custom jeans by indi/intellifit and I have lost 2 inches off my waist since mid-January and 1 inch off most other measureable body parts. Except my head. Obviously, that sucker grew a smidge because I’m so proud.

As a precaution, I ate some candy today (before the measurement) so I won’t be too fat for them by the time they arrive. In about four weeks, I’ll get my custom jeans and tell you all about them.