In the words of Jesse Spanno…”There’s Never Any Time!!!!!!!”
by Kelly Nelson
Busy Mom’s Guide to Losing Weight
“How do you do it?”
That’s a question that I get a lot. I am a full time working Mom who has managed to get rid of her baby weight, find time for workouts, eating right, family time and working as a Beachbody Coach, but balance it all out with date nights and cheat meals!
I have to say that it’s not easy and it’s something that I struggle with on a daily basis.
Asher, our precious angel, turned one in February and the past year has been a year of challenges, change and growth (but not on my waistline!)
With the overwhelming responsibilities that come along with being a new Mom, it’s often easy to put ourselves on the back burner and just focus on the rest of the family. I was very guilty of that. I was working over 40 hours a week, commuting almost an hour each way to work, coming home in the evening to immediate full time Mom/Wife duty and I was driving myself into the ground.
I was exhausted, burnt out and miserable. I had no time for myself. My attitude at work was suffering, my attitude at home was suffering and I was fed up. Something needed to change.
So I took a hard look at our life, my priorities and my schedule, and Jimmy and I came up with a plan to help ME work on ME.
Weight Loss for Busy Moms
First – I needed to get moving. I tried numerous times after having Asher to get back into my workout routine. But I grew increasingly more frustrated with every failed attempt. Each time on the “workout wagon” would last about three days and Asher would melt down on day four which would throw me off the wagon.
Second – I needed to clean up my diet. Giving into my raging hormones during pregnancy was fine, but after gaining 56 pounds with Asher, there was no baby in my belly to blame French fries on!!!!! It also helps to start eating healthy as soon as you wake up and these healthy breakfast recipes helped out a ton!!!!
Third – I needed support. Yes, I live with Coach Jimmy and he is my rock. But there are often times where we are each other’s greatest enablers. One “patio weather” day would easily derail either of us and, for me, that would lead to me falling off the workout wagon. So I needed to find another support system to help keep me accountable.
The plan…
I joined one of Jimmy’s Challenge Groups. I chose what I like to consider my soul mate workout, ChaLEAN Extreme and I committed to the 90 day Challenge of working out, clean eating, drinking Shakeology and daily check-ins on the Facebook group!
I tried 4am workouts, but with my busy schedule, I was exhausted by noon and still had a full day ahead of me. So Jimmy and I worked our schedules so I could workout right when I got home. This worked much better and it was a great way to unwind after a stressful day!
The goal…
Be comfortable in my own skin and confident enough to wear a bikini when we went to Atlantis with tons of our fellow Beachbody coaches. It was 90 days away and the perfect amount of time to get a round of ChaLEAN Extreme in!
The Working Mom Daily Schedule
Here’s a little insight into what my day is like:
4:30am
- Alarm goes off / Asher usually wakes up
- Shush Asher back to sleep
- Shower/get ready
5:30am
- Asher usually wakes back up, nurse him back to sleep
- Finish getting ready
5:45am
- Gather prepped food (am snack, lunch, pm snack)
- (Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays – gather Asher’s stuff to go play with Grandparents)
- Make Shakeology
6:15am
- Leave the house (Monday/Wednesday/Friday – swing Asher by
- Grandparents on way to work)
- Commute is about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic
- Drink Shakeology during drive to work
7:00am
- Arrive at work (I’m an Executive Assistant supporting six Vice Presidents
- And a handful of other folks remotely…yes, I’m a busy bee!)
9:30am
- Am snack – right now it’s a high protein cereal, coconut milk, ½ banana and slivered almonds
11:00am
- Breast pump break
12:30pm
- Lunch – this week it’s turkey rollup and carrots
2:30pm
- Breast pump break
4:00pm
- Leave work
- Commute is about 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic
- Eat pm snack on drive home – this week it’s fruit, string cheese and turkey
5:00pm
- Arrive home
- Nurse Asher
- Family time
5:30 or 6:00pm
- Workout – Asher comes into gym with me (he’s got really nice form with Squats holding a three pound weight!)
6:45pm
- Feed Asher (I try to eat during or after I feed Asher)/family time
7:30pm
- Bath time for Asher
8:00pm
- Nurse Asher to sleep
8:15pm
- Time with Jimmy (sometimes we watched TV, other times we work on cleaning up the house)
9:30pm
- Bedtime!
1:00am
- Wake up for breast pump time
4:30am
- Time to make the donuts!!!!!
As you can see, there’s not a dull moment in my day! And there’s not an easy answer to getting rid of the baby weight and regaining your
body, ladies.
But the key, for me, has been to be open. Open to trying different schedules to find one that works; open to spending time on the weekends prepping food for the week so clean eating during the week becomes a no-brainer; open to being OK if you temporarily get derailed and using your support system to help keep you on track; open to letting other people help you (this is a big one for me) and open to letting go. Getting my priorities in check helped to open the door to so many things in our life.
We now outsource a lot of things – we have a nanny that comes a few times a week who not only plays with Asher but helps to straighten the house, we have a housekeeper that comes every couple of weeks to scrub, we have someone to take care of the lawn and most importantly, I have amazing in-laws who love keeping Asher for Jimmy and I to have time together.
My days are still very inconsistent and there are some days where I want to throw in the towel. But remember, each day is a new day! So what if you go to bed with a sink full of dishes, toys everywhere and three loads of laundry to be folded?!?! It will be there for you to tackle tomorrow!
I am happy to say that after the 90 day Challenge Group, I met my goal and am now back at my pre-baby weight. My self confidence is so much better (one of my bosses has complimented me on how I’ve been carrying myself differently lately!), my attitude at home is immensely improved (even though I still work on the going to bed with a mess issue), I am fitting into my pre-preggo clothes and I get time with my boys each evening. I just take it one day at a time and am open to what God has in store for me each day! Embrace the challenge and be open to growth.
I would love to hear your daily challenges, struggles, goals and also your successes! We may be able to help with some of your challenges, others may be over our heads. But I think it’s so important to have a supportive community around you to share these struggles and goals and to be able to celebrate your sprouts of success.
Jimmy and I are here to help you. We’d love to know how we can better serve each and every one of you. We are so humbled that we have this amazing opportunity to go on this journey with you. It’s something we hold in very high regard. Please leave a comment below in the comments section on how we can help. We love hearing from you!