Now let's get one thing straight I'm not here to tell anyone they need to lose their baby weight or how to do it, being a new mum is tiring and pressure laden enough without having to think about any sort of weight loss (FYI I'm SO anti diets). Just how every child is different, all bodies are different too and I'm purely speaking about my own personal experience. Mini disclaimer aside let's get going....

 I gave birth to Sadie via emergency Caesarean on the 28th of June 2015 and it's easily taken me a year to get back to the weight I was pre Sadie. As a bit of background I've always been someone who lives by the 80/20 rule, eating healthy 80% of the time and having a burger, piece of cake or other naughty treat 20% of the time yet when I was pregnant this pretty much went out of the window. I ate whatever I fancied. Sadly the baby weight doesn't disappear as soon as the stork delivers your baby, why does no one tell you this? Once Sadie arrived I can't say I was thrilled about my new body shape but my beautiful baby girl helped push aside my body woes (not completely, I still had rubbish moany days, just ask Craig) as I concentrated on my new bundle of joy. I'm pleased to say I took to breastfeeding (don't beat yourself up if you don't) and this certainly helped me lose weight but the last stone was a struggle. Fast forward to four weeks before our wedding and the determination to reach the final furlong was real.
(Picture on left from Pinterest)
I firstly enlisted the help of George, a personal trainer who focuses on new mums. Now personal training isn't the cheapest option out there so I'd also suggest exercise groups fit for new mums, there's an abundance in Sheffield so I'm sure there's lots all over the country. For me exercising was key, I actually feel a lot more toned now then I ever was before. After exercising I always have a protein shake to repair and help my muscles recover more quickly and after 'borrowing' the husbands for far too long I've now got my own in the shape of BodyLabs Tasty Shake Total Protein Complex in Classic Vanilla* which is endorsed by the one and only Jennifer Lopez, who has one of the best bods out there. Unlike many protein shakes on the market this is designed by women for women and aims to promote lean muscles, burn fat and boost energy. Now usually I just stick a scoop of whatever protein powder's lying around into my NutriBullet, throw in some almond milk, a banana and some peanut butter (sometimes a bit of raw cacao if I'm feeling fancy and go) but I've also tried the BodyLab offering as it suggests mixing with just water and drinking (then the blend is only 80 calories) and and it's nowhere near as artificial tasting as the other protein powders I've tried. I can't even stomach the ones Craig drinks with just milk or water so this is an achievement in its self. It's still early days in the testing process but so far JLo you get a thumbs up from me.

 With exercise covered I turned my attention to food, now I'm never normally one to advocate cutting out anything, especially as I'm not one for diets but what helped leaps and bounds weeks before our wedding was cutting out bread and cake, which can quickly become my downfall especially as a new mum. Hello quick surge of energy and if you're anything like me you'll be filling your days with coffee and cake meet ups. I must admit I found this hard at first but a few days in and I quickly forgot all about these carb-lade sugary treats especially when I started adding eggs to many of my meals (a tip I picked up from George) that definitely fills you up. Now our weddings been and gone (sob) I do allow these goodies to pass my lips, just less frequently - it's hard to go out for brunch (my favourite meal out) and not devour a piece of sourdough, am I right? While we're on the subject of eating out brunch is definitely the easiest meal to enjoy out in a healthy fashion. Giving another meal time a bash and up north? I'd highly recommend Nourish and the undeniably scrummy Filmore & Union.

One thing I can honestly say has helped me make better food choices is cooking from scratch every night. Don't get me wrong I used to make a lot of meals from scratch pre Sadie too but I'd often rely on jar and packet sauces which is a complete no go for me personally now I have Sadie to feed too. The cookbooks I use almost every night are from Madeleine Shaw, sure you need to stock up your cupboards with a few ingredients to begin with but once you have you'll not regret it. I find her recipes incredibly easy and quick to make and most importantly down right delicious. I've even made her better for you sweet treats too, in fact I may be chowing down on one of her cookies writing this right now...

Do you enjoy a protein shake post workout? Where do you eat out when you want to be healthy?
*PR Sample, all vanillary thoughts my own.