Post partum body

A strange strange thing has happened. Something I never expected to be saying.....

I actually feel more confident with my body since having a baby!

Yes you read that right! Don't get me wrong my body is far far from perfect, it always has been and probably always will be but for the first time in a really long time I actually feel happy in my own skin which is definitely not an emotion I would have predicted to be feeling when we first found out we were going to have a baby.

I'm afraid the picture above isn't me, it's just a google image from the NHS website because even though I am feeling fairly confident in myself at the moment I'm not quite that brave.

I didn't get any stretchmarks through the majority of my pregnancy. I'd say they started to appear very lightly at around 37 weeks and were still pretty mild and then almost seem to have gotten worse & way more defined since Brooke has been born. The picture above is the closest I could find to my own tummy, the stretchmarks are literally all congregated to the area below my belly button and that's it! Which I thought was strange because that's the bit of my tummy that was flabby & fat to begin with so surely it stretched the least? It was the underneath of my bump so I couldn't reeeaally see the damage until after I'd given birth but all in all its not too awful. Obviously I was hoping not to get any stretchmarks, surely every woman is? But that was unrealistic and I know compared to some people mine aren't too bad at all.

I was really really lucky and throughout my pregnancy I didn't gain too much weight. Only 18lbs in total and Brooke was nearly half of that so by the time you took out all my excess water, blood, placenta, milk and all those other lovely things I was actually 1lb lighter than before I fell pregnant when Brooke was just 2 days old. Which I know I am so so lucky to have experienced because a lot of ladies really struggle and believe me I was expecting to be one of them!! In the past I have tried every diet/healthy eating plan going and find it SO difficult to lose weight. I only need to look at a chocolate cake and put on 3lbs!

2 weeks post partum I was half a stone lighter than pre-pregnancy, probably because I didn't have time to eat if I'm honest which definitely isn't the healthiest post pregnancy diet.

Please don't take this post the wrong way or as me showing off because I honestly don't mean it like that at all, I may have lost my extra pregnancy weight but I am still hugely overweight and need to lose 3 stone + to be within a healthy BMI range, something I am just looking to approach now assuming that my 6 week (actually 8 week) checkup with the doctor goes okay tomorrow. I really thought I'd be obsessive about losing my baby weight and toning my tummy because I am so paranoid about being overweight but I honestly honestly don't care! Our baby girl is, quite rightly so, taking up all of my time and attention at the moment and that's how I expect it to stay for the foreseeable. I lost a lot of blood during delivery and had to have a huge episiotomy so was advised by the doctor not to exercise for at least 6 weeks anyway - not that I could have if is wanted to. I could barely sit down for the first 3 weeks!

I've put on a couple more pounds now and am probably back up to my pre-pregnancy weight - I'm too scared to look on the scales to confirm this!

But I can't help but feel proud of myself, even though I know I haven't even done anything!!

I was never happy with my body, in particular my tummy, before I had Brooke. It was flabby, it's where I hold most of my excess weight which is the unhealthiest place to do so, I never wore tight fitting clothing, would live in Spanx for a night out and I haven't worn a bikini for years. I've always felt pressure to look a certain way and be a certain weight and would forever compare myself to my thinner friends. I'd always feel like people would judge me for being overweight.

Now all of a sudden it's like a cloud has lifted and a huge weight has gone from my shoulders. 

Even though I'm the same weight as before and my tummy is even wobblier than before, now somehow it doesn't matter! 

People expect my belly to be like that and expect me to be overweight because I'm a mum and because I've just had a baby and I LOVE it! Everybody has been telling me how great I look and how I look exactly the same as before I had a baby, which obviously I do because I'm the same weight and it's lovely for my confidence to hear but I think I'm forgetting that being back in my pre-pregnancy jeans isn't actually that much of a positive when they were a size 16-18 to begin with and I still have a long way to go.

I know that's the strangest thing to say and the weirdest way to feel but that's the best way I can think to describe it. It's bizarre!!

I so so don't want my body insecurities to pass on to Brooke so it's really something that I'm trying to work on before she's big enough to pick up on any negativity. I'm hoping to start Weightwatchers and focus on losing weight healthily and slowly over the next couple of years. 

I going to try & document my weight loss ups and downs so keep your eyes peeled for that.

How have you felt about your post partum body? I'd love to hear your stories and any tips for weight loss/fading stretchmarks.

If you're enjoying my mummy updates I'd love you to follow our story either here or on Bloglovin'

XOXO

Juice to U 3-day detox - Review

Keeping fit and healthy while staying in shape is definitely something that is important to me. The thought of my figure changing forever really does terrify me whilst being pregnant and I'll definitely be making a conscious effort to lose my baby weight as soon as is healthy for me and baby.
The Juice to U detox was something I thoroughly enjoyed doing and will definitely be reaching out for once Squishy has been born so I thought I'd post my original review up again for any other mummys or mummy-to-be's who might be interested.

For a while now I have been looking into Juice to U's 3-day detox*

They are a company that I have found through twitter and have been super impressed with all the rave reviews and testimonials they are getting from both regular people and celebrities. They offer a range of plans but the basic detox only lasts 3 days and they send all the juices to you already made up!! What's not to love right?

Last week I saw they were looking for bloggers to review their product, very quickly responded to show my interest and was thrilled when they picked me to do a review.

 

So a little bit about the product: Juice to U is a totally natural and fantastic pre-prepared juice detox service using fresh local produce delivered to your door. The detox consists of 4 juices to drink throughout the day with a 3 hour period between each juice. No other food is allowed, 2 litres of water is recommended and only fruit tea can be consumed (no green tea!). All juices are gluten, wheat and nut free and also suitable for vegetarians.

 

Juice to U claim that each detox will "leave you feeling fully revitalised, refreshed, rejuvenated and invigorated with smoother skin and your mind clear. Not forgetting the weight loss!"

Feelings of tiredness, nausea and headaches are to be expected when following a detox. This is due to your body getting rid of all the toxins that are in your system.

 

The lovely people at Juice 2 U made sure my juices were delivered on Tuesday morning as promised (all juices arrive on either Tues or Weds and you begin your detox the next day - very important as everything is fresh and would need to be frozen if you wanted to wait any longer to start). My juices were packed very securely in a cardboard box, complete with ice packs and fresh lemons to be used in hot water to speed up metabolism. The little juices are so so cute, all in their own little individual bottles with ingredients and time that they need to be drunk written on the side of the bottle so the plan really is dummy-proof. Straight away I put them in the fridge excited to start the next day.

 

 

Each day on the detox is made up of the same 4 juices:

9am: Clean Green (Spinach, Celery, Cucumber, Apple & Lime) - contains more nutrients than most people get in a week

To be honest even though I was excited to get started I was definitely dreading Clean Green and assuming would be my least favourite as I have a very sweet tooth. I was right...it is my least favourite but it really isn't awful. Not as bad as I was expecting anyway. You really can taste all 5 ingredients in the juice, which sounds like a bizarre claim but it's true! I would say the cucumber and celery come through strongly but there is definitely a refreshing after taste of lime which is really quite pleasant. The juice isn't blended entirely so there are very very small pieces of fruit and veg to swallow so i can understand that the texture might be off putting for some people but this wasn't an issue for me at all. I like chunky smoothies and soups so the texture of all the juices was similar to this.

 

Midday: Let's Glow (Orange, Apple, Kiwi, Grapes & Strawberries) - to cleanse the digestive system and radiate your skin

Let's Glow is definitely my favourite out of the three different juices. To me this just tastes like watered down strawberries and you can clearly taste the grapes as well. Really lush, refreshing, sweet fruity and goes down super easy, whereas Clean Green is taking me a bit longer to finish.

 

3pm: Clean Green (same ingredients as above)

 

6pm: Berry Good (Pineapple, Blueberries, Strawberries, Apples & Raspberries) - contains anti-oxidants to keep your cardiovascular system in tip top shape

I was definitely expecting this juice to be my favourite, I usually love all things berry and eat all these fruits like they're going out of fashion but surprisingly it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, it is really nice tasting, enjoyable to drink and I did really like it - much more than Clean Green! - but for some reason i just prefer the taste flavour of Let's Glow. Berry Good tastes like ever every so slightly over ripe Raspberries, you know when they don't taste at their absolute peak and sweet but they haven't gone off yet, that in between period? Well they taste like that. Pretty scrummy any how. Berry Good does definitely seem to be the gas-iest juice and I was upset to see that my Day 3 juice had exploded slightly.....see below for more details on that

 

Day 1

 

Thoughts: Excited to get started, anxious about what to expect and what the juices will taste like.

 

Side effects: Mild headache just before 3pm but this quickly went away after my 3pm juice. I also felt groggy and had a headache for a little while later in the evening. Nothing huge that really bothered me and an early night sorted it out.

 

Feeling hungry: Surprisingly not at all, i thought i would be missing food more than this.

 

Enjoying juices: Not mad on Clean Green but it is definitely okay, love Let's Glow and definitely like Berry Good but i was expecting it to be my favourite and it's not.

 

Noticing changes: I feel more energetic and definitely less bloated. My mind seemed clearer this evening and I was definitely aware of a situation where i may usually have picked a fight with my boyfriend but had the control not to.

 

Overnight Weight loss: I know you shouldn't weigh yourself everyday bla bla bla...but i'm afraid i can't resist! I weigh in while i'm getting ready for work each morning at around 7:30am......Weight loss from Tuesday 10th September 7:30am to Wednesday 11th September 7:30am is.......-2.4lbs. I'm thrilled that i can be losing weight already!!

 

Day 2

 

Thoughts: Thinking about food but i think that's to be expected on any detox. No food at all is hard!!

 

Side effects: Nothing noticeable today, just tummy grumbles.

 

Feeling hungry: Yes today was much more difficult than yesterday. Come mid afternoon/early evening i am definitely hungry and watching my boyfriend eat dinner is painful. haha

 

Enjoying juices: Yes i really am. Clean Green is much more bearable, even slightly more enjoyable than yesterday and i like the taste of all three juices now.

 

Noticing changes: I still feel full of energy and am noticing my skin is full of life. Normally i would have some dry patches on my cheeks and a slightly oily t-zone but this all seems to have evened out and my skin feels plump and fresh. My concentration has also been much better at work today.

Overnight Weight loss: -3.1lbs

 

Total Weight loss so far: -5.5lbs

 

Day 3

 

Thoughts: I have throughly enjoyed taking part in the detox but am excited to eat a proper meal again tomorrow.

 

Side effects: Constantly needing to wee but i think that's a given considering all the liquid i am consuming! (should have included this in Days 1 & 2 also!)

 

Feeling hungry: This morning i woke up hungry but the pangs definitely died down 2 juices into the day. It comes and goes and i find myself hungry just before a juice is due and once i have finished it my belly seems satisfied for a few hours more. It seems 3 hours between juices is the perfect amount

 

Enjoying juices: Again all juices have been enjoyable today, Clean Green still the least and Let's Glow still my favourite. Stupidly i left my Berry Good juice underneath my desk at work last night, so 6pm came and i had to drink my day 3 juice on day 2 (if that makes sense) but all the Berry Good juices are exactly the same so i was hoping it wouldnt matter too much. However i got to work this morning and day 2's Berry Good had exploded all over its cool bag and ice packs and i've probably lost a third of the juice. Obviously this may all be to do with me leaving it unrefridgerated all night but this does seem to be a common problem with the Berry Good juices, but it didn't happen the first 2 days.

 

Noticing changes: My clothes are feeling looser today, i still feel less bloated, my skin is clear and glowing, my hair seems shinier and all in all i feel great in myself. Full of beans and energetic....and this is coming from somebody who is notoriously a sleeper and take forever to wake up everyday. These last three days it certainly seems easier.

 

Overnight Weight loss: -3.2lbs

 

Total Weight loss: -8.7lbs

 

My opinion of the Juice 2 U 3-day detox plan really couldn't be any higher. Yes it is difficult to not eat for any significant period of time but your body adapts really quickly and soon realises it is still getting all the goodness and nutrients that it needs through the juices. I did find myself missing food but that is definitely just out of habit as the hunger went away as soon as i got my juice fix.

I feel happier, healthier, have more energy, more confidence and fresh (if that makes sense!). This detox would be perfect repeated a few times a year to rejuvenate and refresh the body.

The weight loss is really an added bonus so again this would be perfect for quickly dropping a few pounds before a holiday and ensuring you would feel great before you went.

 

So does the 3-day detox do what it claims?

 

Lose weight? YES

 

Improve energy levels & feel less slugish? YES

 

Gain greater vitality, mental clarity & concentration? YES

 

Improve complexion? YES

 

Healthy hair & nails? YES

 

Stronger immune system? Not noticeably but that's not to say it hasn't improved. I wouldn't be getting sick so this is a hard one to measure

 

Boost your metabolism? Again hard to measure in the long term but i would assume my metabolism has increased from the weight loss

 

Change of mentality towards nutrition? My feelings haven't changed hugely. I'm pretty clued up on what is good for me and what isn't i'm just very bad at practising what i preach! *easier said than done eh girls?* The detox has opened my eyes to the qualities that certain combinations of fruit and veg have and the particular area of the body that they are working on which is useful.

 

Will i be recommending the detox and using Juice 2 U's services again? ABSOLUTELY!

 

You can find out more about Juice to U on their website here

Currently a 3-day, 5-day and Yummy Mummy detox are available.

 

Get juicing dolls!!

 

XOXO

 

** This post first appeared on my original blog Sparkle Bug which you can read here **