Yes..I lost 53 lbs. in 9 months...I'll tell you what I did.

So as you know by now I was pregnant and have since given birth to my beautiful boy, Roman and that was on October 1, 2016. In my third trimester my heaviest weight was 185, the last time I weighed in before I gave birth! I always knew that once I became pregnant I would continue to workout as usual, but obviously nothing to strenuous. I did just that, I worked out a couple times a week during my pregnancy up until I had to be admitted to the hospital on 3 different occasions due to developing Preeclampsia. I also knew that I wanted to breastfeed my child for up to 1 FULL year! Boy was I wrong...so after I had my son, like I said before I actually started working out slowly within a few weeks to a month, but then I didn't have time to once Roman was able to come home. I breastfed for only 4 months, and that actually kick started the weight shedding for me; I actually didn't realize that breastfeeding was helping until I wasn't paying attention to my body honestly. However, even though I was losing weight it was too slow for me and although I was in mommy mode I wanted to devote some attention to myself and my body so I would do at home workouts here and there within the first 5 months and would kinda eat healthy and kinda not in between all of that. 

In wasn't until May, I decided to get really serious about getting back to pre pregnancy weight and staying more committed to a healthier lifestyle as much as possible. So I did some research and came across the "Military Diet," which happens to be a pretty popular diet. I watched a few Youtube videos of others' testimony after completing the diet and I was SOLD. You should definitely look up "Military Diet" and see what information is out there ***Disclaimer, IT IS NOT for everyone. However,  I wanted to see if this thang really worked, and part of me was skeptical about it anyway. My starting weight when I started this 3 day diet was 152.5, but lets just say 153 and by the end of day 3 I was down to 146 lbs; losing 7 lbs in 3 days! not bad, eh (See pic below) I was actually amazed by the results and even though it was only for 3 days, it was tough I can't even lie, on day 2 I was reconsidering continuing on haha but I was able to maintain a very similar eating habit after I was done with the diet, which was why I was able to maintain the weight lost and then lose more in the process. I noticed that because my eating habits changed and I was still working out, the weight was just shedding by this time. 

I did have a few nights where I didn't eat dinner, not purposely, but I sometimes have days and moments where I have "tunnel vision" and I don't consider the fact that I haven't eaten, if I need to get something done or if mommy mode has gotten the best of me, and due to that I "accidentally" lost a few pounds, hahaha. In August, I rejoined a kickboxing gym that I previously joined a few years ago and decided to sign up for another year's worth of kick boxing, which doesn't play a significant role in my weight loss but it does play a part, since I haven't been going as much as I should "shaking my head," I gotta do better. However, I was going to the YMCA to workout at least once or twice a week and would sometimes bring my son with me; my lil workout partner and just incorporate him in my workouts! Hey, by any means necessary I am going to get it done!

But I have a lil secret for y'all...while exercising is great and very beneficial and extremely helpful, what helped me shed weight quickly and maintain my now 132 lbs. frame is my DIET; what I eat and how much I eat. Food has always been a struggle for me until recently; I like GOOD food, I mean who doesn't?! I consider myself to have an addictive personality depending on what it is, and in this case if I like a certain food or entree, I want to keep getting it over and over and over again! I had to train my mind and body to change the way I eat and control my portion size as well. I believe the Military Diet helped considerably in me being more conscious about my portion size. Here's another lil secret for y'all, I still eat what I want at times, but I just make sure I don't have too much of "whatever I want;" portion size matters :-) Also, I stopped snacking for a while after I completed the Military Diet; I wouldn't snack at night anymore or eat snacks throughout the day, but recently I will grab a snack on occasion. 

But you know what's funny now?....I've had people say to me, "We need to put some more meat on your bones!" and "You are soooo small" and "You lost A LOT of weight, sheesh Kemi." I actually didn't realize it until I had to buy new jeans; yes I saw the scale but its hard to see a drastic difference when I look at myself in the mirror everyday because I am used to seeing me everyday, so when others point things out to me then I can take a look more intently at myself, as with other situations. 

I wanted to share with anyone who has ever asked me what I did to lose weight, how I did it, and/or even if I went on a diet. This blog is for you to get a more in depth view into how this weight loss process was for me and I hope I answered your questions and gave you a detailed view into my lil journey. I am now maintaining  a weight range of 130-133lbs. and DO NOT plan to lose more weight, I have exceeded my weight goal of 135lbs.  I am currently on a detox/cleanse that is for 7 days and I have 2 days left; the purpose of this cleanse is not to lose weight but to cleanse my insides of all the harsh, bad bacteria that DON'T need to be there, which I would recommend "The Cleaner" you can purchase from your local GNC...it really does work (pic below).

I will continue to watch my portion size for the most part and with the holidays in full effect, I am going to enjoy the good eats! :-) Happy Holidays!!

Do at your own risk!

First time Mommyhood Woes

Let me just say that nobody told me what motherhood would be like before I became a mother....and honestly I'm glad I wasn't informed of all the things that come with being a first time mommy, because I probably would have waited lol. I was nervous about the idea of actually being mom and would even tell people that I wasn't having children, as a way to change the subject if I was asked; go figure, or to not have to disclose that I was freaking scared! However, I know that you can never be fully prepared for parenthood, no matter how much you "prepare." When I found out I was pregnant after finally getting to a place where mentally I was ok with it, it had been after 3 months of actively trying. I was excited, nervous, and shocked...and I remember surprising my husband by putting my pregnancy test in a jewelry box...uhh yeah right! No bling bling for you lol At that point he made me take another test to make sure lol. 

Ok but lets fast forward, after telling close family and friends and even posting our baby announcement on social media, after the 3 month mark and anticipating to deliver our baby boy on a specific date, pshh! like we can really control that?! All was good in the hood, until I had complications in my 3rd trimester and had to deliver early; I was 7 1/2 months pregnant. I was told I had preeclampsia and to this day I can't tell ya how I developed symptoms for it or what I did wrong, because the doctors couldn't even tell me! It was what it was and our baby boy stayed in the NICU for 41 days before he was able to come home. 

NOW..this is where the fun starts...now I heard that a woman's body obviously goes through changes during and after pregnancy and every women is different, cool, got it. I went in this thang with no expectations, NONE. Can I get candid and vulnerable with y'all for a minute?...ok cool. So not only did I tear in 4 different places "down there", I got a yeast infection for the first time in my life! Also, a urinary tract infection...smh. I had to "take it easy" for 6 weeks, but honestly I started working out before I was cleared at my 6 week check in...sue me. I was only able to breastfeed for 4 months, when I had hoped it would be a year; my milk supply ran low after awhile...and by the way I hate pumping! Anyway, things just felt and looked different "down there" and I wasn't sure if that was normal, and you already know Google is everybody's best friend when necessary....I spent quite a bit of time on Google throughout my pregnancy and even afterwards; but I was careful not to rely too heavily on what I would read :-) 

Lets fast forward again though, because surprisingly, it's not the physical symptoms that I struggled with the most, or that bothered me the most...it was and still is People; not just people in general though. I find it funny how those who don't have kids seem to think they can have an opinion on the way I choose to handle my child or care for my child, even those with kids to be honest....have several seats please and thank you, or the unsolicited advice from others, if ya know what I mean. I also was reminded very quickly that I get overwhelmed with people sometimes; and my introvert self always lets me know that. When I was discharged from the hospital after giving birth, I honestly didn't want any interaction with anybody, I just wanted peace, my husband, and to see my baby boy in the NICU as much as possible. However, silly me for thinking that others would understand what I was going through and not take the lack of interaction, so personally...boy was I wrong..so then I became uncomfortable and withdrew even more to protect my mental and peace. No one could tell me how to handle the circumstances I had been given, I was going through it with my husband and it was our story, not anybody else's. Oh let me not forget to mention that my son was colic for 5 months straight! I heard about Colic, but had no idea what I was in for until...and let me just say, I wouldn't wish a colic baby on my worst enemy mmmmk. 

As a mom, I just want to do the best I can to care for my son and not feel criticized or undermined; any mommies out there feel me? But God, surely gives me the strength that I need to endure and honestly to even forget about the "bad," because at the end of the day, it doesn't compare to moments when I see my son's face and his smile..thank God for LOVE like this.