HOW I LOST The Baby Weight

The topic of losing the baby weight has come up endlessly over the last 3+ years. More specifically, how I’ve dropped the baby weight after both Capri and Walker.

I’ve been as transparent as possible about my personal postpartum journey (including things like C-section recovery, pumping + breastfeeding, and transitioning into motherhood), and I’ve been very open with it pertaining to my body. After each birth, I’ve documented my recovery process and what my body looks like in the first few weeks on IGS. Since then, I’ve seen a bunch of questions come in, especially recently, so I wanted to cover everything in a blog post.

I want to preface this by saying everybody is different. I know that is obvious, but also I understand the impossible body standards we are faced with daily, and I’d never want to add to that.

Personally, here’s what’s helped me lose the baby weight each time:

+ HEALTHY PREGNANCIES: I’ve written about this before and if you follow me on IG, you know that throughout both of my pregnancies, I kept up my workout routine and healthy eating (for the most part). I felt good enough throughout both pregnancies to keep up my fitness routine and I knew it would make for an easier delivery and recovery. Though I indulged in shitty food here and there, as you should with pregnancy, I maintained a pretty clean diet like usual.

+ GENETICS: Genetics play a role in our figures, obviously, so this is another factor to consider when comparing your body to someone else’s. I’ve been petite my entire life and even after babies, my lean frame has returned. While I do things to help maintain this, I’d be lying if I said my genetics weren’t a major factor.

+ EATING A BALANCED DIET: I cook dinner most nights of the week, so I have control over what my family is eating. We eat a lot of real, whole foods like fresh veggies, fruits, healthy fats, etc. I’d say we lean heavily into a Mediterranean style of eating because it’s what we prefer…and it happens to be healthy. I definitely indulge in sweets, carbs and all those things, but everything in moderation. I find the more healthy stuff I eat, the less sh*tty stuff I eat. 90% of the time I have dessert or a glass of wine with dinner, too. I also know that diet is a big contributor to how you look (I’ve read 70% diet, 20% genetics, 10% exercise) so I try to be conscious of what I’m eating without ever depriving myself.

+ BEING ACTIVE: Exercise has been a consistent part of my routine for decades now. I used to work with my personal trainer, Joey, back in LA and while I haven’t been doing as many workouts lately, I’ve recently started Pilates back up. I definitely notice more definition and strength when I’m working out vs. getting too skinny, which I prefer. I’m looking forward to eventually finding another trainer or form of exercise. For now, it’s Pilates and a lot of walks / hikes with the kids. I’d say losing some of my muscle mass is a lot of what you’re seeing on social that makes people think I’ve “done something different.”

+ STAYING BUSY: This isn’t the healthiest answer but I’m being honest. During our move to San Diego, I dropped weight due to the fact that I was busy AF. Between packing up our LA house, all the work projects, driving back and forth to SD, design meetings, renovation projects, and chasing after two kids, some days I simply didn’t remember to eat every meal. I’m happy to say that I’m back into a routine and now that we actually have a functioning kitchen, I’m able to cook and actually sit down for meals.

+ GOING SLOW: I know that there’s pressure to ‘bounce back’ but that shit takes time – even for me. Walker is over a year now so while it might feel like I bounced back overnight, that’s not the case. My hips are wider than they were before kids, my tits are saggier, and there are some areas that will never be the same – which I’m okay with. Everything above has helped me lose the weight but as I said, every body is different. I wasn’t back into my pre-Walker jeans for a while. It takes 9+ months to make a baby so give yourself time to recover!