When I started the Holiday 60day, I was two months postpartum.  I had gained close to 50 pounds during my third pregnancy.  I was excited to get back to my yoga practice and my yoga community.  I also knew that it would be extremely hard for me to come back and guide that same community, as a teacher, when I was so uncomfortable where I was at.

I discussed my goal with my coach. It was simple:fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes.  For me, it did not matter what the scale said.  When I feel confident in my skin and clothes that is the ideal body size and weight for me.  When I began, my pregnancy clothes did not fit (yeah!) but my normal clothes did not fit either and I could not spend the  rest of my life relying  on my compression leggings to  hold in my mom tummy!  I wanted to lose weight the healthy way because I want to keep the weight off and maintain my nutrient rich milk supply for my son.

I knew my diet needed an overhaul.   I was sleep deprived which made me crave carbs and eating convenient food while adjusting to being a stay at home mom to three little boys.  The first thing I did was print off all of the recipes that I wanted to try.  I was in a cooking rut and the recipes were just the inspiration I needed.  I have celiac disease so I was thrilled to see how many of the recipes were gluten free.  The zucchini lasagna has become a regular addition to the monthly meal plan, even the kids eat it.  My kids love the banana almond blender muffins.  It is a struggle to get protein in them first thing in the morning so this was a win for everyone.  A few dark chocolate chips on the top were enough satiate my sweet cravings.  I also purchased the whey protein so I could have protein smoothies for breakfast.  It works great for my busy mornings running kids to school.  My husband even started stealing my protein powder, too!  I eventually switched over to the vegan protein powder and it was a better fit for me.  I also made sure that for my lunch and dinner at least half my plate was filled with vegetables.  I found making up salads that I could just grab for lunch prevented me from reaching for convenient foods.

While I was on maternity leave, Life Time launched the newest yoga format. FIRE.  The first opportunity I had, I was in that class.  It was awesome, I do not have to choose between cardio and yoga anymore!  Which is good because I will always choose yoga. The music was so fun and there was such a different energy in the room.  In fact, I enjoyed this format so much I became fire certified and teach it on Monday afternoons.  The first time I took this class, I struggled.  Squats were hard, mountain climbers were nearly impossible.  Even keeping up with all of the chaturangas was a struggle.   That didn’t stop me, I wanted to go back.  It challenged me and my yoga practice in an entirely new way.  Plus, I know that I don’t get enough cardio normally and this guaranteed I’d get that heart rate up!

Since sometimes the numbers matter, I ended up losing eight pounds.  I had a nine percent change in body fat.  All the while, my (almost) four month old has gained about four pounds being exclusively breastfed.  I also decided to do the Pilates pike challenge.  I was able to do two initially, and 60 days later I was able to do 23!  I’m very proud of the core strength I have re-established.  Could I have lost more weight?  Probably, but I am one of those people who usually gains a couple of pounds around the holidays because I have a sweet tooth.  The fact that I was able to lose weight over the holidays is a win no matter how much or little!  I even let myself enjoy stuffing, pie, fudge and pumpkin bread at the holiday meals. Most importantly, I fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes.  Sure, the pants are snug but they stay zipped and that is what counts.