“Within the first month of eating clean, I felt wonderful. I had the energy to not only take care of my newborn, but to start exercising as well.”
I am realistic proof that eating clean works! In January of 2008, I decided to take my body back (my second son was born four months earlier in September). I no longer wanted to use the recent birth of my son as an excuse to be unhealthy. I was about 20 pounds overweight and as soft as a puff pastry. (Yes, I ate a few of those during my pregnancy!)
Now, I couldn’t completely take my body back because I was still nursing. For that reason, I had to consume enough calories to produce milk. Calorie deprivation wasn’t going to help me lose weight this time. I also gave some thought as to why I nurse my children. I do it because it is said to be the best food I could give my child. So, I thought, I shouldn’t treat myself any different … and that is when Clean Eating entered my life.
Over my eight-month journey, I focused my meals around fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and skimmed dairy. I never denied myself food. When I was hungry I ate, but it had to be something clean and nutritious. It had to be something to “fuel the machine,” a term my husband and I joke about. As my interests in clean eating expanded, I came to discover Tosca’s books, The Eat-Clean Diet® and The Eat-Clean Diet® Cookbook (which I love and have learned a lot from). I focused on consuming six mini-meals, just as Tosca suggests. Then I learned of her website and supportive forum, and now the magazines, Clean Eating and Oxygen.
Within the first month of eating clean, I felt wonderful. I had the energy to not only take care of my newborn, but to start exercising as well. I started walking on my treadmill and taking Pilates classes. Soon, I was running on my treadmill. By spring, I was an outdoor runner and biking too. With each passing month of clean eating and exercise, I lost inches and pounds. My body was quickly becoming leaner and stronger. By the start of summer I added swimming to my exercise regimen and by mid-July, I had entered a mini-triathlon (1/4 mile swim, 7 mile bike and 3 mile run). I completed it without stopping in just under an hour, which was quite an accomplishment for me!
Now as my son soon turns one year old, I will be able to completely get my body back and enjoy taking my fitness plan up a notch. My next step will be to implement some supplements, increase the intensity of my cardio sessions and add new types of strength training with the help of Oxygen magazine.
This journey has been thrilling for me, and seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye. I don’t want to say that I didn’t work hard, because I did. It just seemed to happen quite easily, or maybe the difference is this time I actually enjoyed losing the weight! I look forward to where this journey takes me next, and can’t wait to see what I look like and feel like after a full year has passed.
I hope you have enjoyed my story and that I can be an inspiration to other moms, just like Tosca has been for me.
Sincerely,
Tracy Weaver