How This Mom Lost Her Baby Weight in 2 Weeks and Got Toned
Congratulations—you're a new mom! Going through pregnancy and having a baby can be one of the most exciting, miraculous experiences in a woman's life. It's a special time to bond with your newborn and embrace each and every stage to its fullest. Once you have a grasp on balancing the new responsibilities that come with motherhood, reality sets in. It's time to address the changes your body has endured and keep up your self-care. We've spoken with Jacquie Smith, a certified integrative nutrition health coach from IIN and a fitness instructor specializing in barre, yoga, and pre/postnatal workouts, to learn exactly how she got back into the shape she wanted after delivering her daughter, Dakota. Keep reading to learn this mom's personal secrets on how to lose baby weight in two weeks.
Smith's "little adapts" work regardless of where she's at in her health journey.
Along with motherhood come many surprises. Smith explains how her life has changed in a plethora of positive ways. "Pregnancy and postpartum have humbled and strengthened me in ways I never could have imagined, and I feel like I've grown into a better, stronger woman and now mama that I'm so damn proud of. It's shown me that my 'little adapts' work time and time again regardless of where I am in my health journey. I'm so grateful that I had my healthy lifestyle in place before I got pregnant to keep me grounded, sane, and feeling good, because pregnancy and postpartum are hard enough as it is!"
Lose baby weight in two weeks? She did it!
The Nashville, Tennessee-based trainer weighed 117 pounds prior to becoming pregnant. At 39 weeks, just before she delivered, Smith weighed 136.6 pounds—gaining a total of 19.6 pounds—and wanted to get back to her pre-pregnancy size. Lose baby weight in two weeks? Check!
Smith explains to Eat This, Not That!, "My end goal was to be as healthy, fit, and strong as possible for my baby and myself throughout pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery. This was especially important to me as I planned on having a natural (unmedicated with no intervention) birth in a birthing center, which was exactly what happened. I knew I would need all my strength to be able to handle all the challenges of labor and childbirth. I kept myself motivated knowing that it would make me the very best mama I could be for Dakota and would make recovery that much quicker on the other side."
The breakdown of Smith's weight loss is really motivating and quite impressive. Everyone's pregnancy and postpartum body journey are different, but these are Smith's weights at various times:
Weight before pregnancy: 117 pounds
Weight at 39 weeks pregnant: 136.6 pounds
Weight at 4 days postpartum: 122.5 pounds
Weight at 10 days postpartum: 118 pounds
Weight at 13 days postpartum: 117.6 pounds
Ready to learn Smith's secrets on how to lose baby weight in two weeks? Keep reading for the personal fitness and nutrition game plan that worked best for her.
See Smith's nine months pregnant versus 12 days postpartum comparison in the above photo.
During pregnancy, Smith performed 30-minute workout sessions, six days a week, followed by one rest day.
Smith started her wellness plan and made her fitness a priority, after Dakota's daily needs, of course. She reveals, "The key to creating a sustainable, healthy lifestyle and fitness journey is consistency and showing up for yourself every day—even if it's just 10 minutes! It may look different now with a baby, but just do the best you can and remember you can always incorporate them into the workout."
This nutrition and fitness professional exercised throughout her pregnancy, which was integral in not putting on excess weight throughout the nine months and also helping with delivery. Her workouts were 30-minute sessions, six days every week, complete with one rest day. She also made walking a priority as many times as she could, with a goal of getting outdoors each day and moving her body.
Related: The #1 Workout for New Moms to Jumpstart Their Fitness Game, Says Trainer
She allowed her body to completely heal for two weeks post-birth, and then started doing short walks and breath work.
"After birth, I did absolutely NOTHING for two weeks (barely even walking up and down the stairs) to allow my body to fully heal and bring my bones back together," Smith says. She continues, "After two weeks, I started with short walks and breath work but did no exercise until I was cleared at six weeks by my midwife, checked for Diastasis Recti, and stopped bleeding. From there, I started with my short, prenatal workouts on my Little Adapts by Jax App every other day to start to rebuild my strength and reconnect with my core and pelvic floor and then started progressing as I built out my postpartum program."
In addition, breastfeeding proved to be "an incredible form of exercise" for Smith. Breastfeeding helps your uterus contract, going back to the size it was before pregnancy. It helps move the process along quicker, burning as much as an extra 500 calories every single day, according to Smith.
During pregnancy and postpartum, her low-impact training consisted of yoga, barre, yoga sculpt, and body weight cardio.
How did this mama lose baby weight in two weeks? During pregnancy and postpartum, her workouts were low-impact, utilizing her app. They included yoga, barre, bodyweight cardio, and yoga sculpt. "I wanted to help other pregnant and postpartum women to feel empowered and inspired to keep moving during pregnancy and postpartum, which is why I recorded and built out both prenatal and postnatal programs as I was going through this journey myself," Smith says, adding the programs can also be found on her app for subscribers and can be used wherever you are and at the time that works best for your schedule.
Smith has a great, positive attitude about her journey, and shares a few thoughts she focused on to motivate her. "Our bodies are truly incredible and can heal and recover relatively quickly post-birth, as long as we do the work taking care of ourselves throughout pregnancy. I know it's hard between the cravings, exhaustion, extra weight, hormones, and weird symptoms, but do your best to eat well, move daily, and manage your stress, and I promise it'll be that much easier on the other side."
Related: Boost Your Metabolism and Lose Weight With This Strength Routine
Although she appeared to be "fit," it took six months for her to really "feel whole again."
Consistency and dedication pay off. Smith lost all of the weight she gained in about two weeks, but admits it took time to restrengthen her pelvic floor and rebuild muscles. In fact, she didn't start to feel like herself again until months after.
Although she appeared to be "fit," Smith reveals, "My insides were still a mess. It wasn't until four months that things started to click both mentally and physically, but it took six months for me to feel whole again. At nine months, I felt AMAZING physically, but emotionally, was a roller coaster of emotions between postpartum anxiety, being on the cusp of getting my period back, and still breastfeeding. At 12 months, I felt stronger than ever and [had] a deeper connection between my mind and body. … I fluctuated between 113 and 115 until about nine months PP and now I'm back up between 115 and 117 depending upon the day and the time of month!"
See Smith's six months versus nine months in the photo above.
She ate mostly plant-based and kept healthy snacks on deck, like fruit, nuts, and GoMacro bars, whenever she'd get "hangry."
Nutrition is always important, and Smith was diligent. "As for nutrition, I continued eating a mostly plant-based diet and incorporated eggs, fish, and even meat as needed for iron and protein (I struggle with keeping my iron levels up, which was super important during pregnancy and postpartum!) I also made sure to always have healthy snacks available like nuts, fruit, and GoMacro bars, as I never knew when I would get hangry, which is a real thing during pregnancy. Also by following my own body's intuition, I ate slightly more carbohydrates during pregnancy and while breastfeeding postpartum to sustain a growing baby and continue to keep my milk supply up," she tells us. You can find her favorite recipes along with nutrition guidelines in her pregnancy and postpartum ebooks.
She believes carving out time for self-love, healthy eating, and daily movement is key.
Smith offers helpful advice for everyone starting a pregnancy journey, and adds perfect motivation to begin by carving out time for self-love. "When you become a mother, your little one is always watching. Lead by example and show them how important wellness is with healthy eating and daily movement," she explains.
This toned mama knows the importance of staying healthy and in shape. Balancing self-care and motherhood is challenging, but completely necessary and worth it. Smith shares, "No one is going to show up for yourself except YOU. Keep filling up your cup each day with the 'little adapts' and daily movement that lights you up. You will ultimately be a better human being, mother, daughter, sister, and friend when you take care of yourself first."
