There comes a moment in every pre-mother’s life when you decide now is the time to become a human incubator and literally share your body with another person. As you can imagine, this is not easy on your body. From the very beginning, your life is no longer your own. Your whole focus is now on this little person that you lovingly give all of your attention. At least, this is what I have done for the last seven years.
My babies are my whole world and focus and everything that is important to me, Ashley not Mommy, gets pushed aside and forgotten in the process. Instead of thinking about my own health, I’ve been shoving my face full of fishy crackers while I make dinner for my children because I forgot to eat lunch, and applying Bandaids to invisible ouch-ies instead of worrying about my double digit sized jeans.
I have been trying to lose weight after every pregnancy, but I haven’t even been able to get close to my starting pre-baby weight. I workout hard 3-5 times a week, but I fail myself in the kitchen. Did you know that 80% of your weight loss results come from your diet?! I get so busy and overwhelmed with my daily schedule and the Chick-fil-A drive-thru sounds so much better than the apple I threw into my diaper bag earlier that day. I started my fourth pregnancy heavier than I delivered my first baby at full term, and I blame the nuggets for that.
Nothing I was doing was working and I felt so discouraged. Have you been seeing IIFYM everywhere lately? It means, IF IT FITS YOUR MACROS. Macros are short for, Macronutrients: Fats, Carbohydrates, and Protein. Everybody needs these in their diet. The trick is, figuring out how much of each macronutrient you need to lose or maintain your weight.
When I came across @biceps.after.babies on Instagram, the name hit me like a ton of bricks. The gal behind the handle is Amber; She is a fitness inspiration, a seriously skilled Macro Coach, and she has some mega bulging biceps after having four babies of her own.
She watched her own mother teach aerobics classes at the Y and was motivated by her example as a young girl. She said, “My mom was an awesome example of a woman and mother who put her health and fitness at the top of her priority list and I grew up seeing how that made her a better mom, wife, and woman.” Isn’t that ultimately what we all want?!
I have been working with AMBER as my Macro Coach for a little over a week now. She’s created a custom macro guide for me, she sends check-in emails with delicious recipes and workout ideas, and I weigh-in each week with my results, plus she’s just freaking motivational! You need to follow her on Instagram asap.
YOU GUYS. I lost 5 lbs. in the first week! It’s amazing what tracking your macros can do when you have someone helping you along and adjusting the plan as you go. Amber is coaching me through a 12 week program, and I will be updating you half way through, and then again at the end with my results. I am so excited and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me!
This post is a trade with @biceps.after.babies
This has in no way affected my opinion.
This post is my opinion and has been written in my own words.
I love this sooooo much Ashley! Way to go! And Amber is super motivational!!!! Yay for Macros!
Thanks Jess! Counting Macros really is the best ever!
[…] you’re on Instagram at all, I’m sure you’ve heard about “Macros”. It seems to be all the rage these days and I will tell you what, I can see why. Every body needs a […]