Fitness Update - Pre Baby Weight Achieved!

I hopped on the scales this morning and was absolutely delighted with what I saw! 167.2lbs. Our first child, Clayton, was born on 3rd May 2013 and on that day I weighed a healthy 168lbs. The following year saw me struggle to adapt to the demands of parenting on top of my full time job. I spent months slowly piling on the pounds, reaching for more caffeine and sugar as sleep depravation took its toll. Then my wife fell pregnant again and developed a taste for fried foods, cheeseburgers and ice cream milkshakes. I know that I didn't have to develop a taste for them too, but I thought I was being a good husband by not making her eat badly by herself. Before I knew it, I was tipping the scales at 189lbs. In the past, I've had issues with self control when it comes to food and have struggled with weight gain. I weighed 240lbs not too long ago, before I decided to make a change! I know at 189lbs, I was nowhere near as big as I had been once upon a time, but I was aware that if baby number 2 had the same effect on me as Clayton did, then I could be pushing towards those numbers again and be in a situation that could get out of control. And so, 13 weeks ago I decided to start eating right and training hard.

Being a working Dad, it's easy to find excuses and difficult to find the time to be focused on being fit and healthy. But if you want something, you'll find a way and that's what's happened! I'm now even lighter than I was the day that Clayton was born. That was my goal and I'm proud of myself for achieving it and doing so pretty quickly. I don't plan to stop there though. I'm going to keep it up and see if I can drop back to my college weight of 160lbs and then see if that's a weight I can maintain or not.

My top 3 tips for other parents trying to lose weight:

1. Record what you eat! I count calories and keep a food diary. It's easy to do with apps such as MyFitnessPal and makes you think twice before treating yourself.

2. Write your workouts down for the week to come, stick them to the fridge and tick them off each day. Having them written down, saves you having to think of something to do or when to do it and ticking them off makes you feel accomplished. But DON'T beat yourself up when you skip one. Parenting comes first, home life comes first and sometimes, it's just not possible to stick to what you had planned.

3. Treat yourself. I allow myself the odd treat day and every handful of weeks I pencil in a full treat week. Sometimes a week of not watching what you eat and a week without working out can be good. It shocks your body into action, when you do go back to the healthy life, the rest period helps your body grow stronger and the regular treats will have improved your mood and tolerance levels.