#4thTP...6 Weeks Postpartum

I know the picture on the left makes me look really "boxy," but this is a huge
non-scale victory for me. I haven't been able to wear that old sorority sweatshirt
in two years! It fits perfectly now over a t shirt and leggings. Picture on the right
is before my workout Wednesday night.

Pounds gained in pregnancy: 29
Pounds lost since delivery day: 34
Still to lose: 45

Vaught Charles is six weeks old, and I am officially six week postpartum! I cannot believe I had a baby less than 2 months ago! Vaught is just growing and changing every day.

So am I.

But not the same way he is. If you read me regularly, and I hope you do, then you know all about the Fourth Trimester Project. If you're new, then just know that it is my "fourth and final" phase of pregnancy in which I hope to become the healthiest I've been since... well, ever. And I'm glad to say that I'm well on my way, though I'm still in that same plateau I was in two weeks ago. It's the same plateau that I was at in January when I discovered I was pregnant; I can't seem to move past a certain number on the scale and it's a little frustrating. When I trained at the Desoto Athletic Club a year ago, I had a personal trainer who was a genius at getting me out of plateaus; even though I've switched gyms, I am so tempted to call her!!

Six Week Checkup

My six week postpartum checkup was today, and everything went great! My iron level is back to where it should be; I lost more than twice the amount of blood women are expected to lose in delivery, resulting in extremely low iron for the first few weeks. I didn't stop bleeding until I was four weeks postpartum (sorry if that's TMI, but it's part of it). I didn't make a big spill about the traumatic experience after Vaught was born because I didn't want to scare any of the LOTS of expectant mothers I'm friends with. But it was definitely frightening. My nurses and doctor were amazing though because I didn't know how bad it was until the day after I delivered. I remember bending my arms to hold my son as he was placed on my chest shortly after coming out, and a nurse grabbed my IV arm and said, "Keep this arm straight; there's some fluids you need going through your IV now." Eric didn't get to cut the umbilical cord because of the amount of blood I was losing. I thought for while that my mom and dad left the hospital room quickly to go show our waiting room pictures of Vaught; they were actually asked to leave due to the situation. A little scary, but looking back I barely remember what was going on. And I'm glad my doctor handled it so well and that everything turned out to be fine.
He was impressed with my weight and glad that I've returned to the gym. We took care of my yearly checkup stuff and Eric and I are now taking the necessary steps to hold off on Baby Pace #2 if you know what I mean.

Nutrition

I aim for about 1,600 calories each day, which is perfect for my activity level, body type, and goals. If I go a little higher or lower that's perfectly fine too. I am neither stuffed nor famished at any time during the day. I allow for a lot of healthy snacking in there! I'm all about apple slices and peanut butter... and teaching myself to not lick the spoon :)
We eat a lot of chicken in the Pace household at dinner time, and I am loving a high protein diet right now. Carbs are my weakness, so I try to not overdo those by paying close attention to my macros on my MyFitnessPal app. Seriously, I have eaten an entire bread basket at a restaurant before by myself (but who hasn't?!) Yes, I still go to Starbucks about every two days for a lightly sweetened iced coffee. I can't help it, they're to die for at only 130 calories a pop for a venti. I love that my body now craves only healthy foods 90% of the time. I had a huge basket of Halloween candy sitting on my kitchen table for four days last week. A year ago, I would have grabbed a handful after supper each night, but this year I didn't even want any, though I can't say the same for Eric. I saved several pieces when we began running out last Friday night and had every intention of eating it all after dinner with my parents. I couldn't even get three pieces down before I felt sick. To me, that was another huge non-scale victory. 

Workouts

The gym is my sanctuary... or the closest thing I can get to it until we take Vaught to church for the first time this Sunday. I am going four times a week for cardio and strength training. Speaking of cardio, I am a runner and hope to be one until my body can't do it anymore. But have you ever tried a stairstepper?! Out of curiosity, I tried it one night last week when I was still at the gym after 9pm, and the place was nearly deserted. Five minutes. That's all I could take. I had just ran two miles and was sweating a little. Five minutes on the stairstepper and I was dripping. It's a bit ironic that I love working out yet hate sweating, so imagine my mixed emotions about feeling amazing after getting off this thing but sweating buckets at the same time. Since then, I have made a point to take out my post-lifting frustrations (and there's a lot of them, trust me) on the stairstepper for one final, lasting sweat session. I am slowly working up to ten minutes!
Eric and Dave (the guy he trains with at Dave's home gym) designed a four day rotation for me that I began following two weeks ago. I've listed it below; I love it! For two of the days, I start out with twenty-five minutes of cardio, and I've begun working out on the same days as Eric. He leaves work in Memphis and drives to Collierville to train with Dave on Tuesday and Thursday. Then they have a 5PM workout on Sunday. I've started going to the gym those same days and on Friday afternoon. It was a little difficult adjusting to a fitness schedule for the both of us; it felt like one of us was never around in the evenings until after 8. This way, Eric puts Vaught to bed on Tuesday and Thursday and when I'm home from the gym a little before 9, we can hang out a little. But it makes for lots of together time on Mondays, Wednesdays, and the weekend. What can I say--we're both dedicated to our gains!!

Day 1
Seated Military Press (4x10)
Seated Dumbbell Military Press (4x10)
Face Pulls (4x20)
Curls (5x20)
Triceps (5x20)
Front Raises (4x12)
Side Raises (4x12)

Day 2
Heavy Squats (5x5)
Straight Leg Dead Lifts (4x10)
Weighted Lunges (3x10) each leg
Leg Extensions (5x10)
Leg Curls (5x10)
Abs (4x20)

Day 3
Bench Press (4x10)
Chest Pulls (4x20)
Curls (5x20)
Triceps (5x20)
Shrugs (4x12)

Day 4
Heavy Dead Lifts (5x5)
Straight Leg Dead Lifts (4x10)
Weighted Lunges (3x8) each leg
Leg Extensions (5x10)
Leg Curls (5x10)
Abs (4x20)

I love these workouts and feel amazing after each one! I can see and feel that there is muscle coming back and new muscle building. My arms and legs are so much firmer than they were at the end of pregnancy (the only thing really firm by that time was my super hard pregnant belly).

Pushing Through the Plateau

If there are two things I know about this plateau, it's that it is temporary and that there could be a dozen reasons why it's happening. Oh, and it's perfectly okay :) I will keep going and get through it. I don't feel comfortable cutting any more calories from my diet, so I feel that the solution may be found somewhere in the gym. Either way, I will continue to progress.

Fabletics

You've seen that commercial featuring a super svelte Kate Hudson jogging and doing yoga right? I decided to check out Fabletics, the new line of active wear she helped design (from the same people as JustFab Shoes... yes, I am a member). Clicking through all the different outfits, I found myself falling hard. I love new workout gear and for $50/month, I can get a new outfit for the gym delivered right to my door. When it's not in the budget, I just skip a month, similar to how JustFab works. I really enjoyed getting shoes for $39.95 every month last year, so I'm excited to get some new gym clothes. It's a total plus that they match and look super cute! I got my first outfit for $25 and am so excited to get it in! Visit www.fabletics.com to get yours!

November Goals

-Lose 5 pounds and 2% body fat. I have a BMI and body fat calculator. Orders yours here. 

-Work out for six hours a week... That doesn't mean I'll go more often, just that I will stay a little longer for some extra weights or cardio.
-Yes, I will log calories on Thanksgiving Day. I have a goal to not exceed 2,000. 

-Go shopping for jeans! I haven't done this in 2 years... Because I've kinda been avoiding jeans. I did buy a pair from Target yesterday because I really needed a new pair of skinnies for the weekend.

Finding Happy

I know I have a long way to go in my journey, but I am so happy right now. Everything in my life seems to be falling into place, and I'm so thankful for that. It's been a rough year; I got pregnant unexpectedly and lost my job. I was heartbroken and scared. For so long I had a why me? attitude. At the same time, I kept praying for God to show me the purpose in all of it, and He definitely has. He's given me this precious, perfect baby boy that I love more than anything in the world. He's the best baby and the biggest blessing in my life. I'm learning to create my own happy... Things might be a little rough sometimes; life has a funny way of throwing curve balls at you! But I'm getting better each day at finding the good around me and making the most of every single day.

And if I needed just one more reason to be happy.... RED CUPS ARE BACK AT STARBUCKS.