Post baby weight loss has never been something I’ve thought much about. I suppose I was lucky in a sense as I was 27 when Ethan was born and thanks to breastfeeding (sneaky cheeky calorie smashing bonus), I lost ‘the baby weight’ fairly soon.

The problem was that breastfeeding also gave me even more of a sweet tooth than I normally possessed and whilst I was in heaven with the amount of tasty treats I consumed whilst the pounds dropped off, I was naive in thinking that my weight would somehow level out after I finished burning calories in form of my ass in a chair feeding my son.

In fairness, my mother-in-law did warn me that I couldn’t continue my calorific diet when the feeding stopped, but that I likely would and would then find myself looking at my too-tight clothes wondering how the hell that happened? Prophecy she is. At the end of my year feeding Ethan, I was the slimmest I’ve ever been. One year later than that… I was close to the heaviest I’ve ever been.

I should mention that my weight fluctuation has never been severe… We’re talking about a dress size. But when that change in dress size (without admitting that I must change my wardrobe) means that you can’t sit down in your jeans without cutting off the circulation to your thighs, it’s time to make moves.

Aside from the uncomfortable attire, turning 30 was a bit of a kick in the backside towards my new health focus. I realised that I had never been a regular exerciser and that if I was to have a snowball’s hope in hell of feeling confident in my body as I got older, not to mention having some stability in my size, exercise must become a part of my routine.

I recently learned this concept of a ‘keystone habit’. A keystone habit is a habit you adopt that has a positive knock on effect in your life and makes other positive habits easier to implement.

I found that by working out a few times a week, my mood is better, I make better choices with food, I put more effort into my appearance and I generally walk a little taller. Even though I’m early on in this (I’ve only been at it for the last two months) and my appearance has only slightly changed, there are enough benefits for me to keep going.

I also had the moment of dawning that if I didn’t start now and see it as a lifestyle change, then I would never likely actually do it. I would never be ‘a girl who goes to the gym’. And it turns out I really really like being ‘a girl who goes to the gym’.

And tell me if I’m wrong… But does it seem like there is a general culture change towards fitness these days? I seem to be constantly bumping into personal trainers, people in activewear and the fact that my local Irish sandwich shop is now serving quinoa just blows my mind. (An enjoyable side effect of this new trend is that it also seems to make it cool that I now wear trainers with a dress. I am so down for that.)

So I shall keep you posted as I venture into this world of fitness. I see a rabbit hole ahead of me and whilst I have no intention to try my hand at body building in future, I certainly have some serious goals I’m pretty determined to achieve.

Are you a fitness convert like me? If so, what was your moment of dawning that pushed you towards it?
Anyone thinking of taking it up?
Also, anyone else find the pounds pile on post breastfeeding?

P.S. I would love to thank those of you beautiful women who commented on my post last week about having an only child. I truly was feeling alone in our decision, so the fact that so many of you had stories, advice and similar feelings really did change my perspective and brighten my week. So much love for you all!