A single mom has revealed how she lost the 30 pounds she gained during her pregnancy with home workouts and simple substitutions at the grocery store.
Emma Frances Goodefrom Goulburn Valley in Victoria, had a difficult pregnancy in which she found it impossible to even walk around the block or get out of bed without help.
The 26-year-old hairdresser was used to an active lifestyle of running and lifting weights in the gym. That’s why the sudden drop in mobility “hit her like a truck.”
“It was really depressing, I was so heavy and exhausted all the time,” Emma told FEMAIL.
“I hated not being able to move my body properly. I felt the difference in my knees and joints, and my ankles started to flow with fluid – it was a terrible time.’
Emma worked hard to move forward on her fitness journey, making constant adjustments, such as working out while strapping her son to her chest and using food cans as makeshift barbells.
A single mom has revealed how she lost the 30 pounds she gained during her pregnancy, starting with home workouts and small supermarket substitutions
Emma Frances Goode, from Goulburn Valley in Victoria, had a difficult pregnancy where she found it difficult to even walk around the block and get out of bed without help
Emma started making small lifestyle changes six weeks after giving birth, after nine months of not regulating her diet or eating habits.
“Gaining weight is just something that happens during pregnancy, and I haven’t limited myself with food or anything. I just loved being pregnant.
‘I love chocolate and craved chocolate mousse every day. I wanted cheesecake, flavored milk, just anything with sugar.
“I didn’t diet or restrict food intake. I just ordered takeout whenever I felt like it, sometimes several times a week.”
The mother faced several complications postpartum, including diastasis recti, a condition caused by the growing uterus stretching and pulling apart the abdominal muscles.
‘After giving birth I had to be very careful about exercising and I wasn’t allowed to do things I was used to, such as squats and sit-ups. I could only take it very slowly and did a few leg presses and lunges.’
Emma started making small lifestyle changes six weeks after giving birth, after nine months of not regulating her diet or eating habits
The 26-year-old hairdresser was used to an active lifestyle of running and lifting weights in the gym. Therefore, the sudden drop in mobility hit her like a truck
Due to her physical limitations, Emma focused on her diet and started buying low-fat, high-protein substitutes from the supermarket.
“I started buying low-fat milk instead of whole milk, swapped olive oil for avocado oil, and bought low-fat margarine.
“I also started adding protein to every meal and kept track of how many calories I consumed every day.”
Once Emma started to recover from her pregnancy, she started with simple workouts at home and went to the gym. But trying to stay sane was difficult with a newborn clinging to her arm.
“My son was very affectionate, he absolutely couldn’t be apart from me,” said Emma. “I always tied him in a baby carrier and trained like that.
“As a single mom, it’s really hard to take time for myself. The mother guilt really hits me. I had to plan my whole life around my son, and it was always one thing after another.
“But it was very important to me to stick to my routine, and if no one could watch my son, I would just work out in the backyard or use things around the house for strength training.”
Once Emma started to recover from her pregnancy, she started with simple workouts at home and went to the gym. But trying to stay sane was difficult with a newborn clinging to her arm.
Emma often uses canned food for bicep curls and other core exercises.
She started to see changes within a month and completely transformed her figure 12 months after giving birth.
The mother revealed that the only thing that keeps her going is that she has to be a good role model for her child.
“I want to raise my son healthy and active, I want him to exercise,” she said. “I really need to find a way to move past my guilt and realize that this is important to both of us in the long run.”
Emma revealed that the hardest part of being a single mom on a fitness journey is figuring out her priorities.
The mother faced several complications postpartum, including diastasis recti, a condition caused by the growing uterus stretching and pulling apart the abdominal muscles
“It’s so hard being a mom, my job and being healthy. Things never really go according to plan, so you have to plan for a sick child, a tantrum, or something completely different.
“I try to make sure I give myself at least an hour every day to focus on my health.”
Emma’s number one piece of advice to others in a similar situation is to remember that it takes time to make major lifestyle changes.
“There is no such thing as a quick fix, I was growing a baby inside of me and I had to give myself time to heal before I could do anything.
“Being a single mother also brings its own challenges, but my health is very important to me and I’m doing my best.”