Freya is almost 11 months old now and I am the happiest mum in the universe. After my second miscarriage (and because of my age) I was really scared we won’t be this lucky. I love being a mum and I love my baby girl more than words can describe. I would do anything for her.

Losing my baby belly and pregnancy weight is one of the things I am doing for her as much as I am doing for myself.

My baby weight didn’t just disappear within 4 or even 9 months, despite breastfeeding, exercising and eating healthy. It frustrated me at first but now I am grateful for that. It allows me to learn so much about how my body has changed and what it needs right now. I am taking small steps and my body likes what I am doing, even though I am still making mistakes. Within the last three months my waist went from 110 to 89 cm. It works.

I will tell you all about it, as you may be facing the same challenges.

Feeling like the only mum who struggles with the pregnancy weight loss feels lonely sometimes, but we are not alone.

I hope we can help, support and motivate each other on this journey of motherhood while helping our body to recover and get healthy again.

Losing weight is always a challenge.

It doesn’t matter if we are in our 20s, 30s, 40s, or we are new mums, somehow it is always a struggle (it shouldn’t be but that is a story for another day). Changing what to eat and starting to exercise requires a lot of effort and self-discipline. I find it even more true now. Because having a baby means I must have the energy not just to survive a day, but to be able to take care of her and be fun! The “fun” part is the most difficult one when I am tried.

What is the first thing that comes to my mind when I’m tired?

“I NEED coffee and sugar!”

Even after so many years of changing my habits this is the most difficult one to get rid of. Apart from the fact that these two are very addictive it is also the easiest option. It is a quick fix and if the energy drops again, it can be easily repeated. PS. I also love sweets, which makes it even easier to fall into this trap.

Secondly when I am tired it is so easy to talk myself out of exercising. Fortunately, every day I train with other amazing women and even when I am tired and I want to skip the whole workout, I move.

I do a little bit.

I don’t push my body when I am exhausted, but I do it when I feel just a bit lazy. Plus, I walk every day, which is a massive benefit for both me and Freya. Walking is the best exercise for a new mum anyhow.

These are all real challenges, and because it just seems so hard, it is easy just to accept the extra post pregnancy weight. In the end larger sized clothes still look good on me. Yet this is not what I am worried about.

When I did my body analysis back in May, it wasn’t my weight or body fat level that got me worried. It was my visceral fat. I have always been very healthy with my visceral fat on the lowest level possible.

Today I am in the risk group.

Visceral fat is the only fat that, in my opinion, we as mums should take care of as much as we take care of our little ones.

Visceral fat is the fat under our stomach wall while subcutaneous fat is the one under our skin. Most people, when thinking about fat loss, mean losing the subcutaneous fat. The truth is, that it may not be seen as the most attractive one, it is not necessarily the main enemy here. We need some of it. Apart from other functions it provides cushion and energy in times of sickness. It is our buddy.

It is visceral fat that when high, can lead to inflammation, diabetes, heart problems as well as decreased brain function and more…

Therefore, being a mum who is now one size bigger is not such a problem for me. But being a mum who in a few years’ time may need a lot of medical care is not an option.

Being able to identify WHY we want to lose weight is a great tool in sticking to the new regime. The WHY must be bigger than just “I want to look good” and more meaningful to us. Because every size and shape are beautiful, and I want you to love yours.

Here is why I do want to get my visceral fat back to a healthy level.

I am now 40 years old. When Freya is 18, I will be 57. If she wants to travel the world with me, go for a bike trip around Europe, snowboard every day in the winter or keep on hiking the whole summer or do anything else, I want to be able to do it with her. I want to be fit and healthy to enjoy and celebrate every moment with her (she may not want to do that with me, but I want to have these options). I want to always be there for her, healthy and energetic as years go by (I want it so bad that when I write it, I am actually crying). I want to see my grandkids if she decides to have kids. It hurts to even think that I may miss any of that.

So, there you go. It is my why. It is what has been helping me stick to my plan.

If you feel the same, want to lose your baby weight but really struggle to stick to your plan, take a piece of paper and write down what you want your life to look like in 5, 10 or 20 years.

How you want to feel today and tomorrow.

What you want to teach your little one, what you want to show her/him and how you want each day to look like. This is the strongest motivation to be better every day and to take care of your body now. As the sooner we face our visceral fat the easier it is to get rid of it.

Now don’t underestimate your fat. Fat is an organ, it communicates with your brain and it will try to fight back. But that doesn’t mean we won’t succeed. There is a simple way to make the fat loss easy and healthy. Forget fad diets or extreme training regime. That has failed so many women before. The last thing we want is some impossible, hard to sustain programs that give only a short-term result (or none). Being a tired mum means we need something simple, and this is what I will tell you about next week.

PS. Being perfect is not necessary.

I am not perfect in sticking to my plan 100% and you don’t have to be. 9 out of 10 is enough to get great results and still enjoy a coffee and cake with friends every so often. Eventually we live to have fun. Delicious cake, or a glass of wine is fun!

With LOVE!

Karo, mum of a superstar called Freya.

What is your little star’s name?