A recent study of 670 moms showed that 1 in 3 moms were screened positive for postpartum depression and 1 in 5 moms had major depressive symptoms.
Holy shit.
This makes sense for an array of reasons like lack of help, interactions with other moms, work from home environments, etc.
So just eat healthy and exercise and you'll get over it!
WRONG.
In fact, our AMAZING Metabolic Momma client, Meg, 38, found herself in a similar position during the first year of her baby's life.
Meg didn't gain too much weight during her pregnancy, and it easily came off after having her child. But it quickly came back on + MORE: "I just wasn't taking care of myself."
Lot of convenience foods and emotional eating.
She was struggling, as I'm sure a lot of you moms are/were.
We all know the cycle:
Feeling like crap ➡️ eating crap + large portions + being sedentary ➡️ Feeling even worse 🔁
To stop that forward momentum, you either have to hit rock bottom or work thru it mentally with a professional.
Meg lost 15 lbs in 12 weeks, but more importantly felt STRONG and EMPOWERED.
What were Meg's keys to success?
🤰 Going at her own pace ➡️ when Meg and I had her original conversation, she took her time to actually commit after back and forth messages over Instagram. I'm usually pushy AF but knew better in this situation. The program we use for our Metabolic Momma is paced based off adherence. So, if any mom is struggling with one phase, we work with them to get that phase down first before moving onto the next phase (i.e. calories + protein ➡️ macros)
💸 Invest money, not time ➡️ the program and lifestyle you create should give you back more time in the day and not add on to your momma "to-do" list. Investing money is the BIGGEST statement moms can make: "I'M A PRIORITY DAMMIT!"
🔎 Find sustainability ➡️ Whole 30, vegetarian, low fat, and more diets and workouts Meg had tried. While they worked in terms of results, after she was done she gained the weight back. They were overly restrictive and had no lifestyle modification plans.
🏆 Focus on the non-scale victories ➡️ Meg's biggest win wasn't the weight loss, it was the commitment. Commitment to herself, her health, and the program. The more you focus on the end result the less likely it is to happen. Focus on getting stronger both mentally and physically.
🎬 Take action ➡️ Meg's biggest piece of advice for moms in her position: "just do it." There are a lot of excuses, some of them are very very real, but some of them aren't. Be self aware and ask yourself what can I really do? And take action on that. "I feel like I should've made myself a priority earlier, especially knowing how I feel now."
⚖️ Weigh out your options! ➡️ But understand that accountability will be the biggest part of your success. "I was able to rely on my coach for almost anything throughout the course of the program. if i was having a day I jsut wanted to do some emotional eating, I would send her a message and she would be there for me...having that support was incredible."