Since my little baby bear was born my blog has been put on the back burner. I’ve been soaking up newborn cuddles and baby milestones. I’m trying to keep up but the demands of a baby just doesn’t allow it, which is why I’m here now, giving you an update on Lamb & Bear.

When I was in my first trimester of pregnancy I worked super hard on my blog and built up a strong following and readership. Keeping up with that is impossible now, which is a little disheartening. However, I’ve done it once so I can do it again.

You may have seen on social media that my new collection of leggings arrived. 2 weeks ago. Yet, they are still sat in their boxes in my dining room. They are not organised into tubs in my cellar like the rest of my product. They are not online selling like hot cakes (*crosses fingers*).

I want more than anything to be this super mum who can write a blog post every day, update social media regularly, run her own business. All while being a stay at home mum and working on her work from home career so she never has to leave her babies. But there’s just not enough hours in the day. So I’m choosing to be a mum. And if and when I manage to pick up my laptop and finish a blog post I will.

I’ve got review posts to write and events to attend. I want more than anything to keep up with blogging demands, but I just can’t. Luckily the PRs I work with are super understanding, and totally get that parenting bloggers can’t always commit to deadlines very easily. You never know when that pesky tummy bug will make an appearance (last week in our case).

I’ve committed to work and of course I’ll fulfill those commitments. I’ve even been offered a 3 month internship staring next week which will hopefully improve my blog & brand. I don’t want to look back on these early days of BBs life and remember feeling stressed and panicked about getting work done. That’s not what having babies is about.

Maybe you’ve noticed my lack of blog posts, maybe you haven’t. I’m just here to stay, please don’t forget about me, I’m still here, im still writing. I’m just putting my family first.

~A~

If you’ve followed my blog since the beginning you’ll know that I lost the weight I gained in my first pregnancy by doing Weight Watchers. Now I’ve had my second baby, I’m back to following the Weight Watchers plan and attending the meetings weekly. You can read about my weight loss after having Lamb here.

I’ve been updating you all on my progress on Facebook, and repeatedly promising you regular blog posts, but life is just too busy. Blogging is difficult with 2 kids, especially one that won’t take a bottle so I can have time to work undisturbed. (To be fair this doesn’t actually bother me, I’d much rather be nursing my baby than working, it would just be nice to have the option!)

After hearing a few of my blogging bump buddies have signed up to Weight Watchers for the first time to help shift the baby weight, I knew it was time to start blogging about my experience with the plan, to give them and anyone else a little helping hand.

Following a new diet plan can be daunting at first, especially with points counting etc, but once you’ve followed the plan for a week or 2 it becomes second nature.

My Journey With Weight Watchers

This is my third time doing weight watchers. The 2 previous times I reached goal and became a gold member after only a few months. All 3 times I’ve had a similar amount of weight to lose, around 2 1/2 stone. So many people are shocked when I tell them I have that much to lose, but as I have an extremely pear shaped figure, not everyone realises how much weight I hold on my lower body.

Over the years I’ve learned to dress to hide my curves, or at least compliment them. The skater dress soon became my best friend. Working in fashion it was always really difficult to dress exactly how I’d like to. I was, and still am, pretty limited to what I can wear. The seasons where skater dresses are on trend it’s not a problem, but when pencil skirts are the new craze and skaters are a thing of the past, I’m pretty stuck.

I initially joined Weight Watchers to lose the weight I gained from having an under active thyroid. The second time was to lose the weight after having Lamb (and for my wedding). This time it’s to lose the weight after having BB.

Now I’m on my third time at Weight Watchers I feel I can help others with their journey. You pick ups tips and tricks along the way, and ways to beat those sweetie cravings or hunger pains, so hopefully I can help any new members.

Advice For New Members

If you’re joining Weight Watchers for the first time, first of all, well done! It takes a lot to part with your money and attend a weekly weigh in. It’s not something everyone feels comfortable doing, but from my experience it’s so worth it. You’re also probably feeling a little lost. The app makes no sense and you’re a little nervous about turning up to your first meeting. That’s totally normal.

1. Before you start the plan, write down all of your favourite meals and how you cook them and their ingredients, e.g sauce in a jar, made from scratch, full fat milk, butter etc.
2. Then think about what changes you can make. Swap full fat milk or semi-skimmed to skimmed milk. Pretty much avoid butter. Cook with Fry Light. Grill your bacon. Buy half fat cheese. Only drink diet drinks. I could go on…
3. Plan your meals each day/week. A weekly meal plan is so helpful as it means you only need to buy exactly what you need and wont be tempted by anything else. Also shopping online so you can see how much you’re spending and whats in your basket helps.
4. Think about what your weakness is and how you can replace it. If you need chocolate in your life, that’s fine. Weight Watchers sell their own chocolate bars at the meetings and they really are delicious. I buy them every week 😉
5. Can you up your exercise each week? Walk to the shop instead of driving? Maybe go swimming once a week? You can earn ‘activity points’ quite easily with the Smarts Points plan. This is great for days when you’ve used your points and feeling hungry.
6. Let you friends and family know you are following the plan so they can support you. There’s nothing worse than being invited to someones house for lunch/dinner only to be offered something thats over your points allowance. Chances are you’ll eat it and ruin all of your hard work.
7. DOWNLOAD THE APP. The app is my best friend. You can track your points each day, save your favourite meals, search for recipes, and scan barcodes to find out the points allowance for something. This is my favourite part of the app. It’s so helpful.
8. Track everything you eat. Honestly, if you track everything from day one, you will see results. You can use the app to track your day in advance, this is what I do. So, decide what you’re having for breakfast, lunch and dinner, then you’ll know if you have any points left for cake/chocolate/wine/gin. Or all 4 🙂
9. Finally, be honest! Weight Watchers prides themselves on having a plan where you can eat anything. If you want a cheeky burger, then have one! You track the points and don’t go over your daily allowance. When I last did Weight Watchers (and had more money) I’d have a take-away every week and still lose at least 1-2lbs each week.

My Results

The last time I did Weight Watchers I lost around 2 1/2 stone in 4 months. I started at 12 stone 1 and finished at 9 stone 13. My official goal was 10 stone 1 lb. This is based my my age and height. When I started Weight Watchers 2 months ago I began at 12 stone 12 lbs. At my last weigh in I was 11 stone 11 lbs. In both of my pregnancies my bottom half went up 2 -3 dress sizes from a 10-12 to a 16. My top half went up to a size 12. Once I lost my weight I was wearing size 10-12 jeans and some dresses were size 8. So you can see I really achieved a lot!

During this journey I’ve already gone down a dress size in jeans and am now a size 14. I want to get down to a size 10 in jeans and an 8 in tops. My goal is to do this by Christmas, and it really is achievable.

Below are the 4 photos I use for inspiration as this was at my lowest weight after having Lamb and where I’d like to be again. It’s around 9 stone 11 lbs.

I hope you’ve found this post helpful. I’m more than happy to answer any questions you have about the plan, so feel free to comment or contact me on social media if you need help.

~A~