Please help!!!

[babylane]

I am new to this board and I am impressed with the advice offered.
I am hoping someone can help me reach my goal.

I am 27 years old, 5'3,138 lbs
I just had a beautiful baby boy 5 months ago. I gained a ton of weight
(I weighed in at 197 lbs the day he was born) I have lost most of the weight but I am having a hell of a time losing the last ten pounds. I had a
c-section and I am willing to do anything to have a nice flat stomach again.
Is this even possible?

This is what I have been doing so far:

cardio: Run 2 miles twice a week in the AM, Kickboxing 45minutes twice a week in the PM

Weights: Day 1 abs, chest, triceps
Day 2 legs
Day 3 abs, back, biceps

I do cardio on the days I don't weight train.

Diet usually 5 small meals

Meal 1 Whey protein shake
Meal 2 balance bar
Meal 3 Grilled chicken or tuna and brown or wild rice
Meal 4 balance bar or protein shake
Meal 5 Grilled Chicken or lean steak usually filet and brown rice

I sometimes add yogurt in the morning and an apple durring lunch

I have been stuck at 138 for over 6 weeks what can I do different?

I would love advice from any women who have had a c-section and have gotten their abs back.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

 

[Sassy69]

First, welcome & congrats on your new bundle of joy! And also congrats on your progress so far!

Flat stomach - I'm going to leave it to others about the challenge of flat stomach after kids & a c-section. But to get you beyond your plateau, the first rule of thumb is to take a look at your diet, then your training schedule. Diet will always give you your biggest bang for the buck & it is so easy to do!

Diet -

First of all, you are not eating enough real food and I'm not sure if I see any good quality fats in there. I would also suspect that you aren't eating enough. I'm sure your baby has put huge demands on your energy and I bet you aren't fueling yourself sufficiently to meet those demands.

The five smalls meals concept is a good start. To get a good start in the morning, you should throw in some good carbs to kick off your day. I'd trade out the shake for say 1 whole egg, 4-5 egg whites + 1/2 c oatmeal.

Toss the balance bar and maybe replace with a shake here. The thing w/ the bars is that they just arent' the greatest source of food. Once in a while is OK. I keep them around for when I travel, but its not a regular part of my diet.

Do you have any fats in your diet? Flax seed oil is an excellent source. Almonds are also good.

More vegetables! Green leafy vegies & lots of 'em. Do you include vegies with your meal 3? On your last meal, you might consider tossing the carbs (rice) and replace with vegetables.

Training -
The split seems OK - do you do all your weights 3 days in a row or spread across the week? With the cardio that you do, I don't imagine it hurts as long as you have enough recovery time between each muscle group - by that I mean do YOU feel like you are recovered enough? The bigger issue is the intensity of your training if you really want to see major difference. You don't have to spend 3 hours in the gym - but the time you spend in there should be INTENSE!

I think a good model to give you some guidelines is what Daisy has done - I like this diet because it is totally doable and doens't require wild food prep, etc.

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=278522

If you have plateaued at this point, you have made progress, but first, I think your diet isn't giving you enough fuel to continue to progress and I would also suggest that if you've been following the same diet & training schedule for several months, its probably time to change it up a little so your body has a new set of demands to respond to. The change doesn't even have to be in the daily schedule, but maybe in the exercises that you do, the intensity, etc.

 

[babylane]

Thanks for your help.

I think I can stick to daisy's diet. Hopefully!!
Does it make a difference if I use skim milk or water for the shakes. It did not specify on her diet. I always use skim milk.

I do cardio on Mon, Wed Friday and weight on Tues, Thurs, Sat,

I have a personal trainer and we have done 6 weeks strengh training and then 6 weeks conditioning changing exercises every 2 weeks.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Sassy69]

Water is the optimal for shakes - lactose in the milk just introduces more sugar.

 

[wend]

What kind of incision did they make for your section? If it's one along your bikini line you should be able to get your tight stomach back, but if they had to cut down the middle, you may have difficulty getting your muscles there back in shape.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Great advice here....

First, welcome & congrats on your new bundle of joy! And also congrats on your progress so far!

Flat stomach - I'm going to leave it to others about the challenge of flat stomach after kids & a c-section. But to get you beyond your plateau, the first rule of thumb is to take a look at your diet, then your training schedule. Diet will always give you your biggest bang for the buck & it is so easy to do!

Diet -

First of all, you are not eating enough real food and I'm not sure if I see any good quality fats in there. I would also suspect that you aren't eating enough. I'm sure your baby has put huge demands on your energy and I bet you aren't fueling yourself sufficiently to meet those demands.

The five smalls meals concept is a good start. To get a good start in the morning, you should throw in some good carbs to kick off your day. I'd trade out the shake for say 1 whole egg, 4-5 egg whites + 1/2 c oatmeal.

Toss the balance bar and maybe replace with a shake here. The thing w/ the bars is that they just arent' the greatest source of food. Once in a while is OK. I keep them around for when I travel, but its not a regular part of my diet.

Do you have any fats in your diet? Flax seed oil is an excellent source. Almonds are also good.

More vegetables! Green leafy vegies & lots of 'em. Do you include vegies with your meal 3? On your last meal, you might consider tossing the carbs (rice) and replace with vegetables.

Training -
The split seems OK - do you do all your weights 3 days in a row or spread across the week? With the cardio that you do, I don't imagine it hurts as long as you have enough recovery time between each muscle group - by that I mean do YOU feel like you are recovered enough? The bigger issue is the intensity of your training if you really want to see major difference. You don't have to spend 3 hours in the gym - but the time you spend in there should be INTENSE!

I think a good model to give you some guidelines is what Daisy has done - I like this diet because it is totally doable and doens't require wild food prep, etc.

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=278522

If you have plateaued at this point, you have made progress, but first, I think your diet isn't giving you enough fuel to continue to progress and I would also suggest that if you've been following the same diet & training schedule for several months, its probably time to change it up a little so your body has a new set of demands to respond to. The change doesn't even have to be in the daily schedule, but maybe in the exercises that you do, the intensity, etc.

 

[babylane]

I had a bikini cut. My upper abs seem to be improving but my lower abs are not. I have like a little pooch. I do not know anyone who has had a c-section and now has nice abs. I would love to hear from someone who has.