OK, so summer is almost here and this post-baby body is nowhere near close to where it needs to be. Who knew 9 months of consistent stretching and broadening of body parts could leave ones figure looking so, sooo – how can I put this – loose! That’s right, loose.

Even though people are always like, “you look so good to have just had a baby” or “you lost all that baby weight already” – I’m all like, “If you could only see what I see when I’m buck naked, staring into a freshly windex’d mirror” or “Butt dimples ain’t cute”. **insert mental side eye **, because the responses are
all in my mind of course).

Yes, over the last 6.5 months, I’ve lost 26 of the 48 pounds I gained during my pregnancy. Woop Woop!! But, there’s still 22 pounds of fat lingering on my newly formed curvaceous motherly frame.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love my daughter and wouldn’t trade her for the world. But, I’ve tried the, “I love my tiger stripes” & “I embrace my new body” thing, and it just isn’t working for me anymore. These tiger stripes can have several seats somewhere else; rather than in-between the rolls of skin lingering on my once baby-housed tummy. I don’t even want to think about how these milk jugs are going to look after mommy’s milk is all! But I’ll save that for another day.

The truth is, even though I could probably make the time to work out, I don’t! I am NOT a morning person. So waking up at 5 am, when I just fell back asleep after a 3 am feeding is not gonna’ fly.  And when I get off work, I am tired! And not to mention there’s a beautiful, bouncing bundle of joy uttering sweet coo’s and cah’s waiting for me at home with open arms.

Eight weeks after giving birth, I did Shaun T’s 60 day Insanity work-out challenge for 23 days! I was gettin’ it in ya’ll! But then my maternity leave expired and it was time for this new mommy to go back to work. After heading back to work, I exercised for about 3 days (really nights) until the pressures of working full time and being a full-time new mommy started kicking me in the rear! I even tried sitting baby girl down in her fisher price swing, hoping she would watch quietly as mommy sweated bullets, panting from side-to-side, up and down across the living room floor. But she won’t havin’ it!

So here I am, 14 weeks since my last workout and looking all kinds a’ loose. I’m finally realizing that if I want something done, then I just have to put in the work & get it done! Excuses are no longer an option. I either accept my honorable tiger striped rolls as they are, or I start pushing out planks and squats for days (more like weeks).

Now, I know that as women, we are ALL KINDS OF BEAUTIFUL! Our beauty is tall and short; petite and full-figured; black, white & all colors in-between (those stretch marks show differently on different skin tones ya’ll ). Fully aware of our ranging beauty and varying aspirations, we may all be at different stages of our healthy lifestyle journey’s. So, starting right where we are, lets make attainable goals – setting realistic expectations we can achieve with a great big dose of self-love in our hearts! You down? OK, I’m down!!!

Speaking for myself, I know bikini season is near, and this body needs to get back tight, ASAP! I’m sure I can make these tiger stripes work, as long as they accompany a newly formed 6-pack. Or a 4-pack, or maybe even a flat-pack – shoot, I won’t be too picky. I’ll take anything but this loose pack placed in my mid-section.

Accountability partner, WHERE YOU AT?

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S. Sonia is a Family Advocate by day, and a poet, writer and blogger by night. Belizean bread – one of her favorite past-time includes indulging in some good ol’ Caribbean cuisine. She uses her blog as an outlet & platform, hoping her journey can inspire Queens out of the shadows of their fears and into the light of their destiny. // @QueenInTheShdws