The Mummy Tummy Food Diary Analysis… How To Eat the MuTu Way

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Karin at Cafebebe & her food confessions start here… This is how to eat to lose your Mummy Tummy, the MuTu way!

Karin, her tummy & her Little Miss

Want postnatal fat loss? Even if you’re not so postnatal anymore… that’s OK. Please join the *really-quite-a-few-months-postnatal-now* lovely Karin on her journey to a smaller stomach!

I have a few days of food diary from Karin now, & so have added my suggestions, alternatives & waggy finger *tut tut*comments below.

Keep the confessions coming Karin! You did tell me to let you have it, & I, um, have. Hope you’re sitting down Love.

Thursday, Early AM:
1/2 cinnamon-raisin bagel w/ light scraping of Bertolli spread; Cup of tea/splash of milk; 2 tsp Splenda

Bagels are very high GI – this means they convert to sugar almost immediately in your system, give you a quick energy burst & blood sugar high, then fizzle away to empty calories & hunger. Wholegrain spelt, rye or wheat (more on wheat later) bread with some no-crap-added peanut butter or an egg for protein would give much more sustained energy & nutrition.

More on bloating & sugar & intolerance here

Late Morning:
1 piece of Hovis Hearty Oats bread; 1 poached egg; 1 small satsuma

This is a much better combination… have it first thing then you could delete those empty bagel calories from the equation!

Snack: 1 pkt Lighter Choice Tesco Melba Toast (6 wee slices); 2 tbsp Caramelized Onion Hummus

Beware packaged foods claiming to be ‘light’, ‘low fat’ or ‘diet’ foods. A food that naturally contains fat will taste pretty darned odd or unpleasant without it. So they add something else (usually more sugar, or salt, or something chemical & nasty) to make it taste nice again. Keep foods in their natural state, & you can’t go far wrong.

Lunch: 2 cups tri-colour, whole wheat fusilli pasta; cream & mushroom sauce (but not very creamy… I think single cream & not much of it); small piece of chocolate sponge; Cup of tea/splash of milk, 2 tsp unrefined golden caster sugar

The wheat was wholegrain, so that’s good, then lots of sugar, lots of saturated fat… & one vegetable! ;)

Snack: Banana
I like that snack! Have a handful of nuts with it to slow down the GI, add protein & keep you feeling satisfied.

Dinner:
2 handfuls McCain’s French Fries; 4 Tesco Cheese & Onion quiche; 2 tbsp Heinz beans; 1 tbsp coleslaw (Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference)

After dinner I was MASSIVELY bloated & uncomfortable!
Hmmm, that’s because the only healthy thing in there was the baked beans… & possibly you ate a bit too much, quite late at night.  Shop-bought baked goods (anything with pastry) will almost certainly contain nasty hydrogenated fats. We don’t like those. More wheat in the pastry too.

2 pint glasses of water w/ splash of Oceanspray Cranberry & Raspberry squash drink

Lots of sugar in it, but could be a lot worse!

(slinks away & hides)
:) Karin

As well you might Mrs…

Friday: (45 minute walk)

Some exercise! I like that!

Cup of tea w/ milk, 2 tsp sugar; 1/2 cinnamon bagel; Bowl of Rice Krispies w/ semi-skimmed milk

Try to reduce the processed nature of your breakfasts – any goodness the grains used in these packaged cereals had has been long since processed away (that’s why they add all those vitamins). Try oats, spelt flakes, dried fruit, nuts, seeds (ie make your own muesli) Just buy all the things you like separately – much cheaper – then throw them all in a big tupperware.
Coconut milk (wonderful, healthy stuff), hemp or organic oat milk (most supermarkets do sell this stuff  – try the dairy/wheat free aisles or sometimes it’s randomly in with the cartons of long life milk) are great alternatives to dairy.

Chicken/mayo/salad on white bread sandwich; 6 Pringles; 1/4 boiled egg; 1 scoop hazelnut/chocolate ice cream

The salad’s good… ;) Seriously though,  just a few changes will  make this healthy. Ditch the mayo, double the salad & switch the bread for one of the types mentioned before, add free range chicken… Healthy sandwich! Pringles are the Devil’s work. Nothing more to say there. The egg is good, good, good! The ice-cream… well I think you KNOW about that one.

1 small nectarine

Fruit. Fruit is good.

1 pkt. Tesco Light Choice Melba Toast; 1 tbsp carmelised onion hoummus

1 poppadom w/ 1 tsp mango chutney; Onion Baghee (4 small ones/starter); Mushroom Biryani (4 tbsp rice/2 tbsp sauce); Plain Naan; Small glass Rosé

You went out for a curry & a drink. It’s OK, that’s allowed… so long as you make the changes to the rest of the week!

Saturday 7 August:
2 cups of tea w/ milk/ 4 sugars; 1/2 cinnamon bagel; 2 small nectarines

1 piece Hovis Hearty Oats bread; 1 tbsp peanut butter

Oat bread OK, nectarines good, peanut butter good (so long as it’s the crunchy, no sugar added sort)

2 pieces garlic bread (Tesco Light Choice); 2 cups baked spaghetti;
1 breadstick

It’s white (ie processed, no goodness left) wheat bread again – this is what is making you feel bloated, honest.

1/4 Mattesons Smoked Sausage; 2 pieces Hovis Hearty Oats bread; 2 tbsp Heinz baked beans

Sunday 8 August:
1 cup of tea/milk + 2 tsp sugar; Bacon Roll & Hash Brown (McDonalds); 250ml Orange Juice

Med Mocha Frescato (Costa)

Sugar, sugar, sugar & a bit of sugar.

So you darkened the doors of the Golden Arches & followed it with a nice cold cup of sugar & additives. Just don’t do it again if you want to lose that tummy, Lady.

10 Meatballs w/ gravy (IKEA); small portion of chips

Well, so long as the meatballs were made with organic, lean mince, the gravy had no hydrogenated fat in it & the chips were oven baked. No? Oh, not so great then.

2 pieces of chicken; 1 tbsp stuffing; 2 small roast potatoes; 1 corn on the cob; 1 piece of Yorkshire pudding

If this as all home made & fresh – nothing wrong with a good roast in my book.

2 pint glasses of water

OK, so now Karin hates me & has slunk away to eat a baguette with jam on whilst sticking pins in a small annoying Wendy doll.

Your homework for the next week Lovely CafeBebe:

  • Cut out refined wheat. This means white pasta, white bread & all types of pastry or baked goods made with wheat flour. I PROMISE you will feel better. Seek out rye & spelt bread, try oatcakes instead. If you must have wheat, have wholegrain (not just ‘brown’ ). Go to the health-food shop & find different types of pasta, crackers & breads. Don’t think ‘ it’s too much hassle’ – it’s not, it’s your body & it’s important & you want to change it, remember?
  • Eat more fresh vegetables – at least 5 servings a day
  • Drink more water
  • Start reading – really READING – labels.

Will you join Karin on her quest to clean up her food act & lose the tummy? Please leave a comment & give the lady some encouragement – especially since she probably thinks she’s just been right royally told off.

This is where I say, it’s for your own good’ , but she still wants to punch me. She’ll have to catch me first though. XX

The Foods That Make (Or Keep) Your Mummy Tummy Fat

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You’ve been asking for bloated mummy tummy help, Lovely Ladies (you know who you are, *big kiss*)… & I aim to please, so…

Your Mummy Tummy is wobbly for a number of reasons, all of which you can find plenty of info on in this blog… To recap /summarise, if you want fat loss & a flat tummy after having babies:

This post is about mummy tummy fat & food & for the purposes of this post, a mummy tummy is no different to any other tummy.

Sure, if you eat way more food than your body needs, you will of course gain fat. But there’s a bit more to it than that, when you are storing excessive or disproportionate amounts of fat around your abdomen, & / or suffer from bloating.

Storing disproportionate fat around your middle is directly related to SUGAR, & how you manage the insulin level in your blood. Taken to the extreme, diseases like diabetes type 2 can be the result.

It can also be due to FOOD INTOLERANCE OR ALLERGY.

SUGAR & YOUR MUMMY TUMMY

First we need a little ‘science bit’, so concentrate ;) Insulin is a hormone our body produces to control the circulating sugar level in our blood. It is also a fat storage hormone. Storing fat is one of insulin’s jobs.  High levels of insulin in your blood make your body really, really *clever* at storing fat. The insulin will actually inhibit the breakdown of fat, so no matter how much you exercise, the flabby tummy remains.

Whenever we eat something, insulin is released to ensure that our blood sugar level doesn’t rise too high. The amount of insulin released depends upon the type of food that we eat – the more sugar, the more insulin is needed. This is not just about eating obvious sugar, like cakes, sweets or cookies, but any highly refined, starchy, carbohydrate foods such as white pasta, white bread, white rice, or alcohol.

As far as your body is concerned, any refined or simple carbohydrate is pure sugar, & the same chemical reaction will take place when you eat or drink it.

Carbohydrate-rich foods serve as our main source of energy, & are ESSENTIAL, especially for a busy mother with many demands on her time & energy, & definitely if you’re breastfeeding. You’re SHOULD NOT cut out all carbs. But you really should cut out bad carbs.

Your consumption of carbs should be in the form of whole-grains, fruits & vegetables. If there is no alternative but to use white pasta or rice, ensure that there is a good level of protein (beans, eggs, fish, meat) in the same meal to help balance your blood sugar level.

We commonly think of fat as the problem when it comes to being fat, but actually sugar is the real enemy. Sugar, in all its forms & including alcohol, is empty calories, plain & simple.

Stress, caffeine & skipping meals are also major culprits. All of these things create stress hormones & trigger the release of further glucose from your liver into your blood stream. More glucose (ie more sugar)… more insulin… more fat.

Stress could be ‘life’ stress, but it could also be ‘body’ stress caused by eating rubbish foods, not drinking enough water or not getting enough sleep.

The whole process of releasing insulin starts all over again…and you didn’t even eat!

FOOD INTOLERANCE OR ALLERGY

Firstly, an intolerance is not the same as an allergy. If you are allergic to a particular food, it will cause an immediate (or within an hour of eating), acute reaction. This is likely to be itching in the mouth, difficulty breathing or swallowing, followed by vomiting, diarrhea & abdominal pain. It is an abnormal, immune response to certain food (such as peanuts, shellfish or milk). Less than 3% of adults & 6-8% of children have clinically proven, true allergic reactions to food.

A food intolerance is much more prevalent, & is defined by a difficulty or inability to digest certain foods. This is usually due to insufficient digestive enzymes in the intestine. It doesn’t affect the immune system & is rarely life threatening. Unabsorbed foods cause gas, bloating and cramping, particularly if large quantities of the food is eaten. Common offenders are milk products, wheat or other gluten-containing grains.

A bloated or gas-filled intestine will appear as a distended & enlarged abdomen… so if you thank you may be intolerant to certain foods, simply try cutting them out. Only cut out one food at a time (otherwise you won’t know what caused the reaction) & see if you feel any different after a week. If there is no difference, re-introduce the food & try something else. The western diet typically includes excessive amounts of wheat & dairy products anyway, so going without for a few days will certainly not do you any harm.

Struggling with what to buy? Try different grains such as spelt (an ancient form of wheat, but much more digestible), buckwheat, oats or rye instead of wheat. (Note that many grains contain gluten, including some of the above  – try just avoiding actual processed wheat first, all glutens may not be a problem).

Think you can’t do without dairy? Oat milk or rice milk are alternatives for drinking or for muesli or porridge. Please note, oat or rice milks are NOT a replacement for infant or breast milk for young children.

Goat & sheep’s milks, yoghurts & cheeses are more digestible than cow’s milk products for many people. Green vegetables, almonds, parsley, beans or the other dairy sources above (i.e. not cow) are all great sources of calcium, so don’t get too hung up on that either.

Get your protein from pulses, beans, fish, lean meat, nuts & nut butters like cashew & almond butters which are lovely & less ‘claggy’ than peanut. (Whole Earth is a brilliant peanut butter brand). Don’t go mad on soya products – you won’t be protein deficient without cow’s milk, I promise.

Try the alternatives, you may even like them. And you may even see a rather miraculous change in the shape of your tummy ;)

The No More Mummy Tummy Diet. Yes I Know. You Know.

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I know, you know what you’re SUPPOSED to eat & not supposed to eat to get rid of your mummy tummy…

‘Yeah, yeah, apples not biscuits. Greens not pastry. Yada Yada. I KNOW!’

‘Eat less crap. Exercise more’. I KNOW!’

So if we all know & it’s so easy, why don’t we all do it? Why aren’t all mums walking around smugly with a lean, sexy body, rather than a wobbly mummy tummy?

Well because greens & apples don’t tempt us at every turn. But junk does.

Really tasty junk.

Everywhere we look there’s fast food, calorie laden coffees and treats, chocolate, ice cream, pizza, that large glass of wine & packet of crisps after a tough day…

And I know it tastes good. Heaven help anyone who tries to wrench a nice bottle of red or some dark chocolate away from me when the mood takes me ;)

Unfortunately when we get stressed or anxious or depressed, our body craves it even more. And so the mummy tummy keeps on growing (even though the babies may have grown up a little while ago).

That’s why you have to have a plan. You have to know what you’re going to do to avoid those temptations, & plan your meals in advance. You really don’t have to go on a diet.

Again, if this were easy everyone would be lean and in great shape.

The first thing to do is, as I have been known to say before, GET OVER IT & accept reality. Accept the fact that getting the body of your dreams (or even just a slightly less offensive version of the one you’ve got now) is going to take effort.

The second thing is just try to accept that it’s not going to be miserable. You might even enjoy it!

I defy you to deny that when you DO exercise you feel great. All sort of exhilarated and virtuous. The weight comes off (it’s not rocket science… exercise right & it WILL come off).

But you also feel stronger, more energetic & more able to cope with your kids, your work…your life.

That’s not so miserable!

And when you start eating healthier the same thing happens. It really, really is true: you are what you eat. What you put in your mouth is what your body is using to regenerate itself with all the time.

So if you eat crap food…

Exactly.

What are YOUR tips for avoiding temptation?

One Shrinking Mummy Tummy… And Wendy Tells It Like It Is.

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Sue’s No More Mummy Tummy challenge had a tummy measuring tape moment of truth last week – and she’s LOST AN INCH & A HALF OFF HER WAIST!

Her version of events is below, with some rather insightful soul searching about why so many mums ‘set out to fail’ when it comes to postnatal weight loss. She has inspired me to a little ‘Tell It Like It Is’ moment too, so please join the conversation & add your philosophical tummy ponderings too!

Sue and Ella

Sue has steadily & healthily lost tummy fat, plus got fitter & stronger & she will continue to do so. Why? Because she isn’t ‘on a  diet’ or killing herself with an unrealistic, unsustainable postnatal exercise plan.

Instead she is becoming (sometimes kicking & screaming, but she is becoming nonetheless) ‘someone who runs & works out’. Someone who eats clean, good food for 98% of the time. Someone who trains intensively enough, often enough & effectively enough to make a difference.

Mummy tummies take many months to accumulate. If you’ve had more than one child without losing your mummy tummy in between, it may have taken years. And it will take dedication & hard work to get rid of it. It’s going to take a good few weeks before you see a difference. It takes ongoing changes in your fitness & lifestyle to lose fat & to stay lean.

So get over it.

(Told you I was having a ‘tell it like it is’ moment).

Doing the following ALONE will NOT achieve your goals: joining a gym, buying new trainers, even hiring a personal trainer.  You still have to actually DO IT.

If you want to lose the mummy tummy, you have to eat in a way that will make you lose body fat. You have to do the right kind of exercises to put your split tummy muscles & weakened core muscles back together again. You have to do intensive interval training using weights & cardio work.

As Sue says below… Kinda boring? Well not if it works. So bloody well done Sue.

She didn’t just talk about it, she actually got off her arse & did it! I feel kinda proud. But only for being there & showing her what to do. She did it.

This evening I ran Sue ragged round our field, boxing, lunging, skipping (we’re trying to skip like Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby, but we look more like 7 year old girls) & sprinting. Of course she complained, swore like a trooper & tried to ‘miss’ the pad I was holding with her right hook. She got sweaty, out of breath & had a laugh. But the important part is she just did it. (Good line, Nike, can I borrow it?)

And so here is the measuring session as only Sue is her self-deprecating loveliness can tell it…

“Last week Wendy came to my house for the measuring session.  I was apprehensive as I still think I’m a freak of nature who, whatever effort is put in, is destined to stay overweight.

When she measured my waist and informed me I’d lost 1 ½ inches my first thought was – ‘She didn’t measure me correctly’.  Then I assumed that the reason she didn’t have the bodyfat scales with her, was not because her little boy had spilt milk on them (it’s true… sorry) but because she wanted to let me down lightly.

Neither of these two assumptions was correct, but this is my natural reaction.  On analysing why this is my natural reaction and why my thought process is wired this way I came up with the following reasons:

  • I am crap at dieting, and even though this is not ‘dieting’ it is still a weight type challenge and therefore I will fail.
  • Why will I fail?  Because every diet and quick fix I’ve ever been on in the past has reversed itself, either rapidly or more slowly.

So how can I re-wire my scrambled thought processes and assumptions?

  • By reminding myself that I am making steady changes, and losing a stone in a week and keeping it off is just plain silly.
  • If I made dramatic/boot camp style changes then I would go into martyr mode and set myself up to fail as I would see food as something to be denied and exercise as a punishment.
  • These changes will bring about slow but significant changes in my body shape and my attitudes toward food
  • I am becoming a healthier person and by doing this I will naturally lose weight, become fitter and healthier.

This is quite clearly the boring way to do weight loss, but in my opinion it’s the only way.  Nothing faddy works because faddy isn’t any way to live your life long term.  It’s also quite boring for the diet/weight loss industry because they don’t make any money out of you.  But I won’t get on that soap box today.  Anyway Wendy would probably make me use the soap box in a step type exercise, or weird press ups, or some such torture..….”

What has or hasn’t worked for you? Do you identify with Sue & her feelings of  ‘setting herself up to fail’ before she’s given herself a chance? We’d both love to hear your thoughts!

Does Your Mummy Tummy Still Look Pregnant? Diastasis Recti (& Other Causes!)

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the mummy tummy masterclass

Yes, I KNOW this one's just a bit flabby, but I didn't have many model volunteers. Anyone?

An enquiry about my MuTu Masterclasses today has got me *all cross* about the lack of information being given to women about diastasis recti.

Yet again I hear from a mum who has been told, by her doctor, that she has to accept a 7 month’s postnatal tummy, that looks like it’s 5 month’s pregnant, as ‘just what happens after you have children’.

A Mummy Tummy that protrudes, domes, causes backache, & inspires ‘Oooh, when’s the next one due?’ comments, is NOT any fun at all, & more importantly NOT something you have to just put up with. Whatever your doctor says.

I hear all the time from women who feel like they’re the only one who feels like their innards are falling out the front of their tummy. Like they’re the only one who wets herself *just a little* (or maybe quite a bit) every time they sneeze, cough or try to run for the bus.

I promise you they’re not. Each of us may or may not want to invest the time & effort to attaining a six pack (ahem… I don’t), but you can achieve a lot firmer, flatter & less pregnant-looking version of what you’ve got.

This particular lady had bought a quite-well-known mummy tummy book (don’t worry, as soon as I get my publishing deal, you’ll get a mummy tummy book with ALL the answers! Plug Plug :) ) which she had found slightly confusing, quite hard to follow & well… her mummy tummy was still there.

Diastasis Recti (the focus of the book & the ‘Technique’ she had tried) is a major factor in determining the shape of many women’s mummy tummy. In order to correct it there are some exercises you absolutely must do & some you absolutely must not (if you don’t want to make it worse). And the book she had read is very thorough & effective at correcting diastasis recti.

But Diastasis Recti is ONLY ONE FACTOR. There are 4 more, which my MuTu students learn in a one-off intensive, half day workshop. Knowing ALL the factors that cause a mummy tummy is the first stage. Learning how to engage, use & strengthen all the right muscles, how to exercise very effectively in a short space of time, how to eat, how to actually make it all happen… that’s the next very important stage!

Please don’t despair of your tummies, fellow Mums! And don’t believe anyone who tells you that there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it… Because you honestly can.

Have you been asked the dreaded ‘Having another one?’ question on the school run? Or been told by a doctor or ‘expert’ there’s nothing you can do? Please share your stories – I never, ever tire of Mummy Tummy stories… I think I need to get out more! ;)

Sue's No More Mummy Tummy Challenge: A Turning Point!

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I have a (still raging) Internet connection fiasco in my house :(  but have managed to get on here to give you Sue’s latest No More Mummy Tummy update!

(Last Monday) “Wendy session today. She made me run LOTS! But feeling OK after our 50 minute run. Yes 50 minutes of movement of the exerting variety. Nice views over the river & almost enjoyed it. Didn’t feel terrible afterwards, in fact felt pretty good, better than spending the time sitting on my bum or doing very little. My new instructions are to run faster in my half hour slots, if I can run like I did tonight for longer, then I should aim for running faster for shorter. Apparently.

Put work trousers on this morning & they are definitely more comfortable. Roomy even. In a good way, IE not starving myself & feeling crap for a fortnight just so I can fit into things & then having an ice cream-eating relapse. Which would be irrational. Which I’m not of course. Not any more.

(A few days later)… despite a crap nights sleep I had a great day with the children. Went for a run when Phil got home from work, despite it being 8.40 when I set off, realised that I just have to live with the timings, or I won’t go at all some days which isn’t good enough really. Went further than my usual route, & for the first time felt almost confident & actually enjoyed it. Didn’t go that much faster but added some distance & upped the pace a bit.

I think the Wendy run yesterday has been a turning point. I felt great when i got home. Did my exercises, lovely stretches, had a shower & a facepack. brilliant. Feel good about myself & that I’ve actually achieved something.

This is the work of Wendy. Clearly I am also working but it is Wendy who has got me into it & I’m very glad I am too.”

I am so proud of her :) . Sue will have days when she feels fab (like after that run) & days when she feels, as she would say, *crap*. But she, like all of us (& this is a challenge to all you would-be or starter-runners out there!)… will never regret going for a run.

Think about it. It’s hard to get into the mood sometimes. It’s hard to get out the door sometimes. It‘s hard actually doing it sometimes. But I promise you’ll never wish you hadn’t gone! Good luck & please share your stories & encouragement with Sue!

Sue's 'No More Mummy Tummy' Food Feedback

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The new 'Sue' badge (she prefers this one to her tummy for some reason)

Our No More Mummy Tummy hero, Sue (on the right… a little while ago), has been keeping a record of what she’s been eating for a week now. She’s following the rules I gave her at the beginning of the week, which include eliminating all processed foods, sugar (including alcohol) & refined carbs, dramatically reducing her milk & wheat intake to reduce bloating (as well as calories), drinking tonnes of water & working out 4 days + a week. :)

As a reminder of our Mummy Tummy Hero’s story so far, see Introducing Sue , The Rules & One Week In.

She has sworn at me like a sailor, accused me of being ‘really annoying’, ‘skinny’ & ‘too bouncy’ but has basically done as she was told. The insults I enjoy in a twisted kind of way (it means habits are being challenged & changed. And that’s all good). And hey, I’m used to people swearing at me…

I have kept this analysis jargon-free & realistic, which I hope is more helpful to both Sue & any other readers than orders to start downing linseeds by the cupful or spouting mung beans (all of which are terribly good for you… but let’s get real. And I don’t do it.)

You have seen a few days’ examples of Sue’s food diary… & so here are my minor tweaks & recommendations:

Sue eats a good breakfast every day of porridge made with water & with added raisins. On the good side, this is slow burning (low GI) carbs which will keep her going without sugar highs or hunger pangs throughout the morning.

Add Variety. Firstly there’s nothing like feeling like you’ve been ‘put on a diet’, to get into a rut of the same breakfast every day which can lead to boredom, & anyway it could do with some nutritional variety. Use almond, rice or oat milk in place of water on porridge for a change, & add crushed seeds, blueberries or yoghurt. Try homemade muesli some days, or an egg on rye or spelt toast, or a filling smoothie (add bananas, oats, yoghurt or peanut/cashew/almond butter to make it thick & creamy).

Add Protein. Protein should be included in every meal. It slows down the absorption of sugars from the carbs in your meal & helps you to feel full, as well being an essential nutrient. Breakfast protein additions could be eggs, nuts, nut butters, organic yoghurt (goat or sheep yoghurt as an alternative to cows’).

Sue’s diet could include more different fruits – make sure you’re eating a few different fruits every day. The more variety of fruits, the more vitamins & fibre you’re getting.

There is a really good selection of good protein in Sue’s lunches & dinners: chicken, tofu, some pulses, a small amount of lean red meat. That’s a tick, BTW ;)

Like every mother I’ve ever known, Sue picks at her kids’ tea, but her children eat only homemade, real food (ie nothing processed, bar one renegade fishfinger last week). So grazing on a few mouthfuls of vegetables, rice or potatoes at 5pm-ish is a perfectly good way to avoid snacking on something healthful whilst waiting for ‘grown-up dinner’.

Like many of us, Sue should try to increase her intake of essential fats. Omega fats can come in the form of oily fish (pilchards, sardines, mackerel, salmon), or from other sources like nuts & seeds. Or a good quality supplement of course. Sue’s husband is vegetarian & so the family’s fish consumption is relatively low, but it would be a good idea to include these ‘good fat’ foods wherever possible, & possibly to perfect the art of cooking fish in individual ‘smell free’ foil parcels! Nuts & seeds can be ground up & sprinkled on breakfast, in a smoothie, or on salads.

Sue’s diet (especially with the new rules ;) ) is really very healthy – she eats plenty of vegetables, fruit & wholegrains, drinks a lot of water & doesn’t have too much trouble avoiding processed foods or sugary snacks.

Herbal & green tea is creeping in to replace some of the coffees. Milky lattes, teacakes & gin (not that she used to have all those together. Obviously) have all been shunned in favour of nut butters, carrot sticks & houmous (does anyone know how to spell hummus? houmous? Spellcheck doesn’t)

The girl is doing mightily well. Oh & she’s also running & doing her interval training on most days of the week…

Feeling inspired? I hope so! Sue has 3 young kids, a career, a life & a husband who works shifts – so is every bit as manic & stressed as the rest of us… The lady is doing VERY WELL.

Keep it up Sue – that tummy’s days are numbered :)

Are These Mummies’ Tummies Really ‘Ugly’?

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I have been inspired by the photo gallery theme over at Sticky Fingers this week: ‘Ugly’, where a few mums chose their own ‘mummy tummy’ to represent the theme. I applaud the honesty & bravery in posting these pictures but can’t help but be saddened by the resignation & negative feelings.

So I’m asking … are Muliebrity & The Moiderer ‘s tummies really ‘ugly’? Susan K Mann chose her c-section scar which she hates & thinks makes her look ‘like a monster’ & Is There a Plan B showed an incredible image of the birth of her child & asked: ‘is this ugly?’

Our bodies are extremely resilient, and of course we women are ‘built’ to carry and birth our babies. However, this shouldn’t detract from the simple truth that childbirth is an incredibly traumatic physical process – even more so if it involved caesarean section or any manner of other complications. A woman who has experienced a textbook natural birth and recovery still shouldn’t underestimate the magnitude of what her body has achieved.

Our ‘mummy tummy’ has achieved something utterly amazing – it carried & grew a BABY (or babies!) for goodness sake! That’s really rather cool. So we should maybe think of our tummy not so much as something to be appalled at, but rather something that needs a little TLC after all that hard work.

Never mind ‘postnatal’ ;) Many, many years after childbirth is but a rose-tinted blurred memory, for many women it’s still there – escaping over your jeans or settling into handfuls of layers underneath your bra strap.

It’s ironic that despite the intimate and intensely personal nature of pregnancy and childbirth, the process can leave us feeling somehow disconnected from this area of our bodies. Traumatic birth experience may further distance you emotionally from feeling able to control or connect with your body. My own birth experiences mean that I really do empathise with the desire to disconnect from ‘down there’ when it doesn’t quite go according to plan.

But to re-establish a little self love (a very underestimated emotion!) we need to reconnect emotionally & physically with the very parts of  our body that enabled us to have babies in the first place, are responsible for everything from posture and back support, to bladder control, better orgasms… and a flat tummy.

Maybe you feel unhappy about the way your body looks, or resigned that this is ‘as good as it going to get’ after having children. The physiological result of all of this is that you will likely not be engaging vital muscles correctly, leaving them weak and ineffective. It also leads to negative feelings of self image, a belief that it’s never going to change, & a rather depressed bee-line for the biscuits.

Fast-forward to: poor posture, back ache, low self confidence… and a big, fat, ‘ugly’ mummy tummy.

Having helped put many, many post-baby tummies (including my own) comfortably back into their jeans, I’d like to propose that we mums start by re-connecting with our wobbly mid-sections, before trying to tackle them. If we don’t respect or love something, then its very hard to try to improve it. Only then will any nutritional and exercise efforts to lose fat and tone up, actually work.

A little bit of self-love… Any takers??

Sue & Her Tummy: One Week In!

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Sue giving it some at training on Saturday morning

Sue, my No More Mummy Tummy shining example of commitment, hard work & total enthusiasm (well 2 out of 3 ain’t bad ;) ) has completed her first week. I will have food diary feedback ready to post in a couple of days. But for now…Sue has been brilliantly diligent with her exercise & we’re upping the ante now to 5 days a week exercises, as well as some pretty strict food rules & regulations (which she’s obeying like a trooper).

Here’s her own sum-up for how she’s feeling:

“Feeling more in control of what I’m doing with regard to food and exercise.  Still have that really bizarre attitude that can be summed up as ‘Well, I’ve been at it a week – why haven’t I lost that first stone then?’.  Rationally, I know that’s a ridiculous way to think – it took at least 8 years to put on 3 stone for god’s sake; I’m not looking for a quick fix this time – I have got to the point when I realise this is a whole change, for good. Not just until I’ve lost a bit of weight and my clothes all fit again.

Have given up milk for a week or so – not because I have to but just to see if I can do without it, as I do think it adds on shed loads of calories in a week.  Also cutting down on bread and substituting more rice cake type stuff.


Had first session with Wendy yesterday, fortunately her friend Helen was there too, so there were two whingers for Wendy to contend with.  Also Helen was not ‘another Wendy’ and seems to dislike physical exertion as much as me.  Yay!!

Met at a grey and windswept riverside park, next to tennis courts crowded with pensioners and a play area with parents huddling together for warmth, remembering when bank holidays meant lie ins and reading the papers…
Startlingly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, although I have had a week to build it up into a boot camp type hour from hell.  I’m sure Wendy will crank it up a bit for next week, I know what she’s like.
Last week’s exercise sessions of three times half an hour panned out as follows:
Tuesday: running up and stairs, star jumps, press ups, squat things, lunges, plank, more star jumps, surrounded by children wondering what their mad mother was doing.  Trying to remember to breathe properly and hold in my core – arrgh too much to think about.
Thursday:  run for 20 or so minutes, filled up the rest of the time with the above exercises.

Sunday – as above.”

Somewhere in the Eighties...

So far so good! Check out the food critique in the next couple of days!
And to show that Sue (on the right) has ALWAYS loved sport… she has kindly shared this example of how her sheer love of all things outdoor & sporty has been a defining feature since her school days!
(I think this could be the ‘Sue’s Blog’ badge from now on, what do you think?)
Is Sue inspiring YOU? She’s fitting all this into a job, 3 kids & a life, so any encouragement you can muster I’m sure would be greatly appreciated!

No More Mummy Tummy: The First 48 Hours…

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I don’t know if you have, but just in case you have ever wondered what happens when a personal trainer gives a personal training client ‘the rules’, but won’t be able to actually bark at her in person for another 7 days…

I feel I should point out at this stage, that Sue & I are *mates* as well as trainer/gullible case study.  Hence her agreeing to bare her tummy, thoughts both serious & hilarious, eating habits & life in general for the next 8 weeks with you all. And also hence my *fairly* direct manner with her ;-)

I have asked for a food diary for one week, & will post Sue’s nutritional analysis & orders suggestions once I’ve got the full week’s worth.

Here is the email dialogue between myself & Sue for the last 48 hours, reproduced with her kind permission of course & with a total (& in this EXCEPTIONAL case, I assure you!) disregard for client confidentiality. She wants to share. I think she’s looking for sympathy. That or fame, so please, at least offer her the former ;-)

Wendy>Sue (Monday evening, following our consultation/assessment session)

Subject: THE PLAN

…just to re-cap:

o         On at least 3 days per week, for at least 30 minutes per day (can be split into 2 or 3 sections over the day). Intensive intervals: incorporating some cardio – ie getting out of breath – with INTENSIVE (you’re going to her that word a lot) bodyweight resistance exercise. Squats, lunges & press ups, 20 of each, each day you work out, plus 2 X 1 minute planks

o         1 day per week: training with Wendy

o         Cut out: alcohol, sugar & all ‘white’ carbs (ie white bread, pasta & rice). No processed food. Reduce dairy & wheat. Drink lots & lots of water & herbal or green teas

o         Please email me one blog post per week. This is your diary of your efforts – Start with where you are now, how you feel, what you want to achieve, any personal notes, history or anything you would like to. As long/short/personal/serious/funny/emotional… or not… as you want it to be. I’ll post these on my blog weekly. I’ll introduce you briefly, but will let you do the talking.

Please keep a food diary of everything you eat & drink plus times for 7 days & send it over.

Stick that photo somewhere (a photo Sue had chosen of a time when she felt good about her body) where you can see it often & remember how you felt about yourself & your body then. That’s what we’re aiming for – that feeling (even if that feeling is not thinking about it at all!). Not a measurement or weight.

Please try to love yourself a little more.

I’ll see you next Monday, … You’ll have done 3 days of running / intervals by then!

Wendy X

Sue > Wendy (yesterday)

Did first ten minutes!  Completely red in the face and knackered.  Ran up and down stairs and star jumped then did the exercises. God knows how many but varied it until it was painful, tried to do the breathing in and zipping up but bloody confusing with everything else to think of plus Olivia deciding to revert to the potty and come and sit next to my head to do a poo whilst I’m doing press ups!

My mum has the girls later so I’m going to walk/run to pick Harry up from school, plus exercises, probably at the end, in the garden.

Food diary – am going to have to email you as and when because I can’t be arsed to keep track of paper/notepad.

Sue>Wendy (today)

Yesterday: Pint water; Coffee, 1/3 hot milk; 8am Porridge – made with water and raisins – no not because I like wearing hair shirts but because I like it like this. Work. Banana; Cup of tea; 10am half a corned beef sandwich (don’t ask) but it was made with wholemeal. 1pm ploughmans lunch, about 1oz cheese and some ham, met parents, same place as we went last week. Fizzy water; Half a piece of carrot cake; coffee; 6pm apple; 8,30pm – too late, small baked potato, small tin tuna mayo diet stuff (yes but if I did it myself I’d eat loads as I go along and then eat more with my meal. Lettuce, tomatoes and dessert spoon hummous; Water

Today

Morning same as yesterday up to and including 8am; 11.15, early lunch, lentil, tomato and squash soup home made half a chicken salad sandwich; Couple of tea spoons greek yog.; water.

God this is boring.

Wendy>Sue

Did you know that 36% of the calories in corned beef come from fat? And it’s not the good type. ‘No s**t Sherlock’ she says ‘& I thought it was a health food’. Just saying.

I’ll forgive you because it was yesterday & you hadn’t yet had your visitation, but no more processed meat (ham or corned-devil-beef) & no more ‘mixture of anything out of a tin’. Like, any. For 8 weeks you’re mine, all mine *evil laugh*

I know it’s boring, but you’ve only got to write it down for another 6 days so get over it & quit moaning.

Sue>Wendy

Unfortunately, I am drinking a fake low cal hot chocolate – however the silver lining is that I have just turned down a cream horn. Although I don’t like them it was offered to me as a peace offering by someone in the office who lost some of my files, so in normal circumstances I might have accepted it.  I do realise the ‘issues’ about fake hot chocolate, but you are the type of person to eat one piece of chocolate and put the rest back in the fridge…

My legs (front bit at top, what’s that muscle called, the flippin big one) are killing me, should have stretched more, walking like a spaz.

Sue>Wendy (a bit later)

A fat person ate the cake, I feel so, so much better than them.

Wendy>Sue

And you LOOK so, so much better. Glance over again now & have an evil little cackle to yourself. You are STRONG…

Sue>Wendy

mid afternoon – banana; 4.45 – three spoons bolognase sauce (home made, own minced beef); 6.15 – tuna steak pan fried, baked pot plain, peas; plain organic yoghurt with raisins (approx 200ml); That’s it apart from green tea and water.

What larks.

Run/walk to school, early so ran to the post office, huge queue so late for school ran to school, than ran/walked with Harry to Tesco and walked quickly home. More press ups et al.

About an hour or so altogether.  Def red in face at post office, def red in face at school.

Wendy>Sue

Good girl.

Sue>Wendy

Have just had more herbal – ginger this time, am going off normal tea.

I am a goddess, sleek and fabulous.

By the way did you have to put my photo so close to yours on the website?!

Am off home in a bit to marinade some tofu in tamari, garlic and chillis.

Have done the evil cackle.  She is a weak and I am a fabulous strong being of limitless possibility.  The original cake giver then got out a bought steak and kidney pie and scoffed it in about 2 minutes.  Shame she’s just hot desking as I could do with a permanent reminder of the ‘other side’.

She also ate a packet of crisps thinking that the small pack of grapes would make up for it no doubt.

I’ll just sit here drinking green tea and doing my breathing

Sue>Wendy

Today:

water; half a coffee (cropped it in early morning stupor); porridge usual morning stuff; banana 9am; banana 10am; 13.00 tuna mayo sandwich; herbal tea; 4.00 wholemeal bread with scrape of butter and peanut butter, I slice; 4.30 half a fishfinger and some carrot (mmmmm); 7.00 – cashew nut stir fry; plain yoghurt; herbal tea; water

Sue>Wendy (tonight)

I’ve mulled over a few things since I saw Wendy on Monday.  Firstly, although I was dreading the (tummy prodding thing need the technical words here Wendy) I was actually reassured that I didn’t have a massive gaping mess of long distant muscle tissue.  I’ve never actually felt in there before, and now I’ve done it I feel like I’ve exorcised a ghost of two.

I am also concerned that 6 weeks is very little time to see much difference.  It feels like my tummy is here to stay, it’s become part of my furniture but I really don’t want to accept this, for many, many reasons.  Here are some of them:

Not being able to buy the clothes I want to buy.  Having to do a mental ‘sift’ of all the clothes I know I will look freakish in but would absolutely love to buy.

Finding it depressing getting dressed in the morning and putting on the same old clothes as I am loathed to buy any new in ‘fat’ sizes.

Not feeling like a sexual being, despite plenty of reassurances to the contrary.

Not wanting to feel over the hill at 40.  Despite it being the new 30, apparently, it’s still a milestone.

Not wanting to take my children to the beach/pool.  As a child I spent all my summers on the beach, but now would have to be paid a vast fortune to get into a costume and walk down from the dry sand to the water.  This isn’t good for someone who moved back to Cornwall and has 3 children!

Doesn’t this all sounds like a miserable anti wish list.  I can be positive, honest!

Fortunately I am in Wendy’s capable hands.  To have a fresh perspective, her fantastic knowledge and experience is a great opportunity to lay some ghosts to rest and get on with my life.

I’d like to say at this point to Sue, thank-you. I look forward to taking a photo that you’ll like a little more than the last. X

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