My Post-Baby(ies) Body Blues

Kourtney Kardashian ruined my expectations.

It happened when my twin boys were just a couple of weeks old. I was watching "Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami" while at home recovering from a C-section -- and from carrying two children for nearly 40 weeks.

Kourtney had given birth two or three months before the episode was filmed and she was already in a bikini getting ready for a photo shoot. So I set a similar goal for myself -- adding another month, because, you know, I had another baby.

Realistic, right? Wrong.

I had some sense of the difficulties I was about to face. Before my pregnancy, many of my clients were moms trying to reclaim their pre-baby bodies.

I had always encouraged them, saying that they could do it with hard work, discipline and consistency. I, obviously, didn't know firsthand what it was like. But from an exercise science standpoint -- and from working with others -- I knew what I was talking about. Nothing about having a child dooms a woman to an unfit body forever. So, quite frankly, I never understood why so many moms had such a hard time dropping the pounds.

Fast-forward to me six months after delivery. My Kourtney-inspired goal date had come and gone. And, I'm a trainer after all. So my body should be smokin' by now, right? Wrong.

I totally get it now. It's not easy.

As soon as I had doctor's clearance -- about six weeks after the boys were born -- I got in the gym with a very ambitious plan. But I quickly realized I couldn't pick up where I had left off before getting pregnant. I had to slowly -- slowly -- work back to that level. And, really, this makes sense.

Right at the end of my first trimester, I had to stop lifting. And forget about cardio. During my pregnancy, I had a hard time standing -- let alone sweating it out on a cross-trainer.

So by the time I got back on the gym floor, it had been more than eight months since my last workout. And it had been more than a year since the last time I really pushed it. It was the longest break of my life.

And now, I had new obstacles. With feedings all through the night and tending to the babies' every need, some days I was just too exhausted to even think about working out.

Plus, nobody warned me that after I delivered, I'd still be stuck with a belly that made me look like I was about 5-months with child -- or that it would be that way for numerous months. If looking at that every day isn't discouraging, I don't know what is. So, yeah, so much for my Kourtney-goal.

Oh, and who had time to cook? Or to plan meals? Or to effectively grocery shop?

I was in survival-mode.

And, frankly, I started doubting myself. "What if I can't do it? What if what all those women say is true and I'll never be fit again?"

At this point, I wondered what resources Kourtney might have had access to that I didn't. Maybe she had a chef. Maybe she had a personal assistant. Heck, maybe she had a babysitter!

After time, I got it together. And I did it by taking my own advice. Hard work. Discipline. Consistency. So what if she had help I didn't. That wasn't going to stop me.

And here we are today. My little guys are 9 months old, and I've lost 20 pounds of "baby weight" with about 10 more to go. It wasn't until recently when I got motivated, focused and determined to make some progress, that the pounds started falling off. It might not have been as fast as Kourtney, but so what. (Kudos to her, by the way!)

Reclaiming your pre-baby body is no different of a process than it is for anyone else wanting to lose weight. You can't just sit around and wait for it to come off on its own. You have to get to work!

Get on a regular exercise schedule and don't miss. Get on a healthy diet and don't cheat. And be consistent. That's how it works.

Sure, it will be tough. It has been for me. But it's not impossible. And remember, every woman is different. So please, don't compare yourself to others, it'll only ruin your expectations.