A year ago I asked my wife Abbi to share her baby weight story. I did this because after coaching thousands of moms, the two biggest goals have consistently been to lose stubborn baby weight and have more energy.

I’ve watched Abbi endure two very challenging pregnancies and overcome severe blood sugar imbalances and live with fibromyalgia. She is my inspiration, partner in life and my best friend.

We named our little girl, Hope, because that is what we want everyone to feel with their body and health.

So with the goal of providing a mega does of Hope and Motivation, Abbi and I thought it was fitting to share her updated story, one year later. Here it is:

Baby weight seems to linger for years – I know it did for me after giving birth to my first child Hunter in 2005. I held onto my extra 15 pounds for what seemed like an eternity. At the time I thought I was doing everything right, but looking back I know there were several things that would have made a big difference in getting rid of the weight sooner.

Fast forward to 2014, I was finally pregnant again, and this time I was 41 years old. After I passed my first trimester and got the great news that the baby was healthy I started thinking about my own health. I was bound and determined not to hold on to an extra 15 pounds again.

During my pregnancy, in an attempt to keep my blood sugar stable, I lived in the Body Confidence plan (based on our NY Times best-selling book Body Confidence). Meaning I ate PFC Every 3 (protein, fat and carbs) every 3 hours with the proper calories per meal. This allowed my body to stay in balance throughout my pregnancy and feel the best I could. It also kept my body in a place where I wasn’t storing any unnecessary fat. Did I gain the proper weight? Indeed I did! I gained a healthy 33 pounds in my pregnancy.

Being that I was insulin resistant going into the pregnancy and had gestational diabetes during the pregnancy, it was more important than ever to maintain proper nutrition after Hope was born (May 8th, 2015). Getting proper meals in after a C-section proved to be nearly impossible, I was lucky if I could even walk to the kitchen, so I managed the best I could for the first few weeks. After that I decided I was starting the 8 Week Run nutrition plan. I did just that and immediately started feeling great! By the time my 1 month appointment rolled around I was back to my pre-baby weight, and 3 months after that I had dropped another 8 pounds bringing me to the leanest I’ve been in 3 years.

What’s even more rewarding for me is that over a year later I’ve kept all the weight off and have the energy needed to chase an eighteen month around!

Sure, my blood sugar isn’t great all the time, sleep isn’t always consistent and I have still occasional fibromyalgia flare ups, but overall my quality of life is incredible.

I’m excited about my progress and I’m sharing my own story because I know so many women feel so frustrated that the baby weight isn’t coming off and they’re tired all the time.

I’m here to tell you there is Hope and you can achieve your goals. A great first step is following the program I live every day, our 8 Week Run Plan.

I’d also like to introduce two amazing moms, Ivette and Michelle; both of their stories are in our best-selling book Why Kids Make you Fat and How to get your Body Back. The book is based on the 8 Week Run. You can also read about them and other 8 Week Runners on our transformation page.

I wish everyone great success!

Hugs to all you amazing women,

Abbi