I’m a single mum and this is how I lost 30kg with two simple changes anyone can do – even if you’re lazy | Fitness tips of the day

A single mum has revealed how she shed the 30kg she gained during her pregnancy with at-home work outs and easy substitutions at the grocery store.

Emma Frances Goode, from Goulburn Valley in Victoria, had a difficult pregnancy during which she found it impossible to even walk around her block or move off her bed without help.

The 26-year-old hairdresser was accustomed to an active lifestyle of going on runs and lifting weights at the gym – which is why the sudden downturn in mobility ‘hit her like a truck’.

‘It was really depressing, I was so heavy and exhausted all the time,’ Emma told FEMAIL.

‘I hated not being able to move my body properly. I felt the difference in my knees and joints, and my ankles started to flood with fluid – it was an awful time.’

Emma worked hard to get ahead on her fitness journey, and she constantly made adjustments like working out while she had her son strapped to her chest and using food cans as makeshift dumbbells. 

A single mum has revealed how she shed the 30kg she gained during her pregnancy starting with at-home work outs and small substitutions at the grocery store

Emma Frances Goode, from Goulburn Valley in Victoria, had a difficult pregnancy during which she found it difficult to even walk around her block and move off her bed without help

Emma began making small changes to her lifestyle at six weeks postpartum, after nine months of not regulating her diet or eating habits.

‘Gaining weight is just something that happens during pregnancy, and I didn’t restrict myself with food or anything. I just enjoyed being pregnant.

‘I love chocolate, and I craved chocolate mousse every day. I wanted cheesecake, flavoured milk, just anything with sugar.

‘I didn’t follow a diet or limit food intake, and I’d just order takeout whenever I felt like it – sometimes several times a week.’

The mum faced several complications post-partum, including diastasis recti, a condition is caused by the growing uterus, which stretches the abdominal muscles and pulls them apart. 

‘I had to be really careful about exercising after I gave birth, and I wasn’t allowed to do things I was used to like squats and sit-ups. I could only take it really slow and I did a few leg presses and lunges.’

Emma began making small changes to her lifestyle at six weeks postpartum, after nine months of not regulating her diet or eating habits

The 26-year-old hairdresser was accustomed to an active lifestyle of going on runs and lifting weights at the gym – which is why the sudden downturn in mobility hit her like a truck

Because of her physical restrictions, Emma focused on her diet and began to pick up low-fat and high-protein substitutes at the grocery store.

‘I started buying skim milk instead of full-cream milk, switched out olive oil for avocado oil, and bought low-fat margarine.

‘I also started adding protein to every meal and kept track of the calories I was consuming every day.’

Once Emma started to recover from her pregnancy, she began easy work-outs at home and started going to the gym – but attempting to stay healthy was difficult with a newborn clinging to her arm.

‘My son was really clingy, he absolutely could not be apart from me,’ Emma said. ‘I used to strap him in a baby carrier and work out like that.

‘As a single mum, it’s really difficult to take time for myself. The mum-guilt really gets to me. I had to plan my whole life around my son, and it was always one thing after the other.

‘But it was really important for me to stick to my routine, and if no one could watch my son, I’d just work out in the backyard or use things around the house for weight training.’

Once Emma started to recover from her pregnancy, she began easy work-outs at home and started going to the gym – but attempting to stay healthy was difficult with a newborn clinging to her arm

Emma often ends up using cans of food for bicep curls and other core exercises.

She started seeing changes in as little as a month, and had completely transformed her figure 12 months post-partum. 

The mum revealed that the one thing that keeps her going is knowing she has to be a good role model for her child.

‘I want to raise my son to be healthy and active, I want him to play sports,’ she said. ‘I really need to find a way to move past my guilt and realise this is important for both of us in the long run.’

Emma revealed that the hardest aspect of being a single mum on a fitness journey is figuring out her priorities.

The mum faced several complications post-partum, including diastasis recti, a condition is caused by the growing uterus, which stretches the abdominal muscles and pulls them apart

‘It’s so difficult to juggle being a mum, my job, and being healthy. Things never really go to plan, so you need to account for a sick kid or a tantrum or something else entirely.

‘I’ve been trying to make sure I give myself at least one hour to focus on my health every day.’

Emma’s top piece of advice to others in a similar situation is to remember that it takes time to make big lifestyle changes.

‘There’s no such thing as a quick fix, I was growing a baby inside me and I needed to give myself time to heal before I could do anything.

‘Being a single mum also comes with its own set of challenges – but my health is really important to me and I’m doing my best.’