A MUM has revealed how she lost 3.5 stone after having 2 C-sections without using fat jabs.
Bethanie Kendra, from York, candidly revealed how she gained weight in her lower stomach area after becoming a mother.
The mum-of-two embarked on a post-partum wellness journey and has now shifted the weight thanks to one key exercise.
Bethanie swears by doing Pilates, especially with added weights, and she also focused on eating whole foods.
In a clip on her @bethaniekendra TikTok, she shared: “First of all, most important thing, fat loss. I lost weight. I lost over 50 pounds.
“How I did that? Calorie deficit. That is the only way you can lose weight is a calorie deficit.”
The influencer then shared some advice as to what sort of diet she focused on to get lean.
She explained: “Whole foods, high protein, healthy fats, fibre, practising portion control, balance, moderation, healing your relationship with food, doing a lot of mindset work. No fad diets.”
Bethanie shared a before and after comparison, showing how she now has a lean, toned stomach after her lifestyle overhaul.
One of the main things she swears by doing is Pilates , which focuses on core strength, posture, balance, and flexibility.
She added: “Specifically strength Pilates. So with light weights. That is all I’ve done, honestly.
“As somebody who has lost and gained a lot of weight three times, twice from having children and I’ve had two caesareans, I can honestly say Pilates, after the fat loss, is what has really turned up my stomach and build it out with definition and muscle.
“Fat loss and Pilates is how I’ve done that.”
Thankfully she didn’t need to leave the house to transform her body, and did most of her Pilates workouts from free YouTube videos.
She used 1kg weights to enhance the effects of the exercises, and has slowly increased this to 2.5kg.
Many people were amazed at how she could find the time as a mum, and she explained that she gets up at 5am to do it before anyone wakes up.
What Bethanie eats on a daily basis
- Breakfast: Peanut butter and jam chia seed pudding with chopped strawberries
- Lunch: Two bagel thins smothered in cottage cheese and topped with slices of roast honey ham, salt and pepper
- Snack: Almond butter and dark chocolate cookie
- Dinner: Chicken salad flatbread with tzatziki
- Pudding: Grilled peaches with yoghurt
Many people were impressed with her transformation, with one saying: “You would never be able to tell you’d had a section! I’m 3 weeks postpartum and I’m so scared I’ll never lose the shelf.”
A second added: “The arm definition is definitioning… just actual art work at this point girl.”
Bethanie added that she focuses on practising “self care”, including making sure that as a mum she gets her meals prepped, makeup applied, and showered and dressed each day.
She added: “You cannot pour from an empty cup. Realising that if you take care of yourself, you are taking care of everyone else too.”
The 5 best exercises to lose weight
By Lucy Gornall, personal trainer and health journalist
EXERCISE can be intimidating and hard to devote yourself to. So how do you find the right workout for you?
As a PT and fitness journalist, I’ve tried everything.
I’ve taken part in endless fitness competitions, marathons and I maintain a regime of runs, strength training and Pilates .
Fitness is so entrenched in my life, I stick to it even at Christmas !
The key is finding an activity you love that can become a habit.
My top five forms of exercise , especially if you’re trying to lose weight, are:
- Walking
- Running
- Pilates
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Strength training
