With such a crazy exercise regimen, my body obviously needs food. Add on top of that the fact that I’m nursing a five month old baby . . . and I am HUNGRY. It’s taken a lot more planning on my part to make sure that I’m eating enough, and that I’m eating the right food to fuel my body. I am very very pro-breastfeeding and will not sacrifice that. If there is ever a time when my milk supply threatens to dwindle, I would stop. However, there is no reason that should happen.

There used to be an idea that exercising made breast milk taste bad, or that the lactic acid built up after exercise wasn’t good for the baby. All of those myths have been debunked, thankfully. Breastfeeding takes about 500 calories every day. If you are working out you just have to be more aware of how much you are eating so that you and your baby are getting enough. I have never been a “Calorie counter” so it’s been tough for me to try and keep track of things like that. At first I was good about it, but now I just pay attention to my body. I eat 6 small meals/day and drink a lot of fluids (water, Calli, Crio Bru, Red Raspberry Tea, Fortune Delight, etc.). I think I’m keeping up to it pretty well. When my baby started her 4 month growth spurt, I started to feel a little weak and exhausted, so I stopped insanity for a few days to give my body a break. It was just what I needed and I was ready to go the next week. Listen to your body!

Some of my new favorite little meals/snacks are:

– hard boiled eggs with a little salt
– buckwheat chia pankcakes with peanut butter (I make a big batch then freeze them to have on hand)
– lara bars
– almonds and string cheese
– hummus and multigrain chips (from Costco)
– hummus and carrot sticks
– yogurt with berries and granola
– green juice (as always)
– popcorn in the evening for a treat

My list of other healthy snacks can be found, here.

For lunch I make our “big meal” (farm life), then I have something mid-afternoon and again at night. I’ve been needing a snack right before bed lately, otherwise I wake up feeling kind of sick. Before I work out in the mornings I make my tried and true smoothie (juice, kefir, chia, spinach, banana, frozen berries). Immediately after my workout I drink Fortune Delight to replace electrolytes and either make a shake or have a banana with peanut butter or a couple of eggs.

I have now been doing Insanity workouts for almost two months (consistently) and have noticed a big difference in not only the amount I’m eating, but in what I WANT to eat. My cravings now are a lot different than they were a few months ago, that’s for sure. Now I think something sounds good because it’s good for my body and will help me get the nutrition I need. So if you are breastfeeding, you CAN exercise too, you just have to be more mindful of what you are eating to ensure you and baby are getting enough! It’s an added benefit for me to realize that when I exercise I eat a lot better, and that means my tiny girl is also getting better nutrition. Win-win!

I have lost a total of 13 lbs and 9.75 inches since I first took measurements on March 3. I did have that two week setback with my dental surgery, but I still feel awesome about those results in such a short time. I feel excited and can’t wait to see what is ahead for me.