TV presenter Laura Hamilton is about to embark on a weight loss and fitness plan after the birth of her second child. We talk to her as she embarks upon her journey and will check in with her half way through and when she reaches her goal with pictures and interviews to show you her progress. Today we start from the very beginning.
Laura Hamilton
How has your second pregnancy differed from your first both physically and mentally?
Because I had Rocco who is now 20 months and there is a 17 month age gap between my two children you have little time to think about being pregnant because you are running around after a toddler all the same time. Initially, I put on less weight than I did with him first time around just because I was being a bit more physical I suppose.
Mentally I didn't have too much time to think about it although with Tahlia, I suffered a bit from morning sickness which I didn't with Rocco. I didn't think too much about being pregnant until I started to feel a move and people started saying my bump wasn't as big as it should have perhaps been so I worried slightly more. Rocco was fine and healthy but because he was breached and undiagnosed breached (I only found out after five hours of being in labour) I was a little bit more worried and concerned about how the labour was going to be. That was why I wanted a caesarean section because I had lost faith I suppose with what happened the first time around. I wanted to be more in control the second time around. Because Rocco was such a healthy baby, we started to be less focused on whether we wanted a boy or a girl, I just wanted everything to be ok. In some ways I was more relaxed but in other ways I was more concerned because I knew what to expect and I wanted to be more in control.
You have stated you want to lose 2 stone. Why do you feel you need to lose this specific amount of weight after having your second baby?
After my pregnancy with Rocco I put on about four and a half stone and I did The Jump straight afterwards and got back into shape but I didn't get back to what I was before I got pregnant. When I got married I was eight stone six, between eight stone six and eight stone ten is where I am most comfortable with my weight and I didn't quite get back to that. I know that I wanted another baby- I didn't put on as much weight initially but I am now about ten stone seven. A lot of my friends have told me that I don't look that big, but I have been breast feeding and I am thinking about stopping soon because of the weight of my breasts. I want to get back to what I was or as close as possible. I don't want any more children and for medical reasons it's probably advised that I don't have any more. My uterus was very easily ruptured when I was pregnant with Tahlia and I now have two healthy children and we are stopping there.
Also because of my work, I do feel that a lot of people in the media have babies and their figures snap straight back. I'm not like that, I have still got weight that I want to lose and I do feel that there is a little bit of pressure on me because I'm on TV- TV makes you look bigger than you are anyway. It's hard when you read things about yourself online- it's hard not to read comments about yourself. When you do read them and you feel good about yourself- then you can brush them off. If you read things about yourself and you don't feel good, like the way I feel about myself now, I find it hurtful. If I feel good, it doesn't affect me in the same way.
Why is it important to share your weight loss journey with other women who have also had a caesarean?
I was uneducated about just how much you are able to do after a C-section. I have read stuff on-line about when you can start to exercise and how it affects you. I was very physically active before I had my section. I was up and about and out of hospital the next day and felt like I wanted to exercise straight away. There more research I've done the more I've read that if you start too soon, and I wanted to because I'm impatient, it can be detrimental. I have spoken to people who have exercised too quickly after having a baby- specifically a C-section and their muscles haven't gone back together. If you start exercising too quickly you can set yourself back. I know someone who is having surgery to her stomach muscles because they haven't healed together just yet because she affected them through exercise.
I am keen to educate people on what's the right way to do things. I'm no expert, I'm a working mum, I'm very busy and it's all about fitting it in and the time I have available while I am looking after two children. I believe that even though you're a mum, you should still allow time for yourself. If you exercise and start to get back in shape and start to feel better about yourself the better mum you will be.
Seeing changes in your body both during and after having a child is challenging for some mums so how did it make you feel to see your body differ from how it was before you got pregnant?
I am someone who has always been conscious about the way I look and what I weigh partly because of my job. I have never been hung up on it- I had a healthy diet and I ate what I wanted within reason. If I did notice I was putting on a few pounds I would exercise and lose it. When I fell pregnant, I struggled with the fact that I was putting on weight and I couldn't do anything about it. It took me a little while to get in the mind-set and think 'you're producing a human being- forget about it-embrace it' and I did struggle with that. When you have the baby you think you are going to go back to what you were and that hasn't happened and I don't think it happens to the majority of people. You end up wearing your maternity jeans for a while afterwards, your skin and stomach has been stretched so it's going to be wobbly. I have read online that some people are able to ping back and I'm not one of them. I think I'm going to have to work hard to get back in shape. I'm prepared for the hard work- it's not going to come easy. I have also read that with a C-section, there is a little bit of an overhang above your scar, which I hate. I asked the personal trainer that I'm working with; John Beeby, 'am I ever going to be able to get rid of that?' He told me that we will give it our best shot but what I have to understand is that I have been through major surgery. I have been cut internally, my stomach muscles will be weak and so we will have to see what happens. I want my body to be back like it was before, I don't know if that's achievable, that's is part of the test. If it doesn't- fine- so be it- I still have two beautiful children but I still want to feel the best I can possibly feel for me.
What are you most excited about before starting your new weight loss journey?
I'm excited about having a bit of time for myself to exercise and hopefully seeing a transformation. I have never really followed a diet plan or worked with a personal trainer. I am going to follow a diet plan called The Fast Diet Kitchen purely because I am so busy with work and I'm so concerned with ensuring my children eat right that I often skip meals. I know that is not what I want to do, it's not a way I have ever been- I just don't make time for myself. Because I am either working or looking after my children, looking after my husband or cleaning the house. I am using it as a kick start- do it for month and see how I get on, training with John and hopefully seeing the change. I want everything to happen tomorrow and I realise that it isn't going to be like that- it's going to be a journey and it's going to take time.
Do you have any worries as you go into it?
I think it's the time- the food will hopefully make things a little bit easier for me. I know that my personal trainer will push me and it will be painful. I did my first session yesterday.
I am determined and focused but there were times when he was making me do squats and I thought I couldn't do it. He told me that I was quite physically active beforehand so it should make it a bit easier, but I am nervous about how hard he might push me. At the same time I want to be pushed and that's the reason for getting help from someone else.
How will you fit in your new regime around your children, as it sounds like it might be quite demanding?
Because I am back to work- we have a nanny called Sarah, so she travels with me when I'm working- she's with me right now. It might be the case that I will fit in a workout when Sarah is looking after the children or when they are asleep. Yesterday I did a workout when Tahlia was asleep. Rocco woke up in the last 20 minutes of the workout and watched as he was interested to see what I was doing. It really is a struggle trying to be a mum and trying to exercise and trying to lose weight but I want to do it for me.
We all need support from our loved ones as we start something new so how does your partner plan to help you reach your goal?
He says I don't need to lose any weight which isn't very helpful. Yesterday, when I told him what I was doing, he suggested that we could do it together and do the diet plan with me. I told him that he doesn't need to lose any weight but he said 'I do!' I think he's always going to say to be that I look great and that I don't need to lose weight- that I only had a baby eight weeks ago but until I feel good about myself, then it doesn't matter how much he says it to me. I'm doing it for me- but it's nice to know that he's not putting any pressure on me to do it. He will help when I'm doing a training session at the weekend, he will be looking after the children so I can get on and focus on my hour of training and supporting me in that way.
Laura Hamilton presents the current series' of both C4's A Place in The Sun, Sundays at 9pm and C5's Cowboy Builders, daily from 11am. You can follow Laura on twitter @laurahamiltontv Laura is training with sports psychologist John Beeby @JohnBeebyPT and following a calorie controlled 5:2 meal plan with The Fast Diet Kitchen www.fastdietkitchen.co.uk
Tagged in Laura Hamilton