Month 3 Progress & Tropical Flax Bars
Posted: April 12, 2011 at 8:40 amI faced a sad sight this morning.
One sad, lonely, small bar left. The last of the batch of Tropical Flax bars I made this past Friday. I shall miss you, dense bars of chewy, yummy goodness. Until I make more.
Speaking of which, I need to share this recipe with you all. It’s a good one!
Tropical Flax Bars
- 1/4 c honey
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 c rolled oats
- 1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 c ground flaxseeds
- 1/2 c dried mango slices, chopped
- 1/2 c dried pineapple, chopped
- 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 8x8 baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Beat the eggs, honey, and salt until blended. In a food processor, combine the remaining ingredients.
Pulse until finely chopped and blended. Place mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the egg/honey mixture and stir to combine. Make sure the mixture is evenly moistened. Press into the baking dish in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, until the edges are browned. After cooling, remove bars in foil from pan and cut into 12 even pieces.
Now, it’s time to discuss this month’s progress check-in. As many of you know, I update my Body After Baby progress once a month so I can fully share this journey of getting back in shape and achieving my “happy place”. So far, slow and steady has certainly made this venture a successful one. On with the results!
[Month 2 photos on the left – Month 3 (recent) photos on the right]
FRONT:
SIDE:
For the real kicker – check out the changes since 1 week post-partum!
I don’t think I look too shabby. Three months post-baby or not. 😉
And here are the progress stat totals for my accountability and tracking purposes.
| This Month’s Totals | Overall Totals | |
| Weight | - 5.6 lbs | - 10.4 lbs |
| Stomach (Smallest) | - 1.25 in | - 3 in |
| Stomach (Belly Button) | - 1.5 in | - 3 in |
| Hips | - 0.75 in | - 3 in |
| Butt | - 0.5 in | - 2.5 in |
| Thighs | - 0.5 in | - 1.5 in |
Each month reminds me of many important things to keep in mind while striving to reach these goals. This month did no different. On my 3rd week of this month, I didn’t have much progress according to the scale. Despite my lower weight loss, I knew I was making appropriate choices to reach my goals in a healthy manner. I refused to immediately freak out, think my efforts lacked, and try going overboard with restricting calories or adding more workouts. Those things all sounded tempting to keep progress going, but I knew that one week did not show the whole story. I needed to wait it out and trust my body.
Well, wouldn’t you know, trusting my body after that week meant resting for a few unplanned days thanks to getting sick. I decided to keep on keeping on how I could. I ate balanced meals, took it easy, and focused on getting healthy. When I weighed in for week 4, I had lost the most I have ever lost in a single week in this process. My body proved to me then and there that it knows what it’s doing. All I have to do is care for it with proper nutrition, challenging workouts, adequate rest, and self-love. Consistently doing those things will bring me results. Sure, it may not come as quickly as it could with more restriction, but I know the results will come. And they will last. And I will be happy going through the whole process.
I hope you continue to join me for the rest of the year! 🙂
- What lessons have you learned while working towards a physical goal?
- What is your favorite dried fruit? Pineapple! Hence, the tropical bars.
ETA: Please let me know if you have any specific questions about my “Body After Baby Progress”. I would love to do a Q & A post if there’s enough interest. 🙂
Tags: body after baby, healthy habits, progress pictures, recipes, snacks
You look great for 3 months post-baby! The most important thing I learned when going for a physical goal is that you need to fuel your body properly in order to feel your best and push toward that goal. Without the fuel everything else will fall apart.
Tina, I was anxiously awaiting this post after seeing your tweet the other day. It is AMAZING how God created our bodies to literally take care of us! As long as we are treating them correctly, they are awesome little machines! I really value the time you are taking to show us that healthy measures can be taken to achieve your goals! Have a great day 🙂
Tina I think it is AWESOME and encouraging that you have such a healthy, positive outlook about getting back to your “happy place”. The picture at the bottom absolutely encapsulates your joy, your excitement and your energy! I always look forward to reading your posts 🙂
You nailed it when you said, “I don’t think I look too shabby. Three months post-baby or not.” You look incredible! Keep up the good work! 🙂
Go, Tina, go!!! You look great!
what a fantastic post!
you look absolutely beautiful and you are so right that listening to you body and following its natural pace is the right way to go. Also right that consistency is the key.
I have definitely also found that listening to my body in terms of fitness and goals is the only way to stay healthy and happy. I love dried pineapple too! It’s fruit but yet so candy like :).
Your progress is AWESOME! So inspiring 🙂 I think the lesson I have learned is that I need to keep things fun to continue towards my goal. If I put too much pressure on myself, it becomes a chore and then I dread working out or going for a run. If I think of it as ‘me time’ or a mini challenge with myself, I am much more likely to stick with it!
Awesome Tina – you look fantastic. Your hard work is paying off (as I knew it would). When I was training for my first half, I realized I had so much more drive, and could push so much harder than I ever thought (mentally and physically).
I can’t believe that it has already been a month since your last progress post. Where does the time go?! Seriously.
Isn’t it amazing that you can lose this weight without all the agony we used to put ourselves through?!
You are doing great–and look great—but more importantly, you look SO happy in that last picture.
You are making awesome progress — but what is most evident is your huge smile!!! Love it =)
Fave dried fruit: pineapple with mango second
You look AMAZING! Congratulations!
Looking great and what an inspiration! I wish I had read something like this when I had my daughter 2 1/2 years ago! Something I have learned is you have to be consistent across the board. It’s the only way to see results. And that’s one of my biggest struggles too is consistency!
Tina, you said, “I don’t think I look too shabby. Three months post-baby or not.” You took the words right out of my mouth. You look great! You’d never know you just had a baby to look at you.
One thing I’ve learned when working toward a goal is that I can do more than I thought I could. I’ve also learned that rest is important.
The tropical bars sound great!
You freaking rock! And you are SUCH an inspiration! Love these posts 🙂
Way to go! Thanks for keeping us updated. You radiate health in your photos!
Not only do you continue to look more and more in-shape, but you also look more healthy and happy 🙂 I love how you aren’t doing anything to crazy/restrictive. I wish you continued success!
You look amazing! I admire you for doing all of the right things to get to your “happy” place in a healthy way.
LOVE IT! you look amazing!! best approach and attitude, your hard work is paying off, and you also show how to do it without depriving yourself and listening to your body, which is so important!
Wow Tina! Your looking fabulous!!!!
I <3 you! You are the most real person I ever known! 🙂
Tina you look great!!!
Lessons I’ve learned — results do not happen over night, there will be good days and bad days and it is going to be tough!
You look great Tina! YOu must feel so accomplished! I love following your journey!
First of all, you look incredible! I think watching the changes in your body is really interesting and I am glad you decided to document the whole thing. Secondly, those bars look scrumptious! 🙂
You look great! And you can tell you’ve been running. Your legs are really starting to get some nice tone!
Sexyyyy, congrats on your awesome progress! You look fabulous! 🙂 And those tropical bars look amazing 😀
Fantastic! You are so real and grounded in your efforts. Kudos to you 🙂
Congrats, Tina! You’re looking so great! And I seriously love your attitude- it’s so raw and real. 🙂
Have a great day!
So awesome, Tina. You look SO good and SO healthy, and best of all? SO happy and proud of yourself. As you should be! You are working hard but treating your body well and that’s the key. I am so happy for you!
I just love that last picture of you! You look full of life!
You look amazing! You are such an inspiration!
I really admire your positive attitude towards everything, thats something I need to work on myself.
Keep on rockin’ girl!
Those bars look delicious and remind me of the Nature’s Valley bars:)
You look great, girl!!
Tina, you are looking strong, healthy, and fabulous! You’ve come so far in just 3 short months! It makes me happy to see you smiling so brightly, you should be so proud of yourself! I love your positive outlook on life and healthy attitude! You rock 🙂
Wow Tina you are looking AWESOME. It’s amazing how far you’ve come in just three short months!!
You look great! The amount of progress is 3 months is really something to be proud of.
You look incredible! You seem so much happier now too! I love it. I think dates are my favorite dried fruit. Jay has discovered a love for dried pineapple. You two would be in big trouble fighting over those bars!
You are doing so well with your Body after Baby progress!! Congrats!
Also, I am addicted to dried pineapple. Every time I go to the bulk barn I buy a handful of it and eat it all before my husband can have any! (I can only buy a handful at a time otherwise it’s dangerous)
You’re right you do look great, postpartum or not! Your kiddos have one beautiful mama 🙂
You look fantastic Tina!! I can’t believe it! Congrats on your progress. My fave dried fruit is definitely apricots, but I haven’t tried dried pineapple yet!
I almost did these bars with apricots and cranberries. OH! Maybe my next version will have to be that. 🙂
You are amazing!!!
You look fantastic and I way you are approaching the weight loss is truly inspirational! It’s not something you are letting take over your whole life! Thank you for being so open about this, it helps me get over my irrational views toward eating, fitness and body image. 🙂
Just taking care of ourselves really does go a long way. I learned that the hard way too often and now just have fun with it.
Oh I can only hope that I look half as good as you post baby! Something I’d like to know, and you may have talked about this in the past, but what are some big nutritional dos and donts, both while you’re pregnant and afterwards? I’ve always heard mixed things. You rock!
Your progress is amazing! I am obsessed with raisins and dried figs, can’t get enough
You look absolutely brilliant. Wow. This is very encouraging for someone like me who is a little bit body obsessed and afraid of what a baby might do to it. Thank you for being brave enough to post in your bikini too!
Every time I write one of these posts I feel SO weird putting bikini shots of myself up…but I know that it helps show the whole story. That is what matters to me most. So I suck it up and post away. Thanks for appreciating it. 🙂
Wow Tina you look amazing! Congrats on losing so much weight.
Looking good Mama! Beautiful 😀
Anmazing progress!
I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is trust the process and trust my body. It WILL happen, it just takes time and effort!
You look so great Tina! You’ve made such great progress! Keep it up!
Wow–you’ve had some great progress so far. I LOVE your happy photo at the end! 🙂
Awe, I found this post SUPER motivational today, it’s just what I needed! Congrats on your progress, both physically and in the journey of learning to listen to your body <3
Funny story, right before I get sick with a cold, I start craving comfort food and I am a BOTTEMLESS pit. It is one of the red flags for me (before I start having symptoms) to relax, sleep more, and take some extra vitamins. It only took 23 years to figure it out! haha.
It's so great that you found your weight loss groove, so to speak!
You mean that you managed to keep those bars for an entire week? That’s amazing! 🙂 And I love that last photo. I would love a Q&A about body after baby. I even have questions this time!
Share those questions! You can comment with them, send an email, whatever. I’m happy to share about anything!
And the bars – they were around for 3 days. Still impressive because they were SO good!