26-year-old mum reveals how she dropped 32kg post-pregnancy

A Perth mother has shared online how she lost a staggering 32kg in the year following the birth of her son.

Mother of one, Ely Fisher went from 55kg to 87kg during the duration of her pregnancy and initially struggled to lose the weight after giving birth.

After shedding 32kg, the 26-year-old is now looking to help others who are struggling to shift baby weight - sharing her journey and post-partum weight loss tips with FEMAIL.

1. Personalise it

For the motivated mum, one of the most important parts of her weight loss regime was making sure it was tailored to fit her lifestyle.

"Everyone has their own groove, their own style, and their own personality to work with," she told FEMAIL.

"In my mind, I needed a reward to help me to get through my exercise. So what I'd do was count calories throughout the day so that I could eat whatever I wanted for dinner.

"I'd have a jam-packed fruit and veg smoothie with protein and milk for breakfast, alongside a black coffee or espresso. Then I'd have similar for lunch and snack on boiled eggs and string cheese."

The popular Perth-based Instagrammer would then use up the rest of her daily calories for dinner, which she considered her treat meal.

"It worked wonders for me," she said. "I was eating a healthy amount of calories, I wasn't tired and I looked forward to the end of the day."

Ely also noted that what she was putting in her body during pregnancy was leading to an intake of around 3000 calories per day - which worked out to be more than double the recommended amount for a woman of her height.

"I learned quickly I should probably stop drinking three huge milky sugary syruped coffees each day," Ely explained.

2. Find balance

As with so many things in life, Ely found that when it came to working out it was all about balance.

"To lose weight fast, you don't need to be working out every day or lifting and running and lifting and running the whole week," she said.

"In fact, it all comes down to how hard you go for it when you do."

For the first six months after giving birth, Ely did nothing but three 30-minute plyometric bodyweight workouts each week at home.

"I'm talking push-ups, burpees and jump squats," she said. "I didn't even walk at the start!".

"But if you do four 15-minute sessions each week, but go as hard as you can during those 15 minutes, you will see results and quickly."

Ely also swears by the highly popular Kayla Itsines BBG programme.

"Steadily, my weight began to fall off," she said. "So slowly I built up my stamina so I could add in a walk here and there".

3. Banish guilt

Finally, after losing 30kg, Ely found the importance of not letting guilt get to you if you fall off the wagon or don't lose weight as fast as you would like.

"I used to feel that if I messed up in my diet or missed a workout that I was useless and I felt guilty," she said.

"But I found that when I was more relaxed towards my weight-loss journey, when I accepted that I might not get there as fast I would ideally like, that is when the pressure came right off."

Ely also found that the less stress she put on herself, the more weight she lost and the more joy she gained from her workouts.

"I've just hit 57kg and it's been more than a year since I started my journey. I've also learned to love myself.

"I truly believe exercising and committing to yourself and your body is one of the most therapeutic and empowering journeys anybody can go on. I am happier about my body than I've ever been before. "

This article originally appeared in the NZ Herald and has been republished with permission.