First-time mother sheds 26 kilograms in six months

Wilda Fox was like many women before she had her son – she was comfortable with her weight and her body – but not happy.

However, this all changed when the first-time mother switched up her approach to diet and exercise after giving birth – and swiftly shed 26 kilograms in six months, leaving her with shredded abs and a physique to be proud of. 

Here, the 28-year-old from Melbourne reveals to FEMAIL exactly how she lost the weight – by not leaving her apartment, working out with no equipment and capitalising on the times when her baby son, Harley, napped.

Wilda (pictured with Harley) explained to FEMAIL that before giving birth, she was a typical crash dieter – and had tried everything from fad approaches to juice cleanses

However, she had never managed to hone her figure in the way she would like (left, before, right, after giving birth) – Wilda shared her story with FEMAIL

‘Pre pregnancy I weighed 68 kgs, and while I was going to the gym, I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted and was living off protein shakes, white fish and broccoli,’ Wilda (pictured) said

According to Wilda, her approach to diet and fitness had always been dedicated – but somewhat misguided:

‘I used to be the typical crash dieter,’ she told FEMAIL. ‘I did everything, from juice cleanses to fad diets and it always helped me to lose weight, but I never kept it off.

‘Pre pregnancy I weighed around 68 kilograms, and while I was pretty strong and going to the gym and doing fasted cardio, I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted and was living off protein shakes, white fish and broccoli.’

However, Wilda (pictured) knew she couldn’t live off protein shakes while growing a baby – and so switched to a healthy balanced diet of vegetables and slow-release carbs

She also started working out from home (pictured: her progress) – using her body weight as equipment rather than any gym machines

‘I would do things in the apartment that I could do without any equipment or trainers,’ Wilda (pictured with Harley) told FEMAIL – she would do this all while Harley napped

All of this changed when the 28-year-old got pregnant with her partner, Matt, and it dawned on her that she couldn’t adopt such an approach to her nutrition while she was growing a baby: 

‘I knew I just needed to be healthy but wouldn’t be able to keep up with the amount of training I had been doing,’ she said.

‘I quit the gym, ate real food and started working out gently from home.’

It was these home workouts which would stand Wilda in good shape when she later gave birth:

‘I would do things in the apartment that I could do without any equipment or trainers,’ she told FEMAIL.

‘Squats, burpees, jogging on the spot and planks. As I progressed and once I gave birth, I would elevate myself on the side of the table and do push ups. 

‘I also love skipping in the apartment to get my heart rate up.’

Typical exercises in Wilda’s (pictured) body weight regime were squats, push ups, planks, jogging on the spot and skipping

Wilda (pictured before and after pregnancy) is far happier and more confident in her body than she has ever been – she now weighs around 53kg

Once Harley was born in mid 2016, Wilda was determined to continue her new fitness mission and to lose the post-baby weight she had gained (she was now around 80kg):

‘I remember feeling totally disconnected from my body and what it had done, but I was determined,’ she said. 

‘And so, I would do short, sharp sets of 20-25 minutes while Harley napped.

‘I realised you didn’t need long to get a workout done, and then I would go for a one hour walk with him each day which I think really helped.’

‘I remember feeling totally disconnected from my body and what it had done, but I was determined,’ she said of her body after having a baby (pictured pregnant and after)

Wilda (pictured) now swears by body weight training, which she thinks is good because it allows your body to work all sorts of different muscle groups at the same time

Within six months, she had lost the weight she had put on in pregnancy and more, and Wilda said she now weighs around 53kg – a weight she has maintained since first embracing body weight training:

‘It has dawned on me that body weight training works so well for me,’ she said. ‘I think it’s because you’re putting the body through stress, but not too much stress like you do with hugely heavy weights.

‘It’s easier to recover, and you’re using your body in a different way – not just one muscle at a time, but everything.’

Wilda (pictured) said she will now eat everything, except sugary foods – and follows a predominantly vegetarian diet

‘I actually eat a lot of carbs – brown rice and potato, which help to fuel my training,’ she said (pictured before and after her weight loss)

Wilda (pictured) believes the main reasons women don’t get their pre-baby bodies back is down to their excuses – she said if you work out at home, it becomes easier

When it comes to diet, Wilda is far more balanced in approach now, having swapped protein shakes for slow-release carbs and plenty of vegetables:

‘I’ll eat anything except sugary foods,’ she said.

‘I actually eat a lot of carbs – brown rice and potato, which help to fuel my training. I also love vegetarian food. 

‘Often, in the morning I’ll go for oats with banana and almond milk, then I’ll snack on fruit, eat a salad with sweet potato at lunch, and have some barbecue chicken or vegetables with fried kale and brown rice in the evenings.’ 

Wilda also still sticks by her 20-25 minute workouts each day, using the time her son is sleeping for her own personal workouts:

‘It’s so simple to work out at home,’ she said. ‘I think excuses are the main reason women don’t get their bodies back after giving birth.

‘But when you’re exercising at home and you don’t have to look good or make an effort, then it’s easier to get it done.

‘Consistency is key. I enjoy my workouts now and make time for them. I feel better than ever.’ 

Wilda and her husband now run Body Weight Built, which focuses on male and female body weight challenges.

For more information, please click here.