Mum's incredible post-baby body: Six pack she never had before

Tess Papaioannou said she refused to tell herself, "I am bigger because I have had a baby". Photo / Supplied

Tess Papaioannou had never really struggled with her weight, until giving birth to her first child.

The 27-year-old said she was never super fit, but after having her little girl Reeva in 2016, she noticed her body changing and wasn't happy with how she was looking or feeling.

"After you have a baby you lose a certain amount of weight, and the rest stays," Papaioannou told news.com.au

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Pregnancy - post pregnancy 39 weeks pregnant - 233 days later Six weeks post birth - now #postnatalweightloss #babynumbertwo #28bysamwood #beforeandafter

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"I weighed 74kgs after I had Reeva (eldest child) — before her I was pretty average, not skinny or someone who was massively overweight.

"I didn't like it. I was really down and out and every time I looked in the mirror I'd think 'Oh God I look terrible'."

Tess' first transformation

The Melbourne mother-of-two said she refused to tell herself, "I am bigger because I have had a baby".

"That's when I signed up to my first weight loss program (28 by Sam Wood) and after seven months I lost 18.3kgs," Papaioannou said.

"I couldn't believe it - I was actually lighter than I was pre-baby."

She lost 18.3kg after giving birth to her first child. Photo / Supplied

She said while it was difficult juggling a newborn with exercise, the workouts allowed her to train at home.

"I was able to do them from my lounge room - I have never been to a gym because it's impossible for me to get there.

"Both my parents work and my husband's parents are not nearby."

She got back into training between April last year to now, lost 14kgs. While it's 4kg less than her first transformation, she feels fitter and stronger than ever before. Photo / Supplied

Papaioannou was stoked with her results and found herself finally committing to a program after several failed attempts.

"The workouts are a mix of cardio and weights - an all-over body workout. It can be 30 seconds of high knee jogs to sit-ups," she explained.

"I also followed a food plan which was a bit difficult in the beginning as some of the recipes need quite a bit of prep time, but I just learned to swap it out with something similar that required less prep time."

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Goals👊🏻 six weeks post baby / now #14kg #28bysamwood

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Piled weight back on after second pregnancy

However, when Papaioannou fell pregnant with her second child Aria in August 2017, the weight crept back on.

"I started getting really bad back pains and couldn't do many of the workouts. I even dropped to a lower setting but it didn't ease the pain."

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If you change nothing, nothing will change✨ #postbabybody #28bysamwood

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Papaioannou decided to listen to her body and stop training while she was pregnant.

"I tried to keep up with the food plans but the pregnancy cravings took over. I ate whatever I wanted again after I had Aria," Papaioannou said.

Lost it again, now looking fitter than ever

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Your fitness is 100% mental, your body won’t go where your mind doesn’t push it👊🏻💯 #fit #fitmum

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Despite having to juggle two kids under the age of three, Papaioannou was determined to get back into training and lose the extra kilos.

"It's more about getting them (kids) organised in the morning - that's when I can pump out a workout."

She still does the program in the comfort of her own home, either in the mornings before the kids wake up or after her husband gets back from work - each workout takes 28 minutes.

"The minute I started to see results again I got even more motivated. I literally have abs and all I wanted to do was lose a bit of weight.

"I was never really fit prior to having kids. If someone told me, 'Wait until you have kids, you will have abs', I'd say you'd be dreaming.

"I told my husband the other day I wish I was like how I am now before the kids — it has just given me so much more energy."

"I know I look so much better now than I did before having kids and it's so weird and crazy to think that."

Papaioannou trains every day, sometimes twice a day if she can fit it in and has lost a total of 32kg between her two pregnancies.

"Just give it a go - you can't get better than a home workout program especially if you can't get to the gym.

"Stick it out for a week and you will already feel better. That's the motivation that will keep you going.

"It's also the hardest part so if you can get through that, you can go all the way."

Her diet consists of clean eating with plenty of vegetables and good protein. She also drinks 4 litres of water a day.

"I try not to snack, but if I have to it will be a cheeky few cookies with my coffee."