There are so many tips to help you lose weight, but I feel the below are the most important if you want to make some serious, long-lasting change. Apply, or don't.. that' up to you ;)
Grab a pen and pad, you're going to need to write a few things down.
Goals and why!
You must set a goal for yourself, no matter how small. If you have nothing to work towards then what's the point?. Once you determine your goal (e.g. get my pre-baby body back. I am Currently 65kg and want to get back to 58kg).
The second part to this, and often overlooked is, WHY do you want to lose that 7kg?? It's all well and good to have a goal but be honest with yourself, dig deep, and determine why you really want to achieve such a goal.
Motivational Triggers
So the reason most of us don't follow through with our goals, is:
- our WHY is not strong enough. (go back and figure it out. Spend 30 minutes developing your why)
- We are lazy. (cant be bothered getting out for some exercise)
- We succumb to temptation. (those Tim Tams are just sitting in the cupboard... they really should be eaten, shouldn't they!?)
But here is a little trick to keep you motivated in those times of laziness and temptation.
You've set your goal, developed your why, and now you need to be really real with yourself. If you don't achieve your goal, how is it going to make you feel? Be 100% blunt with yourself.. the more this hurts, the better. Then when those human moments kick in, pull out your motivational triggers, and get off your ass.
Bite sized goals
If you have a specific amount of weight you wish to lose I suggest preparing a weight loss schedule. Post it on your fridge or write it on your bathroom mirror – somewhere you will see it several times per day.
Write down the date for each Monday during your set period. Determine the average weight you need to lose (Total kg’s/total weeks= Kg’s to lose per week) per week and write that down in the estimated weight column.
Weigh yourself every Monday morning, as soon as you wake up, before any food or drink, in no more than your underwear – and write it down on your weight loss schedule. Your bodies natural weight is most accurate upon waking and Monday is the best day of the week to weigh in, so you can goal set for the week ahead.
Pencil it in
Mums, mums, mums. You have the most hectic schedule on the face of this planet! You day is filled with so many things.. If you don't make exercise a priority, then how in the world will you find time for it.
There are so many options, take the bub for a run in the pram. Utilise a gym with creche. Join a mums and bubs group exercise class. Wait for your hubby to get home from work, and do it then. Whatever it is, pencil it into your diary at least 2 x per week.
Have fun with it
Who says exercise has to be boring (or eating healthy food for that matter)? If you like reading books, get a hold of the latest audio-book and listen to it whilst you exercise. Boomtown. Two birds.. One stone!
KP working on some push ups with little Freddy coming along for a ride.
Have fun with your little munchkin and incorporate exercise with them into the mix. Here is an article on exactly that!
Lastly, and I dont say this because I run group fitness classes for mums, but get yourself into one! They are so much fun, and the banter is next level. I've never heard a funnier bunch of people in one room... and they are all working extremely hard, to boot. Oh, if my gym walls could talk! :)
Food hacks
Finally, and most importantly. Weight loss starts in the kitchen mamma's. Im not going into depth here, but three golden rules when it comes to ensuring you are eating correctly for weight loss.
Preparation - Failure to prepare, is preparing to fail (love that little quote). yes its difficult with a little one (or two, or three) but if you can spend a few hours out of your day prepping not only bubs food but also your food for a few days, then you save time in the long run, and you make sure you always have something healthy to eat... rather than going for the easy choice, of muesli bar, toast, leftover pasta.
Portion Sizes - how about trying to halve your current portion. I'll almost guarantee you, that you're eating waaaaay too much.. We all are. We are brought up and conditioned to think that eating a huge bowl of pasta is what we need for sustenance and energy.. not so. Reduce by half and watch the fat melt off.
Get rid of the crap - If you have toddlers this might be a difficult one. But it's also a healthy food choice you could make. It will most definitely help with their mood swings, and cray cray behaviour. Get all of the crap out of the house!!! This is by far the most important of them all. Rid yourself of temptation and replace it with something healthy. Im human too, and if there is even a crumb of a tim tam floating about, it will be consumed.
Good luck mamma's!