At the beginning of the new year, I — like so many other people — made some resolutions, with one of them being to lose weight. I’ve struggled with weight loss since having kids, and although I’ve never really gained huge amounts of weight since my pregnancies, I’ve never lost any, either. Not really.
So what was going to be different this year? A group of my family members and friends joined together for a weight loss challenge, and while (spoiler alert!) I didn’t win, I did manage to lose 20 pounds since the January 1. And this is despite the fact that I am a self-professed lazy mom who loves food.
My problem, I suspect, is the same as many moms. I actually enjoy working out and being active. But how often do busy moms have the opportunity? I don’t personally have a gym membership, and even if I did, finding the time to go would be difficult, what with having six kids and all. I could get up early, I guess, but please — I’m not going to do that. Let’s be realistic.
As for food, I love it. And I don’t just mean eating; I love cooking and baking, trying new recipes, discovering new things. Any diet that required me to give that up was never going to work. Things I had tried before didn’t work long-term; the Mediterranean diet, for example? It’s considered the healthiest diet there is, and I love the foods involved in it. But for a large family, it’s near impossible, because who has that much money, to be buying huge amounts of fish and seafood and fresh produce? I certainly don’t.
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But I still found a way to make it work. Even though I didn’t win the weight loss challenge, my goal was to find something that would be sustainable for the long term, without making huge lifestyle changes. If that sounds like something that you want, too, then read on for my tips — keeping in mind, of course, that I am not a medical professional, or a nutrition expert, and that these are the things that worked for me.
1. Cut out the sugar. My husband had the idea to try a no-sugar, no-carb diet, but I knew that would never be something sustainable for the long term. I love bread. I love sugar. But I could manage to at least cut back on how much sugar I was eating each day. I set a goal of 90 grams of carbs or less, which allowed me to still have some, but not a lot. I call it my low-key keto plan, and it worked like a charm.
2. Forget the fat. I know, I know… if you’re an elder millennial like me, you grew up thinking fat was a dirty word. Everything we ate was low-fat. Heaven knows you couldn’t have real butter, milk had to be skim, and SnackWells replaced real treats. Well, screw that. I have lessened the amount of sugar and carbs I eat, but I don’t worry the slightest bit about the fat. Dinners are whatever kind of protein I feel like making, with lots of vegetables on the side. Butter (especially Kerrygold, the best butter on the planet), bacon, cream… I don’t worry over those things anymore.
3. Portion control. A big change that went a long way is focusing on my portions. Instead of using regular-sized dinner plates, we use the small side plates. It didn’t take long to adjust to smaller portions of food, which really, is all you need anyway. Drinking water and eating slowly — really savoring the food — helps with the weight loss, too.
4. Get moving. I may not be going to the gym all the time, but if you’re like me and don’t have a ton of time to do any hard-core workouts, then lessen your expectations. Just make sure you’re doing something when you can. Walk on a treadmill for one episode of “Friends,” or look up a 15-minute yoga routine at home. You don’t have to go crazy with giant goals; just make small changes that fit into your schedule the way it is. As long as you’re getting some physical activity a few times a week, then you’re doing it right.
5. Let yourself indulge. Here’s my other secret to long-lasting weight loss success: I eat whatever the heck I want. I just don’t do it all the time. But on the whole, I don’t deny myself anything. We don’t go out to eat all that often, so when we do, I get what I want. If I want the occasional candy bar, I’ll eat it. If I feel like baking some homemade bread with the soup I’m making for dinner, then I will. Yes, these are occasional treats instead of regular ones, but the main thing is, don’t deprive yourself. If you don’t allow yourself to enjoy the things you love, you will never, ever stick with it long-term.
These are all pretty simple changes, in my opinion, and they weren’t difficult to implement. But they helped me do really well with this weight loss challenge, and even better? They’re changes I know I can stick with. And although I may not be dropping huge amounts of weight overnight, the weight is slowly but steadily coming off.
I know how hard it is to lose weight as a mom. We’re so busy all the time, money isn’t always free-flowing, and we don’t typically get to indulge in much, so taking away the little pleasures we do get is a lot to ask. I may never be a size five again (so long, pre-baby body!), but I can make changes that will let me be healthy, confident, and happy. And that’s my biggest goal.
What are your favorite weight loss tips?
I love this !! It’s so true . The more you deprive yourself the more you body wants it. So if you cut down on how much you eat and how much you snack that’s what I did and that’s how I’ve lost weight. I haven’t thought about the small dinner plates. That’s a good idea.