A couple weeks after I last posted about my
post-partum weight loss, I realized I kinda held out on you all.
I apologize for misleading you.
I don't like to sound like a know it all, but I feel like in this case, I do actually know more than I lead on to. So I'm here to really let you all in. Not on my secrets, because I really don't believe in weight loss secrets. I believe in knowledge; that's all you need to be successful. And motivation. DAILY motivation.
Here's some of mine:
BAM!
You don't just wake up one day and say, Man I want to get fit and go to the gym and suddenly you are fit and you love it, and your whole life is health and fitness. It's a nice thought, but unfortunately...it just doesn't happen. Life happens; we get busy, we get unmotivated, we have social obligations that get in the way, we have moods, and for us females...we have PMS.
I'm going to leave you guys with 8 more TIPS. Don't forget that we are all built differently, we all have different goals, and what works for some doesn't always work for others. Again, this is simply what has worked for me.
1. CHEAT DAY: I heard this once and it made sense to me, "One bad meal isn't going to make you fat, just like one good meal isn't going to make you thin".
I allow myself ONE "Cheat day" per week. Typically Saturday or Sunday. HOWEVER, this does not mean I go to McDonald's for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. This means if I really want something, I eat it. I don't eat an entire cake or anything, and I try to stay within reason. For example, I typically eat a healthy breakfast (because breakfast is the most important) but if I'm craving something bready and high in carbs, I will wait till dinner. I try to keep myself in check by allowing myself no more than 300 extra calories on my so-called "Cheat Day".
2. Diet. For my diet, I stick with high protein, low carbs. This is my main challenge. Cutting the carbs. You would be surprised how many things are considered carbs. Google it. It will blow your mind. What I've found is small changes make big differences & keeping it fresh is best. Simple & clean.
Example A: I switched from butter to extra virgin olive oil. When I make veggies, I leave the strainer in the sink and drizzle some olive oil over my veggies and let it drain. Example B: Switched all our condiments (that were for me, not the kids) to low-fat, or fat-free. Example C: White bread to whole wheat.
I typically make most of meals out of one ingredient foods.
For example... A Typical day: Breakfast, greek yogurt + granola + fresh fruit. Lunch: veggies + light oil based sauce (used sparingly, of course) + wrap or one slice of bread.
Dinner: Salmon drizzled in olive oil + veggies. Snacks: Hummus + Carrots/ Protein shake/ small carton of yogurt/ nature valley bar/ cheese/ etc...
If you don't know where to start, start with google. He's my best friend. We talk, like every night.
3. Kick the soda. FOR REAL. Can you actually believe that I am saying this? I am a self-proclaimed recovered Diet Coke addict. If you think I'm joking you can ask anyone that knows me, I had a REAL LIFE ADDICTION to Diet Coke. I could blog all day long about the benefits of kicking the soda addiction. Stay tuned, I just might...
Find a healthy alternative! Green Tea is a GREAT addition to your diet, and a nice cold beverage to use as a replacement for soda.
4. Motivation. The key ingredient. You need this daily. I do this in a number of different ways. I've found for me that making my goals public keep me more accountable for my actions, along with inspirational quotes or pictures of what my goal is, etc. Oh yeah, and new gear :)
5. Apps. These are my fave:
(Don't mind the one on the bottom left...it just tracks my period, haha!)
They really keep me in check, and ever since I started running outside, I basically wouldn't be able to live without my Running+ app. For the gym- Nike Training is amazing. Ugh, I just love them all... check em out!
6. Measure Your Progress:
Progress pics. Ok, I know a lot of people feel like taking pictures of themself is weird or vain, or somehow conceited. Whatever- get over it. I used to think it was, buuut then I became a mom. (Seriously, asking Eric to take a picture is like asking a dog to grab you a beer from the fridge). I swear, I don't have a decent picture of myself from the time I got pregnant with Tristan until Ryan turned 9 months. I really have no idea how big I really was. I honestly think sometimes we don't really realize how big we are until we see ourself in pictures (or until the weight comes off). So snap away, who cares what anyone else thinks! I've started taking full-length pictures once a month in just my skivvies so I can visibly see the progress. Of course, I won't be posting these on public forums or anything, those are just for me. But like I said before, I feel like making my goals public helps keep me accountable. And again, who cares what anyone else thinks? Fitness isn't about anyone else. It's the one thing that you and only you do for you and just you, so embrace it.
7. Change It Up!
Getting stuck in a rut is the worst. When you hit your first weightloss plateau, it can be super frustrating and make you feel like there's no point. So the only logical advice I can give with this is not get stuck in a rut! With your diet, with your workouts, with your motivaion, with your supplements, ETC. As your body changes, so will your efforts. You WILL eventually hit a plateau, but you can beat it a lot easier by changing things up. Try new things. If you feel like something isn't really working for you, or you absolutely can't stand to take that one vitamin every day, try something different. I switched to gummies for cerain horse-like, grass tasting pills. I also just changed my workouts completely, and switched up my fat-burner. Seriously, it's the little things sometimes that can re-inspire you.
8. Get Active!
And by this, I mean incorporate your goals into your life. Join a gym if you want to meet some people who have common goals, sign up for some 5k's if you do better with date goals/ deadlines. Go hiking, swimming, join a team or club. Get creative with it, there really are no limits. My point here is if you love what you do, you will do it often. If you absolutely hate going to the gym, then eventually you will quit.
I could seriously blog/talk about this stuff all day, so if something doesn't make sense or you have more questions, feel free to message me on FB or leave a comment or whatever. I am always learning new things and figuring out what works and what doesn't. Like I've said before, I'm not an expert in any way shape or form... this is just my journey and what I've learned along the way. Hope it inspires some of you. I tried to answer most of the questions I've been getting, but if I missed something let me know and maybe I'll blog about it later :)
