Not losing weight!? On a plateau?? Are you looking for some QUICK weight-loss tips that are EASY to follow and effective!?
I know I’ve written recently about losing weight after pregnancy. I provided EASY weight-loss tips for new moms and the main key was having patience and giving your body the time it needs to heal.
But losing weight after pregnancy and/or while nursing is slightly different from just losing weight, particularly those last few inches and pounds. I’m currently 2 pounds away from my goal, and 5 pounds away from pre-pregnancy weight; just one more inch to lose around my waist. Some of you may think this sounds superficial or unnecessary, but I know where my body likes to be, I know where I am most comfortable, and I know I can get back to where I was. I’ve been a little less than careful the past month and I feel I need to step it up.
When you are trying to lose that last 5 pounds or break a plateau or lose a few inches, you have to be a little more diligent. For personal reasons, I’m also trying to wean from nursing and this alone has stalled my weight-loss. I can’t eat like I used to and I am struggling a bit with portion control now that I’m not burning the insane amount of calories I once was.
With just about 20 days until my friend’s wedding (when I predicted to have met my goal), I am going to spend the next several weeks blogging about losing that last inch around my waist and provide tips for HOW I plan to do it.
I hope the tips I provide over the next several weeks are things that you can carry in to your own life. Perhaps these tips will help you get over your plateau or kick-start your weight-loss. Whether you have a lot or a little to lose, these tips will work for anyone!
This is my DAY ONE journal entry.
Whenever I start something new, I always get really excited. I don’t necessarily start on a Monday, I start on whatever day I decide that THIS (whatever THIS is) needs to start happening. It just so happens that last night, after eating a little too much for dinner, Monday was my “D-day.” It finally hit me that I needed to step it up a little if I wanted to reach my March 9th weight/inches goal!
With such excitement, this morning I awoke with fresh energy. I felt like I had been in a weight-loss standstill for WEEKS and doing this weight-loss journal gave me renewed spirits. Isn’t that how DAY ONE’s always start!? I hope I can keep up the enthusiasm.
One of the best ways I have found to kick start my morning is with water.
When I wake up in the morning, I like to drink AT LEAST (2) 8 oz glasses of water before eating or drinking anything else. I always wake up super famished and could literally reach for anything to satisfy those hunger pangs. However, the best way to take the edge off that hunger is for me to drink a couple glasses of water. Why!? Because no matter who you are, we all wake up slightly dehydrated from our overnight fast and dehydration gives us a false sense of true hunger!
After I indulge my thirst, I usually feel A LOT less anxious to eat everything in sight (including last night’s leftovers). Okay. Just kidding. I don’t like to eat last night’s leftovers for breakfast but it could happen to someone else, no? Try it tomorrow morning! Drink some water before you eat your morning meal.
After drinking my aqua, I like to fix myself a freaking fantastic bowl of oatmeal. This was today’s; 1/2 c. oats, 1 cup flax milk, 2 tsp chia seeds, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 2 tsp natural peanut butter, and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Another subtle way to get through a plateau or lose that last 5 pounds is to scale back in teensy ways. I always start using my measuring cups and spoons again. Instead of an eyeballed tablespoon of nut butter, I opt for a precise 1/2 tablespoon of nut butter. Adding a 1/2 cup of blueberries (~35 calories) instead of a full banana (~100 calories) also helps me scale back. By these two teensy changes I managed to cut about 100 calories from my normal breakfast and still felt completely satisfied. I actually made it 4 hours on this bowl of cereal!
By the time noon rolled around, I was pretty hungry. I hadn’t eaten since 8:30 am. I got a little TOO hungry. To take the edge off, I like to have a LARGE bowl of salad before eating anything else for lunch. This is another way I can cut my hunger (when my eyes are bigger than my stomach) and make rational decisions for what else I am going to eat. In the bowl I have kale, romaine, raisins, carrots, red cabbage, and a homemade dressing. It was just what I needed to level my head and make a wise decision for the rest of my lunch; a hummus wrap with grilled onions, veggies, mozzarella cheese, and mustard. Yum. Yum.
Stay tuned tomorrow for more tips and tricks for how to get through your day a little lighter.
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yummy salad, you’re right, I think its important that mom’s be particular in losing weight or at least going back to their normal weight after giving weight. Its best to take care of the baby when you’re in a good shape too
[...] Weight-Loss Help. [...]
I usually start my morning with iced coffee – sometimes my husband drinks a lot of coffee, sometimes he doesn’t. I put that days coffee in the fridge and will drink that while I blog, cook, get ready for work etc. Maybe I should just stick with the water?!
Great progress! And journaling is so important.
I never thought of using frozen fruit in oatmeal, yummy suggestion.
You look fantastic and your goal is like a bonus, you’ve already done so well.
I start my day off with 8-16 ounces of coffee…that counts as water, right?!
I try so hard to chug some water first. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.
Your oats with frozen blues, chia and cinnamon look SO PRETTY! I add frozen blueberries to my oats too, but I just throw them on top. Delicious.
Good luck to you, can’t wait to continue following you on your 2 pounds more journey!
great tips! these last few pounds are killer! I agree…being more conscious of everything I eat is really important for me!