Whether you have some serious weight loss goals or are trying to live a healthier lifestyle, here are 7 of my best weight loss tips for busy moms!
When I started my weight loss journey, it was the busiest time of my life. I was working 40+ hours a week with 2 little girls. Not to mention, I was at a job I hated. I had zero time to focus on myself and even if I did, I’d feel guilty doing so. Everyone wanted a piece of me and the thought of even trying to start a healthier lifestyle seemed impossible.
Truthfully, at that time, I didn’t even know what a healthier lifestyle meant. I guess I had a general idea of what it meant but I had no clue what to do or how to start.
Basically, every day I’d wake up and think about losing weight. “Today is the day.” Then within an hour of getting up, I fall right back into my same routine: sugar, carbs, no exercise, and lots of stress to fuel it all.
What Inspired Me To Make A Change
One day, it finally clicked for me.
I saw a picture of myself on Facebook and was blown away by the way I look. I couldn’t believe how fat I was. It’s funny because for years – decades – I totally ignored the way I look and how much I weighed. I didn’t have a full-length mirror or a scale in my house so it was easy to stay ignorant. But on the inside, I knew it… I knew I wasn’t happy with the person I became.
This is the picture that started the weight loss ball rolling.
That moment shifted my mindset. I was ready to make a change. But again, my life was so hectic and I didn’t know where to start.
Soon after, I was introduced to My Fitness Pal and the fog that I was in for the last 10+ years was lifted. It was pretty clear the only person I had to blame for my weight gain was looking at me in the mirror.
Me.
What I Did To Start My Weight Loss Journey
I got my food under control and then started to implement habits and routines that would completely change my life.
This is me now.
Not only did I lose weight but I became a happier and more confident person. I felt in control of my life and removed a lot of the stress that was holding me back from my goals.
Of course, I’m not perfect and still have my slip-ups but it’s different this time. Not just in the way I look but, more importantly, with the way I feel.
SO, why am I telling you all of this?
Because I want you to know that I understand. I know what it’s like to start a weight loss journey when you’re so busy you can’t think straight. I know what it’s like to work full-time outside the home while trying to juggle a house and little kids. I also know what it’s like to work for myself while trying to juggle busy teenagers and manage a home.
I know what it’s like to do all of that while still living a healthier lifestyle.
And, without sounding like a huge cheeseball, if I can make it happen, then I know you can, too.
7 Weight Loss Tips for Busy Moms
One of the hardest parts of a weight loss journey is simply getting started. And, I feel this is even harder for busy moms, am I right?
So, I want to offer my weight loss plan and tips specifically for busy moms. These are the things I started with and I think it could help you, too.
1. Sign up for My Fitness Pal or another online food journal
If there’s one piece of advice I want you to take away is to start tracking food. I suggest My Fitness Pal because that’s what I started with and it’s free! However, there are plenty of online food journals out there so use whatever you want.
My Fitness Pal was a huge game-changer for me. It was the tool that seriously kick-started my weight loss. It showed me everything I needed to lose weight. First, based on the information I entered, it gave me the calories I needed to consume every day and it was a huge eye-opener.
An even big shocker was when I did a food overhaul.
A food overhaul is when you eat as you normally would for a day and track everything. I think it’s so important to do this because it shows you a breakdown of where the problems are. My food overhaul showed me I was easily eating over 4000 calories a day – without even trying.
I know many people think tracking food is tedious, and I guess it kind of is but it works. It keeps you self-aware and accountable of your food which is so important when you’re trying to change your eating habits.
Also, My Fitness Pal makes it so easy. Just download the MFP app and then plug in the foods your eating. There are thousands of foods in the database and you can easily scan in just about anything.
2. Use measuring tools (one of the most important weight loss tips)
This tip goes along with My Fitness Pal but takes it one step further.
While My Fitness Pal might tell you to eat 1300 calories a day to lose weight, if you don’t know how many calories are in a serving, then it won’t matter. Using measuring cups and spoons can really help with this!
One of my favorite sayings is “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Subconscious eating can add on 100 – 500 calories to your day without you even realizing it. With this in mind, I was able to cut 300-500 calories a day just by measuring out what I was eating.
We always think we are eating less than we are and measuring out helps to keep your calories in range and avoid going overboard. Using kitchen measuring tools is a simple way for busy moms to get control over calories and portions fast.
3. Create an eating schedule
This is another accountability trick I use to avoid mindless eating. This is very helpful whether you’re a busy stay at home mom or working in an office.
I know this seems very basic but implementing eating times into your schedule helps train your brain to only eat during certain of the days and can help prevent grazing. This gives structure and organization to eating habits which is one of the things that’s lacking when first starting a weight loss journey. Again, it’s to keep you on track with food and stay focused on creating healthier eating habits.
For example, here is what my eating schedule looks like:
7:00 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Morning Snack
12:00 PM: Lunch
3:00 PM: Afternoon Snack
6:00 PM: Dinner
This has been one of the most helpful weight loss tips that has really changed the way I regard food.
4. Implement an eating cut off time
Having a cut off time has helped keep calories under control. My cut off time is 7:00 PM in the evenings. I have this time set in my calendar as a reminder so at 6:50 PM I get a reminder that says STOP EATING.
I picked 7:00 PM because I eat dinner around 6:00 PM so all of my calories for the day are used up by then. Anything else would just be extra and prevent any weight loss. This tip has trained my brain to stop eating at night and has prevented many unnecessary calories from late-night binging.
5. Start drinking more water
People seriously underestimate the power of being hydrated – I know I did. It wasn’t until I started drinking green smoothies and tracking water when I discovered the huge difference between being hydrated and not. When I’m hydrated, I feel focused, energized, less hungry, and way less bloated!
A simple thing busy moms can start doing right now is to invest in a 32-ounce water bottle and drink 2 of those a day. This alone will make such a big difference in the way you feel.
6. Do 30 minutes of exercise a day
Trust me, I know as busy mom, it seems next to impossible to get in any exercise. However, try to think about it this way. We’re not training for an Iron Man competition. We don’t need to spend 2 hours in the gym every day.
All we need to do is get in 1/2 hour of exercise a day. Of course, on days where you can do more, then do it. More power to you! However, in the beginning, focus on 30 minutes.
This can include 30 minutes on
- The treadmill
- Going out for an outdoor walk during your lunch break
- A quick workout video
- Walking up and downstairs
- Dancing with the kids in your living room
Just set your timer and get moving for 30 minutes. You got this!
7. Block 2-3 hours during the weekend for meal prep
Next to tracking calories, meal prep made the biggest difference in my weight loss journey.
As someone who had a hectic schedule, I had zero time to cook during the week. Learning to prep meals on the weekend made it so much easier to start eating healthy.
I know meal prep can seem very overwhelming but just like with everything else…start small. Start with the meal that’d make the biggest difference if prepped ahead of time. For example, if you struggle with healthy lunches, then take time on Sunday to make some Mason Jar Salads. If Thursday nights are crazy busy, then have that dinner planned and prepped so all you need to do is heat and eat.
Experience the small wins so you feel confident to do more! Take a look at my Ultimate Meal Prep Guide to help you even more.
The last thing I want to leave you with is one of my secret weight loss tips: Stay consistent. You’re not going to lose weight by tracking foods sometimes or prepping meals when you feel like it. Being consistent is the key to weight loss success. Not saying you need to be perfect but making more healthier choices will make the biggest difference.
Healthy Meal Prep Ideas for Weight Loss
Here are some of my favorite and most helpful meal prep ideas I added to my weight loss plan when I first started out:
- Turkey Taco Bowl
- One Pan Chicken and Veggies
- Detox Salad in a Jar
- Greek Snack Boxes
- Chili-Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
Use these 7 Weight Loss Tips to jump-start your weight loss plan today! Start tracking your eating habits and incorporate 30 minutes of exercise a day. You got this! Share a picture and tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you decide to try it!
Leave a Reply