I don’t know about you, but I had a really active summer. My daughter and I spent a lot of time outside, I started running in the mornings, I tried some of these fantastic at-home cardio workouts, I broke a sweat doing these ab workouts, and I even gave some of these at-home yoga workouts for busy moms a try.
But once the weather started to get colder, I found I wasn’t moving around as much, and even though I have gotten myself back into a pretty decent workout routine, the extra pounds I gained at the beginning of the school year just haven’t wanted to budge.
So I started thinking of all of the weight loss tips I’ve learned over the years, and with a few small changes on my part (think: more sleep, water, and time on our bathroom scale), I am finally getting back to the size I’m most comfortable with.
And since I know I’m not the only person who struggles with weight gain, especially when the weather is cold and miserable, I couldn’t resist sharing these simple tips to help you lose weight, too!
1. Get more sleep
I always lose weight when we travel, even though I eat more and spend zero time at the gym. I always assumed this was because I wasn’t sitting on this darn computer all night long, but then I read this article about sleep and weight gain, and it suddenly makes sense!
2. Eat breakfast.
My dad ALWAYS insisted we eat a well-balanced breakfast, whereas my mother prefers to skip lunch and breakfast and eat a huge dinner. And guess what? My dad’s strategy ALWAYS works better. Of course, the jury is still out on the link between eating breakfast and losing weight, but experience has proven (to me anyway) that skipping breakfast makes you more likely to overeat later in the day, which contributes to weight gain. For me, anyway!
3. Drink a glass of water before each meal
After watching a friend down a glass of ice water before dinner one night a few weeks ago in an effort to prevent herself from overeating, I decided to give it a go and see if it made a difference, and I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did it prevent me from polishing off my entire serving of pumpkin ravioli (as I’m known to do), but it also helped me feel less bloated when I got home that night. I’ve been downing a glass before every meal since, and I am amazed at the results!
4. Forget about dieting
I have never been a fan of diets. I find they are restrictive, unhealthy, and rarely set you up for long-term success, so I never cut out particular food groups, and instead focus on eating healthy foods with the occasional glutinous option thrown in to keep me satisfied. I find this strategy helps make the process of losing weight much easier, and it also helps me maintain my weight-loss goals for a longer period of time.
5. Remember: calories in versus calories out
Please tell me I don’t have to explain this one??!
6. Don’t eat through meal preparations
This is where I really fall down. I just cannot help but nibble on the crusts of my daughter’s grilled cheese sandwich while I’m cutting up veggies for my boring old salad, you know? But whenever I’m conscious of NOT eating my way through every meal I prepare, I am always amazed at what a difference it makes. Give it a try!
7. Maintain a good eating routine
My husband often laughs that I eat the same things at the same time everyday, but this strategy of mine has gone a long way in helping me maintain my weight. Of course, this is not ideal for foodies who love to spontaneously try new foods, but if you are a boring person like me, you will benefit from a more defined eating routine. Trust me on this one.
8. Weigh yourself often
I weigh myself every single day, and while some people would argue I would be better off weighing myself once a week, I have always found this to be a more effective strategy in helping me monitor if I need to make adjustments to my food portions, water intake, etc. And after reading this article on Psychology Today, I’m even more convinced I’m on to something!
Show More..
But once the weather started to get colder, I found I wasn’t moving around as much, and even though I have gotten myself back into a pretty decent workout routine, the extra pounds I gained at the beginning of the school year just haven’t wanted to budge.
So I started thinking of all of the weight loss tips I’ve learned over the years, and with a few small changes on my part (think: more sleep, water, and time on our bathroom scale), I am finally getting back to the size I’m most comfortable with.
And since I know I’m not the only person who struggles with weight gain, especially when the weather is cold and miserable, I couldn’t resist sharing these simple tips to help you lose weight, too!
1. Get more sleep
I always lose weight when we travel, even though I eat more and spend zero time at the gym. I always assumed this was because I wasn’t sitting on this darn computer all night long, but then I read this article about sleep and weight gain, and it suddenly makes sense!
2. Eat breakfast.
My dad ALWAYS insisted we eat a well-balanced breakfast, whereas my mother prefers to skip lunch and breakfast and eat a huge dinner. And guess what? My dad’s strategy ALWAYS works better. Of course, the jury is still out on the link between eating breakfast and losing weight, but experience has proven (to me anyway) that skipping breakfast makes you more likely to overeat later in the day, which contributes to weight gain. For me, anyway!
3. Drink a glass of water before each meal
After watching a friend down a glass of ice water before dinner one night a few weeks ago in an effort to prevent herself from overeating, I decided to give it a go and see if it made a difference, and I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did it prevent me from polishing off my entire serving of pumpkin ravioli (as I’m known to do), but it also helped me feel less bloated when I got home that night. I’ve been downing a glass before every meal since, and I am amazed at the results!
4. Forget about dieting
I have never been a fan of diets. I find they are restrictive, unhealthy, and rarely set you up for long-term success, so I never cut out particular food groups, and instead focus on eating healthy foods with the occasional glutinous option thrown in to keep me satisfied. I find this strategy helps make the process of losing weight much easier, and it also helps me maintain my weight-loss goals for a longer period of time.
5. Remember: calories in versus calories out
Please tell me I don’t have to explain this one??!
6. Don’t eat through meal preparations
This is where I really fall down. I just cannot help but nibble on the crusts of my daughter’s grilled cheese sandwich while I’m cutting up veggies for my boring old salad, you know? But whenever I’m conscious of NOT eating my way through every meal I prepare, I am always amazed at what a difference it makes. Give it a try!
7. Maintain a good eating routine
My husband often laughs that I eat the same things at the same time everyday, but this strategy of mine has gone a long way in helping me maintain my weight. Of course, this is not ideal for foodies who love to spontaneously try new foods, but if you are a boring person like me, you will benefit from a more defined eating routine. Trust me on this one.
8. Weigh yourself often
I weigh myself every single day, and while some people would argue I would be better off weighing myself once a week, I have always found this to be a more effective strategy in helping me monitor if I need to make adjustments to my food portions, water intake, etc. And after reading this article on Psychology Today, I’m even more convinced I’m on to something!
Show More..
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