Whether you’ve recently had children or your kids are starting to grow up now, there’s never a bad time to think about losing any extra weight you’ve put on. Unfortunately, life as a mom is always really busy, and it can be hard to find the time for anything that doesn’t revolve around your responsibilities to other people.
But self care matters as well, and in this case, self care might need losing weight. This post will explore some ways to help you lose weight, as well as when you should consider it.
Why It Matters
First, it’s important to realize that not everyone needs to lose weight. In many cases, being underweight can be actually less healthy than being slightly overweight. Having a baby does a lot to your body, which is why you might find it more difficult to lose weight. This doesn’t mean you’re a failure by any means, it just means that you might need to set your expectations differently and try to be consistent.
There are a few reasons why you might want to lose weight. The most important thing to consider is your health. Being overweight is a risk factor for multiple health conditions, as it can cause complications and raise your risk of developing serious and chronic health problems like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and joint pain.
You might also want to lose weight for your self esteem. We often have an idea of ourselves in our heads and, while we can’t stop aging or life from changing our appearance, it can be upsetting when you look in the mirror and see a stranger. A very common reason for mothers to want to lose weight is so that they feel like themselves again. This is important as well, because it helps you to be more confident and happier in yourself.
Making Good Food Choices
One of the most effective ways to lose weight and control your weight in general is to control what you eat. This doesn’t mean that you have to be overly restrictive or go on a crash diet. Often, these eating patterns are unhealthy and unsustainable. You might lose weight quickly, but you don’t feel well and you’re likely to put it back on when you stop your diet.
Instead, make good food choices that you can stick to. This starts in the grocery store. While there’s nothing wrong with snacks and treats, focus on fresh food as much as possible. Vegetables are always good for you, and fruit makes a great snack that is full of vitamins.
Another thing to consider is the calories you put into your body. Weight loss can come down to losing more calories than you put in, which means that by choosing satisfying and less calorie-dense foods, you can have a full diet without the calories that match.
Small portions can also help, especially if you’re prone to finishing your plate even when you’re satisfied. Eat slowly and, if you are still hungry a few minutes after you’ve eaten, you can get a little more or have some water or a healthy snack.
Meal Prepping
Cooking from scratch is by far the best way to make sure your food isn’t full of fat, sugar, salt, and other things that come packaged in your takeout or ready meals. There’s a reason they taste so good, after all.
Unfortunately, cooking also takes a lot of time, and as a busy mom, you don’t have much to go around.
Meal prepping can be really helpful for shaving off the time you take cooking for your family. You don’t need to prepare meals for the whole week if you don’t want to, but you can double or triple portions while you cook and save the rest for later. Over time, you end up with a freezer full of easy meals.
Exercise to Lose Weight
As well as thinking about what you eat, another way to lose weight is through weight loss workouts. If time is your biggest constraint, there are a few ways around this. First, start small. This is the best way to build up your strength and stamina anyway, and half an hour or exercise a day is much better than nothing at all.
Both strength and cardio training can help you lose weight in different ways, so it’s good to mix them or focus on a type of exercise that you actually enjoy.
You can also kill two birds with one stone when you exercise. You can play sports with friends, which helps you to socialize more often with people you don’t live or work with, which is better for your mental health. Or you can exercise with your family by going on walks or cycling together, setting a good example for your kids.
How to Keep Motivated
One of the hardest things to manage when losing weight is your motivation to keep on going, especially if you don’t see immediate results. But consistency is much better than rapid results.
Set goals for yourself that are realistic. Try to work with other people as well, so when you’re working out, you aren’t alone. Don’t be too harsh on yourself for slipups or anything else, especially because your body is often designed to hold on to weight.
Look at the long-term benefits and results. Look for patterns over months and, if you still don’t lose anything, you can consider changing strategies and looking for other options.
Medical Interventions
In some cases, it’s very difficult to lose weight for medical reasons. Or your weight might be causing more immediate health concerns, which means that you need quicker results.
In these situations, you should speak to a doctor. A doctor can give targeted advice to help you lose weight and, if necessary, they can also offer medical interventions like surgery or medications. These do have risks and need to be used correctly, but they can have incredible effects. Make sure to follow up with your doctor when using these methods.
