For those of you who don't know me, I'm Mandy and I blog over at Mommy Musings.
I'm a Jersey girl teacher turned SAHM. I'm lucky to be married to my best friend, Skip, and we are blessed with two sweet little girls. My husband is a former Marine and for the past almost ten years, a cop. I am a former-teacher turned SAHM, and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.
Before I had kids, I was always really fit. Working out has always been something I loved to do. And because of that, I have always been thin. But as most of you moms know, that all changes when you pop out a kid or two.
I lost my baby weight pretty quickly after my first, but it was definitely a struggle after my second. But giving up was just not something I was going to do. So after nine long months, I was finally down to my pre-pregnancy weight.
That was a year and a half ago, and since then I have really stepped up my workouts and am in better shape than ever before! But now here's what you're all wondering...how did I do it? Now yes, my weight loss tips here have to do with my losing weight post-baby. But these tips can also be applied to just regular weight loss in general.
Mandy's Unofficial Weight Loss Tips
1. Portion Control - Now in full disclosure, my eating habits are really only a step above horrendous. Truly. Candy for breakfast, cookies for lunch, why not? Hubs always jokes about my ability to make a meal out of Twizzlers. And while I have gotten much better over the years, I still think life is too short to not be able to indulge when I want to. That's where portion control comes in. If I'm going to eat a gooey piece of cake, I will eat less of my dinner. I also will limit the amount of cookies I eat, aiming to just eat 1 or 2 that day. If I go to a restaurant, I NEVER finish my meal. I am always bringing home at least half for leftovers. It helps my weight and I'm getting more bang for my buck. I truly believe you can eat what you want in moderation.
2. My Fitness Pal - This kind of goes along with what I was saying above. This is an app for the IPhone where you plug in your current weight, goal weight, and how quickly you want to achieve it. It will then tell you how many calories to eat per day. You then add in everything you eat and what exercises you have done. My favorite thing about this app is that you can scan the bar code of what you are eating and it automatically knows the nutrition info! Most chain restaurants are on there as well. I'm sure it's a lot like weight watchers, but this was free, so that's why I chose this. I didn't find out about this till most of my baby weight was gone, but it helped shed those last 15 lbs quick...and during the Christmas season!
3. I Work Out - This is really the most important one in my book. I work out like a maniac. Seriously, I love it. I loved working out before I had kids, but now it not only gets me in shape, but it is an hour a day I have to myself! And I know we are all busy and it is hard to fit in exercise, but if you want results, you will find the time. I make sure everything is set so I have no excuse. I have a gym membership, go running/walking outside in my neighborhood, and have a ton of workout videos. So no matter the weather, or my time constraints I have time to get it done. Now I am not one of those people who can get up at 5 am to work out. But I have no problem doing the Shred at 10:30 pm. It's all about what works for you. But do it, every day. Sure things come up some days and you can't workout, and that's fine. But aim to do it every day and you'll do it more than not! I also write down every time I workout on my calender...makes me feel a sense of accomplishment when I look at the month as a whole.
4. Weigh Yourself Regularly - Now you don't want to become obsessed with the number on the scale, but weighing yourself once a week shows you all the great progress you're making. Even though I am at my goal weight now, I still weigh myself once a week. That way if I start to put a few pounds on again, I know to step up my workouts or start logging in my food on MFP again. When I am maintaining I don't let my weight go more than 5 lbs over what my ideal is.
5. Water, Water, Water - We all know this one already, but drinking tons of water really does help! I notice a big difference in how I feel on days I chug a lot of H2O...I have better workouts as well when I am super hydrated! I also rarely drink my calories for the day. Other than coffee, and the occasional milk in my cereal, I only drink water or diet coke. I would much rather eat all my calories for the day. And if you are more of a juice or alcohol drinker than I am, don't forget to factor those into your calorie counts!
6. Waist Trimmer - I bought a Belly Bandit off of Ebay when I was pregnant with Baby C. Honestly, I didn't love it that much. I don't know if it's because my torso is short or I bought it used, but I found like it just rode up and didn't help much. But what did help was this waist trimmer. It will literally fit everyone, and I was able to adjust it for whatever size belly I was sporting at the time. It really ups your sweat factor around the waist so I didn't feel as bloated. I wore it all the time, working out, sleeping, etc. It does look a little bulky under clothes, so I didn't really wear it when I when out or had people over. I really loved it though and still work out with it now!
7. Every Day is New Year's Day - You know how everyone eats healthy and does a long workout on New Year's Day? Pretend every day is a brand new start! If you eat a ton one night, don't think you're whole week is shot and continue to binge for the next week. And if you're not able to workout for a week or so, don't just give up all together. You should not have an all-or-nothing attitude when it comes to be healthy. Wake up every day with the attitude of doing right! Also, if you have a big, unhealthy lunch, don't just assume that day is shot. With every meal, and every opportunity to work out, start fresh!
So there you go. I'm not a doctor or fitness instructor or dietician. But these are my tips for losing weight and getting in shape. Hope I was able to help some of you! Now it's a gorgeous day out...hit the streets for a run! Mommy Mandy www.mommymandymusings.com Twitter: @MomMandyMusings Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MommyMandyMusings Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/MomMandyMusings/
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