Do you want to lose weight and keep it off? Personally, I have always found that to be a challenge. I’m the type of person who prefers working out in the comfort of my own home instead of a crowded gym. I do enjoy group fitness classes and have been known to be enticed by trying a short-term membership when I see a good groupon deal 😊 However, incorporating long term gym time into my schedule which is already jam packed, has always been hard.
If I have a bad week of being unable to get to the gym due to my schedule, then there goes my consistent schedule of working out. Once I get out of the routine of working out consistently, it’s downhill from there. The mindset of “okay, I’ll start my work out routine and diet again next week” takes over and next week becomes next month and you know how it goes. I want to share with you 6 ways to help you lose weight and keep it off!
1) Change your mindset
First and foremost, any diet or exercise plan needs to be viewed as a lifestyle change, there’s no end date. It’s a forever type thing. I found once I was in that mindset, it just became engrained into my life
- Once I hit my goal weight I could eat what I wanted (within reason) but I needed to do that daily workout. Of course, I have off days where I won’t work out, but that’s normally just once a week. If I have a day where it’s going out and eating heavy then the workout that night (or the next night if it’s a late evening), will be hardcore
- The key here, is once you get to your weight goal, you need to continue your diet and exercise plan and move into weight maintenance mode. You cannot abandon the techniques you have implemented to get here as the weight will inevitably come back
- I’m a foodie and I don’t like to restrict myself, so my mantra is everything in moderation. In order for me to be able to enjoy all the foods I love, I need to stick to my exercise plan
- Finding an exercise that is fun, will definitely help with sticking to it. If it’s also high intensity, it will burn more calories and you will get more bang for your buck. For me, that’s kickboxing, circuit weight training and HIIT (high intensity interval training)
2) Stick to the old school exercise and healthy diet plan
I had my second child, Rivaan, in November 2019, and I gained a lot of weight during the pregnancy. I wanted to get fit, not only to look better but to feel stronger. Instead of setting a goal weight of once I get to this weight I will be happy – I viewed it as an overall healthier lifestyle. Something I could stick to, to feel better and when the weight came off, it would be part of the package rather than the end goal. To do that, eating well and working out is really the only sustainable way. Any quick hacks that will get you to lose weight fast, will likely come back on just as quickly. And it will not give you the long term weight management you are seeking.
When I started this exercise plan, I was exclusively breastfeeding so fad diets were off the table. I just ate a healthy, balanced diet. Below are some of my favorite foods and go-to items to enjoy throughout the day:
Sample Meals to help you lose weight and keep it off:
Breakfast:
- My breakfast was usually an oatmeal bowl with a matcha tahini latte (please click links to get the recipes here on my blog). There are so many fun oatmeal bowls you can make that taste more like a dessert than a meal and are healthy options
- Smoothies are another go-to favorite breakfast option which I especially love when I’m on the go
- Veggie omelets with multigrain toast, avocado toast on rye, or turkey bacon with granola and yogurt are some other favorite options when I want some more fuel or something heavier
Lunch
- My lunch is normally a sandwich on multigrain bread with a lean protein such as chicken or turkey, cheese and veggies with a side salad. Or I will have a meal sized salad. Two of my favorite salads can be found in my blog posts here: strawberry, kale salad and maple roasted beet salad
Dinner
- Dinner is usually rice and an Indian curry, or pasta with veggies and a protein. One night is typically tacos or burgers. Usually once a week we order dinner in and I will get whatever I feel like having
Snacks
- I snack on fruits, vegetables, nuts, hummus, crackers, cheese and yogurt throughout the day
- Teas are my favorite, so, I either start my day, or end my day with a genmaicha (Japanese brown rice tea) and I have a cup or two of chai tea with lots of milk, please check out my blog post here for the recipe
- I like to have a sweet after dinner so I’ll have something that I baked, or a handful of dark chocolate chips (I love chipits 50% dark chocolate chips)
- For a great tasting, rich and filling peanut butter chocolate cookie recipe, please check out my blog post here
- I eat other sweets throughout the week in moderation, but mostly when I’m going out
3) Find a workout schedule that you can stick to
For me, my exercises are always done late in the evening, when both my kids are asleep. With an infant, morning workouts don’t work as Rivaan would be up early to feed. During the day, my rambunctious 4 year old is following me around and he’s not the type to workout with me. He’s the type to run up to the laptop where my workout is playing and shut it off or jump on me at inopportune times
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- Find a time that works for you, that fits well into your schedule and stick with it. Make it a routine – a part of your day that is as normal as brushing your teeth. If it works for you, that’s all that matters. Everyone always tells me that night time workouts aren’t good as I wont be able to fall asleep with the increased energy. It’s true, I am awake longer (I need to figure out a good sleep plan, it’s a WIP). However, it gives me time to read more or do other things I normally don’t have time for during the day. I also like being able to adjust my work out based on what I ate that day. If I ate more, my workout will be more intense
4) Find exercises that you enjoy doing
In order to get the workout to stick, it HAS to be something you enjoy, or you won’t stick to it. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, this is key.
Change it up!
- Don’t do the same workout every day, not only will it get boring but you will hit that plateau earlier – you won’t lose the weight as quickly as you otherwise would
- Rotating between different muscle groups on different days will also ensure you are getting in a balanced workout plan that targets all areas of your body (you can definitely emphasize your trouble areas with more focus on them)
Find a motivating workout:
- I really enjoy youtube type workout videos, with engaging and motivating personal trainers. Kickboxing is my favorite – you can make it as hard or as easy as you want depending on your mood and the intensity you put into your kicks and punches. You can add weights (I use 3 pounds) to increase the intensity even more when you do the jabs, uppercuts and hooks
- A lot of people enjoy dancing. There are great high intensity dance videos available on youtube too that are a great, fun workout
- I used Daily Burn (www.dailyburn.com), which is an online portal jam packed with thousands of workout videos of so many different types with amazing personal trainers. They sometimes offer a one month free trial with hassle free cancellation after that if you find it doesn’t work for you. I did the “Cardio Sculpt” and “Power Cardio” series which are programs with alternating workouts repeated over either a 12 week or 6 week period (depending on the program you choose) The workouts are fun, diverse and work out every muscle group. I would actually look forward to the workouts each day! They have rest days and a yoga/stretch day scheduled into each week
At home workouts:
With COVID and the number of people working at home, find something that works for you around the house. There have been so many free apps offered due to COVID. I leveraged them as well, to change things up
- I tried the ‘Down Dog HIIT’ app, which was free for a few months and is now charging monthly unless you have an extenuating circumstance (this was the case a few months ago, I haven’t checked back with them. Take a look and see if this interests you)
- NTC (Nike Training Center) is still free (as of November 2020) and has a LOT of amazing workouts for any fitness level. I personally really love them
So, schedule the workouts, find something enjoyable and stick to it! Good luck 😊
5) Don’t give up
Weight loss takes time. When I was younger, I could lose weight pretty fast and with limited effort. With age, it takes longer to come off! For me, it took a full 12 weeks to start seeing results after giving birth to Rivaan. It was demotivating during those first few weeks to see no change in weight but I stuck to it. At the 12 week mark, the weight started to come off fast and I could really see and feel the difference! As you get closer to your weight goal, the weight comes off slower as there is less weight to lose, but stick to it.
- Remember, this is a lifestyle change, so hitting your goal weight doesn’t mean anything changes. Stopping your exercise plan or changing your eating habits once you hit that goal does nothing as it will almost always erase all your hard work as the weight slowly starts to creep back
6) Celebrate your success and keep it up
Fast forward to once I hit my ‘goal’ where I felt I had lost the weight I wanted – and felt GOOD. The biggest thing I noticed was the increased energy. I could carry my 4 year old all over the place and run around with him with ease. I can easily beat my husband at plank, burpee and push up challenges (he will deny this but it’s true) and the workouts are now just a part of my daily life.
Do you want to naturally boost your immune system for optimal health? If so, check out my blog post here!
What does your typical workout routine look like? What do you think about the content in this article? Let me know in the comments below!