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Throwback to when I lost nearly 40 pounds in 9 months! Now, after two babies and barely any weight loss between pregnancies, I’m trying to lose weight again. I’ve been struggling to stay motivated, but I’ve done it before, so I know I can do it again.
I started trying to lose weight in May 2012. I tried to workout but was so out of shape I didn’t get far. I tried to drink lots of water and did great one day and awful the next. I really buckled down near the end of the summer and started to lose a few pounds here and there. In September, I started a warehouse job that made a ton of difference. Not only was a forced to “workout” for hours a day lifting heavy boxes, but I couldn’t sit and snack like I had been doing while I was in college writing papers and reading till all hours of the night.
While I’m not sure I would have had the necessary motivation without that job back then, I know it isn’t necessary for me to lose weight. There are so many little things I did that helped. You can try what works for you or implement one at a time. Losing 40 pounds in 9 months isn’t the most amazing thing ever. I’ve seen plenty of stories of people who have lost more in less time. But this wasn’t a quick fix or a crazy diet. I still ate largely what I wanted and was able to keep at it instead of giving up.
Here’s what I did:
Drink Water
And only water! I basically cut out soda when I was in middle school because I was a dancer. So when I started trying to lose weight, I had been drinking it occasionally, but I was never addicted. However, I had never focused on getting in my eight glasses of water each day. This was one of the first changes I made. I had four water bottles that I filled and put in the fridge. I would drink them throughout the day, refill them, and put them back in the fridge. It felt like such an accomplishment to drink all my water for the day. It was a non-scale victory that I could enjoy every single day.
Use Motivational Quotes
I love quotes. They are short and to the point. They make me think. I started a Pinterest board with motivational quotes for weight loss. Then I typed up my favorites, printed them out, and taped them all over my apartment. I put quotes about cravings and eating on the fridge and kitchen cupboards. I put quotes about even a little exercise helping your body in the front room where I worked out. I put quotes about not giving up on the bathroom mirror where I saw few changes at first. I felt a little silly when we had visitors over, but it was worth it.
Time Eating
I am a snacker. And because I am a night owl, I tend to eat late. When I was working on losing weight, I stopped eating late. I stopped eating by seven or eight unless there were extenuating circumstances. It gave my body a chance to digest my food before I went to bed. I had such a hard time with this! I often wore my retainer for the evening to remind myself not to eat. Sometimes I sucked on Lifesavers so I could enjoy eating something without tons of calories. Yeah, I probably broke my own rule a little bit there.
Only Eat One
Like I said, I still ate largely what I wanted. I just limited the amounts of things. If we went to a family dinner with dessert, I enjoyed dessert. I just only ate one cookie or brownie or piece of cake. I think this was a big part of why I was successful. Often it seems people go on crazy diets, feel deprived, and give up. I enjoyed sweets, but then I felt good about not overdoing it.
Move More
Yes, exercise is important. Cardio, weights, Yoga… All helpful. But that is only a half hour or hour of your day, if you can even fit it in every day. I liked to focus on the little, everyday exercise. I parked farther back in the parking lot at the store. I went up the stairs instead of the elevator. I went on leisurely Sunday walks instead of watching TV. None of those things melted the weight off, but they kept me in the right mindset. Plus, every little bit helped.
Stock Healthy Food
Having only healthy food at home makes it harder to slip up. Personally, if I have sweets at home, I can’t help myself. It’s like they HAVE to be eaten ASAP. I kept better snacks like string cheese, nuts, yogurt, fruit, pretzels, and granola bars on hand. I also fed my sweet tooth, but I was smarter about it. I knew that if I had a king size candy bar, I would eat it all in one sitting. So instead I would have candy kisses and only eat two or three.
Have Goals
I could have easily said I wanted to lose 40 pounds in 2 months and watched myself fail. Instead I celebrated every pound. I focused on getting to the next 10-pound mark. I kept track of my overall goal and my weight lost on my bathroom mirror as a constant reminder of how far I’d come and what I was working toward.
I was extremely proud of losing the weight the first time around, and I’m excited to do it again. I plan on implementing all of these things and more!
