You want to lose weight but just aren’t seeing the results you were hoping for or maybe you’ve plateaued and don’t know why. Let me share with you some important discoveries made while travelling the road to a fit and healthier me.
It’s the start of a brand new year and many of us have set goals we are passionate about. I, myself complied a list of 10 goals for this year, some of which include to
- Drink more water
- Prioritize physical activity and self-care in my daily routine
- Lose the baby weight from 3 children (approximately 20 lbs)
They are all realistic goals I hope to achieve knowing they are in the realm of possibility. Setting unrealistic goals will only hinder motivation and confidence.
Let’s zoom in on the last goal on my list where I plan on losing 20 pounds of baby weight still lingering around. My youngest is now 13 months so I’m not feeling bad about the extra weight to say the least. I’ve achieved fitness goals before so why not again?
I put on about 40-50 pounds with each of my pregnancies, and in between births, my weight would fluctuate. I lost 10, gained 3, lost another 10, gained another 5 and so on until the next birth. Now I am here in 2021 with 20 pounds standing between me and my pre-maternity weight.
Do you know how much information is out there about losing weight? SO. MUCH. Like, A LOT. Every week it seems there is a new trend of food choices and lifestyle habits to take on deemed as the most effective method.
And, let me take this moment to share some insight about the abundance of information out there. It evolves with every new nutritional science discovery. Take for example, the avocado craze that entered the spotlight once scientists confirmed the benefits of good fats and that they are required for a healthy diet.
Nutritional science is a “baby” having only been studied for a couple hundred years or so. This is in comparison to other sciences like medicine and environment that have been studied for thousands of years.
It is very easy to get overwhelmed following all of this information and truth be told, somewhat discouraging. I took a deep dive into learning what everyone had to say about how to lose weight while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. And let me just say this, there has to be a simpler way!
It was clear that somewhere down the road society made this too complicated. Generations before us lived healthy lifestyles without the fit bits and calorie counting. I started to look beyond how companies were marketing weight loss.
Over the past few years while trying to lose weight, I took time to closely observe how my body responded to different food choices and lifestyle habits. What was making it easier to lose weight and what was not?
Here are 5 of the most important lessons I learned.
1. No coffee on an empty stomach.
A mindfully made coffee is perfectly acceptable in moderation but when ingested on an empty stomach it curbs appetite, influences poor meal choices and disrupts the digestive process with bloating, inflammation and constipation. Not the greatest way to start the day.
I found it life-changing when I held out until mid morning for a coffee, or at least until after I was finished eating breakfast. The result – I was enjoying healthy breakfasts every morning because a coffee for dessert was my reward. Food in my stomach to soak up the acidic coffee beverage reduced negative impacts in my gut.
2. There is no magic pill to lose weight.
Prepare yourself to put in hard work in order to see results. An easy fix does not exist. Trending methods that claim suspiciously fast results are misleading because as fast as the weight comes off is as fast as it comes back.
I tried so many different suggestions but the timeless advice of burning more calories than you consume each day holds true. Whether you are mindful with food choices or participating in moderate to intense workouts, just remember that the goal is more calories out than in.
3. Food is such a small part of it.
Do not let managing your diet consume you. When it comes to food, stick with the natural and stay away from the refined. It does not need to be complicated. The other pillars of heath (water, daily physical activity, sleep and mental wellness) are just as important and have a direct correlation with seeing results when trying to lose weight.
I meticulously observed how all the pillars of health connected with each other. The body is an intricate computer with multiple systems running independently but connected as one. I noticed that when I was lacking sleep or overwhelmed by stress, the weight stuck on. Self-care allows the body to preform at it’s best. When I was taking care of myself as a whole, the pounds came off easier.
4. Drink water and lots of it.
Water is critical to your health regardless of whether or not you’re trying to lose weight. There is a long list of benefits to drinking water, one of them being weight management. Water also helps flush out toxins and remove waste (which can make a big difference on the scale).
I am a true water drinker so cutting out sugary beverages wasn’t at all hard for me. My biggest hurdle was making sure I was drinking enough of it. It was easy to tell when I wasn’t because I easily became light-headed or tired and irritable with everything around me. Lack of hydration had a bad influence on my food choices and motivation to keep up with workouts. There was such a big difference with my ability to drop pounds when I was well hydrated. I made a habit to drink 1 cup of water first thing in the morning, which is an awesome metabolism boost. I also make sure I have it on hand with me when I leave the house to make it accessible.
5. Bowel movements are a big deal.
A backed up digestive tract is an uncomfortable feeling already. On top of that, it detains your body’s ability to shed unwanted weight. Regular bowel movements differ per person (between 1-3 times per day) but as long as they are consistent, you’re good. Consistent movement is when you go the same amount of times per day and at roughly the same time of day.
I created healthful lifestyle habits to build consistency. I ensured a minimum 4-hour gap between the last thing I ate and the time I went to bed. This gave my body enough time to pass through everything I ingested and promoted healthy morning visits to the toilet. I made sure to eat mindfully and avoid foods I knew triggered inflammation (this is different for everyone but let’s say milk makes you gassy – stay way from it). I also prioritized physical activity everyday because movement of the body encourages movement in the digestive tract. It doesn’t always have to be vigorous exercise, just make sure you’re moving!