Are you getting slow results from following your healthy eating plan and exercises?
Today we have 12 little tweaks that you can make to your day that could help to throw your pregnancy weight loss results into top gear.

Get back to basics

The Lose Baby Weight 28 Day Challenges are all about 3 main meals and 2 (possibly 3) snacks per day.
It’s really easy to forget to eat when you are working and/or looking after children, so try to really focus on eating all of your recommended meals and snacks each day.
You can read more here on how to determine how many calories you need per day for weight loss (it could be more than you think).

Remove the filler foods

Instead of adding pasta, rice or bread to your meals, bulk them up with fresh vegetables instead. So you could add something like cauliflower rice (see how to make that here), some boiled corn on the cob, steamed spinach or snow peas.
You’ll soon find that the feeling that you get after finishing a meal like this is a lot more comfortable than the belly bloating filler foods.

Keep your smoothies lean

While fruit is a fabulous snack full of natural sweetness and vitamins, it is easy to overdo it in your Healthy Mummy Smoothie.
Once fruit is all blended up it’s not hard to find yourself eating a whole banana and half a punnet of strawberries (as well as the smoothie powder and milk).
If you were to eat those same fruits unblended you would most likely feel fuller sooner. So when making your smoothies, try to stick to our recipes which often require something as simple as ½ a frozen banana.

Put exercise in the diary

Things will always crop up when you’re a busy mum, and exercise is often the first thing to be pushed to the bottom of the priority list.
Instead of thinking that you’ll fit exercise in when you can, make it part of your busy week. If you have childcare, set some time that day that you always do exercise (even if it’s just walking to and from the drop off).
Make dates with friends for a walk instead of lunch. Book in one night per week where you have someone at home to watch the kids while you go to a yoga class.
After lunch when the kids are napping or busy with a project, pop on the Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD. Do whatever works for you in order to make it happen.

Cut out the little extras

If you are still having a regular soft drink or sugar in your coffee, try cutting that out. Even a little bit of sugar can send you on the blood sugar roller coaster which sees you experiencing the high followed by the low.
The low can often send you into a spiral of cravings for more sweet foods and drinks. Keep your blood sugar stable by enjoying plenty of healthy wholegrain carbohydrates, lean protein and good fats.

Make your own healthier treats

If you’re still squeezing in the odd chocolate bar or cake here and there, why not switch them up for a better version? Our Guilt Free Chocolate Treats and Baking Book is filled with ideas for healthier goodies that you can enjoy as part of your healthy eating plan.
This way you will never feel deprived, and you can avoid the cake-ache that you might get from a sugar and fat filled muffin or pastry.

Use your down time wisely

The more you move, the less you sit, which is a good equation for weight loss. So instead of sitting down to spoon feed your baby, stand up and do it while you do some squats.
Instead of flopping on the couch for an hour after dinner, try doing our Lounge Room Leg Workout while you catch up on your favourite programs.

Enjoy your coffee at home

It’s really easy to pack in hundreds of calories with a fancy coffee from the café (think soy latte with caramel, or an iced coffee made with ice cream and cream).
Plus it opens up a whole new array of temptations with café style muffins and cakes in the glass window.
Instead, make yourself a coffee with milk at home which is much lower in calories and can be enjoyed with a healthy snack from the kitchen.

Pack the leftovers away before dinner

It’s easy to mindlessly nibble on leftover food if they are sitting in front of you on the dinner table. Instead, serve up everyone’s meal in the kitchen and then pack the leftovers into a plastic tub to use for someone’s lunch the next day. You’re much less likely to overdo it if it’s out of sight.
Even eating too much healthy food is still going to hamper your weight loss results, as it is still pushing you over your recommended calories for the day.

Cook double to avoid the take away

It’s so nice to have a night off from cooking, and that’s why we often turn to take away when we are busy. Instead, keep some family sized dinners stashed away in the freezer.
Anytime you cook up something like curry, casserole or Bolognese – freeze a portion to use on a busy night.
That way you’ve just got to prepare a salad or some veg to go with it. A healthy dinner can be on the table faster than a delivery driver could get it there.

Remember that good fats are your friend

There’s no need to go on a fat-free blitz. In fact, healthy proteins and good fats keep you feeling fuller and more satisfied.
So add some feta or avocado to your morning scrambled eggs, boost your porridge with some nuts and seeds, add some tuna to your lunchtime salad, throw a boiled egg into your lunchbox as a snack, and drizzle some olive oil on your steamed veggies.
It’s the bad fats that you need to kick to the kerb. Think processed foods like donuts, fried chicken, cakes, muffins, ice creams and biscuits – these all contain bad fats.

Change things up with your exercise

Instead of the same old 30 minute walk 5 days a week, keep your body on its toes. Try varying the type and length of your exercises.
For instance you might do a walk/jog one day where you alternate between walking for one minute and then jogging for a minute.
Another day you might try to get through the whole Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD by splitting the segments out across the day and night.
One night when the kids are being minded you might slip out to an indoor pool for a few laps.
Our body responds well to varied exercises, so don’t get stuck in a rut that could be holding back your results.
 
 
Need to stock up on Healthy Mummy Smoothies? Then see our shop here
And join our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenges here