This week we were contacted by several mums who had been eating well and exercising in order to lose pregnancy weight and had recently reached the milestone of ‘half way to goal weight’.
There was a general feeling that – hooray – we’ve come so far but – boooo – there is still so far to go. How do you stay motivated when you have to do all that work again?
For many of these mums, so much effort had gone into the initial phase of operation lose pregnancy weight that they felt as though they had nothing left in the tank.
So today we are discussing some of the ways that you can stay motivated when you are half way to your goal.
Take a step back
It is so very important to think about how far you’ve come from when you first started on your weight loss journey.
Think about how much you’ve learned about good health and nutrition, portion sizes, good fats, bad fats, metabolism, the benefits of fibre and protein.
Think about your fitness levels, and how much they have most likely improved since you began your post baby exercises.
Before you begin the pity party, really think about all that you have achieved so far and give yourself a pat on the back.
Imagine if you’d never started on the Lose Baby Weight plans. You would still have all that weight to lose and you wouldn’t be feeling as good as you do today.
Take a look at your before photo
And compare it to a photo taken in the same positions today.
Is your tummy flatter? Is your posture better? Are your legs leaner? Can you see the shape of your face has changed?
Zoom in on every little thing that you can and really take note of how much you’ve changed since day 1.
Imagine yourself looking at your ‘after’ picture when you do hit your goal weight. How amazing is that going to be?
Crunch the numbers
Hopefully you have remembered to keep track of your body measurements as well as your numbers on the scales.
These can reveal a lot more than the kilograms you have lost, as they take into account things like muscle gain and areas where you have toned up.
Add up all of the centimetres lost across your body measurements. It’s probably a pretty impressive number. Now write it down on a post it and stick it to your mirror so that you are reminded of this every day.
Mix things up
If you’ve seen great results, it can be tempted to keep everything the same and hope for it to continue. Perhaps if you drink the same smoothie each morning, eat the same meals, and do the same exercise you will reach goal sooner?
Unfortunately our bodies are too smart, and after a while they don’t respond as positively to the same old stimulus.
You’ve got to keep your body guessing. So that means trying new smoothies, testing out some new recipes from the 28 Day Plan or the Summer Cookbook, throwing in some new exercises (try the Healthy Mummy Exercise DVD) and generally shaking this up! Or try the 28 Day Weight loss Challenge which runs 6 times per year.
Tighten up the rule book
You can also commit to being extra strict in areas that you may have become more relaxed in. Perhaps the extra glass or two of wine is creeping in mid week; or the 5 times per week exercise commitment has dropped to 2-3 times.
Now is the time to reel yourself back in and get back to basics in order to see results. Remember to plan for 3 healthy meals and 2 snacks per day. Plan ahead to ensure you have supplies for your Healthy Mummy Smoothies.
All of these things make your day a little bit easier and can help your body to lose pregnancy weight.
Set some small goals
If the final goal seems too far ahead, why not commit to some weekly or monthly goals instead?
They can be related to the scales or measurements, but they can also be everyday challenges that you set for yourself too.
Perhaps you might commit to trying a new exercise each month; or testing out 2 new recipes per week from the Summer Cookbook; or commit to going to bed at the same time each night.
Remember to reward yourself for reaching these mini-goals, and use them as a way to keep yourself motivated to reach for your final goal weight.
Challenge yourself
If you really need a push, consider really getting out of your comfort zone. Sign yourself up for a mini marathon or ocean swim event; apply to be a Lose Baby Weight Motivating Mum; or whatever will see you reach for new heights.
Give yourself a treat
Give yourself a treatSo often when trying to lose weight, we try and cut all treats out and try and banish all kinds of sweet treats, but this can often lead to over indulging after a couple of weeks of abstinence and falling off the wagon completely.
But the good news is that if you do choose wisely and choose sweet treats like 30g of dark chocolate or by choosing one of the healthy baking and treats option in our Guilt Free Chocolate Treats & Baking Book.
You can also get a FREE recipe and exercise sampler for the upcoming Feb Challenge here
