Even if you are losing kilos, losing centimetres, getting fitter and eating better it is hard to stay focused 100% of the time.
It’s so easy to lapse back into old habits (like two sugary biscuits with every cup of tea) or reach for our old friend Mr Chocolate when we’re tired or busy.
So today we have put together a series of pointers that you can hopefully read through and feel the fire return to your resolve. 
Weight loss is a marathon not a sprint, so you do need to pace yourself so that you don’t burn out too quickly.
1. Keep track of your progress
This is so so so important. Being able to see how far you’ve come is the best motivator when you are having a tough day or week. Each week you may only be seeing small achievements so it’s important to step back and look at the bigger picture. Sure, you may have lost 200g this week but in the past 6 weeks you may have lost 3kg and that’s amazing!
Or perhaps you can now run for 10 minutes without stopping whereas you used to only be able to manage 3 minutes. Look how far you’ve come! You might have lost 2cm off your thighs but if you’re not measuring, you might not have noticed.
2. Use photos as a trigger
Another great tool is to use your ‘before’ shot as a way of motivating yourself to stay on track. Take one now if you haven’t already, and keep it in a drawer ready to peek at whenever you feel your motivation lagging. Take another photo in the same position and compare the two. You might see things that you hadn’t noticed with the naked eye.
For instance you might notice that your tummy has shrunk down, or that your thighs are not as close together. Maybe your posture is better, or your butt might look a little higher. When you look in the mirror and try to remember what the old you looked like to compare, it’s almost impossible. We are human and we pick fault with what we see in front of us.
Having the photos gives you concrete proof of the changes that are happening as a result of your healthier habits. And that’s a great way to boost your esteem and get you focused on keeping it up.
3. Set up some rewards to use as ‘bait’
There is nothing like dangling a tempting carrot in front of yourself to get you focused. But if a carrot isn’t going to cut it, how about a full body massage when you lose 5kg? Or a new dress when you have lost 10cm from your body measurements?
Having a reward to focus on (one that’s not food which could undo all of your hard work) is a great way to give yourself a mental kick in the behind when necessary.
4. Save time in the kitchen
Instead of making cooking healthy meals a drag, why not cut down the time you spend on doing it? Get into these healthy habits to save you hours in the kitchen. Making Bolognese? Make double and freeze a batch for a night you don’t feel like cooking.
Baking some healthy muffins? Make double and freeze them individually so that you can throw one in your bag in the morning for afternoon tea. Just bought loads of fresh melon and pineapple? Chop it up and put it in a see-through container so that you can grab a quick snack when you’re hungry. This is also handy for your Healthy Mummy Smoothies.
5. Try something new
We can get stuck into a rut of our same old smoothies and our same old meals and snacks.
6. Recruit a friend 
Sometimes just having someone to text or talk to can be a great way to keep motivated. Not sure what to cook for dinner? Call your weight loss buddy and see if they have some ideas.
Can’t get off the couch? Text your buddy and see if they want to walk with you to the park to let the kids run around.
7. Take measurements & don’t overly focus on the scales
The scales is without doubt a great way to measure your weight loss, but it isn’t the only way and some people can get slightly obsessed with weighing in and do it too often and literally let it rule their lives and then get demotivated if it doesn’t move one week – or if it goes up
It is important to understand how the scales work and make sure that you take measurements too. Never trust the scales completely!!
As you begin doing exercise and light weight bearing exercise you will gain lean muscle tissue, a substance which weighs more and is denser than fat. So you may actually see the number on the scales increase. Even though the scale may not be moving, it doesn’t mean that you’re not getting smaller. Muscle is more dense than fat, so it takes up less space. You can be in a smaller pants size and not be any lighter on the scale – and this is why we advise to take measurements each week as well as weighing yourself.
It is also a good point to note that this extra lean muscle tissue has added benefits too – not only will you appear smaller, but muscle will help raise your metabolism too which helps to burn more fat – win win!
8. Beat the hormones
PMT and hormones are one of the common issues which cause us problems when losing weight. And many mums have no energy, crave junk food and are in a bad mood which means weight gain and a feeling of demotivation.
Preparation and damage control are the keys to surviving this week!
Bloating, cramps, swelling, mood swings, cravings, binge eating, and weight gain are all side effects of the hormones present in a woman’s body at that time of the month. Plus there is the very common side effect of water retention which can send your weight and measurements off. During the time of the month our bodies hold onto fluids like a drought is coming and the best advice is not to weigh yourself at this time.
9. Don’t ban treats
Many people start their weight loss journey deciding to cut out all chocolate, all treats and try to go cold turkey! They then experience huge cravings – and end up eating all the ‘banned’ foods and then feel guilty, think they have failed and then the weight loss journey stops there.
The solution is not to ban foods! Instead aim for eating healthy foods 80% of the time and then allow 20% of the time to be more relaxed so you can have a treat. This way your brain won’t crave the bad foods as you are not totally banning everything and you will find the weight loss plan easier to stick to.
This is why on the Lose Baby Weight plans we have our portioned controlled dark chocolate treats (see pic on the right) – so if you love chocolate you can still have some when you are losing weight – but it is portion controlled and dark chocolate.
10. Join our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge
A few key things to note are:
- The Challenge menu is FULLY customisable
- You have access to over 1700 exclusive recipes
- You have access to over 300 exercise routines
- Meals are family friendly and are made in under 10-20 minutes
For a limited time, we are offering you a HUGE DISCOUNT on the lifetime membership discount on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge – you can see this awesome offer here.
Every month on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge, we run a BRAND NEW 28 Day Menu with a different theme so you NEVER get bored!
Next months theme is the WINTER! – Perfect for the chilly weather, SUPER easy to whip up and still just as healthy.
If you are curious about the 28 Day Challenge recipes then we have a 28 Day Challenge recipe pack for you to try HERE. 
Find a delicious range of healthy recipes, packed full of energy boosting ingredients and nutrients together with easy to achieve exercise.
Leashaa Lost 15kg* with the 28 Day Challenges
Leashaa says: “I’ve Lost 15kgs thanks to LBW and over 150Cm of fat!! I started my journey last year and thanks to LBW I’ve been able to lose weight, create a healthy lifestyle and maintain my breastmilk supply allowing me to continue nursing my daughter into our 3rd year! Thanks Lose Baby Weight 😄😄😄😄“
You won’t regret it!
