If you’re embarking on a journey to lose pregnancy weight, you might have heard people say that the first step is often the hardest.
Well, the good news is that if you are on the Lose Baby Weight website right now, you have already made a choice to change your old ways and are already on your way to finding your healthier self.
So you’ve bought some healthy eating food, dusted off your trainers and have a positive mindset. Now what?
Today we have a six step plan that will set you on the right path for success.

Step One – set some realistic goals

While you may have a large amount of weight to lose, it’s best to actually set your goals in the short term. Why’s that, you ask? Well some days you might not feel terribly motivated to go for a walk or resist a chocolatey treat. And on those days, if you have in your head that you ‘need to lose 20kg’ it can all seem too hard and you might just give in.
Whereas if you set yourself a monthly goal, say to lose 3kg per month, it helps you to see the light at the end of the tunnel of a bad day.
It also means that you can enjoy ticking off the goals at the end of the month as you reach them (rather than having to wait 12 months to feel that sense of accomplishment).
And while weight loss is a goal for many of us, you might set a different goal altogether. Here are some ideas for non-scale based goals that you could consider:

• try one new fruit or vegetable per week
• take part in a 5km charity walk at the end of the year
• try out two new Healthy Mummy Smoothie recipes per week
• fit into that red dress that is hanging in the wardrobe
• spend 15 mins per day meditating or doing yoga in the lounge room

Step Two – recruit some help

You don’t have to do this on your own. There are so many different types of support out there for when you are trying to lose weight.

• Join the Lose Baby Weight Facebook page – we have great recipes, health tips, videos, Q&A’s and advice on our page it is well worth a look. Ask a question and our team will do their best to respond with some advice.
• Sign up to the daily emails – each morning at 7.30am we email out a daily tip, article, recipe or weight loss story to motivate you on your own journey.
• Find a weight loss or exercise buddy – having someone to call and chat about recipe ideas, or someone to go for a run with can be really motivating. It doesn’t have to be your best friend, it could be a colleague, relative or neighbour. Just try to find someone that you feel comfortable with, and who you feel can help you to reach your goals.
• Find a friend/neighbour/relative that can take the kids for an hour a week. Take this time to do your healthy weekly shop, or go for a walk, or do a Pilates class, or just sit on the couch and read a book. As a busy mum, it’s important to recharge your batteries sometimes, and you don’t have to feel guilty about it.
• Get your partner and kids on board – it can be tough if the rest of your family aren’t eating the same healthy foods as you. Not to mention having to prepare two dinners! Try to get them on board with a softly softly approach. Check out some of the recipes on our website that you think will be a hit with the family. Think burritos, noodles and hamburgers (they don’t need to know they’re healthy). Show them that healthy food can be tasty as well and you might just find they’ll be happy to eat the same food as you. You can also try to get the kids to help you out to prepare the food (if they are old enough). By peeling the veggies or dressing the salad you might just pique their interest enough to give the meal a go. Try using the old rule ‘you don’t have to like it, but you do have to try it.’

Step Three – know your enemies

So many weight loss plans ask you to cut out entire food groups (like carbs or fats) in order to lose weight. Well guess what? They aren’t sustainable in the long term, and nor are they a healthy way to lose weight.
In fact, healthy or ‘good’ fats are an important part of a healthy eating plan for weight loss. Good fats are found in foods such as avocado, olive oil, nuts, and seeds. Try a healthy snack of pistachios or almonds – they give you an energy boost while also keeping you feeling satisfied (unlike a sugary snack which can make you want more more more!).
It’s the same with carbs – it’s not realistic to cut out all bread, pasta and rice. But by making the better choices you can enjoy the health benefits of carbohydrates and sustain your body’s energy levels.
Here are some healthy carb swaps that you can try:

• brown rice instead of white rice
• wholegrain cous cous instead of white pasta
• quinoa instead of noodles
• wholegrain bread with seeds instead of plain white bread

Step Four – make your move

Food is key to a healthy weight loss plan. But adding in exercise as well can really take your results to a new level. By improving your fitness you will also feel better, have more energy, sleep better and look leaner.
It doesn’t mean you need to spend lots of money on a gym membership. There are so many ways to get active that don’t involve a cross trainer.

• Go for a daily walk – instead of driving the kids to the park, take a stroll
• Go for a swim once a week – many mums say they are able to schedule this in at night time when their partner is home with the kids.
• Join a team sport – such as netball or touch football. Many team sports are also more than happy to have your kids cheering you on from the sidelines.
• Join our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge. You will gain access to:
  • 28 Days of family friendly healthy meals
  • Personalised weekly shopping lists and customisable meal plans
  • Access to the exclusive challenge 1000+ recipe hub
  • 28 days of effective at home exercises to fit into your busy day
  • Expert advice and support from the team and 1000’s of other mums on the challenge
  • See all the details and join here 

Step Five – track your progress

It’s really motivating to see your stats changing from month to month. So rather than saying ‘I want to lose weight’ you need to be specific about how much you want to lose, write down your current stats, and then track your progress month to month. That could mean your weight, your measurements, how far you can run without stopping, or whether you can fit into a certain pair of jeans.
Jump onto the Lose Baby Weight website and visit our members area.  It’s totally free and you can track your weight loss, your measurements, your BMI, your daily steps and your daily exercise. There’s also a weight loss diary to write anything you want in there.
It is 100% private so only you see what you write and the idea is that the tracking tools will help you stay motivated and help you stay focused on your weight loss plan.

Step Six – stay focused on the bigger picture

We all have bad days when temptation gets the better of us, or we feel too tired to exercise, or the kids are sick and… – well, you get the picture. But just because you slip up or don’t make the best choice one day doesn’t mean that you should give up.
Dust yourself off and remember that tomorrow is another chance for a fresh start. Healthy eating and exercise isn’t something that you only need to do for 2 weeks – it’s something that you need to incorporate into your lifestyle for good.
Many mums have said that they find the before and after stories of mums who have lost weight with Lose Baby Weight really motivating. So if you are having a bad day, why not pop over here and have a look.

Take part in the 28 Day Challenge

Don’t delay – join literally THOUSANDS of mums on the challenge and get access to over 1000 healthy, delicious, family friendly recipes.
PLUS customisable meal plans, printable shopping lists and 28 days of at home exercises for busy mums – you can read all about it here and see how it works
 

Results from mums on the 28 Day Challenge

Mums lose an average of 4-6kg (8-13 pounds) on our 28 Day Challenge and below are some of the amazing results from mums JUST LIKE YOU who are already using the 28 Day Challenge and losing tummy fat – make the change and join them today too!
You can see lots of more results and you can join here too
Angela has lost 12kg (26 pounds) on 2 Challenges

Angela says “The team at Lose Baby Weight and The Healthy Mummy just make it all so easy to follow and customisable so I can make it work for what suits me and my family best. I now have a better relationship with food, enjoy the feeling I get when I eat well.” Join here
Join now
You won’t regret it!