Many people have experienced the joy of losing weight, only to follow that up with the low of putting the lost weight back on again.
There are many reasons for this. Perhaps you were too restrictive with your diet, cutting out entire food groups (e.g all carbohydrates) as a quick fix.
And while this may result in weight loss, it isn’t sustainable weight loss, because once you eat the foods again you regain the weight.
You need to include all of the food groups in your diet as they all have a role to play. Carbohydrates for instance give you energy, without it we feel lethargic and often a bit grumpy.
You may have also cut out certain things from your diet, and then craved them so much that you ended up overdoing it.
For instance you might love your chocolate, so when it was ‘forbidden’ you thought about it a lot and then ended up going overboard, tucking into a large block of chocolate in one sitting.
Another common thing that can happen is that we become complacent and let things slide a bit. The weight has come off so we relax our way of eating and let old habits creep back in without realising it.
And this is what we really try to educate and focus on with our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenges
So what to do if this happens to you? Follow our 5 tips below to get yourself back on track.
1) Enjoy a treat in moderation
There is no point in committing to the all or nothing mentality of ‘I will never eat chocolate again’ as it’s just not sustainable (or much fun!).
If you absolutely love fries for instance, you could allow yourself a treat of a small portion of good quality fries once per week next to a healthy meal (not with a greasy burger). This way you don’t feel like you have to miss out on your favourite things.
It’s not a ‘treat’ if you are having it every day – so make it good quality, and make it enjoyable.
Here are some great ideas for the chocolate lovers who want to try some healthy options.
2) Get back to basics with your eating habits
That means planning your meals and snacks for the day, so that there is no wiggle room for sneaking in unhealthy options when you are really hungry. The 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge will REALLY help on this and also gives you customised menus and personalised shopping lists – all which are printable – and you get new ones each week.
To enjoy your Healthy Mummy Smoothie for breakfast, ensure you have a good supply of milk and fruit on hand. Read our tips for saving time, money and effort on your smoothies here.
Prepare some snacks that you can keep in the kitchen to grab and go (zip lock bags of cheese and crackers, homemade muffins, ricecakes with homemade dip). Find lots of snack ideas here.
3) Schedule in regular exercise
Instead of having exercise as a nice option when you can squeeze it in, put it in your calendar as a non-negotiable part of your week. The 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge will REALLY help on this and also gives daily exercise plans with videos which combines interval training and pilates.
Or perhaps you could commit to doing a segment from our Exercise DVD as soon as the kids are down for their nap. Or you could set the alarm to pop out for a 20 minute walk before the children wake up.
Remind yourself how much better you will feel afterwards and don’t let anything get in your way!
4) Change up your side dishes
A great way to reduce the calorie intake of your meals is to change the way that you serve them.
Instead of always reaching for the carbohydrate based side dishes of mashed potato, pasta or rice – try serving your meals with extra salad or more steamed greens (spinach, bok choy, asparagus).
You can fill up on these nutrient dense foods which will fill you up without the overstuffed feeling that can come from pasta or rice.
It may be hard to get used to at first, but you will start feeling the benefit almost immediately as you won’t be feeling so sluggish after a meal.
5) Keep an eye on drinks
It’s easy for the calories to tot up quite quickly when you are consuming things like coffee, tea, soft drink, juice or cordial throughout the day.
Try to limit your drinks to one or two cups of tea or coffee a day, and then enjoy lots of fresh water or mineral water rather than sugary drinks.
Sugar filled drinks like soft drink or cordial can often not really quench your thirst, and encourage you to drink more and more.
Back to basics
And here are some really useful links and resources to help you refocus and get back to basics
- Work out your BMR so you know how many calories your own individual body needs. As you lose weight your calorie needs decrease so it is important to re-calculate and adjust accordingly. Use our BMR calculator here
- If you haven’t yet joined up to 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge – it runs monthly and you can join here
- Snacking is essential for energy levels and for boosting your metabolism – see our healthy snacking category here
- Are the scales not giving you the results you want – see what could be happening here
- Read here about why you shouldn’t always trust the scales
- Get some tips on staying motivated here
- See the most common weight loss issues here and how to over come them
Join our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge and get 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
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
Eliza lost 22kg (48 pounds) on 4 Challenges
Eliza says “I started in September with my first 28 Day Weightloss Challenge. I lost 8 kg that month. So far I have lost 22 kg. But it is what I have gained which will make me a supporter for life!
Join here
You won’t regret it!