Belle Scales

I’m not a nutritionist, a fitness coach, or any kind of expert. I’m just a mom, who struggled to lose the weight I had gained after my second pregnancy. As my second son got older and older, I became more dissatisfied with the pudginess around my arms and my middle. I had been regularly exercising for the purpose of staying healthy, but this summer I was finally ready to shed the extra fifteen pounds I’d been carrying around. I reached my target weight in four months without going on any sort of diet and without spending money on special shakes or juices or even gym memberships. Here are the tips and tricks I found worked for me.

Grace

If you have an infant under the age of 18 months, please give yourself some grace. Ignore everyone and everything that tells you to “bounce back.” Your body is busy providing nourishment for your little one, and also surviving this physically demanding stage. Those celebrities who looked like a toothpick who swallowed an olive when they were pregnant all had personal trainers and chefs at their beck and call once the baby was born, and that’s why they look so thin at three months post-partum. Your real life friends who seemed to bounce back in no time probably are blessed with super high metabolisms or babies who have no trouble sleeping. In this season of life, it’s hard to be self-loving, but at least aim to be your own friend. Would you berate a friend for still looking five months pregnant a year post-partum? No? Then, you are off the hook, friend.

Calorie Counting

Losing weight boils down to eating less. This is a hard and ugly reality, and I wish it wasn’t true. If there was some other way to do it, I would be the first in line. I did not diet in order to lose weight because diets are temporary and so are the results. I also knew that if I denied myself my favorite foods, I’d never lose those last few pounds. So I continued to eat whatever I wanted to, only less. What kept me accountable was tracking my calorie intake on an app (I used Noom Coach and my husband used MyFitnessPal; both are user friendly.) Sure, I could still have an ice cream cone for lunch, but that meant no other snacking until dinner. If I wanted to have enough calories at the end of the day for a sweet treat (my vice of choice, after the kids are in bed for the night) I had to budget for it during the day, eating a slightly smaller lunch and dinner. Going from eating 2000 to 2500 calories in a day to just 1200–1400 took a long time to get used to. I was pretty hungry for a few months, but eventually I trained my stomach to feel full with less.

Sleep and Self-Control

I could not have had enough self-control to count calories and regularly tell myself “No” if I hadn’t been sleeping well. Without a consistent 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I would have been too tired to deny myself. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation clouds your judgment and leads to more impulsive behavior…. not ideal conditions for losing weight. So if you have a baby (or a toddler!) who is not yet sleeping through the night, go back to point number one and let yourself off the hook.

The Power of Habits

Use your daily habits to your advantage. Every morning I start with a mug of coffee. I used to add four spoonfuls of sugar to my coffee along with some vanilla soymilk. During the first month of weight loss, I gradually trained myself to be content with less sugar in my coffee. The first week I added three spoonfuls of sugar. The second week, only two spoonfuls of sugar. The third week, just one spoonful. I couldn’t quite make it to totally black, and I still add a splash of milk, but what I’m drinking now has drastically fewer calories than what I was drinking before.

My nighttime eating habits took on a new form as well. I wanted to train my tummy and my brain to know that the kitchen was closed for the night. So once my kids were asleep in bed, and my husband and I had tuned into our Netflix show of choice, I had a cup of rooibos tea and two servings of chocolate chips (that’s sixty of them, and yes, I did count them out!). Chocolate chips were helpful for me as I could space them out and make them last as long as possible, which brings me to my next point.

Optimal Snacking

I really enjoy eating: in social situations, when I’m traveling, when I’m bored, when I want to reward myself, really there doesn’t need to be a reason. Eating is enjoyable. It was important to me to still be able to feel like I was treating myself and enjoying the process of eating while losing weight. I became well versed in the calorie content of my favorite snacks. I could enjoy one chocolate chip cookie at night, but it was gone too soon. A handful of chocolate chips was preferable because there were more trips involved from the bowl to my mouth. I could eat kettle chips at lunch, but only a shockingly small number until I had hit my calorie limit. I swapped them out for a bowl of skinny popcorn, prolonging my meal and my enjoyment of it. I eliminated a piece of bread when I switched to an open face sandwich. Bowls of fresh watermelon and baby carrots cost me hardly any calories and still gave me the pleasure of munching on something. When I wanted a treat in the middle of the afternoon, fizzy water like LaCroix was my best choice. We don’t usually keep cans of flavored water around so LaCroix felt like a special indulgence, even if it didn’t have any calories!

Distracted Eating

Here in America we are pros at eating on the go, eating in front of entertainment, and eating quickly, without paying much attention to our food. I took a tip from the French and practiced mindful eating. After the kids were done with their lunch (bonus tip: don’t finish their leftovers. Bag them up, feed them to the dog, or just throw it out. You deserve your own meal!), I sat down to mine. I put everything on my plate I was intending to eat, including any dessert or drink. I sat at the table, without my phone or any other screen. I practiced focusing on my food, on chewing, swallowing, tasting, and enjoying. Somehow, magically, paying attention to my food made me feel more satiated by the end of the meal.

Dinner and Eating Out

Dinner tends to be a heavier meal. My advice here is simple. If you’re eating out, just eat half of your dish and bring the rest home (or split with a family member!). Order the to-go box along with your meal and portion it out before you take a mouthful! If you’re eating dinner at home, eat a small portion of whatever it is. This is harder to do on pizza night. Stopping at one slice involves a lot of self-control! Oh, and watch the condiments! Know how much that guacamole, salad dressing, sour cream, or ketchup is going to cost you, and use accordingly!

Keep With It!

You CAN do this! You won’t see results overnight, but if you stick with it you will train yourself to be full with less. Your self-control muscles will grow stronger. You will shed the pounds. And now that I’m on the other side of my weight loss, I can tell you it is much easier to maintain your weight than losing it. It really does get easier!

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