Dumb Mom’s Guide. How to Stick to Your Weight Loss Plan.

I’m not the kind of gal to beat a dead horse.

I like horses too much for that.

But, I am the kind of gal who likes to share her knowledge with others to help them avoid pitfalls and hang-ups she may have encountered when gaining said knowledge.

Which means, we are so going to talk some more about weight loss.  Mine specifically, and yours indirectly.

5 Easy Changes to Make Weight Loss Work For You

1.  Space out meals.  I start my day with coffee.  Duh.  I have a yogurt at about 10am.  Then, it takes me 3 full hours to eat my lunch.  I kid you not.  I start with a soup or vegetable at around noon.  Then, I have a sandwich or a sweet potato about an hour later.  I sum it all up at 3pm (just before The Dudes come home) with a diet cherry Coke (my daily treat) and a pile of pretzel crisps.  I then push dinner off until 7pm.  Finally, I enjoy a light snack before bed (and by “snack” I mean ice cream, because I MUST eat ice cream before bed).  This method keeps me from going nuts getting hungry and overeating during the day.

2.  Make exercise fun.  Somehow dancing always does this for me.  I dance at home.  I dance at the gym.  I dance in the streets all Martha and the Vandalls-like.  Now, let me back up a bit and say that exercise is NOT necessary to get your weight loss underway.  The only thing you really have to do is take in fewer calories than you burn.  You know, technically.  But, if you do get crazy and add in some exercise, it will totally help this whole getting-in-shape-girl-thang go faster.  And, for those of us who think exercising is like being forced to endure the third stage of child birth for an hour, 3 days a week, making it fun is what’s up.  So, take Zumba if that’s your thing, join a running club, or get a Striiv.

Striiv is “the world’s first smart pedometer” and it’s designed to make mundane activities like walking and taking the stairs, fun! You wear it while you move about your day, it tracks your steps and turns them into points, then you get to use those points to play games, build an online world, donate to charities, and beat your friends at stuff. At our house, I do all of the exercising and The Dudes do all of the game play. They brow beat me encourage me to walk during the day and then in the evening, we sit down and blow through our points together by playing the games and building an awesome virtual world. Ahhhh, and just like that fitness brings families together! It’s really just another way to make fitness fun and more attractive to those of us who don’t inherently enjoy sweating, panting, and feeling the burn.

3.  Use the Weight Watchers site like a boss.  Even though I already know everything am intimately familiar with food point values at this point.  I still log on everyday.  I still track my food, my weight, and my activity.  And, I still use the site to keep myself focused.  It’s super easy to lose focus cuuuupcake if you don’t.

4.  Reward yourself.  With something other than food.  I’ve started rewarding myself with nonedible treats for meeting my weight loss goals.  Like instead of a cupcake when I lose 5lbs, I buy new shoes!  More costly?  Sure.  But also?  More AWESOME!

5.  Get support.  That’s what friends (and husbands, and wives, and children, and dogs) are for.  Everything in life is easier if you have support.  And, losing weight is easier if you don’t have to watch your husband stuff wings and beer in his gullet every Sunday have the people you share your life with making it easier for you.  In the end everyone is happier; they get a healthy lifestyle and a happier mom, and you get to be smoking hot-ish next summer when you’re lugging them to the pool.  Win.  Win.

Want to snag a Striiv to help you stay on track this year?  Here’s a Best Buy coupon (only available IN store) for you!