This Mom's Weight Loss Tips

Let me just say, I don't diet.  As in, I don't buy diet books or subscribe to fads.  I try to be intentional about getting back to a 'happy weight' for me (last seen two babies ago), but the path to no-weight-loss-land is paved with good intentions.  And I'm not even sure how much I weigh.


All that said, I've lost weight recently!  Somebody commented at a work event last week that I looked thinner.  And you know what - she was right!  I can fit into pants that, several months ago, were too tight!  So for you burning inquiring minds out there, here are my weight loss tips - most suitable for people who want to lose weight but don't really want to try.


1) Eat half of what's on your plate.  There are two ways do to this;  fill your plate, knife down the middle, and pretend one half isn't there.  Save it for later.  (This is a great strategy for restaurants.)  The second way is to have a ravenous toddler sit on your lap and he will eat the other half for you.


2) Cut out one thing you can live without.  For me, it was either wine or creamer.  A doctor I work with has a motto - "Life's too short for boring creamer" so I cut out the wine.  200 calories a day gone.


3) If kids steal food off my plate, I don't refill it.


4) Eat the frog first.  This is a good strategy in life in general.  Do the thing you hate (but have to do) first.  Eat the veggies and fruit first.  Now if I can only reach my goal of having fresh fruit or veg at every meal....


5) Rule:  The family eats together, sitting down, at the dinner table.  Gone are the days of feeding the kids first, then eating pepperoni and wine over the sink.


6) NO SODAS are allowed in my house.  Unless my parents come, then they can bring their Diet Dr. Pepper. Also NO SODAS are allowed in my kids' mouths.  They've tasted it and don't like it.  Sodas are treats for adults.


7) I don't buy anything with added corn syrup or added sugar.  At least, not intentionally.  Sometimes it's hard to tell from the labels on things... but I read labels and make decisions accordingly.


8) All juice in our house has less than 28 g of sugar, with no corn syrup (see above).  It also gets diluted with water.


9) Make one healthier choice a day.  If I have a choice, and I want to choose something unhealthy, at least once a day I will make a healthier choice.  Example:  I want to eat the whole bag of dark chocolate m&ms... but I make a healthier choice and only eat a hand full, saving the rest for tomorrow.


10)   Don't stress about it!  Sometimes we relax the rules and have donuts two days in a row, and most days  if you make my 4-year-old eat a vegetable she will literally throw up.  I don't want that to be her memory of food and toddlerhood.  When it comes down to it, we are lucky to live in a country with plentiful food.  95% of the time, we make a concerted effort to ensure the food we eat is the right quantity and right quality.  That's about as good as it gets.


Did any of these 'strategies' lead to my recent weight loss?  I'm not sure but something seems to be working!  Woo hoo!