A lot of moms struggle to remain at a healthy weight. The problem is that parents have limited time to themselves, which means that it’s not always easy to eat well and exercise regularly – the two most vital stepping stones for weight loss success. There are moms that struggle for years with their weight, feeling miserable about how they look and what their dress size is, which ends up having a big impact on their self-esteem.
Just because life as a parent is hectic at times, that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to lose weight. Sure, it may be more difficult, but that doesn’t mean that it is not doable – does it? The good news is that just because it’s harder to lose weight when your life revolves around someone other than yourself, that doesn’t mean that you can’t do it. For everything that you need to know to make losing weight easier when your life is crazy busy with your kids, read on.
Utilize your slow cooker
You might struggle to make time to cook healthy, wholesome meals, but if you’ve got a slow cooker, then you don’t need to worry. Simply pick a one-pot slow cooker meal that’s healthy and nutritious, bung the ingredients in, and leave it to cook, and that’s a healthy dinner sorted. A lot of diet plans recommend utilizing slow cookers as they make eating healthily much simpler, cheaper, and easier.
Get ready made meals
Normally, ready meals aren’t seen as being a healthy option, are they? But if you opt to pick healthy, calorie controlled meals, they can be. Or, if you would prefer, you could use a meal delivery service that offers healthy, diet meals. Just make sure that before choosing a company to use, that you read a diet review of their products and whether they are any good. For when life is too busy to do any meal preparation or cooking, ready meals could be the answer.
Eat with your kids
A mistake that a lot of parents make is not eating with their kids, which means that they munch leftovers from their children’s plates. Sitting mindlessly eating leftovers can lead to you putting an extra 400 or 500 calories into your body without even thinking about it. So, each time you serve your kids dinner, eat with them. This could be your main meal or a portion of raw veggies, fresh fruit, or a yogurt – it doesn’t matter what you eat, just as long as you are eating something healthy and not snacking on their leftovers.
Walk more
Believe it or not, walking is a great form of exercise and a fantastic way to burn calories, improve your fitness levels, and tone up. A fast paced walk can burn 200 calories in 30 minutes, while a slower paced walk can burn 90 to 120 calories. The fact is, walking is a great way to get moving as it’s easy and you can do with your kids in tow. Aim to walk for at least an hour a day – ideally, this should mean walking for 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening – and you will soon see results.
Prepare snacks in advance
Not having snacks on hand is a recipe for dieting disaster. The problem is, it gets to a point where you are incredibly hungry and can’t focus or think because of it. This means that you are more likely to grab a chocolate bar, some crisps, or make some toast because you literally can’t think of anything other than food. That’s why it’s important that you don’t allow yourself to get so hungry that you will eat anything. The key to preventing this problem is preparing snacks in advance and keeping them in the fridge so that you have healthy food to munch on whenever you need it.
There you have it, a guide to the hacks that you have to try to make losing weight easier and less stressful.
Eric Van Haaften says
For over a year, I have made a conscious effort to keep cut veggies in the fridge. It has made a huge difference to the whole family.
In January, adopted a retired Greyhound. We do not have a fenced in yard, and we cannot use our electronic fence (Greyhounds are too fast, the shock collar isn’t effective). So, that means we go out for walks. One long walk (2 miles), and 3 short walks (.25 miles) per day. Can’t blow my exercise schedule off!! Great way to make sure you get your exercise.
Lynne B says
My doctor is always on me to just fit in some walking. So is my husband.
Lynne B says
I can definitely see how a slow cooker can help you with weight loss goals.
Sheila Ressel says
I like the idea of making up snacks in advance so I don’t blow it and eat something I shouldn’t when I’m a little hungry.
Rosie says
These do sound like good ideas, and I have been walking more. Also, I just got my first slow cooker, and I never thought it could be a weight loss hack! Wowie!