How to burn fat and feel good by the summer
Feeling uncomfortable in your bathing suit is no fun. In fact it’s not so much about what the scale says, but rather how you feel.
And the comparison trap is real… comparing our bodies to other moms who seem like they have it all together. Especially if these moms around you are wearing gnat-sized beachwear and drizzling oil onto wasp-like abdomens.
I mean who really does that though???? Does this mom even exist? I’m sure she does, and kudos to her. But that’s not me.
We can get so hung up on what others may or may not look like, that we tend to beat ourselves up for not being “more put together."
I’m the queen of insecurities, I hate to admit it but I am. I shamed my body for many years, went on every diet, worked out long hours and even did double workouts to achieve the “perfect mom bod." But it never happened… because perfection doesn’t exist!
To have a 6-pack abs, muscles so defined you can see the muscle creases; requires a hyper focus on nutrition and your training.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time for hyper focus and counting every calorie just to look “perfect." My kids need me, my husband needs me and I need to be sane.
Thank goodness I had a wake up call because it was so toxic. I stopped trying to “diet” and did what came more naturally to me. Yes I did change my diet quite a bit- but I didn’t force myself to give up cheese just because some diet told me I had to if I wanted to see 6-pack abs.
You may feel like summer is an unpleasant trial involving countless opportunities for embarrassment and discomfort in your body, and I want to share with you how you can work towards boosted confidence & metabolism so you can rock your bathing suit without worry.
But first, a warning.
Summer Weight Loss Trap
One guaranteed way to fail is to look for a "short cut" weight loss method or diet. You know what I mean: the type of program that promises "a fast effortless way to reduce weight." In my experience, none of these diets or pills actually work, and the medical evidence is quite clear: the maximum rate of sustainable fat loss is between 1 and 2 pounds per week, perhaps a little more if you have more to lose.
Besides, if a brilliant scientist did manage to concoct a formula for rapid effortless weight reduction overnight, he would be more famous than Einstein! He certainly wouldn't be peddling his program in 30-second TV infomercials or mail-order advertisements. So for the sake of your sanity as well as your financial health, don't waste time on weight loss methods that make extravagant claims.
If you don't believe this, think of any of your mama friends who favor the short-term "lose 20 pounds in two weeks" type of approach, and ask yourself why the program fell short.
And that’s the other thing, it’s not that you failed, but rather the “quick diet” failed you.
Three Month Summer Fat Loss Plan
You can't lose much weight in a week or two. You need about three months to make a significant impact on your body shape. (This is why when working with clients 1:1 I require a 3 month commitment on their end). Remember, the human body is interested in survival, not cosmetic appearances, and since rapid weight loss is a prima facie symptom of disease, not good health, the only guaranteed way to improve your body shape is to adopt a gradual approach of healthy eating and increased exercise.
In three months, you can lose about 26 pounds - more than enough for most moms wanting to experience noticeable health improvements as well as a much leaner body. And by reducing your weight gradually in this manner, you have a far less chance of weight regain. If need be, you can continue losing more with less danger of incurring a weight loss plateau or other obstacle.
You Need A Motive
No one likes to change their habits. So if you want to change your eating and exercise habits, you need a strong motive - something to keep you choosing healthy foods and exercising when boredom sets in. Whatever motive you choose, it must be something more powerful than the urge to eat tasty high calorie foods in front of the TV!
A Good Motive For Weight Loss
Anything that commits you in advance to achieving your weight loss goal makes a great motive. So be bold. Book an expensive beach holiday, or buy some gorgeous clothes to fit the body you want to have at the end of your program. Both these actions require you to succeed, and therefore provide constant motivation along the way.
Be Positive About Short Term Sacrifices
Whether you're trying to lose weight for the summer, save money or pass exams, an important piece of the motivational jigsaw is your ability to be positive about making short term sacrifices. The choice is fairly simple: you can focus on the "deprivation" involved in giving up certain foods, or you can focus on the benefits you will get by not eating these foods.
Sadly, many moms focus on feeling deprived. After a while they see their diet as a burden, a bore, a necessary evil. This is why so many of them quit. They can't "see" the benefits that weight loss will bring them. If you want to improve your body shape for the summer, you must avoid this trap and appreciate the longer term benefits you will receive by making short-term adjustments to your lifestyle.
The Good News About Improving Your Diet
Many of our tastes, food cravings, and general attitudes to food are strongly influenced by what we eat and drink. I know countless mothers with families who have reported astonishing changes in their personal and family eating habits after less than three weeks of improved eating. Point is, the average modern diet is loaded with sugar, fat and sodium, all of which condition us to want more of these items. But if you can break out of this dependence on junk-ingredients for even 2-3 weeks, you'll notice a huge difference in your tastes. Which brings me to healthy eating.
Think Healthy Eating Not Weight Loss
In my experience, one of the most effective weight loss strategies is to focus on healthy eating. I'm not saying you shouldn't stand on your weighing scales, just don't measure progress exclusively by what the scales say. Be aware that it's just as important to enjoy your food and feel good about your change of eating habits. And any diet you hate is guaranteed to fail, no matter how much weight you lose, because as soon as you achieve your goal, you will revert to your old eating habits and regain every pound lost.
Exercise Provides Wonderful Indirect Benefits
Exercise does burn extra calories and therefore does help to widen your calorie deficit. But its effect on weight loss is typically quite small. In fact, it's not uncommon to gain weight when you start exercising. The real weight reduction benefits of exercise are indirect ones. It raises our metabolic rate, helping us to burn calories at a slightly faster rate, and improves our mood, which typically reduces our need for comfort-eating. However, don't overdo your exercise workouts. I've lost count of the number of dieters who started exercising too vigorously and burnt out within 3 weeks. Ideally, start with 30 minutes/day of any physical activity you can easily manage, and very gradually increase the duration and intensity. Listen to your body at all times, and be sure to loosen up beforehand and wind down afterwards.
See Yourself As You Want To Be
If your goal is a waistline you can proudly display in the sun, then don't wait until it happens to "see" it. Visualize it from the moment you start changing your food habits. Visualize yourself walking along a beach, or lying next to the pool confidently in your bathing suit. Whatever your ambition for your weight or body, get used to visualizing it in the greatest possible detail. Because "seeing it" is the first step to making it come true. As they say, one picture is worth a thousand words.
Feeling Discouraged? Just Visualize The Benefits!
If you have a lot of weight to lose (100 pounds+), you may not think that losing 26 pounds in three months is particularly worthwhile. If so, ask yourself this question. What's the alternative? No matter what method you choose, you won't lose weight any faster, so it's only a question of when you start and how long it's going to take. I can answer the last question right now. Losing 100 pounds takes about a year - typically a little longer to allow for set backs along the way. Fifteen months would be a more realistic time span to reduce weight by this amount. Just visualize yourself walking down the street 100 pounds lighter, and tell me that eating healthily for 15 months is too high a price to pay for such a wonderful prospect.
Your First Priority - Get Support
If you really want to lose weight for the summer, your first priority is to find support. Losing weight on your own is perfectly possible, provided things go well and you have continued momentum. But when difficulties arise (as they surely will) having the support of real people can make all the difference between success and failure.
Make a plan
In order to lose weight, you need to have a deficit whether that’s through calories consumed or calories burned or a combo of both. A solid plan will incorporate both. 3,500 calories accounts for about 1 lb of fat. So to reduce 1 lb per week you need a deficit of 3,500 calories over the week. You can do this by cutting 500 calories per day through your nutrition, or 250 calories reduced in nutrition and 250 calories burned through exercise or movement throughout your day.
First step when it comes to nutrition, keep it simple. Focus on eating a balanced plate consisting of protein, healthy fat, healthy carb and a veggie (also a carb so focus on non starchy veggies).
Incorporate your favorite meals & treats intentionally so you don’t feel deprived, always aim for moderation and avoid becoming “too strict” or you may find yourself binge eating.
Second step to weight loss is to choose what kind of workouts you’re willing to do and how many days you can commit to exercise. Prioritize strength training and interval training or HIIT. These types of workouts create EPOC- aka the after burn of burning calories post workout. Not only that, but when we prioritize strength training we build more muscle- the more muscle we have the more our body burns calories to maintain that muscle. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat.
Third step- reduce stress and increase sleep. Both a lack of sleep and an increase of stress increase cortisol (stress hormone) as well as increase the hunger hormone ghrelin. When stress levels are high consistently - this leads to the body storing fat around the abdomen. The lack of sleep increases a drive in ghrelin creating cravings for high carb and high processed foods.
Sometimes all we need is to hone in on our stress and sleep to see some major changes.
I know this is a lot to soak in and plan out so I’ve made it super easy for you to follow through on here are my top things to prioritize and master so you can start seeing some changes, I call these my FAB5 and it’s what I use in the EmpowerHER program to help the moms get better long term results.
FAB5:
Sleep - get to bed at the same time every night
Stress- incorporate 5-10 minutes of a stress reducing activity such as meditation, personal development, reading your bible, grateful journal, etc.
Move for 30 minutes every day
Drink 4 tall glasses of water
Eat 3-4 palm sizes of protein + 2 fists of veggies
If you followed these 5 habits consistently, I have NO doubt you’d start seeing results. Not only that but your mood would be lifted and you’d feel more confident.
Please note, before starting ANY new nutrition or workout routine, follow up with your physician. It's essential to ensure that the chosen plan aligns with your individual health needs and any existing medical conditions.
If you are looking for a workout program you can implement into your busy schedule, check out the Fit Mom Membership with 8+ workout programs and sample meal plans to get you started.
Check out my Busy Moms Fat Burning Blueprint (FREE) for more direction on your fat loss goals!
EmpowerHER
IF you’re ready to take your metabolism up a notch, join us for the next round of EmpowerHER starts May 2024. This is my group coaching program focusing on fitness and nutrition with personalized nutrition plans so you can burn fat at your own personal pace.