The American Obesity Association has recently released a top 10 weight loss tips for teens that I felt could be easily adapted for adults, especially those of us who are stay-at-home moms. Here they are:
1. Plan some type of activity every day. Plan a walk or bike ride with your kids and hold yourself to it. If your kids are very young, bundle them up in a stroller or consider getting a trailer for your bike so they can ride in comfort (while adding a little extra resistance to your ride).
2. If you like to take your kids to fast food places for the indoor playgrounds in the winter, only order a reasonable amount of food. Try to stick with high protein choices, consider ordering yogurt, fruit or milk instead of a side of fried potatoes and soda. Even diet soda, although it has no calories, can cause you to retain extra water and gain weight.
3. Watch portion sizes. Sometimes we forget how much we’ve already eaten just in preparing a meal. If you taste test a lot, make sure your meal portions are smaller.
4. Play a video game with the kids. Get on that wii or get “Dance Dance Revolution” for your Xbox or Nintendo game system. Even I play this one and I love it!
5. Stock your refrigerator with ready-to-eat fruits, salads and raw veggies. Put a bowl of fresh fruit where the family can easily access it, and preferably somewhere they get to before they hit the fridge or cupboard. Prepared sliced carrots, celery and green peppers as soon as you return from the grocery store so that they are ready to eat by the handful.
6. Change your home beverage selection. Instead of stocking the fridge with all those sugared up sports drinks and sodas, go for flavored waters and sugar free versions of such favorites as Kool-Aid, Country Time Lemonade and Tang. If you can get your family off carbonated beverages altogether, that is great for everyone’s health!
7. Don’t let Hollywood or fashion magazines tell you that you’re fat! Find out what a healthy weight range is for you and shoot for that. If your body has brought children into the world, you need to allow yourself a little extra slack. Abs don’t bounce back over night and that extra fat on your thighs is particularly hard to burn off.
8. Don’t depend on white foods for your existence. Eat plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables. If everything on your plate is white or tan then you need some color in your diet.
9. Don’t do anything drastic. Small changes incorporated on a daily basis can really add up at the end of a year. Don’t expect to lose all the extra weight in one week.
10. Don’t “Diet”. That word just screams of desperation. Consider it adopting a healthier “lifestyle”.
Related Links:
Diary of an Overweight Mom Forum
Families.com Weight Loss Forum