Back in the Habit: Six Simple Adjustments to Get Back on Track

Well, it happened.

I knew I'd gained a bunch of weight, but the reality of it hit me when I went to get dressed for our mid week church service and none of my casual skirts fit me. Yup, not even the "fat" ones.

Yikes! Talk about a wake up call!

I had done really well through Gen's pregnancy. I actually LOST weight by the time she was born, and then lost even more by the Summer! We're not talking a massive amount of weight, but right around the 30lb ballpark. It felt amazing!

But, what did I do? I got cocky and figured I could go back to my old ways and somehow maintain the weight. Idiot.

Now, here I am at my heaviest non-pregnant weight - again.

I'm not gonna sit in my fat pants (which I had to go buy because I couldn't fit the other ones. #truestory) and cry about it. I was the one that stopped exercising. I was the one who over ate...and ate...and ate. I cannot blame anyone but myself, so why bother?

It's time to just suck it up and get back in the habit.

No diet. No weighing. No measuring. No short-term or long term goals.

All of those seem to hurt me in the long run.

Here's my simple plan and new favorite phrase.

Getting healthy can happen in any income level. It doesn't require a gym membership, fancy menu or pricey fitness guru. When it comes right down to it, for the majority of us (without thyroid/metabolism/etc issues) it's all about being more active and eating less.

So then, why is it so hard?!



Hmmm..lemme think:

*Grabbing a quick salad in the drive thru can set you back $5 to $10. Grabbing a burger? $1-$7. And anyone who's ever been to the grocery store can testify to how much more it costs to buy lean meats & fresh fruits/veggies vs pre packaged meals and not-so-lean meat.
*Making 3 healthy meals a day takes time. Believe it or not, even stay at home moms struggle with time. Getting kids out the door to school, running errands, pulling the toddler out of the toilet, keeping the house from falling apart and everything in between keeps us pretty busy. Don't even get me started on the amount of time it takes to plan, prep and do the homeschooling! Ooooh, look - Lunchables!

More money to add to the grocery budget and extra time are 2 things I do not have.

I do, however, have some common sense and determination so here's what I'm going to do.

Six Simple Adjustments to Get Back on Track

1. Exercise. With the hundreds of workout plans available via Pinterest, there is NO excuse! Most use little to no equipment, and take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes to complete.

Here are images of the 3 I chose to rotate.

I do not own these images. These, and workouts like them, are easily found by searching "exercise" in Pinterest. 

2. Eat better.

 (Notice I said better and not different. If you are looking for a revolutionized meal plan, you'll have to look elsewhere. We are not that family.)

I usually join the kids in whatever they are having for lunch. They don't eat junk, but they do eat a lot of carb-heavy meals. Sandwiches, crackers, macaroni, etc.. Even tho I make my own bread and my mac & cheese can't be beat, I just can't eat like that any more. So, I've decided to swap my PB&J with a fruit/spinach/greek yogurt smoothie. I keep it to a very simple ratio and have had nothing but yummy results!



If you follow this recipe, have fun with it! Mix it up! Try different combinations of fruit/juice/yogurt. And if you don't like spinach - leave it out! Just be careful with your choice of yogurt and juices. Those can be just as bad for you as a cheeseburger! Read the labels and get the best that you can with the budget that you have. Walmart has a Greek yogurt that is just as good as Chiobani. The plain has no sugar added, and it comes in regular, low or no fat. Motts for Totts is a great juice line! None of it (okay, so none that I have seen) has anything other than juice, water and some times Stevia. It's one of the only juices that make it into the cart. Target also has a couple of generic juices that are just juice & water. The local Walmart had NO generic without added sugar. Read your labels!!

Smoothies are also great way to take your vitamins without having to force them down your throat. lol! Simply open the capsule and dump it in! I add my Super Mom vitamins and my Probiotics to each smoothie. Saves me the dread of taking those monster pills. *gag!*

3. Eat less. For the most part, we eat pretty decent in our house. I make well balanced meals. (Just forget the whole Bacon Cheeseburger Egg Roll thing happened for this post. lol!) The problem is, I eat too much of it! By simply cutting back the amount that's put on the plate (and not going back for another) will make a huge difference in my endeavors.

4. Stop eating after 8. There are some some articles that say it's super bad to eat late at night yet, there are plenty of articles that say go for it! Who knows who to believe anymore. Odds are, if you're gonna grab a snack after the late show, it's probably not going to be a bowl of fruit or a salad. If that's what you do, then hey...snack on my friend, snack on. But me? It's usually a bag of chocolate chips, leftovers from dinner or a big 'ol bowl of cereal. Or all of the above. (Hence the fat pants.) Having a general rule of no food after the dinner meal, will reduce the number of calories I've consumed for the day and thus result in less stored fat.



5. Drink less soda. Yes, you read that right. I'm cutting back to one a day. Why not cut it out completely? Because I'm a junkie and this is what I can handle. Be proud of me.

6. Drink more water. Blech. Not a fan. Water is BORING! Sure, I drink some every day, but the recommended amount? Hardly. That's why we have soda! haha! But, seriously, it's time to at least do the minimum. Especially now that we're hitting 90*+ days. My body needs it! The truth of it is, that more often then not, when we get the hankerin' to search the cupboard for a snack, what we really need is a tall glass of water.





Nothing mentioned in this post is ground-breaking. It is, however, practical. Losing weight is hard! Not all of us are up to a major life overhaul. That doesn't mean we can't make any changes!

If you find yourself wallowing in your fat pants - stop it.

Take a good hard look at where you are. Then do what you can, with what you have.

You'll be glad you did.