10 Tips to Help You Reach Your Weight Loss Goals

At a MomItForward Twitter Girls’ Night Out party last week sponsored by CoolScuplting, tweeters discussed reliable things that have worked for them, both in terms of helping their mindset (which is half the battle), and helping their actions. Here are the top 10 most effective things:

1. Start somewhere. Do not think you have to run a marathon or stop eating entirely to get to your goal weight. @JennieBaird said, “I started running when I was 37. Ten minutes at first and gradually increasing. That was 6 years ago.” Pick one small thing, and do it one day, then one week, then a month, and grow it from there. @JoyceHarrellRN calls that taking “Kaizen steps.” It doesn’t matter if they’re baby steps if they’re consistent and they grow.
   
2. Get support. For some, that’s a husband or close friend. For others, it’s online. @pizzalogger says, “Ive been doing really well the past week. I started a new diet with support from @mamavation.” Mamavation is an online docudrama and weight loss support group for moms in social media. Other oft-tweeted support sites were SparkPeople and WeightWatchers.
3. Log your meals. @fitcoachMJ says, “Seeing what you eat may disgust you enough to change.” Various tweeters recommended the free site MyFitnessPal, because it lets users log meals online, link to their friends for support, and provides apps that sync with the site.
4. Follow blogs or Tweeters that provide healthy recipes or motivational ideas, like StayMotivatedWithMe.blogspot.com, @markhymanmd, or @inspiredrd.
5. Create a chain reaction for yourself, says @coolsculpting. The basic truth Louisa May Alcott put forth that “exercise develops wholesome appetites” still applies today: start to exercise, and healthier eating should follow.

To build and maintain a positive mindset, think about these things:

1. “What can I add to my health, not what should I take away?” from @JoyceHarrellRN
2. “Hope is a very thin diet.” quoted from Thomas Shadwell.
3. “What three things did I do well today?” @TroyPattee says this is “amazingly effective.”
4. “Who are five people I admire, and why?” This tip, and others to help you focus on your inner beauty first, were shared by Amy Harman, of BecomingaBetterWoman.com, through @jylmomIF, in this post.
5. “‘Diet’ is a four letter word,” says @pinkprincess928, adding: “I prefer to call it practicing moderation.”

What are your tried and true fitness tips to help you stay in shape? What are your weight loss goals?

Photo courtesy of Master Isolated Images.

1. Move more.
Get extra movement in any way you can. Turn the music on and dance. Park at the far end of the parking lot. Run up and down the stairs more. Studies have shown that adding extra steps to your day will burn more calories and keep your metabolism higher.

2. Get a support group.
Find a group of women that will support you in your healthy goals. If you are in need, we welcome all moms to the Mamavation Sistahood. You only need to have a desire to learn about healthy living and a positive attitude. We can be reached any time of day on twitter by using #mamavation.

3. Offer to bring a food item to the party.
Whether it’s a preschool party, family get-together, or office party, offer to bring a healthy alternative. Then bring something you can eat, like salad, fruit, or a low-fat appetizer.

4. Do your food research.
Know what it is you are eating. Do research and find out what the average calorie/fat count is to a certain food you like. Then ask yourself what you want to eat and what you want to skip. Don’t cut out everything, but cut out things you know aren’t worth the calories. For instance, did you know you will have to do over 2,000 jumping jacks to work off every cup of homemade stuffing?

5. Don’t drink your calories.
The holidays bring the best drinks of the season, but It’s very easy to drink your calorie allowance for the day without even knowing it. Check the nutritional count on what you are drinking BEFORE you drink. Wouldn’t you rather blow your calories on food instead? Dropping soda for the month is an easy way of cutting out a grip of extra calories. Stick to coffee, tea, red wine, and water. And for the diet soda lovers out there, studies have shown diet drinks actually make you gain weight, not lose weight. So don’t bother.

6. Control your portions.
Don’t get out of control. You can eat your favorite foods by using sensibility and portion control. Sometimes it is better to eat what you want and limit it, rather than deny yourself and overeat later.

7. Get a shoe that supports your needs.
Get a shoe this month that allows you to burn more calories as you are walking, like Earth Footwear. With a tool like this, you will be able to go about your life and the shoes will do a lot of the work for you.

8. Have a plate strategy.
When you load up your plate, fill half with veggies, ¼ protein, and then samples of whatever else you want. That way you aren’t depriving yourself and will feel full at the end of your meal. Another strategy is to use a smaller plate. You might be eating less, but you will feel more satisfied.

9. Add in more fruits and vegetables to every meal.
Make a conscious effort to eat more vegetables and fruit this month. Think about more ways you can incorporate them into every meal. Filling up on veggies will keep you satisfied and full and the end of your meal.

For more tips on how to live a healthy lifestyle and incorporate that in your family life, join the Mamavation Sisterhood.

Picture courtesy of Pink Sherbet Photography.

Join the Earthfootwear and #mamavation teams this Tuesday, December 1 to discuss the answer to these and more questions! Party details included in the bullet list below.

And don’t forget to enter this week’s giveaway. Click here to enter for a chance to win a pair of Exer-Walk shoes from Earth Footwear (3 winners!).

What: Earth Footwear is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)

When: Tuesday, December 1, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)

Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #earthfootwear.)

Topic: Fitness, exercise, and healthy living over the holidays

Who: @alyssabecthold @banteringblonde @bookieboo @craftymamaof4 @earthfootwear @kaisermommy @mombloggersclub @momitforward @stacieinatlanta @vdog

Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win a pair of Exer-Walk shoes from Earth Footwear.


RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.

But,  since I decided I’m done having kids, I’ve been dying to shed 20 pounds and no time like the present to make that happen. What a better way to start off the new year… healthier and in a better position to shop, right? LOL!

I’m not gonna lie! As much as I’ve been wanting to start exercising again, winning a pair of shoes gave me the perfect bit of motivation at just the right time. I had completely forgotten first and foremost that I even entered the giveaway. And second and most importantly, that the prize came with a “Change Your Body in 30 Days Challenge” from Earth Footwear led by Leah, @bookieboo on Twitter and the marvel behind #mamavation.

So, in an effort to stick to the challenge, I am going public, admitting my exercising ways, and Whrrling about my progress (power of positive thinking, right?). Feel free to join me as I Whrrl my way skinny…. er, healthy!

I’d love to see your comments on my stories. I’d also love to have you join in the fun and get healthy with me. Just tag your Whrrl stories with #mamavation and #gno and let the weight-loss love fest begin. And, because every goal needs a prize (IMHO), let’s set a date now to go virtual shopping in February as a #gno IRL! Are you in?

Here’s my first Whrrl of a story!

Such is the case with Leah Segedie and her Internet-wide movement, Mamavation.

Until July 21, moms can fill out applications explaining their desire to lose weight and adopt a healthy lifestyle.  On July 22, four moms will be chosen as finalists and the world wide web gets to vote.  On July 30, the winner will be announced.  That winner, that mom, will be treated like a weight loss all-star, complete with a virtual team who will design an exercise regime, a new diet, and provide all the coaching she needs to reach her goals in a 2-month period. And don’t even get us started on the goodies the chosen mom will receive.

Working with one ‘Mamavation Mom’ at a time, Leah hopes to teach moms how wonderful life can be when you have the energy to keep up with your kids and are setting a healthy example for your family.

Before Leah began this campaign, she motivated moms virtually on Bookieboo, a site she created as a go-to place where moms could share their struggles staying or getting into shape. Leah knows just how difficult the journey can be.

Three years ago, when Leah gave birth to her first child, a son, she weighed 253 pounds.  While she was pregnant, her father was diagnosed with cancer and given only 6 months to live.  Five days a week, Leah helped her mother to care for her dying father. Watching him suffer was tremendously painful and Leah found solace in food.

Like so many of us, she believed the weight would come off after she had the baby.  But, also like many of us, that wasn’t the case.

When her newborn son was only 3 months old, Leah’s father lost his battle with cancer.  Though she had prayed for an end to his suffering, she was devastated.

But with the devastation came a ‘moment of clarity,’ as she calls it.  She didn’t want to be the ‘fat mom.’  She wanted to ‘model healthy behavior’ for her family.  In that moment, Leah decided to make a change.  So, she stood up and started walking.  At first it was once a day and then twice.  She joined Curves and began to practice Taebo. Five pounds at a time, Leah began to see a difference.

Working at a healthy lifestyle the traditional way, with  diet and exercise, Leah lost over 100 pounds.

After losing the weight, Leah decided to start Bookieboo.com (named after her son).  The site has over 40 contributors, many are certified personal trainers, but all are moms.

Knowing how tough it can be to balance being a mom with taking care of yourself, Leah is reaching out, hoping to give a little extra resolve to one mom at a time. Having recently had a second son, Leah is on the ball with getting back into shape one more time , and she has the support of whole bunch of moms on Bookieboo who are doing the exact same thing.

And, she will soon have the pleasure of changing one mom’s life for good. If you know someone looking to make a major weight loss/life change, there is still time to apply.  Head to Mamavation.com to learn the details.

With her ‘one mom at a time’ philosophy, Leah looks forward to working with many Mamavation Moms in the future.

About the Author: Danielle Smith is a mommy to two smart and sassy small people, as well as the founder and primary author of ExtraordinaryMommy.com. You can catch her hosting a brand new live show, The Spin Cycle, on MomTV.com every Wednesday at 9pmEST. She also hosts a show on Blog Talk Radio and contributes to WhyMomsMatter. Danielle is thrilled to be contributing to MomItForward as ‘giving back’ has always been an important part of who she is and what she hopes to teach her children.