The Lazy Mom’s Guide to Losing Weight

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woman sitting on couch

Raise your hand if you want to lose weight? Okay, now raise your hand if you don’t have the TIME or DESIRE to really work that hard at it? Hand still raised? Great, then read on.

I recently found myself with the desire to lose a few pounds, but quite honestly, I wasn’t willing to commit myself to a diet or crazy exercise plan. So, instead I came up with some lazy ways to lose a little weight that didn’t really require too much of a lifestyle change.

Disclaimer ::  If you are looking to drop some serious pounds, this is not the “diet” for you. But, if you’re looking to lose a few pounds or just feel a little healthier in general, then please continue.

Sneak exercise into your daily routine. Most of us don’t have the time or energy to go to the gym after a long day of work and/or wrangling your kid(s) all day. Here are some suggestions for working exercise into your daily routine:

mon throwing child in air

  • Do lunges while picking up your kid’s toys at night.
  • Use your child as a weight to swing him around or throw her over your head. The kids will love it, and you’ll get some strength training in. I admit, this is not so easy if you have older kids.
  • Cooking something in the microwave? Do calf raises while you wait.
  • Standing in line somewhere, squeeze your glutes to tighten up your backside. I swear no one will know.
  • When running errands, park far away.
  • If you work, take the stairs instead of the elevator.
  • If you have an infant, forgo the stroller and carry the car seat around when running errands.
  • At night, when you’ve gotten the kids to bed, cleaned the kitchen, etc., do what I call the ultimate “lazy girl workout” in front of the TV:
    • Two to three planks while getting caught up on Facebook or reading a few pages of a book on your tablet. Try and hold them for 30 seconds to a minute each time.
    • 25 crunches and then reward yourself by doing a full sit up to grab your glass of wine. Repeat until your wine glass is empty.
    • Wall sits, hold for 30 seconds to a minute each, again while checking Facebook or reading.
    • Once you’ve had enough of the above, settle into the couch (glass of wine optional) and do some leg raises while catching up on your favorite show.

Portion sizes. Food (and wine!) are two of my favorite things, so the word “diet” is basically a four letter word in my book. Instead, eat the food that you want but manage your portion sizes.

Suggestions for doing this include:

  • Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate at home.
  • When eating out:
    • Ask if you can order a half size of an entrée. Many restaurants offer this; they just don’t promote it.
    • Split something with whomever you’re eating with.
    • Ask for a to-go box right when your food comes. Immediately put half of it away and put it out of your sight. Now, you’ve limited your portion size AND you have leftovers. A win/win!

Another tip related to portion sizes is to eat your biggest meal either at breakfast or lunch. That way, your body has all day to burn those calories.

Drink more water. Eight 8 oz. glasses of water is what I had always heard to be the recommended daily amount, BUT your body really can benefit from much larger daily intake.

Benefits of drinking more water during the day include:

  • Feeling full longer.
  • Getting rid of toxins in the body that can help you lose weight and gain more energy.
  • Helping your body to burn more calories. (Don’t believe me? Look it up! It’s true!)

Fancy fruit waterA couple suggestions for upping your water intake:

  • Buy a cute water bottle/cup/etc. There are SO many choices out there these days.
  • Infuse your water with fruit and herbs (No, not THOSE kind of herbs!) There are tons of different infusion combinations you can find on Pinterest if you search. Supposedly, all of them have different health benefits that include boosting metabolism, fat burning, detox, boosting your immune system, etc. I’m not so sure about that, BUT I do feel a little like I’m at a spa when I’m drinking my infused water and that’s enough for me.

Set goals and reward yourself. This is super important! Make sure you set small, manageable goals. When you achieve them, reward yourself! And, if you don’t happen to meet your goal, that’s okay. Reassess, start over, and make a new goal. Even better . . . tell a friend about your goal, so she can help hold you accountable.

So, there you go. None of that sounds too terrible, right? Try it out and report back on your progress.

Are there other tried and true tips I’ve left out? Let’s hear them. The only requirement is that they not take much effort!

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Kelly
Kelly and her husband, Shawn, are both Fort Worth natives and proud parents to their eight-year-old daughter, Avery, the inspiration behind many of Kelly’s articles. In her time as a mom, Kelly has become an unofficial expert on the NICU, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and global developmental delays. She’s an open book about their experiences and is always happy to talk to other moms looking for guidance or just another mom who gets it. After being in corporate marketing for almost 20 years, craving more flexibility and time with Avery, she founded 314 Marketing Solutions (www.314marketingsolutions.com) in 2019, a full-service boutique marketing agency. She considers herself an expert in multi-tasking and counts her car as the main headquarters for her business, regularly switching being a special needs mom driving to and from multiple therapy appointments, activities, and business owner.

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