Weight Loss Tips...Continued....

5. General Good Health

Sometimes we eat when we think we are hungry but we are really thirsty. In the same way I think we often eat because our body is craving a nutrient it isn't getting. By taking a multi-vitamin daily and seeking to eat healthily as the norm, you will find weight management to be easier. A few years ago our family stopped eating white rice. Last year we cut out white tortillas and started adding secret veggie purees to recipes. This year we are cutting back on refined sugars and trying to eliminate food colorings. These are just a few examples of how I try to incorporate healthy changes into our family's eating every year. I'm convinced that our high-fiber diet is a big part of how I have been able to lose weight without cutting back too much on the amount of food I eat. I'm not a big water drinker but I'm making more of an effort because all the weight-loss books and articles say drinking a lot helps. I'm making a huge effort this year to get more sleep too! Experts say stress inhibits weight loss so learning to deal with stress, slow down more, and take time for some quiet and reflection could aid in weight loss!

6. Share!

This tip really works! As a mom it can be frustrating when your kids want a bite of everything they see you eating. Especially when you just fed them or when you have several kids clamoring for a bite. It used to frustrate me but now that I'm on a weight-loss kick I share freely. Every bite I give away means less calories for me! I've even been known to share my chocolate truffles a friend gave me for Christmas! (Gasp!) If you have little kids, they can be your little diet-assistants by helping mommy eat that muffin or sandwich!

7. Don't Buy!

We have never been in a habit of buying lots of junk food but my husband has a fondness for ice-cream and chips. Since I don't really eat ice-cream much, it's not a temptation to have it around. But, if there are chips around I will have some with a sandwich or for a snack. So, I've stopped buying them. If I do buy them rarely, I try to buy a flavor that my hubby likes, but I don't like. He hasn't complained too much about the lack of unhealthy snacks in the pantry. He loves fruit and veggies too. I think living with me for the last 6 years has really "corrupted" him. He used to love sugary cereal and hate Wheaties or granola, now it's the other way around! And we recently had some pop left over from a luncheon and he drank it for a few days, trying to use it up and said, "I feel so gross! I feel like I must be poisoning my body or something drinking this trash! What have you done to me?"

8. Be More Active!

Don't let doing your exercise work-out be the culmination of your action for the day. Sweep, mop, shovel snow, clean vigorously, or opt to walk somewhere instead of driving if possible. Justus provides lots of action for me. Every minute of the day when he's awake it seems that I am chasing after him or popping up from the computer to go check on him in the midst of writing a blog post or checking e-mail. Walk around the house when you're on the phone. Park farther away from the store. Tickle and wrestle with the kids.

9. Build Muscle

All the weight-loss books talk about how building muscle burns more flab. I don't have weight-training equipment, but I do have an excellent pilates video. I love pilates because it really helps my neck strain issues and I think it tones and builds muscle. Even though it's not a hyper-fast-sweating-tons type of exercise, it really seems to help. There are lots of tips online for building muscle/strength-training. If your options are fairly limited, like mine, try varying your work-outs. Do a brisk walk one day, then pilates 2 days later, then swimming 2 days later, etc.

Final note: If you are trying to lose weight, remember to give yourself grace. Pray about this endeavor; God cares! And while hardcore punishments can work really well, give yourself a break now and then! Don't make goals so high you can't possibly attain them or punishments so horrible that you fail to enforce them. During busy and stressful seasons revise your expectations (2 workouts a week instead of 4) and give yourself a break when on vacation or traveling.

I'd love to hear your tips and stories about your weight loss journeys if you'd like to share them in the comments!

And I'd like to give a huge shout-out to my friend Hannah for losing 32 pounds in just a few months and my friend Lesley for losing over 20 pounds! Yay! You guys are my inspiration!