When it comes to weight loss for moms, there are some special rules.  Because, let’s face it, moms are special folks.  Also, your lifestyle as a mom makes your weight loss situation different than that of a single person, or a childless person.  You are spread very thin, super busy with 14 things at any given time, and never put yourself first.  Did I get that about right?? 

Special needs for special ladies = special rules!

In my years of working with moms and helping them lose weight, I’ve determined 4 P’s that create success in weight loss, body bad assery (yes, real word) and ultimate transformation:

1.  Practice:

When it comes to losing baby weight, or just losing weight in general, moms have to practice making positive food and exercise choices over and over.  For most moms to lose weight, they have to break old habits and create new ones.  This can take time and practice.  You must repeatedly choose healthy foods over unhealthy foods.  You must repeatedly build exercise into your day.

These changes do not happen overnight.  Research shows for a new habit to become routine, it must be practiced 16-25 times.  I would argue an even higher number for habits that you’ve had for years and years.  Old habits die HARD.  So it is a game of simply practicing making the right choices over and over until it becomes second nature.

“You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence is not an event — it is a habit.” Aristotle.

There will be some days that are better than others.  No need to beat yourself up over any slip ups, just turn it around immediately.  Don’t wait for the next day or the next week.  At your next opportunity, likely your next meal, practice improving upon your previous behavior.  If you improve yourself .003% everyday, you will have improved 100% by the end of one year.

2.  Patience:

This may be the toughest “P”.  When we make changes in our life, we want to be immediately gratified.  If I stop drinking wine and eating chocolate and I workout consistently, I would like to lose 10 pounds in one week.  I think I deserve that.  Sounds pretty fair, right??

Sadly, that is not how it works.  We give up our old habits, those where we over-consumed or under-sweat.  We commit 110%.  It only goes to reason that we should see change quickly.  But sometimes change is slow.  Sometimes the real change is in our energy levels, our productivity, our patience as a mom and wife. And the scale does not move.

There are days, heck, maybe weeks, where you the scale will crush you over and over and it becomes easy to lose sight of the true value of living a healthy lifestyle.  When we are only attached to that blasted number at our feet, we don’t notice that our clothes are looser, our bellies are flatter and we can do more push ups than ever before.  We have trained ourselves to place our value and self worth in that silly number at our feet, come hell or high water.

I STRONGLY recommend stepping back from the scale it’s not moving.  Remain 110% committed to your healthy lifestyle and note the other changes.  Often times, when you take the scale out of the equation, people around you start to comment, “Wow, have you lost weight?  You look amazing!”

Plus, at the end of the day isn’t modeling health for your kids more important than the scale?  Isn’t dramatically decreasing your chance of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke more important than the scale?

Tell yourself you will be patient with the process of change and transformation.  You’re not on the Biggest Loser, here.  You’re doing this in real life, in real time and it’s going to be a process.  The process is pretty freakin’ amazing if you allow yourself to step back and take it in a little as you go.

It’s not about the scale.

3.  Performance:

Let’s face it, you have limited amounts of time to workout.  You may have been a gym rat in the past.  You may have spent your Saturdays going to the gym, then grabbing a mani/pedi on the way to brunch with the girls.  But that is likely a thing of the past.  These days, you are likely working out pre dawn with the birds, or cramming it in at naptime (with 14 other tasks) or hoping to get it in at 9pm when you’re exhausted and drained from a day of playing mommy/wife/employee/chef/maid.  Your time could not be more precious.

So, when you take time to workout, you must be very smart about it.  If you’ve participated in my 6 Week Pregnancy Weight Loss Program, you know you don’t have to workout very long for amazing results.  BUT, you do have to work out hard!  Now, I don’t mean you have your kill yourself.  I’m not all about no pain, no gain.

But there needs to be a level of pushing past comfort, breaking a sweat and feeling the burn if you’re truly going to get results.

Many times you can accomplish that in just 15 minutes.  In fact, I’d rather you accomplish those three things in 15 minutes than glide along effortlessly/aimlessly on the elliptical or treadmill for 45 minutes.

So, when you workout, please WORK!  Push yourself to be as strong and as powerful as you can be during that limited amount of time.  Remember, it is limited, so MAKE IT COUNT.  It is in pushing yourself beyond what you thought possible (one more pushup, 2 more squats, 15 extra seconds of mountain climbers) that you build strength, stamina, power AND confidence, self worth and empowerment.  The former makes you burn fat.  The latter make you a better person.

4: Pacing:

This can be a toughie for moms.  If you struggle with #2 (patience), then pacing may be a big challenge for you.  By pacing, I mean don’t feel like you need to do it all at one time.  PACE YOURSELF.  Every week add 1-2 new components to your healthy fit lifestyle.  You don’t have to make 25 changes in one week.  In fact, I have found that for many moms, that’s the surest way to set yourself up for failure.  If you take on too much at once, you’re likely going to get overwhelmed and impatient and throw in the towel.

Understand that, for long term weight loss, it is small changes compounded over time that give you the body, life, reality you’ve been wanting.  It’s not about doing it all this week.  Set yourself up for long term success and permanent transformation by setting little goals that lead up to your final destination.  Celebrate each goal and then assess how you’re going to tackle the next phase.

I tell my Pregnancy Weight Loss clients all the time, “I would rather you lose 20 pounds over 6 months and keep it off forever than lose 20 pounds in a month and pack it all back on within 2 months of losing it.”

Be kind but firm with yourself.  Always remember that it is a process and there is as much, if not more, value in the journey than the destination.  The transformation that comes with weight loss, especially for moms, can be life changing.  It your opportunity to focus on yourself, to better yourself and to become an amazing all around woman.  As you work through the journey keep your 4 P’s in mind daily.  They will guide you to success and transformation if you allow them to.

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