How to start your weight loss if you have a lot to lose

Knowing that you have a significant amount of weight to lose can be extremely overwhelming. That big number may loom in front of us and the more we think about it, the less likely it seems that it’s even possible to shift the excess kilograms.

Don’t despair however. We have good news. We’ve rounded up our top tips on how to start your weight loss if you have a lot to lose and remain motivated for the long haul.

Top tips: How To Start Your Weight Loss If You Have A Lot To Lose

1. Break it down

If you would like to lose 20kg in 12 months, don’t keep telling yourself ‘I need to lose 20kg’. Instead, break this major goal down into a monthly goal of 2.5kg for the year. Doesn’t seem so scary now does it?

You can also set yourself non-weight related goals.

For instance you might commit to no take away for a month; or decide to put four exercise sessions in your diary per week and stick to them.

2. Reward yourself

As part of these smaller goals, set yourself up with some little rewards to treat yourself when you reach them. This will really help you to stay motivated.

For instance maybe when you lose the first 5kg you will buy yourself a new pair of workout shorts or get a pedicure.

This can be much more fun as you can enjoy the high of achieving your smaller goal rather than waiting to celebrate your major goal when that could be over a year away.

3. Use the scales less often

For a lot of our mums, it has been helpful to only weigh-in every couple of weeks or even once a month.

Weighing yourself daily can set you up in a negative cycle of ‘today is a bad day because I put on 800g since yesterday’.

In fact, your body can fluctuate wildly due to things like fluid retention (say if you’ve eaten something salty); if you have consumed more fluid than usual; hot temperatures outside or air conditioning inside, which can cause dehydration; or even hormonal changes that naturally occur in your body.

4. Get support

Signing up to the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge is a great way to keep you focused on your goals.

It outlines in detail ideas for exercise, as well as exactly what to eat for all meals and snacks (so that you don’t have to dream up new ideas for yourself each day). It even has a shopping list so you can make sure you have it all on hand.

Each month we introduce 100+ NEW recipes and have a different challenge theme. And October is our BELLY BLASTER Challenge. Having a DIFFERENT challenge each and every month ensures you wont get bored while on your weight loss journey!

You also have thousands and thousands of other mums on hand who are doing the challenge with you, as well as the support of our Motivating Mums who are there to answer any questions you might have along the way.

Also try to get your partner and family on board too. This way you can all enjoy the benefits of healthy eating – and you don’t have to cook two meals!

You can learn MORE about the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge HERE.

5. Find a buddy

Try to find a friend to be your weight loss buddy, and you can keep each other motivated and inspired. This could be a work colleague, a neighbour, your partner, a relative or a good friend.

Or why not jump onto our Facebook support group and see if you can find a buddy there to help keep you honest? You can send each other private messages or even texts if you felt that this could be helpful.

6. Use several measurements of success

As we all know, sometimes the scales are not our friend (and sometimes they are just plain nasty). So having other ways to measure your success can be a powerful motivator.

For instance you can take your measurements and update these on a monthly basis. Many mums find that even though the scales haven’t had a huge shift, they’ve lost centimetres off their waist and that can give you a really big lift in the motivation side of things.

You might also take your photo in the same clothes and same position once a month and use that as a way to see how far you’ve come.

7. Banish the term ‘diet’

Instead of feeling as though you are on a diet (which has connotations that it’s something you are only doing for a set period) think of your new way of eating as a focus on healthy living instead.

For instance you might decide that you will reduce your processed food intake, limit added sugar, or up the amount of leafy greens you eat each day.

Making commitments like these to improve your health will mean that the positive results will naturally follow.

For more tips on how to start your weight loss if you have a lot to lose, check out our top motivational tips for getting started.