If you’re a mom and you’ve wondered how to lose weight as a stay at home mom, then you’re in the right place! I’m a dietitian and a mom myself so I completely understand what this feels like and I have been there (twice!)
Being a stay-at-home mom is no walk in the park. The never-ending to-do list can make finding time for yourself feel nearly impossible. Juggling kids, household chores, possibly working from home, and everything in between leaves little room for personal well-being, let alone weight loss.
However, it’s important to realize that taking care of yourself is not a luxury—it’s a necessity.
In this blog post, we’ll go over some of the challenges faced by stay-at-home moms when it comes to losing weight. I’ll share some practical tips on how to navigate through the chaos and make self-care a priority. I’ll also help you find ways to achieve balance, ensuring both your health and your family’s well-being are taken care of.
So without further ado, let’s get into how to lose weight as a stay at home mom!
How To Lose Weight as a Stay At Home Mom
If you’re anything like me, you probably find it difficult to stay motivated and inspired to lose weight, especially if you spend most of your time at home. But we are throwing all the excuses out the window today if you want to achieve your weight loss goals.
Here are some tactical strategies and mom weight loss tips that you can incorporate into your daily routine to help keep you achieve and maintain your weight loss goals (and also your health goals).
Set realistic goals
If I see one more person going on Ozempic for weight loss I will lose my mind!
Okay here’s the thing. Let’s say you try pills or drinks or fasts or whatever the thing is. What happens when you stop doing those things? You can’t take Ozempic forever and you can’t live on a no-carb diet forever. So what happens when you stop?
Not only do you regain ALL the weight back, and then some, but you have also messed up your metabolism, hormones and other body functions that you need to make weight loss a little more friendly. When you do these extreme measures, yes you get temporary results, but the long term effects are so much harder to correct.
So step one, set realistic goals. Even better, set goals that do not involve an end date because this is not just weight loss. This is a change in lifestyle and a change in your eating habits.
Start by setting small goals such as eating a breakfast high in protein or maybe not snacking mindlessly after dinner. Work on this for a few weeks, then add another small goal.
Make time for yourself
As a stay-at-home mom, it’s easy to put everyone else’s needs before your own. The mom weight can be hard to come off because your time quickly fills up with tasks, appointments, activities, cooking, cleaning, etc etc and you have not eaten a decent nourishing meal during the day.
Someone always wants something and there is always another thing you need to get done. The to-do list does not end.
But you know what does end and start to dwindle away throughout the day? The energy to take care of yourself.
So instead of putting yourself last, block out and schedule two to three 10-20 minute time slots just for yourself throughout the day.
The first time blog you use for your morning routine, the second time block is for a quick home workout for 15 minutes and the third time block is for your night time routine.
By scheduling time slots into your day, you’ll feel more in control of your time and you can prioritize the things that you want to prioritize for yourself.
Get moving
You need to get moving. And not just for your physcial health but also for your mental health. Stay at home moms may feel a little constricted with exercise because you feel like you need to get to the gym to have an effective workout. Right?? WRONG!
I promise you do not need a whole gym to get some movement in.
All you need are some dumbbells that are adjustable and some resistance bands and you can get a full body workout. Focus on strenght training so you can tone up and build msucle as you lose weight. This also helps you lose fat and build muscle at the same time.
I did this for years while my kids were younger. I still workout 3 days a week from my house because I have a part time preschooler. The other 2 days of the week I go to the gym.
And if you do not know what exercises to do, there are SO many free ones on social media or Youtube depending on your activity level. Simply search “full body workouts from home with dumbbells” and you can choose from hundreds.
Once you have some ideas of different exercises you can do and those that target different parts of your body, I like to write them on a piece of paper and I repeat those throughout the week. Make sure to add weights to make it more challenging over time.
And never underestimate the power of a walk outside with your kids if the weather permits. A nice walk outdoors for 30 minutes can make the biggest difference to your mood, energy and health.
Eat a healthy diet
I am probably going to get some backlash for saying this but you know what’s even more important for weight loss than exercisng? Eating a healthy diet. I mean they’re both important but you can’t outwork a bad diet.
Eating a healthy diet is essential for weight loss. You know the importance of eating a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Make sure to plan your meals ahead of time and have healthy snacks on hand.
You can read more about this here:
The Best Macros for Weight Loss Female: Healthy Fat Loss and here: Build Your Meals For Sustainable Weight Loss
Stay hydrated
There a few reasons for this.
The first is that it really does help prevent overeating. Thirst is sometimes mistaken for hunger. Staying adequately hydrated can help prevent snacking and overeating by addressing the body’s need for fluids.
Second, drinking water reduces water retention. The body tends to retain more water when it is dehydrated. Drinking enough water helps maintain fluid balance, reducing the likelihood of water retention and bloating.
Last but not least, drinking water optimizes digestion. Water is so important for digestion and nutrient absorption. And if you are eating more fiber and protein for weight loss then you need to be drinking your water. This helps your body digest better and it ensures that the body efficiently extracts nutrients from food.
Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day and aim to drink at least 8 cups of water per day.
Stop trying to feel motivated
If you are waiting around to feel motivated, you may never reach your goals. Motivation is just a feeling. It comes and goes. One hour you feel motivated and the next it’s gone. So what do you do?
You do it anyways. That is called discipline. You need discipline in your life, not motivation. You have goals that you want to achieve and nothing will stand in your way. Put your feelings aside because your future self is relying on you to show up today.
Make sure to check out these 2 blog posts next if you want read more about discipline:
How to Stay Consistent With Your Weight Loss Goals
20 Best Books on Self Discipline to Read in 2023
Meal Prep
Okay here is what you are going to do. Every Friday you are going to pull out a piece of paper and make a list of the foods you are going to be eating throughout the upcoming week.
What are you planning on eating? Try to have most meals planned out and focus on adding fiber and protein in most of those meals.
Eating protein and fiber in most meals helps you feel full, allows you to eat a larger volume of food for less calories, making weight loss a little bit easier. And it ensures you are getting lots of nutrients in that your body needs to function properly.
After you have taken some time to brainstorm some meal planning ideas, choose a day you can spend an hour or so meal prepping some of the meals. I like to prep some protein options, high fiber carbs, two high protein breakfast recipes and 1-2 healthy snacks. You don’t need to spend lots of time cooking every meal, but if you can have the majoirty of it ready prepped, marinated and thought out, you will be so much better off.
This takes around an hour and you have healthy options you can grab throughout the week. It also helps your family eat better and it saves you so much time because it reduces dishes and all the thinking that goes in to mealtimes.
If you are looking for some inspiration, make sure to check out these two videos: this and this.
Forget the number on the scale
It does not matter. That number does not matter. What matters is how you feel about yourself. You can be at your ideal weight according to the number on the scale but feel horrible on the inside.
If your lifestyle does not leave you feeling great from the inside out then something needs to change.
Like I mentioned before, there is no end goal to living a healthy lifestyle. You are going to be doing this forever which is why you need to focus on your habits versus trying to reach a number that you made up.
Take your supplements
If you feel tired and unmotivated all the time, get your blood work done. Make sure you do not have nutrient deficiencies because that will leave you feeling tired and sluggish.
The days I take my iron supplements, I feel a huge difference in energy levels. If you are anemic, this is my favorite iron supplement. It does not mess with my digestive system and does not give me “bathroom problems” like other iron supplements I have taken.
Also check vitamin D levels since most people do not get enough vitamin D.
Vitamin D plays a role in regulating hormones related to metabolism, including insulin and leptin. Insulin helps control blood sugar levels, and proper regulation can contribute to weight management.
Having said that, if you’re a new mom, then definitely take a multivitamin to get your bases covered!
Make sure to check out vitamins for weight loss after reading this blog post to learn more about vitamins and their role in weight loss.
Focus on the “Big 3”
If you are someone who has many goals and you have a hard time reaching those goals, it may be because you have too many goals.
Take a step back and think about what are the biggest 3 things you can do that will move the needle towards your weight loss and health goals.
Here is an example of what your “Big 3” goals may look like:
- Eat fiber and protein at least 2 of my meals.
- Strength train 3 times per week using Youtube videos.
- Do one thing for myself every single day for 10 minutes (skincare, reading, walking, meditating, breathing).
This method not only helps you prioritize yourself and your health, but it also allows you to focus on the important needle movers.
Bottom Line
Most moms are busy moms and making it a prioritiy to take care of yourself not only benefits you, but it also benefits your family. When you set standards for yourself, you are teaching your family to set higher standards for themselves as well.
If you are not a mom, these tips are not just for stay at home mom weight loss and this is not a speical mom diet. Anyone can benefit from these tips whether you’re a mom or not!
If you liked How To Lose Weight as a Stay At Home Mom or any other post on The MomNutritionist, then don’t forget to leave a comment below! I would love to hear your thoughts and let me know if you have any questions!