Just like everyone else, I’d gained a few pounds since being at home during the pandemic. On top of that, my baby girl had just turned 9 months old and I still had a bit of baby weight that I wasn’t a big fan of.
I hadn’t worked out AT ALL during my pregnancy or after I had my baby. So, when my husband proposed that we start working out, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. After a lot of discussions and a little hesitation, we started to make healthier food choices and got active. And in 12 days, I lost 5 pounds. I was thrilled with my progress and decided that our new active lifestyle is something that I could stick to long-term. Before you roll your eyes, I ate plenty of food, no fasting, no keto, etc. Check out my steps to losing weight fast and adjusting our lifestyle!
1. Establish your Goals
What is your end goal? Do you want to maintain your weight? Lose 10 pounds? Get stronger and gain muscle? Determine your goals and make this your first step. But make sure your goals are REALISTIC. Losing weight can be difficult, especially if you don’t see progress as quickly as you would like. My goal was to lose 10 pounds in 2 months. My starting weight was 165 lbs. Make sure you are consistent, but not too hard on yourself as you embark on your fitness journey.
I’d encourage you to pay less attention to the numbers on the scale. Instead, pay focus on your measurements, and the way your clothes fit. You may not have fit your goal weight yet, but you may notice that your jeans are fitting better, or your waist is slimmer.
UPDATE: As of May 1, I was down to 149 lbs.
2. Download the My Fitness Pal App
This app was integral to my success! You can add your goals (lose 1 pound a week, lose 2 pounds a week, etc.) into your profile and the app will provide the number of calories you need to consume per day in order to achieve that goal. Each day I used the app to track what foods I ate, the amount of water I drank, and the number of calories I burned from exercising.
My current goal is to lose 1 pound per week and only consuming 1,590 calories a day. This app is really a game-changer because it helps you manage every aspect of your fitness journey and helps you stay on track for your goals. I used the free version of My Fitness Pal.
3. Get Active
Okay, here’s where the hard work comes in. Getting active has been the biggest adjustment that I made. We have been doing some type of physical activity EVERY DAY. Yep, every single day. Don’t worry, we weren’t doing cardio everyday! Here’s our workout schedule.
- Monday: 2 Mile Run. (Walk for 1 Minute. Run for 1 Minute) + Upper Body Strength Training
- Tuesday: 30 Minute Lower Body Strength Training
- Wednesday: Active Rest Day. Run 1 Mile. Walk 1 Mile.
- Thursday: Full Body HIIT Workout + Upper Body Strength Training
- Friday: Full Body Cardio + Lower Body Strength Training
- Saturday: 2 Mile Walk
- Sunday: 30 Minutes of Yoga
We did all of our HIIT, cardio, and strength training workouts at home. Most of the workouts we did are from MrandMrsMuscle on YouTube. Believe me, it sucked when we first started! I was dying! But as days progressed, I could feel my body getting stronger and I really started to enjoy prioritizing our workouts. Get up and get moving!
Get started on your home gym!
4. Start a Low-Carb Diet
I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist, but consuming a low-carb diet really worked for me. According to Healthline.com, a low-carb diet is a diet that restricts carbohydrates, such as those found in sugary foods, pasta, and bread. It is high in protein, fat and healthy vegetables.
Eat: Fish, eggs, meat, fruit, vegetables, dairy, nuts, and low-carb bread
Don’t Eat: Soda, chips, fruit juice, candy, cereal, ice cream, pasta, bread, or rice.
We’d eat our usual meals, but used a low-carb alternative, like spaghetti and zucchini noodles, or taco stuffed avocados. Snacks usually included fruit, protein cookies, protein shakes, or deli meats like pepperoni or turkey.
Here’s an example of what I eat in a day:
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
| 1 egg muffin banana | Turkey Burger – No Bun Black Beans Apple | Salmon Broccolini Brussel Sprouts |
It’s important to note that I still consumed alcohol. I stopped having a glass of wine every night. Instead, I drank hard seltzers or low-calorie cocktails like a Skinny Margarita or Ranch Water.
5. Drink Water
Drink a lot of water! I try to drink one gallon of water per day. Water is obviously good for you but also contributes to weight loss by curbing your appetite. Some days will be better than others, but don’t give up! I completely avoided sodas but chose to drink sparkling water when I had a craving for something special.
That’s it, friends! These are the 5 tools I used to lose weight fast! I will keep you updated on my progress. After 2 months, I lost 10 lbs!
Good luck with your fitness journey! Please share your weight loss tips with me!
