It’s the last day of 2017 and one of the best ways I can help with this brand new health and weight loss year is to give you solutions to some of the biggest obstacles you may face when it comes to getting back on track, or even to follow a first time (at least in a very long time) weight loss or healthy eating plan.
I’m not a fan of New Years Resolutions, but I do believe that after month of a less routine schedule (that being the festivities of Christmas), the best time to get back to fit, or to reach for your health and weight loss goals is when things have calmed.
Today to end off 2017 I thought I’d arm you with a few solutions to one of the biggest problems many of my clients face when it comes to following a healthy meal plan, or weight loss plan.
This isn’t the standard “lack of time” or “portion control whoas” I’ve spoken about in the past. This time we’re aiming a little bit closer to the heart and talking about that horrible dilemma of what to do when you’re ready for your healthiest, slimmest 2018, but your family’s not on board with you.
Your husband may support your decision but you’re the main cook and he doesn’t want to eat light, veggie based meals he calls “rabbit food”. You don’t want to spend the time making separate meals for everyone, so you’ve got to find a solution that matches your new healthy meals and his heartier meal tendencies.
Or maybe your husband’s the main cook and he doesn’t want to make two separate meals and complicate his menu.
Maybe you love his cooking and you don’t want this tradition to stop.
Or maybe you’ve still got kids at home and the meals have to be family friendly. While they support your decision for a leaner, healthier lifestyle, they’re just not willing to compromise their own meal choices.
The bottom line is you feel like you’re doing this alone. You think about how much easier and simpler it would be if you could get everyone on board, if you were doing this as a family. In the past this may have been the setback that stopped you from moving forward or getting results.
So this time, for 2018 let’s change our mindset and focus on positive, lasting solutions that will give you back your health, your energy, your vitality, and YES, even a slimmer waist with some simple solutions you can do right away.
Portion Control:
Whether your husband’s cooking and you don’t want to give up his delicious meals, or you’re the main cook and it’s just getting too complicated to create separate meals, when changing the menu just isn’t an option your most powerful tool is portion control.
How To:
Begin by taking a small plate instead of a regular size dinner plate. This makes it easy to keep portions under control.
Choose palm size portion of meat, a fist for grains and a thumb for fats. Then fill up the rest of the plate with healthy non-starchy vegetables. There’s no counting calories and you can enjoy the same meal as the rest of the family without creating extra work and hassle.
Pick Up What’s Missing:
If your live in a “meat and potato” household with few to zero vegetables served at each meal, then finding a way to add them in is a must. Studies show that high vegetable consumption can slim the waist and help you maintain a healthy weight, not to mention they’re a huge source of vitamins,minerals and dietary fibre that help energize the body, help you feel stronger and give you the best quality of life.
Veggies are a must, so when no one else wants to eat them but you, make your life easy and buy your own easy, pre-made veggies.
- Choose bagged salads ready to go.
- Choose pre cut vegetables that only need a quick boil.
- Choose frozen, ready made stir fry you can put in the microwave. (Some take less than 5 minutes to cook).
Adding in your own veggie component has another bright side. If your plate is half full with vegetables, it’ll ensure your family meal portions stay small.
Fill up your plate with as many vegetables you want, then portion control for your meat and starch.
Understand You’re Doing This Just For You:
As a coach I’m known as being your biggest cheerleader. While I try my hardest to change food options, types of workouts and the amount of time you exercise to suit you, there’s only so much I can do without a little bit of give on your end.
I get a lot of push back around family meals because family members may not be happy that you’re making a meal time change. Or quite honestly, it may make you feel resentful that you can’t eat as much of the old meals you’ve grown so accustomed to.
Truthfully, at some point there needs to be a mindset shift. You’ve decided to start your health or weight loss journey now because it’s time to take care of you.
You want more energy to run after the grandkids, you want to wake up energized to take advantage of every second of your day. You want to feel fit, to feel strong to maintain your independence, your health and your best quality of life.
This is a well deserved moment of YOU time. You’re doing this for you and no one else, so it’s time to embrace a family meal change as a happy new transformation, not only of your body, and your health, but also transforming the way you eat with the family, one small step at a time.
What’s even more exciting is that this new mindset shift, and shifting portion sizes or adding vegetables starts to become infectious.
I’ve had countless clients that started to follow their own eating style and once the energy and weight loss began, their partners, their kids, even the grandkids started to adopt some of those healthy choices too.
For some this is the hardest solution to follow. Put YOU first. Do this for you and no one else.
Get an Outside Support System:
Portion control, adding veggies and choosing to put you first can be so much easier to achieve if you have a strong support system.
Your family could be the most supportive bunch alive, but if they’re not directly involved in your new transformation, or if they’ve decided not to embrace these changes themselves, it can sometimes feel discouraging, it can feel like you’re doing this alone.
That’s why it’s so important to have an outside support system that is with you every step of the way and you feel motivated to stay on track.
There are so many types of support systems it’s easy to find them outside of the home. Here are just a few:
- Try a local Meetups weight loss group: The meetings are free group events located all around the globe. You can attend “how-to” weight loss meetings or enjoy a local hiking club. There are thousands of options to keep you motivated and help you achieve your goals.
- Join a Free online support group: Join a Free online group to help keep you accountable and provide you with support. The Get Back to Fit After 50 private facebook group is a great example. Hundreds of women support each other along their healthy journey, whether that be overall health, weight loss or learning how to incorporate fitness into their lives. Give it a try.
Also, one-on-one coaches are great at providing the support, the accountability, motivation and knowledge that can give you individualized advice based specifically on your exact needs and lifestyle.
Because the support system is tailor made specifically for you, results feel easier to reach.
If one-on-one support is the strategy that sparks your motivation best, I want to help.
Book a FREE online Strategy session and together we’ll uncover the exact steps to get you to your unique goals with the support and motivation get you there as quickly and easily as possible.
