Kids have a knack for making even the
simplest tasks approximately six billion times harder — just ask any parent
who’s ever taken a toddler to the grocery store. So it’s no surprise that
losing weight, which is challenging enough under the best circumstances, can
feel downright impossible once kids enter the picture.
If your newborn didn’t get the memo
about sleeping through the night, or your toddler has a tendency to rise and
shine at 4 a.m., it can be hard to find the time or energy to do much of anything, let alone work out or
cook a healthy meal from scratch. Add to that the pressure to spend every
single solitary second bonding with your little ones, and it’s no wonder many
parents are tempted to put their weight-loss goals on the back burner for a while
— like, say, until their kids go off to college.
“I have to admit, before I had
children, I didn’t fully understand how you don’t have time to get a healthy
meal on the table or wake up 30 minutes earlier to exercise,” says Rima Kleiner, MS, RD, and blogger at Dish on Fish, based in Greensboro, NC. “Now, as a parent of two
young children, I completely get it — middle-of-the-night wake-ups thwart
early-morning exercise sessions, and pre-dinner meltdowns inspire take-out
meals. It’s difficult to stay motivated if you’re exhausted or feel guilty
about taking care of you.”
But while it’s not always easy to
make your weight-loss goals a priority while you’re juggling the
incredibly-fulfilling-yet-totally-exhausting demands of parenthood, there are a
few tricks to make it work.
9 Weight Loss Tips
for Busy Parents
Stop cleaning your kids’ plates
A few bites of mac and cheese here, a
handful of Goldfish crackers there — if you make a habit of finishing whatever
food your kiddos leave behind, you may find yourself “eating for two” long
after your baby arrives. But when you’re watching your calories, those extra
bites add up fast.
“While these little habits seem like
they wouldn’t add that many calories, you’d be surprised,” Kleiner says. “Just
eating an extra 10 calories a day for a year results in one pound gained in a
year.” And let’s be real — considering there are 10 calories in a single nacho
chip, those leftovers probably add up to a lot more than that.
Relearn from your toddler what it means to eat
intuitively
If your kid has ever chased five
cookies and two bowls of ice cream with a tall glass of chocolate milk, then
you know kids don’t always make solid nutritional decisions when left to their
own devices. (And by “left to their own devices,” I obviously mean “visiting
their grandparents” — and yes, that bender ended exactly how you’d expect it to while driving
home from your parents’ house.)
Still, some believe we can learn a
few things by eating like a two-year-old. Apparently
kids are better than adults at “intuitive
eating” — they eat without hang-ups, so they don’t obsess about cravings
and forbidden foods. And they stop when they’re full, even if their parents are
begging them to pleeeease just eat those last two bites of
dinner so we can all leave the table.
“Kids are pretty adept at responding
to their hunger and fullness signals,” says Adina Pearson, RD and blogger at Healthy Little Eaters. “They will eat as much as they’re hungry
for, and they’re done when they’ve had enough.” And if they occasionally overdo
it, no biggie. (Unless you’re the one cleaning the minivan, but I digress.)
Deconstruct your dinners
If you’re trying to cut back on
refined carbs but your picky eater is currently on a pasta-only diet, it
can be hard to find healthy meals the whole family will enjoy.
One simple solution: Break your meals down into DIY ingredients. “Deconstruct
dinner now and then,” Pearson says. “Instead of serving a salad, serve the
ingredients separately, and let each person put together their own salad.” You
can take the same approach with tacos, rice bowls, pasta, pizza, or omelets — everyone gets a meal they enjoy, and
you only had to cook once.
Try to eat breakfast
“Breakfast [helps us] maintain focus
for the hours ahead — and that goes for kids in school and adults at work,”
Kleiner says. “While mornings for most people are hectic, breakfast can be as
simple as oatmeal with
berries, yogurt with fruit, or a hard-boiled egg.” There are plenty of healthy breakfast ideas that
don’t take long to make and will get everyone’s day off to a healthy start.
While there isn’t definitive research
that suggests eating breakfast is a surefire way to kickstart weight loss, the
National Weight Control Registry shows that 78 percent of participants who have maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for one year or longer eat
breakfast every day.
Also, the type of food you eat in the
morning could help you rein in hunger. One study published in the International Journal of Obesity suggested that a protein-rich breakfast may be an effective strategy to improve appetite
control. So, how much protein provides these possible benefits? A study
in the journal Nutrition revealed that 30–39 grams of protein per serving produced greater appetite control,
and reduced intake at lunch when compared to results from those who ate a
low-protein breakfast or nothing. For high-protein cooking inspiration, check
out this egg white scramble with chicken, or one of these unique breakfast tacos (hint: six ounces of wild Alaskan
salmon provides more than 30 grams of protein).
Give meal planning a try
When you’re frazzled, it’s hard
enough to decide what’s for dinner, let alone carve out time to actually cook
it. That’s where meal planning can make all the difference. “Take the
time at the beginning of the week to batch-prepare a bunch of healthy foods you
can mix and match for nutritious meals all week long,” says Chelsey Amer, MS,
RDN, and creator of CitNutritionally. Chop some veggies, roast some meat, cook some beans, and make a batch of brown rice. “If you take an hour at the beginning of the week,
you’ll prevent the headache and make healthy happen all week long!” she adds.
Sleep when you can
As someone who pulls the occasional
all-nighter when I’m on deadline, I thought I was well-acquainted with running
on empty. Then I had kids and discovered how deep that sleep-deprivation rabbit
hole really goes. I’d say I was a zombie, but I’ve seen some pretty energetic
zombies.
But sleep plays a huge role in weight
management — getting enough zzz’s can boost your energy, reduce stress, and may
help you burn belly fat — so
it’s important to sleep when you can. You’ve probably had a few (hundred)
people tell you to “sleep when the baby sleeps,” but when you’re also trying to
squeeze in workouts and meal prep (not to mention laundry and trying to keep
the house clean), a nap can seem a bit indulgent. Nap anyway. Your body needs
it. Besides, you can always…
Work out while the kids are awake
If your kids are up at the crack of
dawn, and you’re napping while they’re napping, when are you supposed to work
out? Easy — just do it while they’re awake and let them join in the fun. “By
making time to work out, your children see — not just hear — how important it
is to take care of yourself and make exercise a part of your daily life,”
Kleiner says.
So put your baby in the stroller and
go for a long walk. Play tag with your toddler. Go for a family hike. Sign up
for a kid-friendly 5K. Do yoga with your kids. Let your
kids pick a workout for the family to
try. It may not be the most relaxing workout ever, but you’ll burn calories and
teach your kids healthy habits in the process.
Find a weight-loss tribe
You’ve probably heard the parenting
adage: The days are long, but
the years are short. In other words, an episode of Caillou can drag on for a freaking eternity,
but then you blink and it’s kindergarten registration and driving school and
prom and it all goes so fast and — wait, where was I? — oh, right. It’s easy to
lose track of time when you have kids. You get wrapped up in their lunchtime
and bath time and story time and potty time, and suddenly it’s bedtime and you
haven’t gotten your workout in.
That’s where it helps to have a tribe
who will keep you on track. Accountability is the key to weight loss,
so take part in a challenge group, join a fitness-focused Facebook group, take a mommy-and-me class, or
start a walking group with other parents in the neighborhood. “Being
accountable to someone is exactly what you’ll need when you just don’t feel
like waking up early to hit the gym, or you feel an afternoon sugar craving come
on,” Amer says.
Lose the parent guilt
Parents have a zillion things they’re
supposed to feel guilty about, but staying healthy shouldn’t be one of them.
After all, if you’re unhappy about your current fitness level, your kids can
pick up on those negative vibes, and it can affect their own body image. (Great,
one more thing to feel guilty about!) Seriously though, taking the time to prep
a healthy meal or break a sweat isn’t selfish. It teaches your kids healthy habits and
helps lay the groundwork for an active lifestyle.
“It’s so important to be a good role
model for your children,” Kleiner says. “Realize that you’re setting a healthy
example for your children, which will help influence them to make healthier
choices when they are older.”
And that’s a total parenting win.
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