A common refrain among people seeking to lose weight is that they truly would love to, but they just do not have the time. This idea holds many people back from even attempting weight loss, as they fear that their efforts will be in vain due to their lack of time. However, it is a common misconception that weight loss takes a lot of time.
It is perfectly possible to lose weight as a busy parent, full time or shift worker, or even running multiple jobs, or whilst in school. You will not be able to do it the same way as an Instagram celebrity or a home maker, but there are ways for you to get the same results as them.
Set your goals
Your weight loss will not be successful if you don’t define what success is going to be. Decide how much weight you want to lose and by when. You need to choose concise measurements for each. As a rule of thumb, there are different ways of measuring weight loss depending on how you are losing it.
If you’re focusing on diet and cardio, check the scales. If you’re focusing on athletics, swimming, etc., measure yourself. And if you’re lifting weights, or doing anything else which will increase muscle, then go by body shape and clothing sizes, especially tops.
When you have your main goal, set yourself little daily and weekly goals to keep you on track and give you a feeling for the changes and successes you experience.
Plan your meals
Meal planning is essential for weight loss. You need to know what foods you are eating, how many calories, how much protein, how much fat, how many carbs, and what types of protein, fat, and carbs are in your meals. Regardless of which diet you have chosen, setting yourself meal goals and keeping a record of whether or not you stick to your goals is vital to losing weight.
The freezer and cupboards are your friends
A lot of people assume that diet foods are either salads or meal replacement shakes. And although both these things can be amazing for different people, if you don’t like the sound of them, you may feel a bit stuck. But the good news is: you can totally plan yourself a range of healthy cooked meals and freeze them in advance. Just find a recipe that fits your diet, cook 7-30 days of it at the start of the week or month, and freeze it in single portions so all you need to do is defrost and eat.
Similarly, you can get not only meal replacement foods, but tins, tubs, and bags of healthy food for your diet. A cupboard full of pasta, low carb snacks, nuts and seeds, beef jerky, or whatever fits your diet will keep your cravings at bay quickly and easily.
Multitask your exercise
Finding time to exercise can be very hard when you are a busy person. Attending a gym is completely out of the question, and even staying home and doing a workout routine could be eating into valuable time working, with your family, or catching up on some rest. But just because you can’t devote yourself to exercise doesn’t mean you can’t do it. I’m sure at some point in the day you check your emails, do a phone call, or watch TV. If during this time you are active, you can save time and lose weight.
Make sure to unwind from time to time
Because you are so busy, it will be easy for you to burn out. If you ever get the feeling that you never have enough time to yourself, make a point of dedicating an hour to three hours a week, just to yourself. Do your nails, watch a show, meet friends, have a nap, read a book… whatever makes you happy. Just make sure to recharge your batteries.