Tamara Richards
- Sep 24, 2021
- 5 min read

How to get started with weight loss

Updated: Apr 28, 2023

So… you step on the scale and see the most devastating news… you’ve gained weight.

First, did you know that you eating habits could be the reason you aren’t losing weight? Take our “over or under eating” FREE quiz to find out how your eating habits are affecting your weight and what you can do to fix it now!

Ok, let’s continue to why you came to this post!

Most of us, especially if you’re a mom, instantaneously drop ourselves from a 10 to about 5. We start to look at the journey back to our golden 10 as impossible and are often defeated before we even begin.

Why? Because how can you possibly add one more responsibility to your all ready tilting plate? When will you ever have a minute to yourself, let alone 30-60 minutes for a workout? And the tougher one, how can I clean up my diet when all I see is junk food that my kids and hubby eat?

How? How? How, Lord?!? How!?

Trust me, I hear you loud and clear! I know first hand how you feel because I was there TWICE!

As a new mom, trying to juggle the ups and downs that come with a naïve mother was TOUGH! It took me a while to figure out how to make time for myself, but in year 2 of being a new mom I figured it out and lost 35 lbs. But, I didn’t learn my lesson! I went on to have a second one! And after losing over 35 lbs. after my first pregnancy I gained 50 lbs. with my second. I was devastated!

Looking in the mirror became unpleasant. Stepping on the scale was daunting and shopping for clothes was depressing. I would literally workout and begin to ALMOST talk myself out of working out because of thoughts like “you’re NEVER going to lose all this weight, you’re too far gone!” It’s negative thoughts like this that keep women bound not only in their body but in their mind as well. The path to success isn’t clear because of the messiness of life and the constant detours that come along the journey of motherhood. But you know what? You gotta do it messy! Here is how.

Make a conscious decision that enough is enough….

First things first, every person that successfully lost weight did so because they made a conscious decision that enough was enough and that they wanted to truly lose weight. Until you make that self declaration in your mind, body, and spirit you will never make it to that workout or stick to that meal plan. Your mind has to believe it so that you can achieve it.

This brings me to my second point, once you make the decision to make a change for your health and overall wellness you have to establish your why.

Why do you truly want to lose weight?
Is it to improve your health?
Look or feel better?
Do you simply want to gain your confidence back?

What is it? Establishing your why is important because it will continue to propel you forward in those tough times when you want to throw in the towel. Your why is that constant reminder to keep going so that you can achieve that why!

Once you have established your why, you then want to truly plan how you’re going to lose weight. Merely saying, “I’m going to lose 20 lbs.” is not going to cut it. You have to clearly define how you plan to lose those 20 lbs., how often do you plan to work on losing those 20 lbs., how will you measure your progress, and within what timeframe do you plan to accomplish it? All of these questions are equally important to the success of weight loss.

But please don’t forget to be realistic with your expectations when answering those questions. Setting unrealistic expectations like, “I’m going to workout 7 days a week” or “I’m going to drink nothing but water” may be a bit extreme for someone who barely walks to the bathroom at home or that drinks nothing but soda and juices all day every day. Setting unrealistic expectations will set you up to fail, only because when you fail to meet those expectations you’re going to characterize it as a failure. When indeed it wasn’t a failure, it was simply an unrealistic expectation imposed on you. Change of any form takes time! So be honest and realistic with what you know you can truly do and within a given time frame that you know that you can do it. If you meet those goals, good. And if you exceed them, even better!

I also recommend that you choose a nutrition plan that is right for you! Many people chose a meal plan based on the results of someone else. Although that’s great that THEY lost weight, but understand that they only lost weight because they found what worked for them. So if YOU want to lose weight you have to find what’s right for you. If you know you struggle with eating home cooked meals or fast food, telling yourself that you’re going to eat chicken breast, broccoli, and brown rice every day isn’t going to work for you. Yes you’ll lose weight if you actually stick to it, but you’ll also gain a bunch of weight from binging on cheat days and from the times that you “fall off”. Finding a nutrition plan that keeps you on track 80% of time and allows for you to have your favorite foods 20% of the time is key to long term weight loss and maintenance. Deprivation leads to starvation, which lead to derailment. Find what works for you.

Finally, simply move your body! People over think exercise. To lose weight you must create a caloric deficit by burning more than you eat. So burning calories is merely burning calories. This can be achieved with a brisk walk, run, or bootcamp. Find an exercise routine that’s right for you and stick to it.

And I know I said finally, but I have one more (lol). You have to hold yourself accountable or find someone who will. Losing or maintaining weight is HARD work! If you know that you have no self discipline or can’t trust yourself to met your own expectations then you have to find someone that can. This can be a family, friend, or a coach that can be gentle enough to support you and firm enough to push you.

I hope these tips were helpful. If you are struggling on your weight loss journey, you can download a free copy of “How to stay on track during your weight loss journey”. And of course, if you need a strategy for your weight loss journey, click here I can help you build a plan that right for you, your goals, and lifestyle.