If you are anything like I used to be when I tried to lose weight, you attempted to do all the things all at once.
You know, you make it all super complicated and think that you need an elaborate food and workout plan that perfectly compliment one another.
You find a diet that restricts all of the things and you ride your bike crazy because you want to lose weight FAST.
The thing is, though, that if you want permanent results (like losing weight for the last time) then you need to do things that are easy and doable.
The sorts of things you are willing to do not just in the short term, but in the long term.
In this article I share 10 simple, quick, and easy hacks and mindset shifts that you can implement NOW to start losing weight biking.
#1: Use Biking/Movement as a Motivator to Lose Weight
One of the first things you can do to lose weight biking is to stop thinking you need to bike in order to lose weight.
Ride your bike and move your body because it feels good. Because it makes you feel STRONG.
When we see biking as just a means to lose weight, instead of a motivator, it saps all of the fun out of biking and moving your body. No one wants that!
We aren’t overweight because we aren’t riding our bikes enough. We are overweight because we aren’t paying attention to what we eat.
#2: Eat Only When You Are Actually Hungry
Many of us eat when we think we are supposed to, or without really realizing it. We eat dinner because that’s what you do, or we mindlessly pick at the chip bowl at parties when we aren’t even hungry.
Sometimes we have to eat when we aren’t hungry. For example, some of us are shift workers who have lunch at a certain time, or we may need to fuel for a ride.
This is OK! But, outside of these situations be sure to take a moment to ask yourself if you are actually even hungry before you eat to avoid overeating.
#3: Take 5 Minutes Each Morning to Plan Your Food
Every day, when you get up, take 5 minutes to write down what you are going to eat for the day.
The idea is to make decisions in advance about what you are going to eat, instead of arbitrarily grabbing things throughout the day.
This helps prevent mindless or emotional eating. Additionally it helps build momentum and confidence.
When you make a plan in advance and actually stick to the plan you start to feel really great about food and your ability to lose weight.
#4: Stop Thinking of Food as Either Good or Bad
When we demonize certain foods and make them forbidden, instead of just enjoying what we like, we give these foods a lot of power.
There is no such thing as bad food. There is just food. Planning foods you like and actually enjoying them helps you from overeating when you happen upon them.
You don’t need to clean out your whole pantry to lose weight, you just need to learn how to eat things you like without going overboard.
#5: Remember That ALL Movement Counts
How many times have you skipped a bike ride and just done nothing because it wasn’t going to be long enough or far enough? Or a hard enough workout?
Every single time you move your body it feels good. Even a short walk around the block, or parking a little further from the entrance to a store.
You don’t have to break a sweat or climb a bunch of hills on your bike in order to get a benefit from moving your body.
In fact, in the beginning just shooting for 10 minutes of movement a day is a really solid goal.
#6: Drink Water and Get Some Sleep
I cannot emphasize enough the power of hydration and sleep when it comes to losing weight.
If everything related to weight loss seems totally unreasonable right now, and you are feeling overwhelmed, water and sleep is a great place to start.
If both of these things are too much for you to focus on at once, start with one or the other.
You see, we are more likely to overeat when we aren’t well hydrated, and when we haven’t gotten enough sleep.
Also, sleep is when our body does all of its mental and physical recovering. It reduces stress and anxiety, and makes us less likely to overeat.
#7: Stack Positive Habits
When you start small with one thing, like planning your meals, you gain momentum to start stacking more positive habits. Ask yourself, “what is one small thing I can do to make today a little better than yesterday?”
All of these small, little changes that we make add up to HUGE results over time.
For example, if you are in the habit of eating three chocolates after lunch, and you decide you are just going to eat 2?
That’s 7 less chocolates a week that you probably aren’t even going to miss. After a month? 30 fewer chocolates.
10 minutes of movement a day might not seem like a big deal…but that’s 70 minutes of moving your body a week! That’s way better than thinking that 10 minutes isn’t enough and then skipping movement altogether.
You may think that these small, little things don’t make a difference, but they absolutely DO.
A Final Note…
When you are ready to lose weight for the last time, don’t feel like you have to do everything all at once.
Start with one or two of these hacks at first, and then build on them.
Over time, as you form stronger, healthier habits, you will start to see lasting results.
If I could lose weight for the last time? The girl who loves Doritos and ice cream? You can absolutely do this too.
For more support, check out the Lose Weight Biking program.
In Lose Weight Biking, we help women lose weight biking for the last time.
Think you’re not quite ready for a full program? Check out our free guide below on how to get started on losing weight biking today.
Ride on!
xoxo
Stacy
Leave a Reply