3 Rules I Broke to Get My Dream Body

I struggled with being healthy my entire life because I loved eating whatever I wanted. I didn’t want anyone to tell me what I couldn’t eat.

It was frustrating because even though I wanted to get healthier and lose 10-20 lbs, no matter what I did, I kept rebelling against the weight-loss industry rules and even myself. Despite trying everything out there, I couldn’t make a sustainable change to eat healthy, even though I wanted to.

After having two kids and working 60+ hour weeks, I felt exhausted and overweight, more than ever before. However, I finally found a way that worked for me to lose 40 lbs. I am now in the best shape of my life and have more energy than ever before. I’ve completely transformed my eating and exercising habits, and I’ve kept this weight off for 6 years now. 

Below is the shift in mindset and the main reason that I was finally able to get this weight off, pass my blood tests with flying colors and now feel like a proud role model for my kids – and it’s all related to finally accepting that I HATED following the rules and I just wouldn’t do it. 

The “Rebel Mom” mindset that got me my dream body

I wanted to be and look different than the stereotype I believed of a mom. In fact, before I had kids I feared that after having kids, I would be fat, exhausted, and complain all the time. I DREADED being that stereotype.

For me, a mom was tired, unfashionable, and put herself last in the name of her kids. I decided to do everything I could to rebel against that stereotype.

Instead of the stereotypical mom image I had, here’s my vision of being the mom I wanted to be:

– Wake up and feel excited to go on a hike with my family (instead of wanting to sleep all weekend)
– Wear a bikini at the beach or pool with my two tiny kids and feel confident in my body so I could swim and play with them
– Run 5ks with my kids
– Go on girls’ nights out with my girlfriends and have fun
– Feel sexy around my husband and have him want to keep his arm tight around me when we go out for “date night”
– Pass my doctor’s tests with flying colors, so much that the doctor would be so surprised at how healthy I am as a mom of two and with my age
– Go rollerblading, biking, ice skating, roller skating, skiing, snowboarding and more with my family and feel strong and agile as I am doing it

As a first step, I needed to eat right and get healthier, physically and mentally.

3 rules I broke to get my dream body

Here are three rules I broke that changed everything to help me finally get my dream body:

Rule 1: You need to eat healthy every day to lose weight

My take: I’m never perfect, I don’t eat perfectly, and I need my chocolate and pizza every week – Here’s how I do this and still shed the weight:
I have 1 Cheat Day a week where I eat everything I want, so I always get a “break” from the rules and have something to look forward to. I’m able to stick to healthier eating 6 days of the week b/c I know I have an outlet. A Cheat Day is KEY to losing weight if you hate following those strict diet rules.

Oh yes, there are donuts, ice cream, pizza and chocolate on my cheat day menu!

Rule 2: You have to eat boring food in tiny portions so you feel like you are starving to lose even 5 lbs.

My take: I never eat food that tastes boring and makes me feel like I’m starving  and I lost 40 lbs. Here’s how I do this:
I add delicious, easy spices and herbs to my food so I feel like I’m “cheating” and indulging even though I’m actually eating healthy. Instead of making my food flavorful with heavy sauces and creams, I use light spices and herbs that pack in the flavor and help me burn fat faster (yes!!). Try cinnamon in your coffee to see how yummy that tastes!

I feel like I found a secret that everyone else that is trying to eat healthy doesn’t know about, and I’m not going to lie, it makes me feel special and I want to keep doing this “secret” way of eating.

Rule 3: You “should” eat healthy

My take: I don’t feel like I “should” to eat healthy;  I CHOOSE to eat healthy – Here’s how I do this:
It seems like at every turn, people are trying to throw brownies, fatty foods and large portions down my throat.

Remember the last time you were at an airport? Temptations at every turn, with most people indulging in them? It’s HARDER to eat healthy than not! Nope! I CHOOSE healthy.

I see other people eating unhealthy food and think about how happy I am not giving into the temptations of the world. It makes me feel in control of myself, while rebelling against the “norms” of society which practically FORCES us to eat unhealthy. Nope, those pressures don’t affect me. the They give me strength to do something DIFFERENT.

Now here’s my question for you:

Does being a “rebel mom” resonate with you? Do you want to be different than typical stereotypes of a mom? If so, what is your image of a mom

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com