Okay, I’ll admit, the title of this page is slightly misleading. I’ve never lost 300 pounds all at one time, and I don’t have any dramatic before and after pictures to show you. But I have lost over 300 pounds. That’s roughly the weight of a refrigerator! That means I’ve lost more than double my current weight….twice!  Read my story here.  

The amount of weight I’ve lost is equivalent to this refrigerator’s weight. If I can do it, so can you!

I believe when we focus on being healthy first, weight loss will come naturally and be easier to maintain.  Below are nine tips to help you lose weight and, more importantly, become a healthier you.

9 Tips to Lose 300 Pounds:

1. Drink water:

To find out how much water you should be drinking, take your current body weight and divide it by two. That’s how many ounces of water you should be drinking each day. I try to drink 15-20 ounces before each meal because it helps fill me up.

2. Eat Real Food:

We’ve gradually changed our diet over the years to eliminate processed food in favor of ‘real’ food. I’ll follow up with some posts about this in the future. But for now check out our real food recipes over here.

3. Cut Back on Sugar:

Ugh…I can’t believe I just put that in print. I love sugar…and chocolate…and the fancy drinks at Starbucks, and ….well, you get the picture. I worked with a nutritionist after our youngest baby was born. I also did a ton of research on this. What I learned is that sugar makes us fat. One of these days I’ll do a post that explains the science behind it, but for now just trust me that cutting back on sugar will help with weight loss. In fact, when I cut back on sugar I was able to eat more calories but still lose weight.  By the way, all carbohydrates turn to sugar in you blood, so it’s good to avoid those as well.

4. Eat Lots of Healthy Fats

We’ve all heard over and over that fat makes us fat. But not all fats are created equal. Healthy fats (think nuts, avocados, olive oil, and coconut oil) are essential for our bodies.

5. Get Moving

Set some exercise goals and get going. Start small and work up to your goals. Head over here for some tips to get you started.

6. Track It:

This one is essential for me. I need to see what I’m eating each day. Otherwise, I’m prone to taking a little bite of something here and a little bite of something else there. There are plenty of free apps (I’m currently using My Fitness Pal) and online food journals.

7. Join a Group:

Find a group of people near you to help keep you accountable. Maybe a group from work or a group of other moms. Search for a TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) group in your area. TOPS has groups all across the country that meet each week. It’s nice to have the accountability of weighing in each week, it’s incredibly affordable (around $5/month), and the people are super encouraging.  You can also form an online group (like on Facebook) if getting to a weekly meeting doesn’t fit into the schedule.

8. Be Confident in Who You Are:

Whether you have a few or a lot of pounds to lose, love yourself just as you are. Look in the mirror and see beautiful.

9. It’s Not All About the Number:

This one is tough for me, but try not to get too caught up in the number on the scale. Remember that the most important thing is to be healthy.