When you’re busy with life, kids, work, and household responsibilities, trying to reach your weight loss goals can seem impossible. You only have so many hours in a day, and when your responsibilities take most (or all) of that time, there’s not much left for yourself. If your personal time is limited, it can be difficult to commit to any kind of weight loss program long-term. For example, you might have time to hit the gym three times a week, but choose to go out with your friends instead when you can’t do both, which only diminishes your results.

If you’re tired of life getting in the way of reaching your fat loss goals, here are some tips to make it easier.

Try medication for weight loss

Out of all the weight loss plans and methods out there, medication is by far the easiest and most effective for people with limited time. All the other methods require a commitment of time, including eating healthy, going on a specific diet (like keto), and working out hard at the gym. Even when you’re eating simply, you still need to go to the store and buy specific foods, prepare that food, and then repeat that daily for months if not years. Medication is different.

With medications like Ozempic (semaglutide) and Zepbound (trizepatide), you can eat most foods without changing your diet (although there are some exceptions). In fact, the process is so easy that you can even get your medication online and manage everything via telehealth visits. If you’re not sure which medication to choose, your online doctor will help. As Jessica Snyder, RD from Futurhealth explains, medication is matched to patients based on BMI, eliminating the need for you to figure everything out.

To get your medication, you’ll need to visit your local pharmacy or get it delivered to you in the mail through an online pharmacy, but that’s just once a month. If you don’t get mail at your house, it’s easy to plan ahead if you need to pick up the package from your post office box because it’s just one day out of the month. You can schedule more errands around the trip and get everything done at once.

In addition to the convenience, the benefits of weight loss medication are enormous. Originally, Ozempic was created to treat diabetes, and researchers noticed that weight loss was a common side effect. Now, people take it specifically to lose weight and keep it off long-term. It works by telling your brain that you’re full, and it slows down digestion so you feel full longer.

If you’re a busy mom who grabs fast food whenever you’re out, knowing you should be cooking, but you don’t have the time, then weight loss medication could be what you need to reach your goals and maintain your weight long-term. Sometimes you need to take the easier road when presented with a solution that works with your busy schedule.

Create a home gym

No matter how you lose weight, exercising is crucial to maintain your results and stay healthy. When going to the gym is out of the question, the next best solution is to create a gym at home. It doesn’t need to be fancy – it just needs to have some basic workout equipment and enough space for you to move around freely.

Unless you have a massive budget and a huge room, you can skip all the heavy, complex home gym equipment and go for dumbbells, bands, and door anchors. You can get a full body workout with this equipment as long as you do the right exercises and you go to failure. Many people prefer bands over free weights because they’re easier on joints and create resistance in both directions, which leads to faster strength gains.

Start by covering the floor with mats (some fit together like puzzle pieces), or just get a wide mat for the area where you plan to exercise. Once you get the equipment and set yourself up with a screen to stream your workouts, you’ll be free to exercise anytime without forcing yourself to stick to a rigid schedule. Regular exercise is important, even when you’re managing your weight with medication.

Stick to your plan

Losing weight can be a rough journey, but stay true to your plan to reach your goal. You’ll only see results when you are consistent and dedicated. If you give up too soon, you’ll never know if results were just around the corner.

If you struggle with commitment, find an accountability partner or coach to support you. Make a written schedule and add your health-related tasks to the calendar in your phone or computer. Integrating health and fitness into your normal day will help you stay committed and on track to reach your weight loss goals.