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How to Start Your Journey to Lose Weight

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Whether you’re at the very beginning of your weight-loss journey or revisiting your game plan after hitting a plateau, a realistic and sustainable strategy is a must for your first 30 days and beyond.

To successfully lose weight and keep it off, it’s important to adopt a nutritious diet and create a calorie deficit (slightly less calories in than out through day-to-day living and exercise), add in regular movement , effectively deal with stress, make sure you’re getting enough sleep, surround yourself with a supportive community and keep your motivation up in the face of inevitable challenges and setbacks.

The good news is you don’t have to completely overhaul your lifestyle to lose weight — a simple back-to-basics plan is the way to go. That’s why we broke it down for you, week by week, for the first 30 days (or whenever you need a healthy reset).

WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY WEEK 1: CREATE A FOUNDATION FOR CHANGE

Dedicate your first week to preparing your mind, environment and routine to support healthy living.

FIND YOUR “WHY”

“It’s common for motivation to wax and wane during weight-loss efforts, so it is imperative that you establish a clear ‘why’ in terms of the reason you are engaging in the weight-loss effort in the first place,” says Katie Rickel, PhD, a clinical psychologist and CEO of Structure House , a residential weight-management facility in Durham, North Carolina.

This increases your sense of autonomy or self-control and helps you shift your perspective from “I have to” eat healthier and exercise to “I want to” create new habits to get me closer to the life I desire, thus empowering you to make positive changes, adds Alan Chu , PhD, director of the Motivation and Performance Research Lab and chair of the Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology Program at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.

ACTIONS TO TAKE:

Freewrite or make a list of your “whys,” from having the energy to keep up with your children or partner to feeling more comfortable in your body.
Create a vision board or collage of your “why.”
Write yourself a letter from your future self (after having achieved your weight-loss goals) to your current self, describing all the ways your life has improved as a result of your efforts.
Put up notes around your home like on your bathroom mirror or fridge with mantras, photos or reminders of your “why.”

ESTABLISH YOUR BASELINE

Setting goals and tracking progress is important for any weight-loss plan, but for realistic goals you can actually hit, you need to figure out your baseline first. “Understanding your starting point will make it easier to pinpoint where to make meaningful changes that will get you the results you’re looking for,” confirms Christel Oerum, a certified personal trainer and owner of Diabetes Strong and Diabetic Foodie .

“This is also the beginning of mindful eating, a lifelong practice that can take a lifetime to fully develop but can help you eat less and enjoy what you’re eating more as well as improve your relationship with food,” adds Audra Wilson, RD, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, a board-certified specialist in obesity and weight management at the Northwestern Medicine Metabolic Health and Surgical Weight Loss Center at Delnor Hospital .

Use an app like MyFitnessPal and log everything you eat and drink for the whole week without judgment.
As you go, note your emotions about food and brainstorm other coping mechanisms for stress, anxiety, worry or boredom, such as calling a friend or doing deep breathing exercises, suggests Wilson.
Track your movement, step count and workouts with the MyFitnessPal app as well.

MASTER THE ESSENTIALS

Proper sleep, stress management and hydration are essential for your overall health and weight-loss efforts. If they’re not covered, it’s that much harder to lose weight when you have to battle increased cravings for comfort foods from off-kilter hunger hormones due to sleep deprivation and stress or feel hungry and low on energy because you’re not drinking enough water.

Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up time to ensure you’re getting 7–9 hours of quality sleep each night.
Make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary that’s cool, dark and comfortable.
Incorporate a simple morning and evening routine to reduce stress with meditation, gentle stretching or other self-care activities.
Keep a water bottle or large glass of water on hand to drink when you first wake up.

WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY WEEK 2: SET GOALS AND PRACTICE SELF-COMPASSION

Now that you’ve built a springboard, make a nutrition and movement plan and swap perfectionism for self-compassion.

CREATE AND TRACK SMART GOALS

Focusing on progress boosts your drive and self-confidence while only paying attention to the outcome (the number on the scale) can hurt motivation when you don’t get the results you want, says Chu. That’s why progress-based SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound are your secret weapon for weight loss.

With the information you collected during week 1, take a look at your baseline calorie and macronutrient intake and step count. Then, set a calorie goal for slow-and-steady weight loss and a step count goal that makes sense for you and your lifestyle. Use the MyFitnessPal app to chart your progress so you can notice trends and make healthier choices.

EXAMPLES OF SMART GOALS:

Walk an average of 1,000 more steps per day for one week with a midday walk during my lunch break.
Eat within 100–200 calories of my calorie goal each day for one week by reducing portion sizes for snacks and dinner.

DIVERSIFY YOUR GROCERY LIST AND MAKE SMALL CHANGES

To avoid feeling deprived during your weight-loss journey, shift your focus from “giving up” high-calorie processed foods and sugary drinks to “ adding in ” tasty lower-calorie whole foods to your eating plan, suggests Rickel.

Challenge yourself to try one new fruit or vegetable this week as a culinary adventure with new recipes and cuisines .
Add more vegetables to your lunch and dinner by mixing them into soups, sauces, salads and more. “Any way you slice them, veggies are full of nutrients and will help you cut calories while still feeling satisfied at mealtime,” notes Wilson.
Find satisfying swaps for some high-calorie indulgences such as banana berry “nice” cream instead of traditional ice cream or sparkling water for half of your week’s soda intake. If there’s no great substitute for an indulgence, enjoy a smaller portion size or adjust your intake elsewhere to stick with your overall calorie goal.

ADOPT A MINDSET OF SELF-COMPASSION

“For someone who has not practiced healthy habits before, it can be hard and exhausting to maintain them,” says Chu. Worse yet, if you see yourself as “lazy” for eating “bad foods,” this can zap motivation and trigger even worse habits (Think: “I already ate poorly. I might as well eat more junk food.”)

This is where treating yourself like you would a close friend — or adopting a mindset of self-compassion — can help keep your motivation up and protect you from negative thought spirals. Throughout this week, make it a point to notice when you’re being hard on yourself and practice self-compassion instead of toxic perfectionism.

HERE’S HOW TO DO IT IN THE MOMENT:

Be mindful and acknowledge your feelings (“I’m feeling really anxious and upset right now.”)
Remind yourself that this is a common, human experience (“Everyone feels like this sometimes.”)
Be kind to yourself (“I’m going to be compassionate with myself.”)

WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY WEEK 3: REVIEW YOUR PROGRESS AND BUILD YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM

Reflect on your first round of SMART goals, set new ones, and recruit friends and family to help you stick it out long-term.

SET SMARTER GOALS

Goal-tracking takes time, so block out 10–20 minutes each week—such as on a Sunday evening or Monday morning—to review your progress and set new goals. Rather than getting down on yourself if you haven’t met goals, use this intel to set SMARTER goals (with evaluation and revision), suggests Chu.

Evaluate your progress. Did you hit your goals or fall short? How and why?
Revise your goals to make them easier if you couldn’t reach them or a notch harder if you were successful.

CELEBRATE CONSISTENCY

Whether you met your calorie goal, increased your step count, or just managed to track both for the entire week, that’s progress worth celebrating. To boost your motivation, find ways to acknowledge meaningful wins each week regardless of whether you shed pounds, says Rickel.

Put colorful stickers or check marks on your chart or calendar to mark days or weeks when you’ve reached a goal or hit a personal record.
Reward yourself with a non-food prize such as new workout gear or a fun weekend activity.

If you had a challenging week, remember to practice self-compassion. Major lifestyle changes take time and research shows speaking to yourself in a positive manner helps you reach your goals faster.

FIND EXERCISES YOU LOVE AND GET SOCIAL

A regular workout routine not only helps tip the calorie balance in your favor to make maintaining weight loss easier, but it also boosts mood levels and decreases stress. To be consistent, you shouldn’t dread your workout — instead, it should be something you genuinely love and look forward to doing. “Choose a workout that suits your routine and lifestyle, and recruit family or friends to join in,” says Chu.

Pick a type of exercise that’s the optimal balance of challenging yet approachable, such as lifting weights once a week with a goal to eventually lift 2–3 times a week or brisk walks to gradually build up to walking or running a 5K .
Find someone in your life who values fitness and healthy living as much as you do and agree to regular check-ins if you can’t work out together.
On days when you don’t feel like working out, try lowering the difficulty or setting a goal just to start the workout (like giving yourself permission to stop after 15 minutes). “Once you do, you’re likely to feel good and exercise longer than initially expected,” notes Chu.

WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY WEEK 4: CONTINUE BUILDING ON YOUR PROGRESS

For the last week of month one, take a look at how far you’ve come and add structure to make healthy lifestyle changes more sustainable.

REVISIT YOUR GOALS

By now, you should have a good idea of how to set, track and celebrate SMART goals. Like the week before, take some time to assess your progress and setbacks. Then set new, SMARTER goals to tackle this week.

Keep in mind that “every 2–4 weeks, it’s also a good idea to revisit your calorie goal and make adjustments as necessary to combat weight-loss plateaus,” notes Oerum.

START MEAL PLANNING

When it comes to healthy eating , planning ahead can help you save calories and money by reducing impromptu drive-thru trips and delivery orders. Beginning this week, designate a day for meal planning.

Follow this basic template for the week’s grocery shopping: 4–5 lean protein sources (such as beans and legumes, tofu, fish, chicken, eggs and turkey), 2–3 complex carbohydrates (sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, whole-grain pasta), and 4+ vegetables (mixed greens, kale, broccoli and cauliflower, asparagus, carrots), suggests Wyosnick.
Buy pre-cut, washed and frozen produce, so it’s ready to go and easy to use.
Use the plate method for healthy portion sizes at each meal (fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables like leafy greens, a quarter with protein and a quarter with complex carbs).

ASK FOR HELP

Losing weight is challenging, and the first month of your weight-loss plan is just the beginning of a lifelong health journey. If you’re struggling to see results, stick with a routine or battling body image issues, don’t hesitate to reach out for professional help. Depending on your needs, a healthcare provider , registered dietitian , psychologist or certified personal trainer could help you address underlying health issues and establish the perfect plan for you.

Originally published March 2016, updated with additional information in March 2021

Ready to take the next step? Unlock MyFitnessPal Premium to access custom goal settings, quick-log recipes, and guided plans from a registered dietitian. Premium users are 65% more likely to reach their weight loss goals!

About the Author

Lauren Krouse is a freelance writer who covers health, domestic violence, and self-advocacy. Her work appears in Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Prevention, Self, HuffPost, and elsewhere. When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to meditate more, weightlifting, or walking in the woods with her partner and black lab.

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Simple 30-Day Plan for Weight Loss, According to a Dietitian

Learn 8 realistic nutrition and fitness tips to lose weight for the long haul.

Cara Rosenbloom RD is a dietitian, journalist, book author, and the founder of Words to Eat By, a nutrition communications company in Toronto, ON.

Melissa Rifkin is a Connecticut-based registered dietitian with over 15 years of experience working in the clinical setting.

Verywell Fit / Amelia Manley

Setting Goals

Creating a Nutrition Plan

Meal planning, physical activity, hydration and sleep, tracking progress, coping with challenges.

Healthy weight loss plans include eating well, being physically active, and getting enough sleep so you feel your best now and for the long term. Health is about more than a number on the scale, so this weight loss advice looks at the bigger picture.

There are no quick fixes or fad diets that are known to sustain weight loss in the long term. These weight loss plans and fad diets are based on restricting calories or removing specific food groups. Most of the time, it's impossible to follow these plans in the long term, so weight loss is not maintained over time. That's why this article offers sensible nutrition, exercise, and sleep goals, that can be sustained for life. A healthy lifestyle can help you feel your best now while preventing chronic diseases in the future.

Instead of going "on a diet" which you eventually go "off," this sustainable plan includes realistic goals and small changes that can last a lifetime. It also includes a variety of delicious and nutritious foods, as well as exercise that's fun and enjoyable, and tips on healthy sleep.

Setting Realistic Goals

First, decide if weight loss is the right strategy for your health. It's common to have an unrealistic view of what a healthy weight really is. Use this guide to determine what your ideal weight is so you can set an appropriate goal.

If you need to lose weight, aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week (or 4 to 8 pounds in 30 days). People who lose weight slowly and gradually are more likely to keep the weight off long term compared to those who lose a lot of weight very quickly.

Set SMART goals that are:

M easurable
A ttainable
Ti me-bound

A goal such as "I will lose 10 pounds" is not time-bound (no timeline is set) and may not be attainable, since weight fluctuates based on many factors, such as hydration, hormones, medications, food intake, and activity level.

A SMART goal that contributes to weight loss may be: "I will replace my daily can of sugar-containing soda with water for the next 30 days." It's more important to set goals about sustaining a healthy lifestyle than about reaching a target number on a scale. The goal of reducing sugary drinks is more realistic than "I will lose 10 pounds," which is harder to control or achieve.

Eating well plays an important role in weight loss and maintenance. A winning strategy for weight loss includes both caloric restriction and adequate exercise. While calories are part of weight control, it's too narrow to think that energy-in and energy-out is the only factor to consider in weight loss. These factors are also involved:

Medical conditions
Physical activity levels
Medications
Environment
Mental health

Your best bet is to work with a health care professional for a personalized weight loss plan. If that is not possible, you can follow the general information in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans about the role of nutrition in weight loss. It recommends a varied diet that includes:

Vegetables and fruit
Grains (including whole grains)
Protein foods

The amount (portion) of food that you should eat is specific to your current weight and your weight loss goals. Learn more about how to set calorie goals here . Even if you cut back on calories, it is important to eat a variety of foods to get all of the protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals that your body requires. It's also vital to focus on aspects beyond food. Physical activity, hydration, sleep, and other components are all interconnected in your weight loss journey.

Your body requires nutrients every day so it functions properly. The Dietary Guidelines were designed to ensure that nutrient needs are met with a variety of foods including vegetables, fruit, protein, and grains. You can plan meals using the five food groups in the USDA's My Plate model. When you plan meals, consider these plate proportions:

Make half your plate vegetables and fruits.
Make a quarter of your plate grains. Choose whole grains at least half of the time.
Make a quarter of your plate protein from foods such as poultry, fish, eggs, meat, legumes, nuts and seeds.
Have a serving of calcium-rich foods such as milk, soy beverage, or yogurt.

The exact amount of food you will need depends on your goals (see section above). In addition to eating more whole foods like vegetables, you can also cut back on heavily processed foods like fast food, packaged snacks, baked goods, and candy.

A simple meal plan may look like this. You can repeat this 5-day plan 6 times to complete a 30-day plan.

Breakfast : Plain Greek yogurt with strawberries and low-sugar (3 grams of sugar or less per serving), oat-based granola
Snack : Almonds and grapes
Lunch : Tuna melt sandwich with cheese and tomatoes on whole grain bread, served with carrots, red peppers, and an apple on the side
Snack : Cucumber and hummus
Dinner : Chicken with brown rice and stir-fried vegetables.
Breakfast : Chia pudding with Greek yogurt and fruit
Snack : Cheddar cheese and an apple
Lunch : Poke bowl: fish (or tofu) with brown rice, mixed vegetables, seaweed and sesame seeds
Snack : Trail mix
Dinner : Pesto shrimp and broccoli served over whole-grain pasta
Breakfast : Mashed avocado and ricotta cheese on whole grain toast with a side of berries
Snack : Fresh peach, granola, and Greek yogurt
Lunch : Turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato and sweet peppers; banana
Snack : Plain popcorn
Dinner : Chickpea and cauliflower curry with quinoa
Breakfast : Oatmeal with banana, peanut butter, and soy or cow's milk
Snack : Hummus and carrots
Lunch : Black bean and cheddar burrito in whole grain tortilla, with lettuce, tomato, sweet peppers, and avocado
Dinner : Stir-fried chicken and mixed vegetables on soba noodles
Breakfast : Scrambled eggs, whole grain toast, and tomato
Snack : Medjool dates with peanut butter or almond butter
Lunch : Chicken Caesar salad with parmesan cheese and croutons plus a pear
Snack : Small portion of your favorite ice cream
Dinner : Lemon-butter halibut with green beans and potatoes

It's easier to stay on a meal plan if you grocery shop and plan in advance. Learn tips for meal planning here .

Being physically active is associated with weight loss because exercise it burns calories. The CDC suggests 150 minutes per week of physical activity for health benefits. However, this amount may not be enough for weight loss. International guidelines recommend 300 minutes of exercise per week for people trying to lose weight.

Nutrition and exercise are both important factors in weight loss. Studies show that exercise only—without dietary changes — may help with a small amount of weight loss, but is not likely to result in meaningful weight loss. Diet and exercise are both important and should be paired together for the best results.

It's important to choose physical activities that you enjoy so you are more likely to stick to them for the long term. Choose a combination of both aerobic (biking, walking, dancing) and strength-building activities (weight lifting, resistance bands, push-ups) for the best benefits.

As a beginner, start by taking a walk every day and lifting light weights. Walk for longer and do more reps with your weights as the weeks go by. Consider these exercise tips for beginners .

Other factors that affect weight include hydration and sleep. When it comes to fluid and hydration, many Americans rely on sugar-sweetened beverages. However, excess intake of sweet beverages is linked to weight gain.

Water is a better choice than sweet beverages when trying to manage weight since it contains no calories or sugar. Replacing sugary or calorie-rich beverages with water can help with weight loss. Some studies indicate that drinking water before meals may decrease food intake during meals, which may help eaters feel more satisfied with fewer calories. Staying hydrated is important because studies show that consistently being under-hydrated is associated with increased body weight.

Studies also show a connection between sleep patterns and weight. Poor sleep is linked to increased calorie intake, mostly from snacks that are high in fat and refined carbohydrates. Poor sleep also may affect hormones involved in weight, appetite regulation, and metabolism.

Some evidence suggests that people who sleep less than seven hours per night are more likely to have obesity. If you don't sleep for at least seven hours per night, consider working with a sleep specialist as part of your weight loss program. Here are some tips to help with better sleep .

If you set measurable goals, it's easier to track your progress. For example, if your goal was to drink water instead of soda at lunch for 30 days, you can mark each day on a calendar to check your progress.

Some people like to keep a food or exercise journal to monitor progress or use a mobile app to count calories or steps. Make sure to celebrate your successes. If you falter, start again as soon as possible.

One caution for tracking progress: try not to gauge your progress based on a number on the scale. Making lifestyle changes such as improving your eating habits or being more active has so many benefits beyond weight control.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognize that losing weight is not easy and is best achieved with a commitment to lifestyle change over the long term and with the help of medical professionals.

You will have a better chance of sustaining long-term weight loss if you make slow, steady progress that includes a combination of nutrition, fitness, sleep, and hydration changes.

In order to see real progress, don't make too many changes at once. Build up slowly instead. Perhaps the first 30 days of the journey may have progress such as:

In the first week, you drink water instead of a soda at lunch.
In the second week, you have water instead of soda and walk 10 minutes per day.
In the third week, you continue the first two activities and add weight training twice a week.

Remember, 30 days is just the start of this journey. Maintaining these new habits lifelong is how you will see real progress.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Losing Weight.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Setting goals and developing specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives .

Damon L. Swift, Joshua E. McGee, Conrad P. Earnest, Erica Carlisle, Madison Nygard, Neil M. Johannsen, The Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Weight Loss and Maintenance . Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, Volume 61, Issue 2, 2018. Pages 206-213, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2018.07.014.

Wharton S, Lau DCW, Vallis M, et al. Obesity in adults: a clinical practice guideline . CMAJ . 2020;192(31):E875-E891. doi:10.1503/cmaj.191707

USDA. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020

USDA. My Plate .

USDA My Plate. Protein Foods .

USDA My Plate. Dairy .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How much physical activity do adults need?

O'Donoghue G, Blake C, Cunningham C, Lennon O, Perrotta C. What exercise prescription is optimal to improve body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness in adults living with obesity? A network meta-analysis . Obes Rev . 2021;22(2):e13137. doi:10.1111/obr.13137

Teixeira DS, Rodrigues F, Cid L, Monteiro D. Enjoyment as a Predictor of Exercise Habit, Intention to Continue Exercising, and Exercise Frequency: The Intensity Traits Discrepancy Moderation Role . Front Psychol. 2022 Feb 18;13:780059. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.780059. PMID: 35250719; PMCID: PMC8894246.

Malik VS, Hu FB. The role of sugar-sweetened beverages in the global epidemics of obesity and chronic diseases . Nat Rev Endocrinol . 2022;18(4):205-218. doi:10.1038/s41574-021-00627-6

Bracamontes-Castelo G, Bacardí-Gascón M, Jiménez Cruz A. Effect of water consumption on weight loss: a systematic review . Nutr Hosp . 2019;36(6):1424-1429. doi:10.20960/nh.02746

Corney RA, Sunderland C, James LJ. Immediate pre-meal water ingestion decreases voluntary food intake in lean young males. Eur J Nutr . 2016;55(2):815-819. doi:10.1007/s00394-015-0903-4

Kerksick CM, Wilborn CD, Roberts MD, et al. ISSN exercise & sports nutrition review update: research & recommendations . Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition . 2018;15(1):38. doi:10.1186/s12970-018-0242-y

Papatriantafyllou E, Efthymiou D, Zoumbaneas E, Popescu CA, Vassilopoulou E. Sleep Deprivation: Effects on Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance . Nutrients . 2022;14(8):1549. Published 2022 Apr 8. doi:10.3390/nu14081549

Primack C. Obesity and Sleep . Nurs Clin North Am . 2021;56(4):565-572. doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2021.07.012

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Changing your habits for better health.

By Cara Rosenbloom, RD Cara Rosenbloom RD is a dietitian, journalist, book author, and the founder of Words to Eat By, a nutrition communications company in Toronto, ON.

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How to Lose Weight When You Don't Know Where to Start, According to a Dietitian

These 10 strategies can help when you're feeling overwhelmed. Here are scientifically proven tips, plus advice from someone who's lost 50 pounds and kept it off.

Lainey is a weight-loss dietitian who helps people ditch diets, change their habits and create a healthy lifestyle that lasts. She has Master's in Nutrition Communication from the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and completed her dietetics training at Massachusetts General Hospital, a Harvard teaching hospital. She writes on a variety of topics including weight loss, gut health, pregnancy, breastfeeding and trendy diets. When she's not writing or counseling, you can find her on a run, out to brunch, or with coffee in hand trying to keep up with her two little boys.

Elizabeth Ward is a registered dietitian and award-winning nutrition communicator and writer. She has authored or co-authored 10 books for consumers about nutrition at all stages of life.

1. Embrace the Long Game

2. rely on a professional to help, 3. adopt the 80/20 philosophy, 4. understand set point theory, 5. track your food (at least to start), 6. rethink the scale, 7. track other metrics, 8. get moving, 9. focus on fiber, 10. eat protein at every meal, the bottom line.

The clickbait is everywhere with snazzy headlines saying, "Drop 10 lbs. Fast" or "Fit Back into Your Skinny Jeans." But what if you feel like you have an overwhelming amount of weight to lose, and you just don't know where to start?

You may have tried keto , celery juice , detoxes, low-carb, low-fat—you name it. You might even be pretty good at losing weight—the problem is you can't seem to keep it off.

If this sounds like you, keep reading.

"Mindset is like 90% of the work." That's what my client, Sarah, said to me regarding the 50 pounds she lost and has maintained. I'm sharing tips directly from her on how to get started—and stick with it—when you're not quite sure where to start on your weight loss journey.

Changing habits requires repeating the new behaviors over the long term, according to 2021 research in Psychology & Health . This includes setting realistic expectations .

A safe, sustainable amount of weight to lose is about 1/2 pound to 2 pounds per week. In reality, however, that might look more like 2 to 3 pounds per week in the beginning, then perhaps 1/2 pound down the next week, then up a pound the next week, then maintaining for a few weeks before dropping a pound again.

Your weight loss graph will look more like a staircase or a squiggly line than a perfectly straight line. If it's jumping all over the place, but trending down overall, you're doing all right.

This is not the time to try another detox or strict meal plan that an Instagram influencer is promoting. Those are diets in disguise—they work for the short term but not for the long term.

Long-term weight loss is about small habit changes you can keep up with over time. Those who are successful at losing weight usually work with professionals, typically, a health care professional, registered dietitian and therapist.

Yes, a therapist. "I've crash dieted and lost 100 pounds before, and I was physically thinner but not at all mentally healthier, so patience and persistence and the ability to fall down and get up over and over again are key," says Sarah. "Also, if you feel you have an eating disorder, like binge eating, seek help from a counselor that specializes in that."

This journey is hard alone. It can also be hard with close friends and family. Health care professionals provide two important things: science-based weight-loss recommendations and accountability from someone who isn't a close friend.

Weekly, or even daily, check-ins are key to helping you stay on track. "I think the most important things for me have been getting accountability that best matches my personality, always allowing the 20%, perfecting the art of moving on and always zooming out and focusing on the long game," reports Sarah.

Many insurance plans cover visits with registered dietitians and therapists, so check with yours to see if your visits may be covered.

So what is the 20% that Sarah mentioned? Think of it as all of the foods you restrict when you're dieting but eventually end up bingeing on.

Sustainable weight loss is about ditching the all-or-nothing mentality, letting go of the idea that one meal can make or break your efforts and embracing balance. Aim to follow the MyPlate guidelines about 80% of the time throughout the week and on weekends. That means trying to have three meals per day, most days, filling your plate with about one-half of vegetables and fruits, one-quarter of whole grains and one-quarter of protein with some healthy fat.

Then, don't stress about the rest. It's a "flexible structure." No guilt allowed.

The body likes balance. Body temperature stays within a narrow range of 98.6°F. The pH of blood is around 7.4. Your body has a weight range it likes to stay within too: It's called your set point.

Unfortunately, it's easier for this range to move up than it is to move down. This is for various reasons scientists are still trying to figure out. For example, a 2022 study in the journal Obesity found that a 16% weight loss decreased metabolic rate (the number of calories burned at rest) in premenopausal women. Weight loss has also been shown to increase ghrelin, the hormone that signals hunger, in breast cancer survivors, per a 2021 study in NPJ Breast Cancer .

With that said, lowering your set point is not impossible. After all, there are numerous success stories, like the people in the National Weight Control Registry who have lost 30 pounds or more and kept it off for at least one year.

So, how do you do it?

According to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) , crash dieting is not the answer. Instead, aim to lose 5% to 10% of your body weight at one time. "That's the amount of weight you can lose before your body starts to fight back," BIDMC reports on its website.

Then, and here's the hard part, work to maintain that loss for six months before trying to lose another 5% to 10%. This is the time during which people often throw in the towel or opt for the crash diet their friend is doing.

But, if you can stay the course and ride out the maintenance for six months, "You can repeat the cycle and reset your set point again by losing another 10%. Through small, gradual changes in your daily habits, you'll be able to stay at that new, lower weight for the rest of your life. This prescription is vital to outsmarting the body's natural tendencies to regain weight," according to the BIDMC website.

You may also have to reassess your initial weight-loss goal. If you reach a point where you feel great, are healthy and have habits you can sustain for months, but the number on the scale is higher than you'd like, it may be time to embrace a new number.

Research, like the 2019 study in the journal Obesity , suggests that those who track their food are most successful with losing weight and keeping it off.

While tracking isn't meant to be done forever, it can be a helpful tool until new habits stick. A habit is an automated behavior. The more habits you create, the fewer decisions you have to make and the more brain space you have to think about other things.

Starting your weight loss journey by tracking your food intake may give you a better idea about what a serving of oatmeal looks like in your bowl, or how many random handfuls of chips you munch on as you try and figure out what to make for dinner. You can track food in a written diary, by taking photos, in a calorie-counting app or a combination of these.

If you've never tracked calories, it can be a good place to start so you can become familiar with portion sizes and macronutrients (fat, protein and carbohydrates). A word of caution, though—calorie counting can become obsessive and backfire, leaving you out of touch with your hunger and satiety signals. You may be more likely to turn to an app to tell you what and when to eat, instead of listening to your body.

Work with a registered dietitian who can help you figure out the best tracking approach for you and can also review your meals so you have accountability.

A 2021 study in Translational Behavioral Medicine suggests that those who self-monitored their weight lost more of it.

Here's the caveat: Weight should not be the only metric you track. And you need to understand what the scale measures.

The scale does not measure fat—and you do not lose or gain fat overnight.

The scale is a measurement of everything in your body, mostly fluid, but also bones, organs, fat and muscle. The scale will show your weight within about a 3- to 4-pound range and goes up and down for various reasons. If you poop, it goes down. If you eat salty takeout food, it goes up (because salt encourages water retention). A strength-training workout can bump it up, due to a temporary increase in inflammation.

Daily weigh-ins do more harm than good for some people, so weighing once a week might be a good frequency. Or, for some, the scale might need to go. If you find you obsess over the number, it stresses you out too much or you're equating the number to your self-worth, ditch the scale. There are other ways to measure your progress.

Sarah was stressing so much about what the scale would say every Monday that she decided to weigh every day and found it more helpful. "Personally, weighing daily has helped because it's normalized the fluctuations for me and helped me realize when I'm averaging in the wrong direction. There are great apps that plot the average trend of your weight, which helps, but I think overall daily weighing has truly been helpful," says Sarah.

Several of my clients might not see the scale move in months, but they lose inches and feel amazing. In addition to weekly weigh-ins, consider taking waist circumference measurements and progress photos once a month.

Five pounds of fat and five pounds of muscle weigh the same, but muscle takes up less space (and adding more means you're getting stronger), so these metrics help you see body composition changes and will motivate you to keep going.

In addition to how you look, take note of how you feel. Can you walk further, run faster or do a pushup? If you know what they were when you started, have your cholesterol levels or blood sugar numbers improved? Include some goals around what your body can do, rather than how you look.

Diet matters more than exercise for weight loss, but exercise is crucial for keeping off the weight. Plus, exercise has plenty of other benefits .

If you are sedentary and then start moving, you will start burning calories, which will create a calorie deficit. "Finding exercise you love helps to maintain the weight loss," reports Sarah.

Don't know where to start? Start walking. Create small, attainable goals like 15 minutes per day and work up to 30 minutes. If you currently walk 2,000 steps per day, don't try to walk 10,000. Start with 4,000 per day and add more every couple of weeks.

Next, add strength training, using either weights or your body weight. Start with one day per week and work up to two to four times per week. Strength training builds muscle, and muscle burns calories even when you're sitting at your desk all day.

Cardio exercise, like running, biking or swimming, is great too. A good balance is daily walking, strength training two to four times per week and cardio or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) one to three times per week.

Progressively increasing your exercise frequency and intensity will help you stick to it. And the best exercise is the one that you'll keep doing.

A calorie deficit is needed for weight loss, but instead of focusing on what to restrict, focus on what to add. The body breaks down protein, carbohydrates and fat from food and absorbs the nutrients. If you're eating more calories than your body needs, the extra will be stored as fat.

However, the body doesn't absorb or store fiber. Fiber passes through the stomach and intestines largely unabsorbed, bulks everything up and then you poop it out. Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes.

By making half your plate vegetables and fruits at most meals, you automatically shift the caloric composition of your meal. For example, 1 cup of pasta or rice is 200 calories, but 1 cup of vegetables is about 30 calories. So not only can you eat more vegetables for fewer calories, but you also get the added benefit of the fiber (as well as vitamins and minerals), which moves through your system slowly, keeping you full longer.

Fiber also expands and slows the emptying of the stomach, which sends signals to the brain that you are full. Gut bacteria feed off fiber and produce short-chain fatty acids, like acetate, which plays a role in regulating body weight, according to a 2019 review in Nutrients .

Aim for 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day or about 8 to 10 g per meal. According to the USDA, 1 cup of raspberries has 8 g of fiber, 1 cup of cooked broccoli has 5 g of fiber and 1/2 cup of black beans has about 7 g of fiber.

Along with fiber, eat protein at every meal, especially breakfast. A 2021 review in Nutrients suggests that when people eat a high-protein breakfast, they have fewer cravings and eat less later in the day.

Protein suppresses the hunger hormone, ghrelin, and is digested slowly, keeping you full longer. When protein is eaten with carbohydrates, it slows the rise of blood sugar, which prevents the spike-and-crash effect that leaves you craving carbs an hour after you eat. Include protein, fiber and healthy fat at each meal.

Protein needs are based on weight, but about 20 g per meal is a good starting point. According to the USDA, a serving of Greek yogurt packs 16 g of protein, and you can pair it with berries for fiber. Three ounces of cooked chicken , about the size of a deck of cards, has about 26 g of protein. Beans are a protein-packed vegetarian option.

If you feel overwhelmed with how much weight you have to lose, start small. Don't try to tackle everything at once. In order to lose weight and keep it off, you need to embrace a long-term mentality and focus on small habit changes. Get professional help so you have accountability and can focus on the habits that move the needle most. Track other metrics, along with the scale. Finally, move your body most days, focus on making half your plate vegetables at meals, get out of the all-or-nothing mentality and celebrate your success along the way!

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Tips for Week One of Your Weight-Loss Plan

Ready to drop pounds starting now here's how experts suggest you kick off your efforts.

Hallie Levine,

So, you're finally ready to shed some of those pandemic pounds ? Over 40 percent of American adults reported gaining weight during the pandemic, with an average gain of 29 pounds, according to a survey released last March by the American Psychological Association. But although it may not have seemed to take a lot of effort to put on that weight, it will require hard work and determination to get it off.

"Everyone wants quick weight loss, but that never works,” says James Hill, nutrition sciences department chair at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. As he explains, even if you do quickly shed the weight, if you don't have a reasonable plan, you'll just regain it.

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Of course, every great plan needs a good start. Here are five tips to follow during your first week of any longer-term weight loss. Try these and you'll not only lose weight but also create healthy habits that will serve you well going forward.

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Tip No. 1: Just drop the chips (and other processed foods).

If you simply stop eating food that comes out of a package or box, you might be able to lose about a pound a week, according to a National Institutes of Health study published in 2019 in the journal Cell Metabolism. When researchers had 20 healthy adults spend two weeks eating highly processed foods, such as a bagel with cream cheese and turkey bacon, they found that they consumed, on average, about 500 more calories a day than those who focused on minimally processed fare (think oatmeal topped with bananas and walnuts). “Processed foods tend to be lower in fiber and higher in sugar and fat, so there's nothing to make you feel full, and you end up eating more of it,” explains Caroline Apovian, M.D., codirector of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The study found, for example, that people on the unprocessed diet had lower levels of hunger hormones like insulin and ghrelin.

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Tip No. 2: Eat with the sun.

Intermittent fasting is all the rage right now, but it can be tough to stick to, and research shows mixed results. A smarter, more doable approach is to try to eat the bulk of your calories when it's light out, Apovian advises. “Our body's circadian rhythms are still hardwired to how we ate centuries ago, when we consumed most of our food during the day so we'd have energy for our daily activities,” she explains. “As a result, our metabolism works better during light hours.” Research backs this up: One 2017 study, done at the University of Pennsylvania, found that people who ate their calories later in the day — from noon to 11 p.m. — gained weight and had higher blood glucose and cholesterol levels than those who ate between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. The earlier schedule has another advantage: “When you're only eating between an eight- and 10-hour window, you can't get in 3,500 calories,” Apovian points out.

If you still find this approach too restrictive, or if it's not possible for you to stop eating by 6 or 7 p.m., Apovian recommends that you keep your last meal of the day light and try to get most of your calories from breakfast or lunch. It's particularly important not to skip breakfast. Indeed, nearly 80 percent of people who have successfully lost and kept off at least 30 pounds report eating this meal every day, according to the National Weight Control Registry. “It's so important to eat within 30 minutes of getting up, because if you go too long without food, you'll get so hungry that you overeat,” Hill explains.

Tip No. 3: Include protein at every meal.

If you are trying to lose weight, protein is key. “When you lose weight, your resting energy expenditure goes down, and the only way to counter that is to build up muscle mass to boost up your metabolism,” Apovian says. She recommends 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (so about 95 grams, or a little more than 3 ounces for a 140-pound person). The easiest way to meet this goal, she says, is to include 3 to 4 ounces of protein at every meal. You'll also build more muscle if you do it this way: A 2017 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that consuming an equal amount of protein at all three meals is linked to more muscle strength in people age 67 and older. Keep in mind that 1/4 cup of cooked beans, an egg, a tablespoon of peanut butter or a half ounce of nuts or seeds is roughly equivalent to an ounce of cooked meat, poultry or fish protein.

Tip No. 4: Don't be draconian .

“The challenge of both short-term and long-term weight management is not just what you eat but how you think about what you eat ,” says Gary Foster, adjunct professor of psychology in psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and chief science officer at WW. If you eat ice cream most days of the week after dinner, for example, don't get rid of it cold turkey. Instead, include it as an after-dinner snack a couple of days a week. “The shorter the distance between from where you are now to where you want to go, the more likely it is you'll be successful,” Foster explains.

Case in point: When researchers at the University of Colorado instructed people to shave only 100 calories a day from their diet, most ended up getting rid of 300. “When you make a goal, and it's small and doable, it builds your confidence and ability to take that next step,” Foster says. He also recommends that you steer clear of abstract, broad goals, like vowing to keep all junk food out of your house. “The more specific you can be, the better — for example, if you get rid of all the candy and chocolate bars in your house, substitute air-popped popcorn for them instead,” he says. “This way, you have a game plan.”

Tip No. 5: Practice self-compassion .

“When people start a weight-loss journey, they often take a punitive view,” says Foster, who notes that setting unrealistic goals, and getting angry at yourself for any setbacks, won't help you long term as much as seeing weight loss as a way to take care of yourself. When inevitable setbacks occur, he says, talk to yourself as you would to a friend, with encouragement , not harsh judgments. If slip-ups happen — even in your first week of any so-called diet — stay calm. Hop back onto the wagon as soon as you can, and don't punish yourself. “If you overindulge one afternoon, don't skip dinner to compensate,” Foster stresses. “Eat a light, healthy dinner, and pick up again right where you left off.” When you do this and view your weight-loss program as a way to nurture yourself, you set yourself up for healthy habits you can keep for life.

Hallie Levine is a contributing writer and an award-winning medical and health reporter. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Consumer Reports, Real Simple, Health and Time , among other publications.

Article Overview:

Importance of weight loss for healthy living

How to begin your weight loss journey

Strategies and life hacks to stay on track, precautions, importance of weight loss for healthy living.

Weight loss is more than just fitting into smaller clothes or looking a certain way. It’s fundamentally about your health. Excess weight can lead to various health concerns like heart disease, diabetes, joint issues, and more. Shedding even a modest amount of weight can significantly reduce the risk of these conditions. Moreover, it enhances energy levels, improves mood, and boosts self-confidence.

Starting a weight loss journey can be a transformative step toward better health and well-being. Begin by establishing achievable and realistic goals . Avoid setting lofty or unrealistic targets that might be difficult to reach. Set small, attainable milestones that you can work toward gradually.

Reflect on your current habits regarding food intake, physical activity, sleep patterns, and stress levels. Identifying areas that need improvement can help in planning changes effectively. Before making significant changes to your diet or exercise routine, it’s advisable to consult a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian . They can offer guidance tailored to your specific health needs and goals.

Rather than making drastic changes overnight, focus on incorporating small, sustainable modifications into your daily routine. For instance, start by adding more vegetables and fruits to your meals or incorporating short bursts of physical activity into your day. Find enjoyable forms of physical activity that you can incorporate into your routine, whether it’s walking, jogging, cycling, dancing, or yoga. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

Drink an adequate amount of water throughout the day. Water not only keeps you hydrated but can also help control hunger and prevent overeating. Pay attention to what and how you eat. Slow down during meals, chew food thoroughly, and listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Avoid distractions like screens while eating. Maintain a food journal or use the Healthi app to track your food intake, exercise, and progress. This can help you stay accountable and identify areas for improvement.

Embrace a balanced and nutritious diet that includes a variety of whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats. Strive for moderation and portion control. The Healthi app is an excellent tool to help you stay on track with a balanced diet plan. It generates custom meal plans, while also providing you with recipes that you can try to mix things up. For those seeking to make healthier food choices, let Healthi’s BITES system be your guide. This feature assigns numerical values to food items, helping you make more informed and healthier choices. It gives you the power to track your progress and stay accountable, all while working toward a healthier you.

However, that’s not all! The Healthi app offers six distinct weight loss plans , each tailored to address specific dietary habits and preferences.

The Better Balance plan is designed for individuals who regularly consume processed meals. It offers a flexible plan that’s less reliant on meticulous tracking and encourages a more balanced and nutritious approach to eating.

The Sugar Smart plan is geared toward individuals who frequent fast-food restaurants two or more times a week. It aims to break the cycle of fast food consumption, promote healthier alternatives, and encourage mindful choices when dining out.

The Carb Conscious plan is ideal for those who habitually consume processed carbs like bread, pasta, cereal, or chips. It helps curb carb cravings, promotes healthier carbohydrate choices, and provides a balanced approach to managing carb intake.

The Conquer Cravings plan is tailored for those who crave sweets after dinner or can’t resist finishing a bag of salty snacks in one sitting. It helps manage sugar and salt cravings effectively and encourages mindful indulgence without overdoing it.

The Calorie Command plan is perfect for individuals who already eat healthy but struggle with portion sizes. It is ideal for those who prefer a number-oriented approach to weight loss, and it provides clear parameters for portion control, ensuring balanced meals.

The Keeping Keto plan is tailored for those who feel deprived on other diets and prefer protein-rich, fatty foods over carbs. It is ideal for individuals who have tried various weight loss methods with limited success. The plan promotes a satisfying and sustainable approach to weight loss.

The Healthi app understands that one size does not fit all when it comes to weight loss. That’s why it offers these six diverse plans to cater to your specific dietary habits and cravings. Whether you’re a carb lover, sweet tooth, or fast-food enthusiast, there’s a personalized plan waiting for you. Choose the weight loss plan that aligns with your needs and preferences, and let the Healthi app guide you on your journey toward a healthier, happier you.

Lastly, weight loss is a gradual process, and sustainable changes take time. Stay consistent with your efforts, and be patient and kind to yourself along the way. Keep in mind that every person’s weight loss journey is unique. It’s essential to find an approach that suits your lifestyle, preferences, and health requirements. Focus on building healthy habits that you can maintain in the long term rather than aiming for quick fixes. Celebrate small victories and stay committed to your journey toward a healthier you.

Staying on track during a weight loss journey involves implementing strategies and life hacks that help maintain consistency and motivation. Firstly, plan your meals in advance to ensure you have healthy options readily available. This can prevent impulsive eating and reliance on processed or unhealthy foods. Prep meals and snacks, portion them out, and store them for easy access during busy days.

Surround yourself with a supportive network of friends, family, or online communities that share similar goals. Having a support system can provide encouragement, accountability, and motivation throughout your journey. The Healthi app provides a dynamic hub where individuals with similar health objectives come together, fostering connections with like-minded people on various stages of their wellness journeys. This vibrant community serves as a supportive space, offering not only camaraderie and empathy but also a treasure trove of valuable tips and tricks to sustain motivation and stay focused on your goals.

Furthermore, use smaller plates, bowls, and utensils to control portion sizes. Focus on eating slowly, savoring each bite, and paying attention to your body’s hunger cues to avoid overeating. Be mindful of emotional eating triggers and practice mindful eating. Pause and assess your hunger levels before eating, distinguishing between physical hunger and emotional cravings.

Establish a consistent exercise routine that includes activities you enjoy. Mix up your workouts to prevent boredom and target different muscle groups. Schedule exercise sessions in your calendar to prioritize them. Additionally, define clear and specific goals for yourself. Whether it’s achieving a certain weight, fitting into a particular clothing size, or completing a fitness challenge, setting tangible goals can keep you motivated and focused.

Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Poor sleep can disrupt hormones related to appetite regulation, potentially leading to cravings and overeating. Manage stress through relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, or yoga. Chronic stress can contribute to emotional eating and hinder weight loss progress. Finally, understand that setbacks and plateaus are normal parts of the journey. Be kind to yourself, avoid self-criticism, and focus on the progress you’ve made rather than dwelling on temporary setbacks.

Before starting any weight loss program or making significant changes to your diet or exercise routine, consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian. They can offer personalized advice based on your health status, medical history, and individual needs.

Steer clear of extreme or crash diets that promise rapid weight loss. These diets often lack essential nutrients, are difficult to sustain long-term, and can negatively impact your health. Instead, focus on gradual, sustainable changes to your eating habits. Be mindful of emotional eating triggers and be cautious not to rely on food as a coping mechanism for stress or emotions. Practice mindful eating and seek alternative stress-relief methods.

Be cautious when using weight loss supplements or products. Many over-the-counter supplements aren’t regulated and may contain potentially harmful ingredients. If considering supplements, consult your healthcare provider for advice.

Pay attention to your body’s signals. If you experience persistent fatigue, dizziness, headaches, or any other unusual symptoms, it’s crucial to address them promptly. Don’t ignore warning signs from your body. While regular exercise is essential for weight loss, over-exercising can lead to burnout, fatigue, and even injury. Gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts and allow your body adequate rest and recovery time.

By taking these precautions, you can ensure a safer and more effective weight loss journey while prioritizing your overall health and well-being. Always approach weight loss with a focus on sustainable and healthy lifestyle changes.

Starting a weight loss journey is an empowering decision toward a healthier you. Remember, it’s not just about reaching a number on the scale; it’s about adopting a lifestyle that nurtures your body and mind. Set realistic goals, make gradual changes, stay consistent, and celebrate small victories along the way. Be patient, stay resilient, and trust the process. Your journey to a healthier, happier you has just begun!

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Everyday Health Special Report: Weight Loss Reframed

I help people lose weight for a living — here’s what most get wrong.

For one, weight loss is way more mental than physical.

Editor’s note: Sarah Molhan is an employee at Lose It!, which is part of the Everyday Health Group network. She shared her story with Everyday Health writer Jessica Migala .

By the time I was 20 years old, I weighed 315 pounds (lbs). Actually, I don’t know if that was my highest weight. All I know is that that was the weight my scale topped off at.

The day I saw 314.9 lbs register on my scale, I was thrilled. “Oh my gosh, this thing can finally measure me!” I thought. I went on to lose more than 100 lbs.

So when people share their stories of weight loss with me, I know how challenging it is to change your behaviors and mindset. From Everyday Health’s Weight Loss Reframed Survey and Report, released in 2024, it’s clear that these factors play a role in weight loss success. And as a principal product manager at Lose It! , I’ve learned a lot during my decade of working here.

RELATED: Everyday Health's Survey and Special Report: Weight Loss Reframed

My professional and personal growth has happened concurrently — there is no boundary between work and personal with me. I think that’s made the impact I’ve been able to have at my job more potent. I’ve had so much time to think about this problem of weight loss and work to find solutions that help others.

Here is what I’ve realized — and what might help you as you’re on your weight loss journey.

You Have Value, No Matter What Weight

I grew up defining myself as someone who was overweight, and who shouldn’t be. I believed that if my body was smaller, I’d be a more valuable person. I’d have more friends, be more loved, and my value as a human would increase. This led me toward developing an obsession with weight loss. The many failed weight loss attempts enforced that I had very little value, which just led to me grow up with pretty deep-seated feelings of self-hate.

The problem wasn’t that I was eating too much food and becoming increasingly overweight. The problem was that I used food and eating to comfort myself and manage my emotions, and the more overweight I got, the more I needed to comfort myself, so the more I ate. Every effort to hate myself thin resulted in me comforting myself fatter. I didn’t know any other way.

What I know now is that someone's value as a person is not at all related to the size of our bodies. We all deserve to be loved, have friends, and be cared for, regardless of the way our bodies are shaped. We have value, no matter what.

Food and Exercise Have No Moral Value

You are not “bad” if you ate cake. You are not “good” if you ate a salad. Health doesn’t come from restriction, and when you stop considering your food choices as moral or immoral , it’s freeing.

We Come Together When We Aren’t Silent About Our Struggles

There was a time when I wrote a blog, and one of the entries was about my struggle with binge eating. I shared this post on my public Facebook page. So many people responded that they also had experienced binge eating . It shocked me. These were people who I didn’t expect to have disordered eating and they still shared these same problems. That was a great learning experience. There are so many things that people keep secret, but we don’t actually have to be silent about it.

Speaking of binge eating, I learned that the best way to overcome it is to stop restricting. Eat the things that you like, but learn to fit them into your diet plan. My recovery from binge eating disorder occurred after my son was born. It wasn’t just me that I had to worry about, I had someone else depending on me. I wanted to model healthy behaviors for him and take good enough care of myself to be able to raise my son.

The Best Tool for Weight Loss Is Therapy

Thinking about my inner voice and how to improve it is so important. Although I’m not in therapy anymore, it’s so important to address your feelings about yourself and your weight. And we have many of them, clearly. In Everyday Health’s Weight Loss Reframed Survey, 75 percent of respondents reported that their weight affects how they feel about themselves, and 69 percent reported that having a “normal” weight does or could make them happier.

I’ve personally been managing so many emotions with food for my entire life. At the same time, I felt emotionally stunted. I had never learned how to recover from being disappointed or angry or bored without food. So, it was a learning process to stop using food as a coping mechanism — and it’s something I’m still working on. A couple of strategies I use that have helped others are:

Being reminded that all feelings are okay and that they’re temporary
Creating space between you and the emotion: For me, I imagined looking at myself and the emotions I was experiencing from a third-party perspective. This helps give me the sense that whatever I was feeling would pass.

The Main Purpose of Exercise Is Not to Lose Weight

I lost 120 lbs in a year. During that time, I was really restricting my diet while following WW . I was obsessed with losing at least 2 lbs per week, and I focused my entire life on eating as little as I could. I was also going to the gym for more than an hour every day after work.

In truth, the thinking around exercise and weight loss is outdated. According to Everyday Health’s Weight Loss Reframed Survey, 65 percent of respondents reported that they turned to increasing exercise or physical activity to lose weight (the second most common weight loss tactic reported, after eating fewer indulgent or high-calorie foods).

In truth, weight loss has a complicated relationship with exercise, because when you move more, you feel more physically hungry. It’s easy to get into the mindset that you deserve to eat XYZ because you exercised that day.

That said, there are other valid reasons to work out for your physical and mental health, such as longevity and confidence. It’s rewarding to see growth and improvements in what I’m able to physically do. For example, thanks to my continued commitment to strength training and managing my weight, I was able to do my first-ever pull-up earlier this year, which was a lifetime goal. Exercise and fitness have changed how I see myself and see what my body can do. I think they were a big part of proving to myself that I have a lot of reasons to love and appreciate my body, which was helpful after decades of hating it and just wanting to be thin.

There Is No ‘Best‘ Diet for Everyone

With so much marketing behind dieting, it’s difficult to come to realize that there is not one best way to eat. People make money convincing you otherwise. The one thing that matters most for weight loss is getting into a calorie deficit. That’s when your body will start to burn your fat stores. There are so many ways you can get into that deficit, and it’s important to find the eating plan that you enjoy and feels sustainable to you — not a trendy diet.

Motivation Alone Isn’t the Key to Weight Loss Success

People think they need to feel motivated to lose weight, and lack of motivation was the most commonly reported barrier among respondents to Everyday Health’s Weight Loss Reframed Survey. Maintaining motivation always is not realistic for most people. Motivation is a great way to kick-start your goal. But if you’re depending on the feeling of motivation all the time, you’ll quickly find out that life happens. You’ll get an unexpected project at work, your child will get sick, it will rain and you won’t take your walk, and so on. It’s all about developing sound habits, coping mechanisms, and the right mindset. Have confidence that you can overcome every obstacle.

Consider what’s maintainable for your schedule — and what you might enjoy. For example, my ideal might be going for a walk and making my breakfast and lunch the night before. If that’s too much, at least I can go for a short walk and have healthy food in my fridge that I can quickly grab or toss together. Motivation might get you going, but once you’re going, you have to figure out the daily habits that help you be the person you want to be.

Regarding mindset, realize that the habits that work for you now won’t necessarily be the things that carry you in the future. Over time, changes are inevitable, so it’s important to be flexible and adaptable with your lifestyle. For me, my child will grow up; I might live somewhere different. For every season of life, it’s up to you to figure out the right combination of healthy habits that work for you.

Realize the ‘Goal Weight’ Is Arbitrary

It’s good to have a goal, but you don’t have to get down to what’s considered a healthy body mass index (BMI) range unless that’s something you and your doctor choose. In my experience, a more doable approach is to get to a weight that you can maintain where you can live a life you enjoy. The other option is to restrict and reduce the fun things in your life to maintain a lower weight. The brilliance of this is you get to choose! You don’t have to get down to a weight that someone else tells you to because you’re the one living your life in your body — not them. You can also choose not to lose any weight at all.

When I was 315 lbs, the idea of reaching a healthy BMI would have required me to drastically change my day-to-day behaviors. At one point, I was down 130 to 140 lbs from my initial weight. That was when I went vegan , and I found I didn’t have many food options to eat, which resulted in extreme calorie restriction and weight loss. Still, I was still swimming in self-hate. My motivation to eat healthy and move my body was still driven by these negative feelings.

Today, I’ve happily maintained a 100-pound weight loss since my heaviest weight. Truthfully, I am working to slowly lose more weight, about 5 lbs at a time. I can see myself maintaining 10 to 15 lbs lower than I am now, but it’s not a high priority. I feel great, my weight and body don’t stop me from living the life I want, and my health biomarkers are all excellent. If I wanted to maintain a lower weight, I’d need to change my lifestyle a bit more than I’d want to.

I’m 37 years old now. Only in the last three years have I found self-love, appreciation, and positive thinking. In the past I was much more focused on being good enough and leaning into perfectionism very hard. I’m focused on enjoying — not changing — who I am and who I can become.

Understand That Weight Loss Is Not Physical

Whoa, I know. So much of weight loss is mental and emotional. My identity was all about being super overweight, and when I lost a lot of weight and I wasn’t anymore, it was also a challenge to figure out who I was again. Going through that identity shift makes this journey complicated. But know that we’re here as a community if you ever need to talk about it.

Important: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not Everyday Health.

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Fat-burning 30 Day Weight Loss Challenge (Beginner-friendly)

Joining a 30 day weight loss challenge is easily one of the best ways to kickstart your weight loss journey. This is because this 30 day weight loss plans is beginner-friendly, making it easier to start slow and stick with it for the long haul.

Getting started with the 30 day weight loss challenge

Before getting started with any fitness challenge, it is worth remembering that you are responsible for your actions. Your 30 day weight loss challenge results will heavily depend on the actions you take during this period.

While this weight loss plan gives you a balanced structure to help you achieve your weight loss results, you alone are responsible for ensuring that you stay on track and put in the work.

This means that before getting started, you should put a plan to hold yourself accountable on your weight loss journey.

Weight Loss Challenge Tips for Success

What to eat during the 30-day weight loss challenge

Equipment required, 30 day weight loss challenge.

What next after 30 day weight loss workout plan

30 Day Weight Loss Challenge Tips for Success

A 30 day weight loss workout plan is supposed to push you when you need motivation, or when you are slacking and need to get back into being consistency.

1. Outline your weight loss goals

Be very specific about how much weight you want to lose, how you will achieve it, and when you would like to reach your weight loss goal.

It’s not enough that you desire to lose weight- in fact, we all want to lose weight, but what matters is what we do about it that’ll drive results.

Write down your weight loss goals and stick them on your wall, mirror or fridge.

2. Be realistic

As you add numbers to your weight loss goal, be realistic. While it may sound exciting and motivating to say that you want to lose 20 pounds in two weeks, it really isn’t realistic to lose that much within a short space.

Yes, others have lost 20 pounds in two weeks, but scientifically, this rapid weight loss approach is neither safe nor sustainable. Slow and steady wins the weight loss race.

In a realistic sense, you should aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week . This would work out to about 8 pounds a month. So, if your ultimate weight loss goal is 20 pounds, your timeframe should be around 10-12 weeks.

3. Create a non-food rewards program

While on this 30 day weight loss challenge, you should reward yourself for the job well done now and then. When you reach a milestone, such as completing the first 7-days or losing your first 2 pounds, you can treat yourself with non-food rewards.

Weight loss rewards can include new workout clothes, make-up, a plant, flowers, a massage, a new hairstyle, a weekend away, a manicure/pedicure, a new book, tickets to a show, or whatever fun thing you can afford.

More beginner friendly 30 day workouts

30 day ab challenge for beginners that works
30 Day Arm Challenge to Get Rid of Flabby Arms
30 day leg challenge that works like crazy

4. Track your progress

Another effective way to keep yourself accountable is to keep track of your progress using a fitness journal or small notebook.

Tracking your meals, workouts, starting weight, goal weight, and physical, social, and mental well-being allows you to look back at the end of a month and see what worked, what needs improvement or where you took a wrong turn.

Keeping track of your progress will remind you where you started, where you are right now, and where you see yourself at the end of your deadline.

5. Find an accountability buddy

An accountability partner doesn’t necessarily have to be someone also on a 30 day weight loss challenge. Your weight loss accountability partner can be someone who has lost weight before and is willing to guide and motivate you.

At the end of the day, whoever you end with as your accountability partner, make sure that they’re dependable, able to push you, and understand your goal and why it’s important to you.

When it gets too hard, or you’re feeling defeated, your accountability partner should be the person who reminds you why you started, what you’ve achieved so far, and why you NEED to get up and keep pushing!

The most important thing about any weight loss challenge is diet. You should develop a healthy mindset about food and understand that keeping weight off is a long-term game that requires you to change your eating habits.

To lose weight, you must create a caloric deficit by eating fewer calories than your body burns.

The recommended initial strategy for weight loss is a low-calorie diet. This plan requires that you eat 500-750 fewer calories than your body expends, which works out to eating between 1000 and 1500 calories [1].

Calories in – calories out = weight loss

Along with that, you must also understand that weight loss will not happen overnight. You’re not going to see significant weight loss results when you eat clean for five days a week and go wild on junk for the remaining two days of the week.

Your diet should be consistently healthy, and if you have more than 10 pounds to lose, be prepared to do more than a month-long weight loss challenge to see results.

Once your mind is in the right space for weight loss, figure out how your diet is actually going to look like.

Here are some of the steps that will teach you how to eat healthy during this 30 day weight loss challenge:

Avoid liquid calories

Liquid calories include smoothies, sodas, alcohol, soft drinks, juices, sugary tea and coffee, and other drinks with added sugar.

While calories are calories no matter where they’re coming from, the body processes calories differently depending on their structure.

Liquid calories are absorbed faster than those from semi-processed and whole foods.

For example, if you consumed 300 calories from a breakfast smoothie (simple carbs), while the other person consumed the same number of calories from oatmeal (complex carbs), the person who had oatmeal will feel longer than you.

Unlike complex carbs, simple carbs are easily used for energy and cause sudden spikes in blood sugar and rapid release of insulin from the pancreas [2].

To avoid fluctuating energy levels throughout the day as a result of simple sugars, eat foods that are known to help maintain energy throughout the day. This leads us to the next point.

Eat complex carbs

Simple carbs provide calories without nutritional value and cause blood sugar spikes. On the other hand, complex carbs are healthier and can create lasting energy because they take longer to digest.

Your diet plan for weight loss should include complex carbs. Because glucose is released into the bloodstream gradually, eating a diet rich in complex carbs will help keep your sugar levels steady.

Since complex carbohydrates take longer to digest, they help keep you feeling full longer. However, you should be mindful of portion sizes because calories add up, and too much of a good thing can be just as bad.

healthy complex carbs - Old fashioned oats

Some of the healthy complex carbs that you should add to your 30 day weight loss challenge include:

Old fashioned oats
Whole-wheat pasta
Fruits and vegetables
Whole grain bread
Sweet potatoes

Eat healthy fats

There are two categories of fats – saturated and unsaturated fats – both have different effects on health and weight loss.

Saturated fats are unhealthy associated with fat accumulation and heart disease. Saturated fats include chicken thighs and drumsticks, French fries, and palm oil.

Others are meats with high fat, donuts, margarine, ice cream, cream cheese, refrigerated dough, and commercially made foods such as cakes, pastries and cookies [3].

Unsaturated fats fall under healthy, good fats and can help increase energy expenditure and reduce heart disease risk, fat storage, and inflammation [4] Sources of healthy fats include:

Pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds
Sunflower oil
Almond and peanut butter
Olives and olive oil

Eat lean protein

Protein is important in a weight loss diet because it helps increase the secretion of the satiety hormone and reduces the secretion of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. A protein-rich diet will also help regulate blood sugar levels and boost metabolism [5].

For long-term fat loss, a high-protein diet coupled with strength training is essential to building and maintaining muscle mass [6].

Lean protein sources include:

Lean white fish
Cottage cheese
Lean turkey
Canned tuna in water
Chicken breast
Plain Greek yogurt

Drink water

If you drink a lot of sugary drinks, it’s best that you replace them with water. If you are one of those people that can’t seem to drink enough water, make it a priority to drink at least 2 liters of water a day .

If plain water is too bland, try infusing it with fresh fruits or herbs. For the body to function properly it needs water. Drinking water can help speed up metabolism and reduce hunger and appetite [7].

Getting started- 30 day weight loss workout plan

If you have done any of my 30-day workout plans, you will know that I do not advocate for unrealistic workouts that go from doing 10 squats on day 1 to 250 squats on day 30.

What you can expect from this 30 day weight loss challenge is a well-paced and balanced workout schedule that includes cardio and strength training.

*This post may include affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here . If you click through my referral link, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase.

You will need the following for this 30-day weight loss workout plan:

Dumbbells – This depends on your fitness level and the specific exercise. If you’re a beginner, you may need to start with at least three different weights of dumbbell sets.

I recommend 3-5 lbs, 8 lbs, and 12 lbs dumbbell sets . If you are intermediate or advanced, you can go higher.

A kettlebell – You may start with a 10 lbs kettlebell and work your way up.
A workout bench or sturdy chair – You don’t have to go out of your way to buy a bench. You can use a sturdy chair, Swiss ball , or the floor.
A thick exercise mat

30 minutes walking

Full body Strength training

Squats – 3 sets of 8 reps

Floor press – 3 sets of 8 reps

Bent over dumbbell row – 3 sets of 8 reps

Lunges – 3 sets of 8 reps

Bicep curl – 3 sets of 8 reps

Deadlifts – 3 sets of 8 reps

Overhead dumbbell press – 3 sets of 8 reps

Good mornings – 3 sets of 8 reps

Single arm row – 3 sets of 8 reps

Tricep dips – 3 sets of 8 reps

Deadlifts – 3 sets of 10 reps

Overhead dumbbell press – 3 sets of 10 reps

Good mornings – 3 sets of 10 reps

Single arm row – 3 sets of 10 reps

Tricep dips – 3 sets of 10 reps

40-45 minutes brisk walking

4 minutes brisk pace

1 minute normal pace

Squats – 3 sets of 10 reps

Floor press – 3 sets of 10 reps

Bent over dumbbell row – 3 sets of 10 reps

Lunges – 3 sets of 10 reps

Bicep curl – 3 sets of 10 reps

Deadlifts – 2 sets of 10 reps

Squat – 2 sets of 10 reps

Dumbbell chest fly – 2 sets of 10 reps

Kettlebell swings – 2 sets of 10 reps

Front raises – 3 sets of 10 reps

Standing calf raises – 2 sets of 10 reps

40-45 minutes brisk walking or running

Squats – 3 sets of 12 reps

Chest fly – 3 sets of 10 reps

Bent over dumbbell row – 3 sets of 12 reps

Sumo squats – 3 sets of 10 reps

Bicep curl – 3 sets of 12 reps

Deadlifts – 3 sets of 12 reps

Overhead dumbbell press – 3 sets of 12 reps

Good mornings – 3 sets of 12 reps

Single arm row – 3 sets of 12 reps

Overhead triceps extension – 3 sets of 10 reps

Chest fly – 3 sets of 12 reps

Lunges – 3 sets of 12 reps

Sumo squats – 3 sets of 12 reps

Donkey kicks 3 sets of 10 reps

40-45 minutes moderate pace walking/cycling/running or

Squat – 3 sets of 12 reps

Dumbbell chest fly – 3 sets of 12 reps

Kettlebell swings – 3 sets of 12 reps

Front raises – 2 sets of 12 reps

Standing calf raises -3 sets of 12 reps

Front raises – 3 sets of 12 reps

30 Day Weight Loss Challenge – Final Thoughts

This 30 day weight loss challenge includes a healthy eating guide and a free 30 day weight loss workout plan.

Write down your weight loss goal, and use tracking apps such as MyFitnessPal to track your calories to ensure that the number of calories you eat is not more than the calories your body burns.

Exercising will give you that extra push, but at the end of the day, how much food you eat will determine how much weight you lose at the end of this 30 day weight loss challenge.

Always start your exercises with a warm-up, and remember to stretch after working out.

What next after 30 day weight loss workout plan?

There are several workouts that you can do after finishing this weight loss challenge. Check out:

Best 30-Day Workout Routines for Beginners at Home
8-Week HIIT Workout Plan
7 Day Gym Workout Plan for Weight Loss
28 day workout challenge
7 day fat burning exercises at home for beginners

[1] Kim J. Y. (2021). Optimal Diet Strategies for Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance. Journal of obesity & metabolic syndrome, 30(1), 20–31. https://doi.org/10.7570/jomes20065

[2] Holesh, J. E., Aslam, S., & Martin, A. (2023). Physiology, Carbohydrates. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.

[3] Banik, Sujan & Hossain, Mohammad. (2014). A comparative overview on good fats and bad fats: guide to control healthy body. International Journal of Health. 2. 41-44. 10.14419/ijh.v2i2.2903.

[4] DiNicolantonio, J. J., & O’Keefe, J. H. (2017). Good Fats versus Bad Fats: A Comparison of Fatty Acids in the Promotion of Insulin Resistance, Inflammation, and Obesity. Missouri medicine, 114(4), 303–307.

[5] Pesta, D. H., & Samuel, V. T. (2014). A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats. Nutrition & metabolism, 11(1), 53. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-11-53

[6] Cava, E., Yeat, N. C., & Mittendorfer, B. (2017). Preserving Healthy Muscle during Weight Loss. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 8(3), 511–519. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.116.014506

[7] McKay, N. J., Belous, I. V., & Temple, J. L. (2018). Increasing water intake influences hunger and food preference, but does not reliably suppress energy intake in adults. Physiology & behavior, 194, 15–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.04.024

Susan Chanda is a professional content writer/journalist with over 20 years’ experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from University of South Africa and a diploma in Journalism and Public relations.

Susan has been writing evidence based fitness and health articles since 2016 for Fitness Chat, and is a certified fitness trainer, and diet and nutrition coach.

Fitness Chat is one of the several other websites that Susan owns, or co-owns with her children.

You can read more about Susan here.

'I started small': How walking every day helped this woman lose 50 pounds

Rebecca Thomas began her major weight loss journey with a walk.

In 2010, Thomas, a restaurant owner who was overweight at the time, decided to go outside and explore the trails near her home in Virginia.

“My legs didn’t hurt, I felt like I did something, and more importantly, I felt good, my body felt good and that is what made me want to get back out,” Thomas told NBC News BETTER.

Thomas, 47, also changed her eating habits . She gradually began to lose weight, she says — about three pounds a month. Over time, she lost about 50 pounds.

She says walking helped her realize she could be active without having to be a superstar athlete.

“I was never really an athletic person, but I had this self concept that is just wrong,” she says, “which is that there are athletic people who can do things and then there’s you, and just because I’m not a competitive athlete does not mean that I can’t be athletic.”

Here’s how Thomas, who authors the popular weight loss series “ Not Another Diet ,” turned her life around through walking.

The Science Why walking is the most underrated form of exercise

She built walking into her day-to-day life.

To make sure she walked every day, Thomas, who lives in Richmond, Virginia, incorporated walking into her daily routine, like walking to the grocery store.

Thomas says she doesn’t track how much she walks or how many calories she burns . For her, walking is about getting outdoors and enjoying where your legs take you.

“It naturally builds on itself,” she says, “as opposed to shoving and pushing yourself into things that you feel marginal about.”

Pro Picks The best walking shoes and sneakers for women, according to these experts

She asked herself: 'what can i do today'.

When you’ve been sedentary for a long time, the idea of signing up for a big race, or an intense gym class can be overwhelming, says Thomas.

“It’s just too big of a leap to all of a sudden throw yourself into an exercise regimen,” she says.

Instead of committing to a gym, she committed to a promise: every day, she would do some kind of physical activity, whether going for a walk or riding her bike .

I started small. It’s completely fine to start small. Honor your body where it is right now.

Rebecca Thomas

On days when she felt good, she would push herself to go a little further.

“And on the days I wasn’t feeling great, I had to fulfill the minimum, and that’s still my promise, that’s still what I do,” she says.

After she began to lose weight, her walking routine slowly evolved into running. Eventually, she ran her first 5K .

“There was a point where I was out walking and thought I would like to run and so I did,” she says.

She made the gym supplementary

Thomas doesn’t dismiss the gym, but says it serves as a supplement to her walking and running regimen.

“There are days when it’s just not feasible for me to get out on the trail due to weather, or I need to do a shorter burst of something, or I need to lift weights , and so that’s a gym day,” she says.

She ditched the notion of "exercise clothes"

Walking doesn’t require expensive gym outfits, says Thomas, so she wears whatever is comfortable.

“Feeling the need to be dressed a certain way in order to exercise only puts more obstacles for yourself,” she explains. “It’s just one more hassle to talk you out of what your body naturally wants to do, which is go outside, enjoy the trees, and take a walk .”

She was kind to herself

Being kind to yourself means becoming active regardless of what others think of you, Thomas says, and not limiting yourself.

“Being kind to yourself is getting up and trying and just not shoving yourself forward, and not artificially limiting yourself either,” she says.

How She Did It The '50 percent rule' helped this woman lose 60 pounds (and keep it off)

How to get started.

If you are overweight and have been sedentary for a long time, Thomas advises starting small and building up your walking routine in increments.

“Walk around the block one time, and then the next day, walk around the block two times,” she says.

She adds: “I started small. It’s completely fine to start small. Honor your body where it is right now.”

Lastly, Thomas says not to dismiss walking as a “lowly form of exercise.”

“Walking has the power to get you somewhere both literally [and] to allow you to take leaps in your mind about what is possible for you and your body,” says Thomas.

The Highs and Lows of Oprah Winfrey's 50-Year Weight Loss Journey

One of our favorite things through the years has been oprah winfrey's honesty about her own weight loss journey..

Among the many things Oprah Winfrey is the queen of— talk shows , interviews , book clubs , favorite things —she has also been a leading voice in the weight loss space .

Not because she has all the answers, as she'd be first to admit.

But because the 70-year-old billionaire has been talking about her own fluctuating weight for as long as she's been in the public eye.

From rolling out a wagon loaded with 67 pounds of jiggly fat to wow her Oprah Winfrey Show audience in 1988, to buying a stake in WeightWatchers in 2015 and hosting a March 18 primetime special examining where society's at when it comes to this ever-relatable yet still taboo subject , Winfrey has used her platform to keep the conversation going.

While sometimes the discourse has been as benign as Winfrey declaring her unabashed love of bread , she has also ventured into some dark places. And most recently, she took on the topic du jour .

"In my lifetime I never dreamed we would be talking about medicines that would be providing hope to people, like me, who have struggled for years with being overweight or with obesity," she said on An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution , addressing the increasing popularity of weight loss drugs such as Ozempic . "I come to this conversation with the hope that we can start releasing the stigma and the shame and the judgment—to stop shaming other people for being overweight or how they choose to lose or not lose weight—and more importantly to stop shaming ourselves."

As her loyal fandom knows, she speaks from experience.

"I still hate myself because of my weight," Winfrey said on her eponymous show in 1986. In a later sit-down, she described her defeatist mindset: "All the fame and the success doesn't mean anything if you can't fit into the clothes. If you can't fit into your clothes, it means the fat won. It means you didn't win."

Along the way she tried seemingly every fad diet before ultimately zeroing in on her complicated relationship with food.

"I've never liked the term 'food addict,'" Winfrey said on her show in 2010, noting that she had referred to herself that way "casually" over the years. "But I realize that I really have been one. And believe me, I—like so many of you—have punished myself for that. But I know that I'm not alone, and I know that the battle hasn't ended."

A battle she acknowledged she'd been fighting every day of her life, often in public with an audience of millions wondering which size jeans she'd turn up in next, but also privately, cloaked in self-loathing because she thought she'd failed.

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Oprah Winfrey shares the 'greatest' lesson she learned after filming Ozempic special

Oprah Winfrey is sharing some of the powerful lessons she learned after hosting a TV special on Monday night about obesity and the growing popularity of weight-loss drugs.

Appearing on CNN's "King Charles" alongside co-hosts Gayle King and Charles Barkley, Winfrey got candid about some of the more surprising moments during the ABC News special, titled "An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution."

The "greatest reward" from doing the special, she said, was learning how weight stigma impacts men, as well.

"It’s interesting to me because, being a woman all these years and having suffered myself up and down yo-yoing, I never think about the men, because I always thought men were treated differently," Winfrey explained. "I always thought ... if you’re 100 pounds overweight and you’re a guy, you’re not going to be ostracized in the same way (as) ... women being overweight 100 pounds."

"So, to hear from so many men who also feel a sense of freedom and liberation to now make a choice that they feel is healthier for them has been the most rewarding for me," she added.

An expert on the special also taught Winfrey a metaphor that helped her better understand how obesity is a disease that makes people gain weight and requires medical treatment — something she struggled with until she started taking a weight-loss medication.

"When the doctor said on (the special) that (obesity is) like holding your breath underwater and trying not to rise, to me, that is the greatest metaphor," Winfrey said.

"All these years, I realized that’s what I have been doing. You go on the diet, you’re trying not to rise, and then you rise again, and you can’t even understand why. And before you know it, you’re 10 pounds, 20 pounds, 30 pounds. And all of us (who have obesity) have done this."

"You have your limit. ... I’m not going to go over a certain number. Then you go over that number. Then you say, I’m not going to go over 5 pounds over that. And ... you’re always going to go back because if you have the propensity for it, if you carry the marker for it, that’s what’s going to happen in your body."

Winfrey also gave a glimpse at why she ultimately decided to start using a weight-loss medication: "I couldn’t work out anymore. I can’t climb any faster or run any faster. I was down to eating one meal a day. There’s nothing else I can do."

“If you feel like being in a bigger body is great, and you don’t want to do anything about that, and you feel fine, that is beautiful. I really admire people who really believe that," she continued. "Whatever works for you. One of the reasons I wanted to do (the special) is (to) let people make their own choices for their health and well-being."

Oprah TV's special on weight-loss drugs

Winfrey's prime-time special, “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution,” aired March 18 and was recorded in front of a live audience in a studio that looked similar to the set she used for “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which ended in 2011 .

“Let’s stop the shaming and blaming,” Winfrey, 70, said as she talked about the obesity epidemic with patients and doctors. “The one thing I hope people come away with is knowing that it’s a disease and it’s in the brain.”

About 42% of Americans have obesity, which can lead to heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

The special examined how the anti-obesity drugs could stop the epidemic and improve the health of this population, not just change the number on the scale. But there’s also concern about the drugs’ side effects, cost and weight regain after people stop taking them.

Toward the end of the one-hour program, Winfrey got emotional when she recalled how she used to think of herself and her weight for most of her life, before she understood that obesity is a disease.

"You no longer blame yourself," she explained. "When I tell you how many times I have blamed myself because you think, 'I'm smart enough to figure this out,' and then to hear all along, it's you fighting your brain."

She also recalled how she "starved" herself for five months before bringing out the infamous wagon of fat on her talk show in 1988.

"After losing 67 pounds on liquid diet, the next day, the very next day, I started to gain it back," Winfrey said.

But now, Winfrey said she's learned so much about the shame and stigma that come with having obesity, and how she wants to fight it.

"All these years, I thought all of the people who never had to diet were just using their willpower and they were for some reason stronger than me," she said.

"But now I realize y'all weren't even thinking about the food," she quipped. "It's not that you had the willpower. You weren't even thinking about it. You weren't obsessing about it."

The media mogul confirmed in December 2023 that she’s taking a weight-loss medication , though she didn’t specify which one.

Winfrey, who has appeared visibly slimmer in recent months, has said she’s also eating a healthy diet and exercising, including hiking 3 to 5 miles a day or running.

Oprah's weight loss journey

Winfrey, who has been open about her own struggle with excess weight for decades, calls it "a very personal topic for me."

In 2023, the former talk show host said she once thought taking a weight-loss drug would be “the easy way out.” But she changed her mind after hosting a panel discussion with obesity physicians and realizing she has a predisposition for being overweight “that no amount of willpower is going to control,” she noted.

Like other patients taking a weight-loss drug, she found the medication quiets constant thoughts about eating, a phenomenon known as food noise .

“For the people who think that this could be the relief and support and freedom that you’ve been looking for your whole life, bless you because there’s space for all points of view,” Winfrey said during the program.

As she approached her 70th birthday, her No. 1 concern was her health, Winfrey told People in December 2023.

“The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for," she said.

"I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself."

How weight-loss drugs work

Ozempic and Mounjaro are Type 2 diabetes treatments that come with weight-loss as a side effect. Many people have been using them off-label for that purpose.

That led to versions of those medications — Wegovy and Zepbound — which are specifically approved for the treatment of obesity.

The drugs work by mimicking the hormones the body releases when a person eats food, as TODAY.com previously reported . People have reduced appetite, and when they do eat, they feel full sooner.

Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, targets one hormone, known as GLP-1.

Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound, targets two different hormones, GIP and GLP-1, which can lead to even greater weight loss, research shows.

Patients can expect to lose about 15% to 20% of their body weight, based on results from clinical trials funded by the pharmaceutical companies. But the treatments come with side effects , most commonly nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain. Much more serious side effects including pancreatitis are also possible.

People self-inject the drugs once a week and have to keep taking them to maintain weight loss.

They’re expensive without insurance — more than $1,000 per month. Weight-loss drugs are not covered by Medicare and often not covered by commercial health insurance.

How to stream Oprah’s special on Ozempic and other weight loss drugs

Winfrey’s new TV special on obesity and weight-loss drugs, titled “Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution,” is available to stream on Hulu.

A. Pawlowski is a TODAY health reporter focusing on health news and features. Previously, she was a writer, producer and editor at CNN.

24 Motivational Quotes To Help You Push Through The Tough Days On Your Weight Loss Journey

There's one for whatever you're going through right now.

healthy woman doing some stretching workout outdoors

But why does that happen? Hitting a plateau while trying to lose weight is totally normal and inevitable, says Kate Lemere , the chief trainer at Barry’s Chicago. “Our energy expenditure naturally decreases as we lose weight due to physiological changes such as hormonal changes and body composition,” she explains. Subconsciously, you move less as this happens. At times like these, Lemere recommends creating a new caloric deficit or making changes to your training program .

Whether you are fatigued by your workouts, crave your favorite junk food, have a big fitness challenge ahead, or just need some serious self-love, there are words for every hurdle you run into. Here, a roundup of 24 motivational quotes from celebrities, Olympic athletes, personal trainers, and fitness influencers for when you need that extra push in life. They can apply to any big goal.

When you get down on yourself…

"I think no matter what you look like, the key is to, first of all, be happy with yourself. And then you know if you want to try to improve things that you don't like about yourself, then do it after you appreciate yourself." —Adele to Mirror

When you feel like you're not making progress…

“Even if you have to crawl towards your goals, keep going x it will be worth it. Try and give a little bit of effort each day. I know some days are frustrating as hell, you feel like giving up, you get annoyed at the lack of progress...but good things are coming your way.” — Rebel Wilson on Instagram

When you really don’t feel like going to the gym…

“You know what, there are days I go, ‘I can’t’ and ‘I don’t want to,’ and I think you just have to listen to your body. So sometimes you just don’t work out. And then there are times when you go, ‘Really? Do you really not want to?’ And then if you just say, ‘OK, I’m going to get on some machine for 10 minutes,’ you just start to get the endorphins going. Then you feel great, and you just keep going. So sometimes you can actually override the ‘I don’t want to work out.” —Jennifer Aniston to WH

When you're frustrated about not seeing changes...

“I promise to stop analyzing every angle and every curve and every pound and every meal. I’m going to keep staying the path because it is a journey and as long as I’m always working towards my goals, one day I’ll reach them.” —Carrie Underwood on Instagram

When you just don't have it in you to eat healthy…

“If you’ve lost your motivation don’t beat yourself up about it, negative thoughts only turn into negative realities. By keeping positive about your body, your inner health, your mental sanity, your fitness, and what you’re trying to achieve, you’re way more likely to succeed.” —Khloe Kardashian on Instagram

When you question if you are actually getting somewhere…

“One of the greatest moments in life is realizing that two weeks ago, your body couldn’t do what it just did.” —Katrina Scott and Karena Dawn, founders of Tone It Up

When you feel like working out is, well, work...

“Exercise is a blessing. Not a chore.” —Kayla Itsines, personal trainer, author, and entrepreneur, on her blog

When you fall into the comparison trap…

“Have confidence! At the end of the day, you need to be your biggest cheerleader and believe in yourself. It is definitely a challenge and doesn’t happen overnight, but confidence can be learned–fake it ‘til you make it!” —Venus Williams, professional tennis player, to Forbes

When you feel like you’re failing…

“Excellence is the result of a journey, a journey taken by a committed individual, who begins the trip knowing her path will include a thousand failures. But the only real failure is the failure to get back up.” —Lindsey Vonn, former Olympic skier, in a video for the Lindsey Vonn Foundation

When you forget why you are doing this…

“One step at a time. One round at a time. Know your why. It’s really just one step at a time. Whether that’s a race or in real life. You just have to know your why.” —Allyson Felix, Olympic track and field athlete, on Instagram

When you beat yourself up about indulging a little or taking a break…

“It's not about perfect. It's about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that's where transformation happens.” —Jillian Michaels in her book Slim for Life: My Insider Secrets to Simple, Fast, and Lasting Weight Loss

When you feel weak...

“You just gotta keep going and fighting for everything, and one day you’ll get to where you want.” —Naomi Osaka, professional tennis player, to Teen Vogue

When you still don't see results…

“Getting healthy is not a two-week process, it's a change of lifestyle." —Kate Hudson to Shape

When you tell yourself you can't do it…

“That wall is your mind playing tricks on you. You just need to say ‘One more step, I can do this. I have more in me.’ You’ll be so proud of yourself once you push past your threshold.” —Kerri Walsh Jennings, Olympic beach volleyball player, to Health

When you don’t think you can hold one more plank or lift one more time...

“If you think you’re done, you always have at least 40 percent more.” —Lauren Crandall, Olympic field hockey player, to WH

When you start to lose faith in yourself…

"I feel if in your mind you can do it, you can do it. You cannot doubt yourself. Doubt is a killer.” —Jennifer Lopez to Glamour

When life is getting in the way...

“Prioritize movement and your health as no dream cleanse or pill will ever be a long-term solution. It isn’t selfish to put wellness-related time first—commit to yourself and know that it’s important to honor your body.” —Tracy Anderson, celebrity personal trainer, to Olivia Palermo 's blog

When you need a push to work out...

“The 30 minutes of exercise you put in during the day, will give you an hour more of energy later in the day.” —Harley Pasternak, celebrity personal trainer, in his book Harley's 5-Factor Workout

When you just want to give up…

“It’s okay to struggle, but it’s not okay to give up on yourself or your dreams.” —Gabriele Grunewald, professional middle-distance runner, for Brooks Running

When you need a reminder to treat yourself well…

“It’s not about perfection. It’s about purpose. We have to care about our bodies and what we put in them. Women have to take the time to focus on our mental health—take time for self, for the spiritual, without feeling guilty or selfish. The world will see you the way you see you, and treat you the way you treat yourself.” —Beyoncé to Elle

Ashley Martens is a wellness writer based in Chicago. With a lifelong passion for all things health and wellness, Ashley enjoys writing about topics to help people live happier and healthier lives. With a foundation in fitness, food, and nutrition, Ashley covers it all including sexual health and travel topics. Ashley is also a NASM-certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor.

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Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond's Weight Loss Journey: 10 Steps She Took To Lose Almost 60 Lbs. In One Year

Ree Drummond, 55, shared new details about how her weight loss journey is going in 2024.
The Pioneer Woman lost almost 60 pounds back in 2021 by following 10 specific strategies.
Ree has denied using medications like Ozempic or Wegovy .

Ree Drummond, a.k.a. "The Pioneer Woman," has been open about losing 60 pounds back in 2021. Now, she’s back to share more details about her weight loss journey—including the fact that she didn’t use medications like Ozempic or Wegovy .

In an update to her original weight loss blog post , the chef clarified that she didn't even realize that semaglutides existed during her experience. But Ree also made it clear that she doesn’t judge people who use the medications.

"I know they have been an absolute godsend for so many people," she wrote. "I have friends who've experienced incredible results."

This isn't the first time that Ree has spoken up about her experience losing weight. She told Entertainment Tonight back in 2021 that she had been thinking about getting in shape for a while, and began her health journey after she “basically hit rock bottom eating chips and salsa one night.”

“I went a little overboard, but I thought that night, 'I am going to start tomorrow, I am doing something different.' And I just started and I almost lost 60 pounds now,” she said.

For Ree, it wasn't just about the number on the scale. "I feel great and that's what matters," she explained to the outlet. "The scale was sort of a gauge for me that I was heading in the right direction. And it was never about I have to lose this amount, it's really about how I feel.”

Ree, now 55, shared last year that her biggest takeaway was to try not to waste calories, which she admits she doesn’t “always adhere to” these days. The cooking show host said she’d typically ask herself what would serve her body best before deciding what to eat.

“I could eat a plate of delicious food with different elements and colors and flavors, or I could eat a donut,” she told Today in Oct. 2023. She joked that sometimes, she’ll still opt for the donut, “but it’s just a good thing to have in mind,” she explained.

Since losing the weight, Ree has given her followers insight on all the diet and lifestyle changes she made at the time that she still follows today. Here are the 10 tips and tricks that helped Ree lose weight, build muscle, and see real results.

1. Ree maintained a calorie deficit.

Ree was honest when she told her readers that diets like Keto and intermittent fasting didn't work for her. Instead, she maintained a calorie deficit, meaning "I expended more calories (through exercise and just basic daily activity) than my body required to maintain my then-weight."

Ree said she used an online calculator to get a rough estimate of her daily calorie count and tried to undershoot it each day. "I'd completely lost track of the calories I was consuming on a daily basis, so it was very helpful to get a handle on what I was looking at," she wrote on her website .

This all helped Ree get a better idea of how much food her body needs. "Today," she writes, "I'm eating all the foods I love, but my body is satisfied with much less of it."

2. She weighed her food.

Ree also used a digital food scale to weigh everything she ate. "It really woke me up to the portions I had grown accustomed to eating!" she wrote. As she lost more weight and had a better idea of what portion sizes looked like, Ree stopped relying on the scale.

"I still ate good food," she said. "I just ate less of it, and I valued the calories more and made sure I ate things that offered more nutritional bang for the buck."

Looking back, Ree realized that her dedication in the beginning helped set the tone for the rest of her weight loss journey. "I was glad I'd been so strict for that first stage, because it wound up being a nice crash course that equipped me going forward. Starting out with that discipline actually allowed me more freedom later in the process," she explains.

3. She incorporated exercise into her daily routine.

Ree also said she made exercise part of her day-to-day. "I learned that making time each day to exercise simply had to be done," she wrote. She stopped letting her busy schedule get in the way and instead focused on small moments in her day when she could exercise, like walking her dogs.

"During the past few months, I just chose to be late on a deadline or put off work until the next day so that exercise could happen. It was a simple shift in mindset, but it was important!" she said.

Her favorite ways to get moving? Walking, using a rowing machine, and Pilates. "I exercised 6 days a week," she said. "Sometimes twice a day (morning walk, evening rowing machine), sometimes just once."

4. Ree focused her workouts on strength training.

One of Ree's fitness goals included muscles, so she started building strength training into her workout routine. Ladd (her husband) helped her come up with a rotation of exercises that targeted Ree's legs and butt.

"I had zero strength in my lower body and my legs trembled and gave out," she said. "And I couldn't walk for the first few days!" But now, after lunging, squatting, and deadlifting for four days a week, Ree is seeing real improvement.

"It feels good (as someone who isn't a spring chicken) to actually see and feel new muscles in my bod," she said.

Now, Ree says discovering strength training was one of the most important changes she made. "I can't emphasize this enough: Building muscle—not just the smaller muscles in your arms, but the larger muscles in your legs and butt—will turbo charge your weight loss like nothing else and set you up for more success," she shares.

5. Ree added more protein into her diet.

Once she was comfortable with her calorie deficit, Ree also started tracking how much protein she was eating. "Turns out that on a typical day, I had been landing at around 15% to 20% of my calories from protein...so I pivoted and steered my eating so that I was around 30% to 40% protein," she wrote.

Some of her favorite new high-protein foods are low fat plain Greek yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, lean meats, fish, egg whites, and almonds.

6. The cookbook author also ate less sugar.

Ree wanted to get the most out of the foods she was eating. "Most days, I made choices that didn't involve a lot of sugar," she said. "Over time, it really resulted in quite a reduction of wasted calories."

She still treated herself to a slice of cake every once in a while, "but the piece of cake was the size of Rhode Island instead of Texas."

"Now, a year later, I eat pretty much all the foods I love, with two big differences: First, my portions are much more reasonable. Second, I do still pay attention to the daily proportions I'm devoting to both high protein foods and foods with wasted calories," Ree shares.

She goes on to explain: "'If I am eating X calories today, do I want to blow 300 of those calories on a doughnut? Or do I instead want to spend 50 of them on a piece of good dark chocolate to get my fix, then keep eating things with more nutritive content?' Months later, I apply that thinking to all sorts of high-sugar, high-carb foods that don't have any nutritional value."

7. Ree completely cut out alcohol.

That's right: Ree went dry. She lists a few reasons for going booze-free. Alcohol is a bunch of empty calories, she reasoned and Ree wanted to give her body a break from drinking while she ramped up her daily exercise.

"Bottom line, I didn't drink a sip of alcohol for over four months," she said. Now, she still drinks occasionally, but she steers clear of high-calorie cocktails.

"I avoided (and still avoid) anything that's sugary or otherwise really caloric. Off limits are frozen drinks such as daiquiris and margaritas, and sweet cocktails that include syrups and lots of fruit juice," Ree writes now.

"That said, lemon and lime juice are my friend when it comes to booze, and my two favorite drinks are Ranch Water (clear tequila, lime juice, and sparkling water over ice) and White Wine Spritzer (small amount of cold white wine, sparkling water, and lemon slices.)," she adds.

8. She used an app to track her progress.

Ree also used Happy Scale, a weight-loss-tracking app that shows you your progress toward your goal weight. "It doesn't tell you how to lose weight, and it doesn't track calories, exercise, or anything other than your daily weigh-in," she said.

She says Happy Scale was a big part of her motivation. "It's not ideal if you just want to lose five or ten pounds, but since I had a larger target to hit, it was the right kind of tool for me," she wrote.

Today, Ree still steps on the scale daily. "My decision to weigh myself every day is not about fixating over every pound and ounce. I've just found that when excess weight has crept on through the years, it has happened when I've chosen not to weigh myself," she writes. She still swears by Happy Scale, though: "It's good to see the trends over time!"

9. Ree switched to a standing desk.

As part of her plan to make exercise part of her daily routine, Ree set up a standing desk . "The sheer amount of time I had to be on the computer at my desk was shocking," she said. "I knew that would translate to a lot of sitting, so I dragged an old standing desk out of our mud room and stuck it squarely in our living room."

She says the desk helped remind her to take more breaks and move around throughout the day. "It made a huge difference," she said. Fun fact: Ree was writing another cookbook while losing the weight.

10. She wanted to continue her new lifestyle changes.

Back in 2022, Ree said her journey wouldn't be ending any time soon. "I'll keep weighing in every day to have all the information I need going forward, but the number isn't what I'm paying attention to now," she said at the time.

In her reflection, Ree adds that "after the experience of the past year, I feel better. I have more energy. I'm more motivated to take on projects and put things on the ol' calendar. Feeling good bleeds over into all aspects of my life. And that has changed my outlook. But to come full circle...it hasn't changed my life itself," she says.

How is her weight loss going in 2024?

In March 2024, Ree updated her original blog post to address allegations that she used weight loss medications on her journey. “I did not take Ozempic, Wegovy, or similar medications,” she wrote.

But, Ree made it clear that she's supportive of people using semaglutides. “I support anyone who has success using the above medications," she said. "I know they have been an absolute godsend for so many people; I have friends who've experienced incredible results."

The Oklahoma native noted that she “simply didn't know those drugs existed” when she began her weight loss journey—but, if she had, Ree said she “might have been tempted to try them."

Since she hit her target weight back in 2021, Ree admitted she's “gained a few pounds up and down,” but she still hasn’t chosen to use weight loss medications.

“But you'll never hear a second of judgment from me about people who choose that direction,” she added.

(FWIW: Ree also denied using “weight loss gummies” or supplements after false articles and adds circulated on Facebook that suggested she was selling and using keto gummies, CBD gummies, and weight loss gummies.)

Years later, Ree said she still tries to exercise regularly and add more protein and veggies into her diet, per Today.

Finding herself constantly surrounded by food can be tricky, but Ree said has made it a point to not restrict herself too much, or put too much pressure on gym time.

“I think what I’ve done over the past two years is knowing that I don’t want to push things away or say no to foods. I upped my movement a bit. I take a couple walks with the dogs each week. I make sure to get on the rowing machine at least once a day,” she explained in the interview. (BTW, she said the rowing machine was her "favorite machine" to use for toning and building muscle.)

Her biggest piece of advice? "Just move a little more and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be that good.”

Try 200+ at home workout videos from Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Prevention, and more on All Out Studio free for 14 days!

Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, lost almost 60 pounds in one year. She shared the 10 strategies that helped her during her weight loss journey and today.

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How to Watch Oprah’s Weight Loss Special Online

By Anna Tingley

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oprah winfrey weight loss special how to watch online

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Following her exit from the board of WeightWatchers, Oprah Winfrey has set an hour-long ABC primetime special about weight loss drugs. The special, titled “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution,” will air on ABC on Monday, Mar. 18 and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu .

Oprah recorded the special in front of a live studio audience and gathers medical experts to discuss weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy. The medical experts featured in the primetime special are Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. W. Scott Butsch, ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Dr. Amanda Velazquez. Oprah also will interview patients from around the country who used weight loss medications. Questions addressed in the special include: Who are the medications really intended for? Who is eligible to receive weight loss drugs? What are the short-term and long-term side effects?

News of the primetime special came shortly after Oprah announced she was stepping down from the board of WeightWatchers after almost 10 years because she had used weight loss drugs. She had served on the company’s board since 2015, when she acquired a 10% stake in WeightWatchers.

“An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution” will air on ABC on March 18 and will stream on Hulu on March 19.

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1000-lb sisters' tammy slaton reveals favorite kind of meat amid weight loss transformation.

1000-Lb Sisters star Tammy Slaton's been slammed for cheating on her diet in the past. She reveals how she's taking her weight loss journey seriously.

Tammy Slaton is sharing weight loss secrets, including her favorite meats like chicken and hamburger for healthier eating habits.
Tammy's diet journey involves swapping between meats like steak and pork chops, along with recently adding more seafood like scallops.
Despite past struggles with food addiction and yo-yo dieting, Tammy is now committed to her diet and enjoys engaging with fans for advice.

Tammy Slaton from 1000-Lb Sisters revealed one of her weight loss secrets as she shows off her incredible makeover. Tammy has struggled with food addiction for years. Tammy started using her favorite snacks as a source of comfort during the lowest moments of her life. However, Tammy knew she had to take charge of her caloric intake to lose weight, which she did, and underwent bariatric surgery to lose over 440 pounds after her rehab stint. Although Tammy is known to stray , the reality TV star seems to have gotten her health back on track in 2024.

1000-Lb Sisters star Tammy revealed what kind of meat she likes the most as she inches towards her weight loss goals.

A fan reached out to Tammy on TikTok to tell her that she was “ so pretty .”

The fan proceeded to ask Tammy about her favorite kind of meat , and she recorded herself in total darkness except for the light from the phone falling on her face. Tammy replied, “ I don’t want to say I prefer steak. I eat more chicken. ” Tammy added that she also likes ground hamburger. She also doesn’t mind her steak and pork chops being mixed.

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Tammy slaton's diet journey explained, tammy slaton wants fans to ask about her diet.

Tammy explained that if she happens to observe herself overeating chicken and hamburgers, then she prefers steak or pork chops. Lately, Tammy has also gotten into eating more seafood . She suggested that her followers try scallops. Tammy noted that the texture of the scallops made her feel like she was biting down on a steak. Tammy revealed that she likes her steak medium well. She doesn’t like it to be too pink or too well done because that makes it “ kind of chewy. ” Tammy doesn’t like it when her steak is hard to bite into. “ Well done, or medium, ” she continued.

“If anybody else has any questions or what, my favorite foods are at the moment or whatever. Please, feel free to comment and ask.”

Tammy has been encouraging her fans to talk to her regarding her diet. Tammy has drastically changed her eating habits since 2020 , which has aided her weight loss progress. Back then, removing soda from their diet was very challenging for Tammy and her sister Amy Slaton. Tammy also struggled to stop herself from eating fried food. Her yo-yo dieting was also harming her as she lost 60 pounds in rehab and gained 15 after coming home.

Tammy was spotted cheating on her diet in April 2023 as she was at a local McDonald's even after undergoing bariatric surgery. She was enjoying a smoke and a hamburger. Tammy used to drink over 13 cans of “ sodies ” in a day but now prefers drinking water. She is aware of the hard work she has put into losing weight and ultimately surpassing her goal. The 1000-Lb Sisters star seems to be sticking to her diet for now, which gives her the confidence to talk about it openly with her followers and for them to treat it like dietary and wellness advice.

1000-Lb Sisters is available to stream on MAX and Discovery Plus.

Source: Tammy Slaton /TikTok

1000-LB Sisters

1000-lb Sisters follows sisters Amy Salton-Halterman and Tammy Slaton in their home in Dixon, Kentucky, covering their daily lives, weight loss attempts, and subsequent weight loss surgery. The show covers such moments as attempts to have children, medical visits, and dramatic emergency room visitations. The family wrestles with supporting their daughters and their weight loss efforts while struggling with their own life troubles.

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Tammy Slaton from 1000-Lb Sisters revealed one of her weight loss secrets as she shows off her incredible makeover. Tammy has struggled with food addiction for years. Tammy started using her favorite snacks as a source of comfort during the lowest moments of her life. However, Tammy knew she had to take charge of her caloric intake to lose weight, which she did, and underwent bariatric surgery ...
3 TIPS ON HOW TO START YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY| Down 100 ...
Hello Beautiful People, wanted to revisit this topic again!!! Here are three simple tips to get you all started!! Don't over complicate take it one day at a ...