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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.

Weight Loss

How to start your journey to lose weight.

• Published March 22, 2021
• 10 minute read

In This Article

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

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How to start a weight loss journey — and stick with it

Ask your friends and family what their goals are for the summer and I’m sure you will hear a lot of this: “I am going to eat healthier,” “I’m going to eat more vegetables,” “I’m going to lose the quarantine 15 .”

It's probably not the first time they've had those goals and, after many attempts at dieting , you’d think it would be easier to get started. In reality, though, the contrary is usually true. Beginning a weight-loss journey, especially when you’ve had multiple failures in the past, can be overwhelming — and even flat-out daunting, but it can be done!

How to start losing weight — even if you've tried before

Here are five tips to help get you eat better this summer and beyond:

1. Look into your past

Most of us have a diet history. We know what works and doesn’t work. Perhaps you jumped on the keto bandwagon in 2019 only to fall off hard. Because, well, you just l-o-v-e your sourdough. You know if you’re a carbs-in-the-morning or a skip-breakfast-altogether person. Don’t attempt to make changes that you know won’t match your lifestyle and preferences. Be realistic about who you are.

In other words, if breakfast is your favorite meal of the day and you know you overeat later in the day when you skip it, intermittent fasting probably isn’t the best way to go for you.

If an afternoon snack is what you need to get you through your evening workout, then trying to stop all snacking isn’t the best route to take. Instead, come up with three or four healthy on-the-go snacks you can put into rotation.

Health & Wellness 7 reasons why now is a good time to start a diet

2. don’t give yourself a deadline.

It’s the journey that counts right? I’m all for goals, but when you give yourself a specific date to reach a goal , it often sets you up to fail for a couple of reasons.

One, if you don’t see progress being made fast enough, you may say, “Scrap this plan!” — even though you’ve actually made excellent progress.

Second, the stress of the date may work against you. Setting a deadline may only put extra pressure on you and cause your stress hormones to actually start working against you and your weight-loss goal. Instead, stay calm and healthy on.

Enjoy the life that you’re living and enjoy being in the best health and at the the best weight you can be, even if that means being off a certain weight goal by a couple of pounds. Remember patience and consistency are key, and enjoy the process of reaching better health each day.

Health & Wellness Walking to lose weight: Does it work?

3. think about your sleep habits and stress levels.

It’s not all about the food. Even if you're focused and eating “perfectly,” other lifestyle factors may be working against you. Sleep and stress are two pillars of a nutritious life that I discuss regularly.

The good part is that if you’re not managing these well, making a few necessary changes can show up on the scale. Create a new sleep routine and stick to it. It’s just as important as diet!

Look for a daily activity to reduce stress .

Health & Wellness How your ‘killer headache’ can tell you something about your body

4. work on one change at a time.

Think about a not-so-great habit you have, that you do daily. Is it adding sugar to your coffee? Going for afternoon chocolate as a pick me up? Whatever it is, change it up with a new healthier alternative. You don’t necessarily need to start pounding healthy wellness shots that have become quite the rage, sometimes, the smallest changes make the biggest impact.

A change as simple as swapping out the syrup from a daily coffee saves you 80 calories, and 20 grams of sugar, each and every day!

Since it is only one change, it won’t be so overwhelming to adjust, and since it is something you do daily, that one improvement may have a great impact.

5. Reward yourself

Be good to you! Celebrate small goals with small rewards — and they don't have to involve food. Skipped soda all week? Feel good about that and reward yourself with a manicure.

Sometimes these rewards are enough to push us forward and up the motivation.

For more tips on how to live a nutritious life, follow Keri on Instagram @nutritiouslifeofficial

Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN, is a renowned nutritionist, healthy cooking expert and wellness thought-leader. She is the founder and CEO of Nutritious Life , a lifestyle and media company devoted to helping individuals discover and live their most nutritious (and happiest!) lives. Follow Keri on Instagram @nutritiouslifeofficial .

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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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How To Kickstart Your Weight Loss Journey

It doesn't take much to start your weight loss journey.

Every weight loss journey is a personal one. Because a lot of information is available for beginning the path to weight loss, it can take a lot of work to figure out how to get going. Still, there are ways to ease yourself into losing weight, like changing what and how you eat and getting better sleep . 

However, weight and body mass index (BMI) are not always accurate indicators of overall weight. For example, BMI does not consider body composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age. Likewise, there is no "normal" body weight, and certain foods and behaviors are not "good" and "bad." 

Consult a healthcare provider if you plan on starting a weight loss journey. For example, a registered dietitian nutritionist can help ensure you get enough nutrients and offer tips that fit your needs . Also, if you have a history of disordered eating, talk to a mental healthcare provider before changing your eating patterns.

Weight and Health

Research has found no singular, universal diet for weight loss. Instead, weight loss depends on each person's unique goals and needs. Also, the best diet is one that you can maintain for long periods.

Therefore, setting realistic goals is key before kickstarting a weight loss journey. Generally, weight loss depends on the amount and type of food you eat and when you eat your meals. From there, some evidence suggests that your personal goals should fulfill your nutritional needs, be safe and effective, culturally acceptable, and be inexpensive.

Consulting a healthcare provider may help you figure out your personal goals. For example, a healthcare provider can identify areas you can improve. For example, if you eat out several times per week, you might limit eating out to every Friday. Or, if you find yourself eating for emotional reasons, a healthcare provider can help you adopt other coping skills.

After identifying those areas and making changes, keeping track of your habits helps monitor and maintain your weight loss journey. Then, regularly check in with a healthcare provider to update your goals as needed.

Factors That Affect Weight Loss

Several factors may affect your ability to lose weight, like:

• Social determinants of health :  Where you live and work can influence your diet. For example, some communities might have different access to fresh fruits and vegetables than others.
• Health conditions:  Some diseases impact a person's ability to lose weight. For instance, illnesses that cause hormonal changes and insulin resistance can cause obesity. Examples include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Cushing's disease, and diabetes. Also, mental health conditions that impact how you manage stress can also lead to weight gain.
• Medications:  Steroids and antidepressants may cause weight gain.
• Genetics:  In some cases, overweight and obesity run in families. For example, your genes may determine how your body stores fat.

How To Kickstart Weight Loss

There are a few lifestyle changes that you can implement to kickstart your weight loss journey. However, keep in mind that certain foods and behaviors are not "good" or "bad." You can still make room for your favorite indulgences in moderation. 

Fill Your Meals With Vegetables

Adding more vegetables to your diet can help you start losing weight. Vegetables are rich in nutrients like magnesium and vitamin A. Magnesium helps build strong bones, while vitamin A supports your immune system and eyesight.

Vegetables are also low in calories but high in both fiber and water. By making vegetables the main meal staple, you'll eat fewer calories without giving up nutrition. Also, the fiber will add bulk to your meals, satiating your appetite and helping you feel full. 

The amount of vegetables you ought to eat depends on factors like age or activity. A good place to start would be to have at least one to two cups (a cup is the size of a tennis ball) at each meal, including breakfast.

For breakfast, you could scramble a few eggs with the following: 

• Italian seasoning
• Black pepper
• A handful or two of chopped vegetables (e.g., spinach, tomatoes)

You can also enjoy your scramble with a side of fresh fruit. 

Then, at lunch, opt for a salad or include ingredients on a sandwich or wrap, like lettuce or tomato. Add vegetables to grain dishes at dinnertime, such as quinoa with roasted vegetables or whole grain pasta with sautéed broccoli. Or spiralize, chop, or shred vegetables to create fun alternatives like zoodles (zucchini noodles) with pesto or tomato sauce.

Cauliflower rice is another good option. Take four cups of cauliflower florets and chop them using the pulse feature on a food processor until they look like rice grains.

To complete a meal and ensure you're getting essential macronutrients, include a lean protein source, such as salmon, chicken breast, or lentils. Then, add a healthy fat, like avocado, nuts, or seeds.

What Are Healthy Fats?

Healthy fats consist of unsaturated fats in foods from plants and animals, like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Those healthy fats have several health benefits, like:

• Lowers LDL ("bad") cholesterol, which helps protect your heart
• Protects against dry eyes
• Reduces inflammation
• Promotes the functions of your brain and nervous system

Be Mindful of Your Drinks

Opting for certain drinks can lead to weight loss, too. One review published in 2022 in  JAMA Network Open  found that drinking low- and zero-calorie sweetened beverages rather than sugar-sweetened beverages helped lower body weight and fat percentage.

Water is also a great choice since it has benefits beyond helping manage weight. Drinking water keeps you hydrated, protects your spinal cord, and helps your body get rid of waste. You do not have to give up coffee in the morning, but be sure to include a side of water.

Also, if you don't love the taste of water, add flavor by using the following:

• Fresh mint 
• Ginger root
• Mashed berries
• Squeezed lemon, lime, or orange

Consider experimenting with teas, as well. Many teas, like green tea, are rich in antioxidants.

Of note, people can lose water from the body in many ways, like sweating more if they're very active, being sick with a fever, or living at high altitudes or temperatures. Those and other factors (e.g., age, sex) determine if a person should consume more or less water daily. In other words, not everyone will have the same daily water needs.

Snack Throughout the Day

Snacking is a great way to increase nutrition and energy between meals when you are hungry. Aim to choose snacks that contain fiber, fat, and protein. Those snacks will keep you satisfied and provide essential nutrients.

Consider the following snacks, for instance:

• Nuts or seeds along with fruit
• A cup of raw vegetables with hummus or roasted chickpeas
• String cheese or yogurt
• Air-popped popcorn

Although, keep in mind that snacks can be for pleasure, as well. Incorporate some of your favorite indulgences throughout the week.

Get Enough Sleep

Chronic insufficient sleep can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. A lack of sleep may also result in weight gain. 

According to a 2019 study, people who slept for shorter periods had increased hunger, food cravings, food reward, and food intake the next day compared to people who slept longer.

What Is Food Reward?

Food reward concerns how a person measures the short-term value of food (e.g., if they like or dislike it) while they eat it.

Also, some evidence suggests poor sleeping patterns increase snacking on high-carb and high-fat foods.

Generally, quality sleep promotes successful weight loss. Aim to get the quality sleep you need, which is at least seven hours for adults. Engaging in good sleep hygiene , like going to sleep at the same time every night and limiting time spent looking at screens, can also help you get quality sleep.

A Quick Review

It can take a lot of work to start when you want to lose weight. Fortunately, you can do a few things that can help, such as adding more vegetables to your diet and opting for low-calorie drinks or water. Practicing good snacking and sleeping habits can also benefit weight loss efforts. 

If you need help kickstarting your weight loss, consulting a healthcare provider can help. For example, a registered dietitian nutritionist can offer guidance and insight on how to help you lose weight.

Kim JY. Optimal diet strategies for weight loss and weight loss maintenance .  J Obes Metab Syndr . 2021;30(1):20-31. doi:10.7570/jomes20065

Koliaki C, Spinos T, Spinou Μ, et al. Defining the optimal dietary approach for safe, effective and sustainable weight loss in overweight and obese adults .  Healthcare (Basel) . 2018;6(3):73. doi:10.3390/healthcare6030073

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. What a healthy weight loss plan really looks like .

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Factors affecting weight and health .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Causes of obesity .

Freeman AM, Pennings N. Insulin resistance . In:  StatPearls . StatPearls Publishing; 2022.

Office on Dietary Supplements. Magnesium .

Office on Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A .

US Department of Agriculture. Vegetables .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How to use fruits and vegetables to manage your weight .

MedlinePlus. Facts about polyunsaturated fats .

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Choose healthy fats .

McGlynn ND, Khan TA, Wang L, et al. Association of low- and no-calorie sweetened beverages as a replacement for sugar-sweetened beverages with body weight and cardiometabolic risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis . JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(3):e222092. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.2092

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Water and healthier drinks .

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The health benefits of tea .

Yamada Y, Zhang X, Henderson MET, et al. Variation in human water turnover associated with environmental and lifestyle factors .  Science . 2022;378(6622):909-915. doi:10.1126/science.abm8668

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. How much water do you need?

MedlinePlus. Snacks for adults .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sleep for a good cause .

Yang CL, Schnepp J, Tucker R. Increased hunger, food cravings, food reward, and portion size selection after sleep curtailment in women without obesity . Nutrients . 2019;11(3):663. doi:10.3390/nu11030663

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. doi:10.3390/nu14081549

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Are you getting enough sleep?

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• Jan 9, 2022

How to Start Your Weight Loss Journey (+ Free Guide)

Starting a weight loss journey can seem daunting for many. How do you start? How often should you workout? How much cardio do you need to add? What and how much can you eat?

These are all valid questions. That's why today we're sharing our trainn tips on how to start a healthy weight loss journey 👇🏼

#1 Set a realistic weight loss goal 📝

You already know the direction you want your fitness journey to go in, but setting yourself a clear & realistic goal is paramount to success. It will keep you organised in your efforts, make it easier to track your progress & motivate you by how far you're progressing along the way.

How to do it:

Ask yourself a few key questions to determine your goal:

Is there a specific weight, feeling or health condition I am trying to achieve?

Do I have a certain time frame, or do I just want to change my overall lifestyle?

How many times per week do I realistically see myself working out long term?

Which healthy habits would I like to include more of in my life?

Which unhealthy habits would I like to minimise?

#2 Get the right amount of protein 🥜

Protein is an incredible help for your weight loss journey. It helps keep you full for longer so you snack less on sugary treats, and it maintains and builds up your muscles so you're burning fat, not muscle. Proteins will help repair muscle tissue after every workout and build them stronger for the next session . It's ideal to spread out your protein intake throughout the day instead of having it all in 1 or 2 meals. There's only so much protein our body can absorb in one sitting.

For each of your 3 main meals, aim to get in 15-30g of protein . This could for example be 180g tofu, 200g of cooked chickpeas, 2.5 eggs or 120g chicken or soy mince substitute.

Out of your 3 main meals every day , try to keep 1 of those meals solely protein and veg. This could be a spicy black bean chili, or scrambled tofu. For the other 2 meals be sure to include carbs & healthy fats as well.

💡 Reminder: just because you're trying to lose weight, it doesn't mean your diet should only consist of protein and vegetables - healthy carbs & fats are just as important. Fats keep your brain & hormones healthy, while carbs give you energy for your day (and workouts). Be sure to include carbs & healthy fats in your diet.

#3 Start a realistic workout routine 💪🏼

It’s easy to say to yourself you're going to start doing an hour of cardio everyday, but we all know this isn't realistic in the long run. If you do this, you'll burn yourself out after only a few weeks, and you'll have zero energy or motivation for your life outside the gym.

Therefore, when starting your weight loss journey, set a realistic amount of workouts you're able to maintain long term . Focus most of your workouts around strength training, and add in cardio slowly .

If we don't prioritise strength training during a weight loss journey, we risk our body burning muscle instead of fat. Strength training will also leave you with more overall rewarding results​

Set yourself an amount of workouts per week, you can see yourself maintaining in the long run.

Ideally, aim to start with for 2-4 strength workouts per week and a total of 60-90 mins low intensity cardio per week . For best results, do cardio after your strength workouts or on separate days.

#4 Track your progress 📉

Whichever fitness journey you’re on, tracking your progress is useful. It will help you stay on track and motivate you in the long run.

The 2 best measures of progress for your weight loss journey are taking pictures and weighing yourself (in the morning, before eating) Pictures help us see the changes we don’t notice looking in the mirror every day. Comparing them to your start pictures will motivate you more than you think!

Weighing yourself regularly lets you know if you're losing weight steadily and when it's time to make any changes.

Aim to take pictures before your journey and every 8-10 weeks thereafter; and weigh yourself every few days.

Track your progress daily or weekly. If you notice a few weeks go by without any change in the numbers, make small changes to your nutrition or add in more exercise.

#5 Avoid hitting a plateau ✍🏼

Hitting a plateau is when your progress comes to a standstill – when you haven’t lost weight for a few weeks and you’re not feeling stronger in the gym. You feel like you've hit a stop.

Don't worry, many of us hit a plateau every once in a while. It's completely normal and only means your body has adapted so you need to introduce a few further changes. It is however important to remind yourself that your weight won’t necessarily go down every single week - that’s normal. So don't take any drastic measures after a bad few days or a week.

If 2 or 3 weeks go by with no progress at all, try making simple adjustments like eating more protein, swapping out your snacks, lowering calories slightly, or upping your strength or cardio training. Nothing too drastic.

With a personalised training plan from the trainn app you'll know exactly how to workout each week and see the right amount of progress in your workouts, so you can avoid as much as possible hitting a plateau.

Reminder: as motivating as it is to see your weight go down every day, it's completely normal if a few days (or even a week) goes by without any progress in your weight. It's normal and your body sometimes needs time to adjust. So don't beat yourself up or make any drastic changes after a few "bad days" 😌

#6 Have a healthy approach to food 🌱

It’s no secret that to lose weight you'll need to make a few diet changes. However, it's important to build a diet you can see yourself maintaining in the long run.

As easy as it is to set up strict rules for yourself like "I'll only eat chicken salads from now on" and "I can never eat chocolate or ice cream", this is not sustainable. Avoid falling into the trap of thinking there are good foods and bad foods . Instead, think that there are certain foods you should eat more of (protein, veggies and wholegrain carbs) and other foods you should enjoy in moderation (sugary treats or fried food)

Having a balanced diet with all kinds of food is proven to not only be more relaxed and enjoyable, but also help you maintain your new weight for life.

Let's wrap up - here's what you should do

There can be plenty of changes to make when starting a weight loss journey, which is why a slow and steady approach give you the best results in the long run. To recap here are the initial steps you should go through:

Set yourself a realistic goal

Build in strength training 2-4 times per week

Slowly build up cardio

Include protein with every meal

Include carbs & fats for 2 meals per day

Make minor adjustments if your progress stalls

Keep a routine of tracking your progress

Enjoy food with a healthy mindset and don't set up strict rules for yourself

We have created a FREE 20-week Trainn Guide designed to help you level up your workouts. Every week you'll receive effective workouts, high-protein recipes and healthy habits to live by. Click here to start the 20-week Trainn Guide .

Ready to start chasing your fitness goals? Download the trainn app.

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The 14 Best Weight-Loss Books to Read in 2024

Many people are constantly trying to lose a little weight, and books can be a really helpful resource when you're looking to trim your waistline. The problem is that a lot of books focus solely on how to lose weight or which diet to try instead of thinking of it as a holistic journey.

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Too often, these books focus on weight loss as an aesthetic goal instead of encouraging you to make healthy lifestyle changes that will help you lose weight gradually and really love the body you're in.

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With that in mind, we asked a few experts to recommend the best weight-loss books to read in 2024 that follow the principles of self-love and self-care .

Quick Picks

• ‌ 'Fierce Self-Compassion' by Kristin Neff ‌‌ : ‌ Amazon ($18.29)
• ‌ 'Embody: Learning to Love Your Unique Body' by Connie Sobczak: ‌ Amazon ($16.29)
• ‌ 'The Diet-Free Revolution' by Alexis Conason: ‌ Amazon ($15.95)
• ‌ 'Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep' by Ginger Hultin: ‌ Amazon ($13.07)
• ‌ 'Fast This Way' by Dave Asprey: ‌ Amazon ($17.63)
• ‌ 'The Plant-Based Weight Loss Solution: A 28-Day Plan and Cookbook to Lose Weight the Healthy Way' by Marina Savelyeva, RD, and Viktoria Waite, DTR: ‌ Amazon ($16.99)
• ‌ 'Glucose Revolution' by Jess Inchauspe: ‌ Amazon ($16.99)
• ‌ 'Feeding the Whole Family' by Cynthia Lair: ‌ Amazon ($20.10)
• ‌ 'Thinsanity' by Glenn Mackintosh: ‌ Amazon ($19.99)
• ‌ 'Anti-Diet' by Christy Harrison, RD: ‌ Amazon ($14)
• ‌ 'Embrace You: Your Guide to Transforming Weight Loss Misconceptions Into Lifelong Wellness' by Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie: ‌ Amazon ($20)
• ‌ 'Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat' by Michelle May: ‌ Amazon ($19.95)
• ‌ 'Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow' by ‌Shalane Flanagan and ‌ Elyse Kopecky: ‌ Amazon ($15.99)
• ‌ 'Fit Men Cook: 100+ Meal Prep Recipes for Men and Women' by Kevin Curry: ‌ Amazon ($17.71)

How We Chose

We talked to dietitians and weight-loss experts to find the best books to help you lose weight. We picked books based on the following criteria:

• Quality research
• Qualified expert authors
• Diet effectiveness

For more information on how we choose and cover products, click here .

Best Body-Positivity Books

1. 'fierce self-compassion' by kristin neff.

Fierce Self-Compassion

Learn how self-acceptance can help you lose weight.

• Research-backed information
• Written by a PhD
• Does not include a workbook
• Does not include specific recipes

"The tagline of the book says it all," says Cassie Christopher, RD , a body-positive registered dietitian and founder of the Stress Less Weight Mastery. "It's all about how women can harness kindness to speak up, claim their power and thrive."

Drawing on a wealth of research and her personal story, Neff's book shows how gaining control over your weight starts with reclaiming the balance in your life.

"Creating space in your life for the healthy behaviors required [for weight loss] often requires connecting to deeper reasons why and setting firm boundaries," Christopher says. "Dr. Neff's work shows us how to use self-compassion to make fierce change in our lives and the world."

2. 'Embody: Learning to Love Your Unique Body' by Connie Sobczak

Embody: Learning to Love Your Unique Body

The reflection exercises in this book can help with body positivity.

• Comes with reflection exercises
• Good for those with a critical inner voice
• Some reviewers felt the guidance provided was vague

If you think that critical inner voice telling you that you're just not good enough is helping your weight-loss journey , you can think again.

This book helps readers quiet that voice by guiding them through five core competencies: reclaiming health, practicing intuitive self-care, cultivating self-love, declaring your own authentic beauty and building community.

Christopher says this is a body-positive book that aligns with the health-at-every-size (HAES) movement.

"It explains in detail why traditional dieting is harmful to physical and mental health and provides a path forward with intuitive self-care," she says. "I love the reflection exercises at the end of each chapter, giving concrete ways to unlearn unhelpful patterns and beliefs."

She adds that this is a great pick for anyone who struggles with self-criticism, either of their body or when they fall short from 'perfect' health routines .

3. 'The Diet-Free Revolution' by Alexis Conason

The Diet-Free Revolution

Kick diet culture to the curb with this helpful book.

• Written by a psychologist who works with eating disorders
• Actionable 10-step approach
• Comes with meditations and other reflection exercises
• Does not include many tips to help overeaters, per some reviews

Written by psychologist and eating disorder specialist Alexis Conason, ‌ The Diet-Free Revolution ‌ offers a 10-step program that helps readers shed some of the unhealthy notions that our culture has toward dieting and our own bodies.

"The book offers a spectacular introduction to mindfulness and exploring your personal emotional attachments to food," Girgen says. "Conason shares tactical tools like the hunger scale and actionable activities throughout to help you find balance with food while finding acceptance with yourself."

Best Books on Science-Backed Diets

4. 'anti-inflammatory diet meal prep' by ginger hultin.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep

These simple and quick recipes can help you balance blood sugar and cholesterol.

• Written by a nutritionist
• Includes meal prep and recipe ideas
• Some reviewers say there is not much recipe variety

Inflammation has been connected to several chronic diseases, and it can also make it harder to lose weight. With that in mind, this book offers 84 easy recipes for a six-week anti-inflammatory meal plan .

"By using Hultin's simple and quick recipes, you can prepare a week's worth of anti-inflammatory meals during one weekend prep session," Christopher says. "Her recipes are a great choice for anyone who wants to balance blood sugar , lower cholesterol or lose weight."

5. 'Fast This Way' by Dave Asprey

Fast This Way

Learn how to fast the healthy way with this book.

• Explains the physical and mental benefits of intermittent fasting
• Includes recent research on fasting
• Not written by a weight-loss or diet expert
• Some reviewers say the book is too long/too detailed

"This book is specific to intermittent fasting and includes the most recent research studies on timed eating," says dietitian Kayla Girgen, RD , founder of Nutrition Untapped. "Asprey does a wonderful job of discussing the physical and emotional benefits of intermittent fasting and becoming comfortable in your own skin. Weight management is a personal journey, and this book emphasizes finding the path that is right for you."

6. 'The Plant Based Weight Loss Solution: A 28-Day Plan and Cookbook to Lose Weight the Healthy Way' by Marina Savelyeva, RD, and Viktoria Waite, DTR

The Plant-Based Weight Loss Solution

A plant-based diet is another research-backed eating plan that could help you lose weight.

• Written by dietitians and food manufacturing experts
• Offers practical, sustainable steps
• Includes a comprehensive 28-day menu
• Plant-based tips for beginners
• Does not include enough plant-based protein options, according to reviews

There are many benefits to following a plant-based diet (or eating less meat, in general), including a reduced risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity, per the American Heart Association .

If you want to reap these benefits, but don't know how to get started, try out this book's 28-day plan (with more than 75 recipes) by registered dietitian Marina Savelyeva and food manufacturing expert Viktoria Waite.

Each recipe comes with portion suggestions and easy-to-follow instructions, making it great for those just diving into plant-based eating and weight-loss plans. It even mentions ways to incorporate leftovers so you don't waste any food.

Best for People With PCOS

7. 'glucose revolution' by jess inchauspe.

Glucose Revolution

Balancing your blood sugar can be tough, but this book will give you practical tips.

• Includes 10 actionable steps to balance glucose levels
• Helpful for many health conditions
• Some research included is not widely-accepted by the medical community, per some reviews

"The Glucose Goddess, Jess Inchauspe, delivers a practical handbook for balancing blood sugar and insulin, pivotal to PCOS management ," Girgen says. "With illustrations to drive home central concepts, you'll develop a deeper understanding of blood sugar regulation and learn 10 hacks for taming your glucose spikes."

Managing your blood sugar may help you manage PCOS symptoms and weight gain.

Best Family-Focused Book

8. 'feeding the whole family' by cynthia lair.

Feeding the Whole Family

Find recipes for the whole family with this book.

• Includes great options for picky eaters
• The author is a professor of nutrition and exercise science
• Easy-to-follow recipe instructions
• Some ingredients may be difficult to find at your local supermarket, per reviewers

Losing weight on your own is hard enough. When you're in charge of the cooking and have a family to feed, that presents a whole other challenge.

Luckily, this iconic cookbook offers tips and recipes that will get the entire family on board with healthy eating — yes, including the kids.

"Lair explains the benefits of whole foods, how to prepare them and what foods to incorporate for maximum nutrition," Christopher says. "I have personally cooked almost every recipe in this book and I can testify that they are all healthy winners. She includes an entire section on kid-specific topics like how to help your kids become healthy eaters and how to introduce solids to children, plus each recipe has slight modifications for babies and toddlers."

Best Psychology-Based Book

9. 'thinsanity' by glenn mackintosh.

Get into the mental health side of weight loss, which could help your overall health goals.

• Written by a psychologist
• Includes self-reflection exercises
• Body positive

"Mackintosh is a psychologist specializing in body image and weight management," Girgen says. "‌ Thinsanity ‌ breaks down diet culture along with social and medical 'norms' such as BMI and our longing pursuit of 'thinness.' He offers deep dives into personal reflection and how a person views themself."

This book includes several activities to help encourage a positive body image and combat the art of comparison.

10. 'Anti-Diet' by Christy Harrison, RD

A registered dietitian's take on intuitive eating, and how it can help you maintain a healthy weight.

• Written by a dietitian
• Includes recent studies and research
• Includes first-hand experiences
• Too much information in one book, per some reviews

Sometimes to lose weight, you need the exact opposite of a diet — i.e., an anti-diet. In this book, registered dietitian Christy Harrison outlines the ways that obsessing over your food choices can actually be harmful for your long-term health. She deep dives into diet culture and how it affects us mentally.

Harrison also outlines how eating intuitively (that is, eating nutritious foods when you're hungry and enjoying all foods in moderation) could actually help you lose weight and settle into what's healthiest for you.

Best Books With Personal Testimonies

11. 'embrace you: your guide to transforming weight loss misconceptions into lifelong wellness' by sylvia gonsahn-bollie.

Embrace You: Your Guide to Transforming Weight Loss Misconceptions into Lifelong Wellness

This first-hand account of weight loss will help inspire and motivate you.

• Written by a physician
• Includes current research along with her personal accounts
• Includes actionable steps
• Does not include specific recipes, per some reviewers

Author Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie, MD , is a dual board-certified internal medicine physician and obesity medicine specialist. She's also struggled with weight loss herself. After finally developing a plan that helped her lose 40 pounds in one year, she decided to write a book to help others achieve their own weight-loss goals.

"This guide leads you on a journey to release old restrictive tools in weight loss such as generalized body mass index (BMI) charts , crash diets and 'all or none' mindsets," Dr. Gonsahn-Bollie writes. "Instead, the reader thoughtfully embraces your healthy weight, your happy weight , your sleep and mindset tools on your positive individualized weight and wellness journey so you can stop obsessing over the scale and other's standards."

12. 'Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat' by Michelle May

Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat

An RD-recommended book that will help you stop yo-yo dieting.

• Written by a doctor
• Includes personal experiences with yo-yo dieting
• Helpful for crash dieters
• Promotes low-fat or no-fat foods, which is dated dieting advice, per some reviews

"This is hands down the number-one book I recommend to patients," Girgen says. "First of all, Dr. May has walked the walk, and being that she has struggled with managing her own weight, this book is extremely relatable."

Michelle May, MD, is a self-described "recovered yo-yo dieter " and the founder of Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs and Training . Drawing from her own personal experiences, she helps readers resolve the struggles they've had with crash diets in favor of a more mindful approach to food.

"I often hear from patients that they connect to the book," Girgen says. "This book offers a number of actionable steps to help avoid 'dieting' and start eating intuitively in a way that helps you achieve your health goals for the long haul."

Best Books for Your Fitness Goals

13. 'run fast, cook fast, eat slow' by shalane flanagan and elyse kopecky.

Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow

Whether you're training for a marathon or hitting the gym more often, this book could help.

• Written by an Olympian and a chef
• Great for runners
• Convenient and quick recipe ideas
• Recipes may be too basic for experienced chefs, according to reviews

Whether you're a beginner just starting your fitness journey or a seasoned athlete, the tips and recipes in this book could help you stick with your nutrition goals, to help you perform your best.

While this isn't necessarily a diet book, it offers great advice for fueling your workouts, which could help toward your weight-loss efforts. It doesn't include nutrition information (as the authors want readers to focus on fueling with nutrient-dense foods), but it is reviewed by dietitians.

Plus, it's loved by many: It has more than 2,500 nearly five-star reviews on Amazon.

14. 'Fit Men Cook: 100+ Meal Prep Recipes for Men and Women

Fit Men Cook: 100+ Meal Prep Recipes for Men and Women

Enjoy quick, easy meals from a personal trainer — designed for anyone on a fitness journey.

• Written by a personal trainer
• Approachable recipes and meal prep options
• Includes calorie and macro content for each meal
• Comes with a corresponding app
• Books have shipped broken or ripped, per some reviews

Another fitness-oriented book, this one by personal trainer and fitness influencer Kevin Curry will give you all the motivation to meal prep balanced, nutritious meals that will fuel your workouts.

Most recipes take 40 minutes or less, include nutrition information (which is helpful if you're into counting calories or macros) and incorporate ways to swap out certain ingredients to make it more customized to your wants/needs.

How to Choose the Right Book for You

Ultimately, only you can decide which weight-loss approach is best for you, and it's likely that you'll feel it in your gut when you've found the right one. But here are some things to keep in mind when choosing a safe, sustainable weight-loss book, according to Christopher:

Red Flags to Look Out For

‌ 1. Overly restrictive advice: ‌ Cutting out entire food groups, for example. "Besides missing out on important nutrients, if you can't easily go on vacation and follow the plan, you won't be able to stick to it for the long-term," she says.

‌ 2. All-or-nothing language: ‌ She also advises against books that don't include the kind of food that you like, or ones that include all-or-nothing language, like "cheat days."

"Long-term sustainability means learning to be satisfied and use moderate indulgence all the time rather than skipping between restrictive diets and binging," Christopher says.

Signs a Book Might Be a Good Fit

‌ 1. Evidence-based: ‌ "The Mediterranean diet , MIND diet and DASH diet are specific dietary patterns that are based on good science for health promotion, and are not too complicated," Christopher says.

‌ 2. Body-positive: ‌ She also advises sticking to books that have body-positive language and allow you to accept yourself and be kind to yourself even as you make changes.

‌ 3. Food-forward: ‌ Finally, "make sure the authors seem to enjoy food," Christopher says. "If you feel like you could go out to dinner with the author and eat well and have fun, that's a good indication that their advice will fit well in your lifestyle."

• American Heart Association: "How does Plant-Forward (Plant-Based) Eating Benefit your Health?"

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50 Incredible Weight-Loss Transformations You Just HAVE To See

When every day is #TransformationTuesday 💪.

If you’re like any of the women in these incredible weight-loss transformation stories, you’ve struggled with hitting walls while trying to drop pounds and, at least once or twice, felt the temptation to throw in the towel on the whole d*mn thing. That just means you're human.

Most of the weight-loss warriors here tried multiple avenues, from going vegan to intermittent fasting to at-home Pilates workouts, before finding the methods and eating regimes that worked with their lifestyles. And part of their success was being realistic about what was achievable in the long run. Take it from one wise woman: "I promised in the beginning that I wouldn’t want to eat or do anything while losing weight that I wouldn’t want to eat or do once I hit [my] goal, even if that meant it took a little bit longer," says @ashleys_officially_lost_it.

Finding a workout routine you love can also help keep you on track throughout the ups and downs. As one woman, @kaitlynesse, says, "Truly all of my weight loss came from working out to feel better and not to look a certain way. I just found this passion for it weightlifting I never had before," she says, noting that lifting helped her fight through a bout of depression after a breakup.

Together, these powerful women lost more than 4,000 pounds—and gained so much strength along the way—which you’ll see in these dramatic before-and-afters. Take them in as needed to stay focused, inspired, and invested in your journey toward achieving your own health goals. They did it—and so can you.

@kcantrell has lost 111 pounds since she started her journey in January 2019, and she credits Beachbody and 2B Mindset nutrition for her weight loss.

@jessmeetsthegym has lost over 130 pounds since July 2018 with consistent gym workouts and a new-found love for running.

By following a vegan diet and HIIT/circuit training, @iamrayysyymone has lost 100 pounds.

@jocelynthrivingfit has lost 166 pounds naturally following a "calories in, calories out" style of dieting and regular exercise.

@laurieforpresident is down 200 pounds after weight loss surgery in 2018. She keeps a food diary and tracks her macros.

Now a personal trainer, @jessmakesgains has lost over 150 pounds naturally by doing carb cycling and strength workouts.

@a.little.less.shannon is down 107 pounds naturally by following a "lazy" keto diet .

@tay_getting_fit has lost 114 pounds naturally thanks to running and using the fitness app Shreddy. She also cut out red meat.

@familytofunsize has lost an *incredible* 233 pounds after gastric bypass surgery in 2017 that kickstarted her transition to a low-carb, low-sugar diet.

@watchpeggyloseit has lost more than 150 pounds naturally in 13 months by getting in 5 a.m. HIIT classes at the gym and tracking her calories in the MyFitnessPal app.

@keto_allie has lost more than 100 pounds since 2017 after starting the keto diet and incorporating running into her fitness regime. She ran her first 10k in September 2019.

After reaching a place of recovery for binge eating disorder, @debiluv4health has lost over 80 pounds since she started WW (formerly Weight Watchers) and regular gym workouts.

@alicutsmyhair has lost over 105 pounds by combining intermittent fasting and keto.

After years of yo-yo dieting, @ketowithdanni weighed in at over 400 pounds. She learned how to count her macros after finding the keto diet and has lost 102 pounds in the process.

@chip0ltay described herself as a closet eater before joining WW (formerly Weight Watchers). Now, she's lost 109 pounds.

@jasminelosingit lost over 120 pounds after doing Jillian Michaels workouts and starting the 21-Day Meal Plan.

@thepaleopharmacist transformed her body after going on the paleo diet and eventually the carnivore diet. She's lost over 90 pounds.

After struggling with emotional eating for years, @alliedoesketo discovered the keto diet and added in 16:8 intermittent fasting. She's lost over 80 pounds.

@just_you_weight lost 106 pounds in just over a year naturally by using MyFitnessPal to 50 percent fruits and veggies, 25 percent protein, and 25 percent whole grains.

@kickinitwithlauren lost almost half of her body weight (a total of 120 pounds) in about two years with the help of a vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) surgery and a love of lifting weights.

@cake_2_5k used WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) to help her lose 90 pounds after struggling with postpartum depression after she went through a devastating miscarriage.

@regan_patterson lost 80 pounds by starting to count her macros and calories and getting back into strength training. Her fave workout now? Weight lifting.

@keeshnicoletv lost 94 pounds after she started meal prepping and doing light workouts, which turned into a serious passion for running.

@stellaisstriving lost 243 pounds—more than 42 percent of her starting body weight—by overhauling her eating habits with the keto diet and focusing on fat loss (not just losing pounds).

@_jens_journey_ started out doing keto but didn't feel that it worked for her, so she stuck with intermittent fasting, a sugar-free diet, and keeping her carbs down. She dropped more than 100 pounds—then gained back about 15 of those pounds to feel her healthiest, she previously told Women's Health .

It was WW that got @sweet_pea_leigh to a place of kicking her food addiction , which had been causing her to keep gaining weight as well as numerous body aches and pains. She's lost over 150 pounds.

The Couch to 5K app was hugely transformative for @lizzy_rockz—soon after hopping on the app, she started triathlon training and subsequently ran four marathons. Meal prepping with lots of protein and few carbs was huge for her, too, in her journey to lose about 150 pounds.

@rachellsharp93 went down a little more than 100 pounds, starting with her own version of alternate-day fasting , consuming small amounts of food in between days, and then segueing into another type of intermittent fasting.

Down about 220 pounds, @losing_for_health started out doing keto, then continued to count her macros with a free online calculator.

Originally through gastric bypass surgery , @kathleeng1112 shed 179 pounds, but she kept it up by eating tons of protein and few carbs. She stays active with Pilates, yoga, and at-home workouts.

@gessisfitnessjourney hit her goal of losing 124 pounds first by trying going vegan, then vegetarian, and low-carb, but she ultimately succeeded by tracking everything—calories, steps—on her Fitbit .

It was a combination of keto and intermittent fasting that helped @gritandgrace__ lose more than 50 pounds and her status as prediabetic. Once she cut out sugar, her PCOS symptoms were more manageable, too.

@hannah_day28's big turnaround came from BeachBody toning workouts . She also began practicing clean eating and portion control. She still eats buffalo chicken, but in a zucchini boat rather than fried.

She started out with VSG surgery , but @cam_bree_uhhh kept off 148 pounds by eating a vegan diet. She now belongs to two different gyms to stick with her love of weight lifting and doing circuits.

@carlywontquit lost 108 pounds with a strict policy of no added sugar , even in her coffee. She's also a cardio fanatic and can't get enough of Zumba or Total Body Pump.

Realizing the power of a nutritious home-cooked meal turned @_iwokeupinbeastmode;s nutrition around, helping her to lose a total of 130 pounds. She started out tracking every macro, but after hitting her goal, she stopped counting calories and focused on just eating clean instead.

@laurenlosing did VSG surgery in 2013 as a tool to change her lifestyle. She kept going with eating a high-protein diet, counting macros, and weight lifting.

A new-found love of lifting heavy was a major transforming factor for @kaitlynesse. She lost 80 pounds in about a year, focusing on squats and deadlifts, which she says made her feel strong and powerful. She also put on about 10 pounds of solid muscle in the process.

Keto and kickboxing were the power duo for @thestairlady. She went down 100 pounds in a year without giving up her favorite food, pizza.

@tashpointo's weight-loss journey started with VSG surgery. She continued to drop 150 pounds through the keto diet, and then a general low-carb eating plan. She also supplemented with a hot-yoga routine to help with her anxiety and started running and amping up her core workouts, too.

Struggling with symptoms of both PCOS and IBS, @get_moefit first cut carbs and started going beast mode in the gym, and then worked with a nutritionist to do an elimination diet. She cut out some cruciferous veggies that bothered her, as well as beef and pork (but kept other types of lean meat) to reduce GI issues and lose 80 pounds.

Starting with gastric-sleeve surgery, @gi_sciortino shed 120 pounds and kept it off with intense strength-training and HIIT workouts.

Counting calories with the My Fitness Pal app was a factor for @hayleysweightlossjourneyx to lose 70 pounds. "It was the simple science of tracking calories in vs. out, mixed with self-discipline and self belief," she says.

@wokeuplikedez dropped 150 pounds after having gastric-bypass surgery, and then continued the momentum with a high-protein diet. She kept consuming fewer calories and working out more consistently than she had in the past, too. And she's currently prepping for her second body building show.

In the beginning, @ashleys_officially_lost_it tried losing weight simply by counting calories, but she needed more accountability and support, she says. She jumped on the WW (formerly Weight Watchers) bandwagon and later became an ambassador in the midst of her 120-pound weight loss, which she's maintained for almost two years. Her transformation was mostly accomplished via healthier food swaps—she loves to make cleaner versions of favorite fast-food dishes, like a chipotle chicken avocado sandwich from Panera.

Down 80 pounds from clean eating and at-home workouts, @beast_girl_22 toned up using BeachBody Body Beast. She also made a major change in her eating routine: switching from eating three healthy meals a day to eating smaller healthy meals every two to three hours, with lots of water.

After dealing with postpartum anxiety, @getfitwithmeliss discovered Andy Frisella's 75 Hard mental toughness program and lost 20 pounds. In total, with the help of calorie counting, she lost 64 pounds.

@thisiswhitneyburk struggled with my weight my whole life until she started following a pescatarian diet and doing Beachbody workout programs and lost 66 pounds.

@rose_vibes19 followed the keto diet and cut out sugar and alcohol for weight loss and lost over 60 pounds.

@shrinkingbyfaith committed to eating a plant-based keto diet and got into Peloton and Rebounder workouts to lose 60 pounds.

@shiannesmithfit used Beachbody workouts and the portion control-focused eating plan and calorie counting to undo pregnancy weight gain and lost 100 pounds.

After struggling with her weight my entire life, @nishafitness learned how to make my favorite meals using healthier ingredients and started doing HIIT cardio and strength training and lost 103 pounds.

@justdreampaige struggled with her weight for her whole life until she cut out junk food, starting following a Mediterranean diet, and began running and doing Zumba workouts and lost 105 pounds.

After a back injury, @bl11hannah gained weight rapidly. She went on The Biggest Loser and started eating a low-carb, low-sugar PCOS diet and walking for weight loss, as well as incorporated strength training and HIIT, to reach a healthy weight.

@dmarie_rochelle practiced portion control and did low-impact cardio, like walking and hiking, for weight loss after her C-section and lost 72 pounds.

@megans.mission tried Weight Watchers, followed by intuitive eating, and Orangetheory Fitness workouts to lose 100 pounds and keep it off.

@beginwithbri tried intermittent fasting and YouTube Workouts and lost 120 pounds during the pandemic.

@kaila_a_duncan struggled with her weight until she decided to get in shape for her wedding by meal prepping, doing Tone It Up! workouts, and indoor cycling, and lost 85 pounds.

@kayfit_rusiecki stopped drinking and started keeping a food journal to develop a better relationship with food, lifted weights, and lost 70 pounds.

@findingabs11 struggled with her weight her whole life until she started Weight Watchers (WW) and food tracking with iTrackBites, and began to understand portion sizes. She lost 80 pounds with her new eating style and indoor cycling at CycleBar.

@sim_on_ww used WW and walking for weight loss 5 days and lost 123 pounds in 18 months .

After years of yo-yo dieting, @imjustshica tried 16:8 intermittent fasting and began walking for weight loss and lost 102 pounds.

@so_damthicknbad cut out processed foods and did sprinting workouts and fitness boot camps to lose 85 pounds.

By using WW and the iTrackBites app and working out with an elliptical and Les Mills classes, @nomo.yoyo has been able to lose 80 pounds.

@vickinosecrets started eating a low-carb, high-protein diet and walking and doing YouTube workouts to lose weight and manage PCOS symptoms.

After gaining weight in high school, @hopebby_fit started a vegan diet and started lifting weights and doing cardio to lose 50 pounds.

By going keto, then switching to a less restrictive low-carb diet, and lifting weights, @_jerrseyyy lost 80 pounds in 10 months.

Emily Shiffer has worked as a writer for over 10 years, covering everything from health and wellness to entertainment and celebrities. She previously was on staff at SUCCESS , Men's Health , and Prevention magazines. Her freelance writing has been featured in Women's Health , Runner's World , PEOPLE , and more. Emily is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she majored in magazine journalism at the Medill School of Journalism and minored in musicology. Currently residing in Charleston, South Carolina, Emily enjoys instructing barre, surfing, and long walks on the beach with her miniature Dachshund, Gertrude.

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How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam

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A massive scam targeting older Americans who own timeshare properties has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars sent to Mexico.

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How a brutal Mexican drug cartel came to target seniors and their timeshares .

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We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Katrin Bennhold is the Berlin bureau chief. A former Nieman fellow at Harvard University, she previously reported from London and Paris, covering a range of topics from the rise of populism to gender. More about Katrin Bennhold

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