How I Finally Stopped Yo-Yo Dieting and Lost Almost 90 Pounds

 

The Lifestyle
Even though I played sports throughout high school and played softball in college, my weight always fluctuated between 130 and 200 pounds for most of my adult life. After my softball career ended, I continued to work out, but my active lifestyle just wasn't enough to combat my poor eating habits (I loved foods like chips, chicken fingers, and pizza). After gaining a ton of weight, I would just crash diet to get back to my low point. Typically, I stayed at 130 pounds for about eight months and then started gaining it all back again. I just couldn't get my eating habits under control. 

When I got married in 2011, my husband and I both got a little too comfortable and put on a significant amount of weight. That year, I hit 216 pounds. 

The Change
After getting a physical, my doctor told me that my cholesterol was extremely high and my BMI classified me as obese. I knew my weight was an issue because I wasn't feeling attractive, my clothes weren't fitting, and some family members had even said that they were concerned about me. On top of all that, my husband and I wanted to expand our family, and we were worried that our weight would make it harder to get pregnant. We decided we needed to make a lifestyle change and create a new normal.

We made a plan to hit the gym five to six days a week, cleaned out our fridge and pantry, and got rid of all the processed junk we had been eating. A lot of potato chips and frozen foods bit the dust that day. Then, we replaced our former go-tos with fresh foods after doing a little recipe hunting on Pinterest. Plus, we started logging all of our meals into the calorie tracker app, Lose It! It was a game changer when it came to my yo-yo dieting because I was amazed (ok, actually disgusted) at how many calories I was consuming on a daily basis. I never knew what I was putting into my body.

In addition to changing our eating habits at home, we cut back on going out to eat. Instead of heading out to restaurants, we spent quality time together looking for recipes and cooking healthy meals. Before I started trying to lose weight for good, I didn’t know much about cooking—so most of my healthy meals were super bland. After we started searching for more creative recipes, I learned how to make new healthy dishes that weren't just salads. Now we like to make like pizza with cauliflower crust and "chicken fingers" that were coated in almond flower and baked instead of fried.

Throughout my journey, it was so nice to have my husband as my support system. When one of us was feeling discouraged, we would remind each other that we were losing weight in order to enjoy a longer, healthier life together. We didn't have an end goal or a certain amount of weight we wanted to lose; we just wanted to be healthier overall. By 2011, I weighted 130 pounds—and I've stayed around that weight ever since. 

The Reward
After transforming our lives, my husband and I decided to open up our own fitness studio. We wanted to help others in our community accomplish the same kinds of things my husband and I did. If I hadn't lost the weight, I definitely would not have pursued this goal. Part of why our business is so successful is because we can set an example for our clients who are trying to change their lives.

Sarah's Tips
Have someone hold you accountable. Find a person who can help keep you motivated on your off days by giving you some extra encouragement or even meeting you at the gym. My husband really helped me stay on track.
Don't diet for the short term. You have to have the mindset that you're going to change your life forever. As someone who's yo-yoed her whole life, I know how important it is to develop a new normal. There's no expiration date on this "diet."
Enjoy the journey. Don't focus on getting to your goal weight. Instead, try to feel the difference in your body as you progress. Concentrate on things like how much energy you're gaining, going down a pants size, being able to work out longer, or lifting heavier weights.

Sarah, 31, stands at 5' 9" and lives in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

More from Women's Health:
11 Incredible Weight-Loss Transformations You Have to See to Believe
15 Ways to Get Rid of Cravings in 15 Minutes or Less
The Secret to Losing Belly Fat

View the original article here

How One Woman Gained Back All the Weight She Lost—Then Changed Her Mindset to Drop and Keep Off 140 Pounds

 

The Lifestyle
I always seemed to be a little bit heavier than everyone else. By age 12, I was on Weight Watchers with my mom. When I got married in 1991, though, I was 122 pounds. I had worked hard to lose 40 pounds to get to that point.

I kind of went into a downward spiral from there. Unhealthy habits—like baking and cooking for entertainment, not being mindful of what I was eating, and totally disrgarding physical activity—got the best of me. Although I wasn't an emotional eater or even a binge eater, I started gaining about 10 to 15 pounds per year after getting hitched.

By 2006, I weighed 268 pounds and sometimes had to walk with a cane because my knees hurt so badly. One day, I was walking to my car after running some errands, carrying my infant son. I tripped over a pothole, and my son and I went flying to the ground. Luckily, we were both okay, but I was really shaken up.

I realized that if I had been at a healthy weight, I would have been able to catch myself, but since I was so overweight, I wasn't strong enough to regain my balance. I thought, "My weight is no longer about me. It's time for me to take action for my son's well-being." My son already had health issues and needed a kidney transplant; obviously, I wanted to do everything I could to protect him from the health hazards I could prevent.

The Change
Not long after the fall, I saw an advertisement for a meal replacement program called Medifast. In the ad, a woman claimed to have lost 130 pounds in nine months. I thought, 'If she can do it, I can do it.' I ordered the program that day.

At first, it was really hard to quit baking, but I knew that I had to give it up if I wanted to make a difference. The program encourages you to make one non-program meal for yourself each day, so I used that as an opportunity to totally change my cooking style by incorporating lots of healthy fruits and veggies.

After losing about 60 pounds, I started walking and eventually running using an app to train for a 5-K. I'd always loved running on my own in high school, and it felt so good to get back into it again. I actually enjoyed it so much that I began training for a half-marathon and completed one not long before reaching my goal weight.

Fourteen months after starting my journey, I hit my goal weight of 128 pounds. That same week, I found out I was pregnant again. That meant I had to give up the program, and I almost immediately began putting on weight from the pregnancy.

Sadly, about three months after that, I had a life-threatening miscarriage and ended up in the hospital. Then, within three months of my miscarriage, my mother passed away and my son underwent a kidney transplant. Needless to say, weight loss was the last thing I worried about.

After the transplant, we lived in a Ronald McDonald House for about eight months while my son recovered. It was probably the most challenging place to make healthy choices, so we didn't. Instead, we ate out all the time and I stopped exercising. One year after hitting my goal weight, I had gained everything back and then some. At 272 pounds, I felt like a total failure.

After my son recovered, we went on a Make-A-Wish trip to Disneyland with former NFL player Kurt Warner, his kids, and his wife Brenda. On the way into the park, I got stuck in the turnstile. The park staff had to let me in through the stroller gate without a stroller. I was so embarrassed. Later in the trip, I chatted with Brenda about how I was frustrated with my weight-loss journey. She said, "It's never too late to become who you want to be," and that really resonated with me. From then on, I changed my mindset. I realized I didn't have to give up trying to lose weight just because I failed one time.

About a year after that, I got back on the meal replacement program and picked up my running habit again. Only this time, I decided I needed to make changes that would be sustainable forever. I stopped seeing my new lifestyle as a diet and started thinking of it as a way to live a healthy life. Even though I was doing the same program, my mindset was that I wanted to create health. I didn't have a final goal weight.

After 18 months, I lost 142 pounds and weighed 130. I felt so confident that I was going to keep the weight off that I got rid of all my clothes that were too big. 

The Reward
This past summer, I got to run a marathon in Paris. It was the most amazing experience. I feel fit and I feel healthy. I feel that me taking control of my weight has rubbed off on my family's health. I've even become a health coach for others trying to lose weight. That's something that I never would have done if I had not lost weight. 

My life would look so different if I had not decided to make a complete lifestyle change. I would probably have a knee replacement by now and would be more at risk for diseases like breast cancer and diabetes. I feel good knowing that I'm not going to die because of my own negligence. 

Stacy's Tips
Think about who you're doing it for. I'm easily distractible, but because I focused on getting healthy for my family and myself, it helped me say no to my temporary wants like sugary snacks.
Take it day by day. Every day I thought about the choices I was making with my diet and exercise. I knew that each choice I made would have an impact on my goal of becoming a healthier, happier person. If I messed up, I didn't dwell on it—I made better choices the next day.
Follow others' weight-loss journeys. When I started losing weight, I looked to other people who did what I was attempting to do and got inspired. I told myself, "If they can do it, so can I." That really helped keep me going.

Stacy Phillips, 45, is 5' 3" and lives in Gilbert, Arizona.

More from Women's Health:
11 Lazy Ways to Burn More Calories
How I Finally Stopped Yo-Yo Dieting and Lost Almost 90 Pounds
Pay Attention—This Is How a Nutritionist 'Detoxes'

View the original article here

Eat These 5 Foods to Lose 5 Pounds

Want to lose five pounds the healthy way? All you need to do is pick up these five simple ingredients on your next trip to the grocery store and incorporate them into your daily meal plan. 

1. Whole Chicken
Its juicy, iron-rich dark and low-fat white meats mean lots of options for hunger-squashing meals rich in lean protein.

2. Endive
Addictively crunchy, the leaves of this pale veg—which have next-to-no calories—were made for dipping.

3. Red Grapes
They're sweet and they contain a compound that can block fat cells from forming.

4. Snow Peas
These stir-fry faves may help turbocharge fat-burning by up to 30 percent. Woot!

5. Farro
A whole-grain-heavy diet can help blast belly blub—and this one's chewy texture is low-fat.

Make sure you're also stocked with the following ingredients:
Soy, rice, or cow's milk
Chopped raw almonds, cashews, or hazelnuts
Lemon
Low-fat Greek yogurt
Italian seasoning
Red onion
8-inch whole-wheat tortilla
Gruyère cheese
Cinnamon

Now that you're ready to create delicious fat-blasting meals, check out the recipes below!

BREAKFAST

Farro Bowl
Place 1/2 cup cooked farro in a small, microwavable bowl. Add 1/2 cup milk and microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in 1/2 cup grape halves and sprinkle with 1 tsp chopped nuts and 1/2 tsp lemon zest.

RELATED: 31 Healthy Breakfast Recipes That Will Promote Weight Loss All Month Long

LUNCH

Chicken Salad Boats
Mix 1/2 cup shredded dark-meat chicken (skin removed) with 1/4 cup grape halves, 1 Tbsp chopped nuts, 1 Tbsp chopped red onion, and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Spread on four large endive leaves to serve.

SNACK

Veggie Dippers
Mix together 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Serve with 1/3 head endive and 1/2 cup snow peas for dipping.

RELATED: 21 Snacks for Flat Abs

DINNER

Chicken Endive Flatbread
Add 1/2 tsp olive oil to a pan on medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup sliced red onion and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Top a tortilla with 1/4 cup shredded Gruyère cheese, 1/2 cup shredded endive, and the onion. Bake in a 425°F oven until the tortilla is lightly browned and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Halfway through, top with 1/2 cup fully cooked diced white-meat chicken.

DESSERT

Roasted Grapes with Yogurt
Arrange 15 grapes on a cookie tray and drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Bake at 450°F until skins become firm, approximately 15 minutes. Top with 1 Tbsp Greek yogurt to serve.

For more healthy recipes and easy weight-loss tips, pick up the April 2015 issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now.

RELATED: 21 Great Desserts for Weight Loss

View the original article here

How One Woman Dropped Nearly 100 Pounds and Became an Instagram Sensation

 

The Lifestyle
If you’ve ever been to the South, you know that everything revolves around food here. My parents are both overweight, so I picked up some bad habits from them like having cake for breakfast, eating a lot of fried food, and rarely consuming veggies. I also had very little self-control; I could eat a whole bag of chips without a problem and usually ate until I felt sick. As crazy as it seems, I haven’t weighed less than 200 pounds since I was 13. And since I went to a very small high school—my graduating class was 50 people—I was the biggest one in my class and was picked on pretty badly. Fitness-wise, I didn’t play any sports or work out on my own. I was a very lazy child, and that carried over into adulthood.

Being overweight really affected my life in random ways, like not wearing tennis shoes because it was so hard to bend over to tie them. Occasionally, little kids would point and say hurtful things, even if they didn't mean to be rude. By the time I got married in 2013, I weighed 312 pounds. 

The Change
One night, I was eating at a restaurant with my husband and my 1-year-old daughter, and she kept dropping her toy on the floor. We were seated in chairs instead of a booth that night, and so every time I bent down to grab her toy, the chair would come off the ground. It was embarrassing because I knew if I fell everyone would stare at me. I had to do something.

That week, my husband and I joined a gym and started going four days a week. We’d work out for an hour to an hour and a half per day. That may seem intense for someone just starting out on their weight-loss journey, but I was terrified of dying. I knew that if I didn’t make a change I was going to get diabetes or another obesity-related illness. That fear helped push me to work out.

Since you can’t run without the risk of damaging your knees when you’re 300 pounds, my workouts usually entailed walking, biking, or using the elliptical. Eventually, I started lifting weights—and I loved seeing that I was getting stronger and could do everyday tasks like picking up my daughter more easily.

I tried dieting before, and it totally backfired on me because I was only eating salads and not enough protein to keep me full and satisfied. So this time, I decided to be less strict about the food I was eating and keep a better eye on my portions by measuring out or weighing everything I ate. I began baking chicken instead of frying it, totally cutting out sweet tea—which I would drink by the gallon every week—using whole wheat pasta, bread, and brown rice instead of the white versions. Plus, I recorded all of my meals on the My Fitness Pal app, which has helped a lot. Another trick I used to re-train my brain to feel full after a normal-sized meal was drinking a big glass of water afterward. Losing weight can seriously be a mental game.

As I started losing weight, I used my Instagram account to post photos of me working out and cooking. Over time, my feed started to gain a ton of followers. Now, I have more than 8,000 and use @Roxi_Fitness to provide fitspiration. It makes me feel so good to help inspire others!

Today, I weigh 216 pounds and am looking forward to being under 200 pounds—for the first time in more than 10 years—very soon. I have no plans to go back to my old ways.

The Reward
There have been so many rewards from losing weight, both mental and physical. I used to suffer from depression and anxiety attacks, but now I feel so much better than I ever did. Another bonus of my weight-loss journey has been that going to the gym with my husband has actually made my marriage stronger. We love having the designated time to ourselves, and it makes us both feel more confident. One more thing that I love about my life after losing almost 100 pounds is that I have so much more endurance. I can’t run a mile yet, but I’m working toward it and am so thankful that I can run at all.  

Roxie’s Tips
Allow yourself a cheat meal. I don’t eat super healthy all the time. I do allow myself a cheat meal once week. Usually it will be food at a birthday party over the weekend or a nice dinner with my husband. But I know that after that meal, I will get right back on track.
Weigh yourself daily. As a woman, I know that my weight is going to fluctuate a lot depending on hormones, but I try to weigh myself as much as possible so that I know that I’m staying on track. It helps keep me accountable.
Take measurements. Some might think this is crazy, but I measured different areas of my body before I started losing weight. Those measurements really came in handy when I went through periods of not losing weight despite sticking to my plan. Even if the scale didn’t budge, my body measurements were always changing because I was shaping my body by working out, and that helped keep me motivated.

Roxie McGillberry, 24, is 5' 8" and a stay-at-home mom in Sweet Water, Alabama.

More from Women's Health:
4 Things I Wish I Knew BEFORE I Started Losing Weight
What 200 Calories of 10 Different Foods Looks Like
9 Easy Ways to Crush Your Food Cravings

View the original article here

The Top Foods People Who've Lost More Than 10 Pounds Eat for Breakfast

 

Trying to drop a few pounds? Before you totally overhaul your eating habits, take a cue from people who've already successfully slimmed down: We tapped into the data from MyFitnessPal's more than 65 million users (the app lets people track their weight, activity, eating habits, and more). Here are the most common foods those who lost at least 10 lbs logged at breakfast time. Keep in mind that this doesn't mean they were the only thing people ate each morning—but incorporating these to your a.m. routine could help you shed a size.

1. Coffee
Sipping this with your a.m. meal could be especially helpful if you're a morning workout person: A study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that consuming a caffeinated drink an hour before you start sweating can crank up your calorie burn by about 15 percent.

2. Bananas
Try them in one of these yummy banana smoothies.

3. Eggs
Research shows that loading up your breakfast with protein can help curb hunger later in the day—and may mean you eat fewer calories at lunch. So whether you prefer this protein-rich ingredient scrambled, fried, or poached, it's a smart idea to eat them first thing in the morning.

4. Blueberries
These little guys are loaded with antioxidants—and by packing your diet with nutrient-rich foods, you can lose weight without worrying about calorie counting.

5. Strawberries
Try this goat cheese-berry bruschetta for an out-of-the-ordinary breakfast that'll help you drop pounds.

6. Tea
Learn the best way to drink green tea to boost weight loss.

7. Milk
This is another great way to take in some protein first thing in the a.m.

8. Whole-Wheat Toast
Carb lovers, rejoice! High-fiber options like this can help you feel more satiated so you end up consuming fewer calories.

9. Spinach
This leafy green is a weight-loss double whammy: It's rich in fiber, and it's also one of the veggies with the most protein.

RELATED: How I Finally Stopped Yo-Yo Dieting and Lost Almost 90 Pounds

View the original article here

I Lost 100 Pounds and Overcame My Depression

 

The Lifestyle
I've always been on the heavy side. Though I was active throughout my childhood and teenage years, my weight usually stayed somewhere in the 180- and 190-pound range. Plus, obesity runs in my family. I felt like I had to fight just to be a normal weight. I will never be one of those girls who can eat burgers and fries and not gain weight.

When I was 27, my husband of seven years and I decided to call it quits—and I just stopped caring. I was so depressed that things that used to be important to me—like my health and my self-esteem—didn't matter. Essentially, I was just going through the motions of life without really being present. I got lazy, started eating fast food all the time, and never really cared to see what I looked like. Double cheeseburgers from McDonalds, corndogs, macaroni and cheese, and chips became my go-to's. By 2012, I weighed 236 pounds. 

The Change
Even when I saw photos of myself, I didn't register how big I was. For some reason, it just didn't occur to me. But when my daughter and I moved from Florida to Pennsylvania to live with family for a while, I realized that I needed to get happy and start living life again. Since my separation, everything was just passing me by.

While living with my family, I started getting active by hiking, swimming, rock climbing, and getting in touch with nature. Getting moving again helped me start feeling better about myself and prepared me to make a serious change to my life.

After moving back to Florida, I started reading the Atkins Diet book. It seemed like it was something that was doable for me, and I started following the plan.

The biggest change to my diet was drastically reducing my carb intake. It was such a challenge that I was actually kind of grumpy for the first couple of months. Another huge part was incorporating veggies. I was never a big vegetable eater, but I started making salads and eating veggies as snacks as soon as I committed to the diet. One of my favorite parts of the new routine was drinking a meal replacement shake with my morning coffee. It's so good!

Overall, I became much more cognizant of what I was putting into my body. In fact, I completely quit fast food. I haven't had any in two years.

After losing the first 50 pounds by changing my diet, I felt on top of the world—but I knew I had it in me to lose more. I decided that it was time to start going to the gym.

I started out by easing into a routine that consisted of two to three workouts a week; I would use the elliptical for as long as could and then move to the weight machines. At first, five minutes on the elliptical was all I could do, but as time went on, I made my workouts more challenging. Now, spending an hour at the gym feels like my therapy and my outlet. It's the one time of the day I can just dedicate to myself.  Sometimes, it feels like a drug—in a good way!

Outside of the gym, my daughter and I love rollerblading and playing at the park together. I try to find new ways to be active all the time.

By May 2014, I weighed 136 pounds. 

The Reward
Even though I'm not actively trying to lose weight, I plan on keeping up this lifestyle because it makes me feel so good. It's great that I can get through a long workday and have enough energy to play with my daughter afterward.

My biggest reward is being able to run around with her. I remember the times where I couldn’t spend time with her without sitting down. Before losing the weight, it was such a challenge just trying to keep up. Now, it's no problem at all.

Heather's Tips
Be consistent. The number one thing that's enabled me to lose weight is continuing to make healthy lifestyle choices daily. You've just got to get up and keep going every single day.
Get creative. When it comes to meals and exercise, you have to get creative. There were times when I would get bored and be tempted me to make unhealthy decisions. That's when I switched up my meals by finding new healthy recipes or added some variety to my workouts by getting my daughter involved; we would race on the beach or in the pool.
Keep healthy food on hand. I keep temptation at bay by carrying a meal bar or healthy snack with me all the time. That way, if I'm out and really hungry, I'm not tempted by fast food. 

Heather Baker, 27, is 5' 4" and lives in Clearwater, Florida. 

More from Women's Health:
11 Lazy Ways to Burn More Calories
11 Incredible Weight-Loss Transformations You Have to See to Believe
8 Ways to Mix Up Your Weight-Loss Routine When You Hit a Wall 

View the original article here

How Refusing to Diet and Starting to Live My Life Helped Me Lose 40 Pounds

 The Lifestyle
I went on my first diet when I was 17. Although I had a perfectly healthy body, I started to notice it changing—my boobs getting bigger, my arms getting softer, and my hips getting wider—and I got really scared. Up until that point, I had prided myself on having a skinny, athletic body, and without that, I wasn’t sure what I had to offer. My self-worth was totally tied up in my weight.

That first well-intentioned diet led to 10 years of struggling with my weight. I found myself constantly dieting and then binge eating when I just couldn’t hack it anymore. This up and down led to countless fluctuations in the number on the scale and ultimately, more and more weight.

At my heaviest, I was at least 160 pounds—but more importantly, I was completely miserable. My self-esteem was at an all-time low, not only because of my weight but also because I had spent 10 years absolutely consumed with thoughts about food.

My life was dull, and I felt trapped in an endless cycle of dieting and bingeing. Nothing was working, and every diet just brought on more frustration and weight.

To make matters worse, the binge eating was a huge secret that I kept from everyone in my life, which led to my carrying around a ton of shame about my eating habits.  I was a smart, successful woman, and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t just figure out this food thing.

RELATED: How to Become a More "Normal" Eater

The Change
I got to a point where I just couldn’t let myself diet anymore. I was turning 26, and I looked at my life and felt a sense of urgency; I knew that if I kept dieting and waiting until I was skinny to live my life, I was going to end up watching life pass me by. I no longer wanted to turn down happy hours, spend dinners at amazing New York City restaurants silently counting calories in my head, or avoid dating because I was ashamed of my body.

I couldn’t accept that life for myself anymore.

I decided that I was going to stop dieting. I couldn’t waste one more day fighting my weight and fighting myself. So I tried something that a tiny voice inside of my was begging me to do: I started to live and to get happy immediately.

I started dating.
I worked on all of my relationships.
I booked trips I’d been wanting to take.
I started working with business, life, and relationship coaches.
I forced myself to be present when out with my friends instead of counting the calories of the beer the entire time.
I got rid of clothes that didn’t fit and gradually got new ones that made me feel great.
I quit my job in finance and started my business as a holistic health and lifestyle coach.
I ate top-notch food and enjoyed every second of it instead of feeling guilty about it.
I cooked amazing recipes.
I learned what it looked like to take incredible care of my emotions, my heart, and my body.
I quit the gym—which I had always dreaded going to—and started finding forms of fitness I enjoyed more, like going on long walks.
I fell in love and started allowing myself to feel sexy in my skin—no matter what.
I learned who I was outside of food and my body. I discovered new passions, what lit me up, and what made me happy.
I met myself again.

RELATED: The 3 Simple Steps That Helped One Woman Lose 80 Pounds

The Reward
Deciding to stop dieting and to create an amazing life, regardless of my weight,  was the best decision I ever made. I realized now that I’d had everything backward for almost a decade: Dieting leads to life feeling restrictive, boring, and dull, which lead to my using food to fill the voids even more.

The more I focused on creating a life I loved, doing things that made me happy, and taking care of myself and my needs, the less I turned to food.

Over a long period of time, my weight gradually dropped. Now, at age 28, I weigh what I weighed in high school!

But here’s the kicker: My weight doesn’t even matter to me at this point. I got happy 40 pounds ago, and life was amazing 40 pounds ago. Yes, my pants are a smaller size now, but I realized throughout this journey that I can be happy at any size. And that realization is the biggest victory.

Jamie’s Tips
Stop dieting. Dieting just doesn’t work for most people. If it hasn’t been working for you, accept that—it’s okay! Instead, start to listen to yourself. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full, and trust that your body does know what to eat—we just have to listen.
Create a life you love now. Most of us are emotional eaters because we aren’t getting what we need from our lives. Look at how you’re using food in moments when you’re not hungry—is it for comfort? Excitement? Love? Simply notice at first, and then start to design your life in a way that gives you more of these feelings. The more you feel the way you want to feel, the less you’ll turn to food to fulfill those needs.
Work on making peace with your body. You don’t have to love your body, but try to start respecting her and getting to know her. The more you can be on the same team as her, the more natural it will feel to feed her nourishing foods and take care of her.

Jamie Mendell is a holistic health coach who specializes in helping women lose weight without dieting. To find out more about her philosophy, check out her Web site.

View the original article here

The 3 Simple Steps That Helped One Woman Lose 80 Pounds

 Sarah DeArmond (inset) / Jason Wallis

As a kid, Sarah DeArmond, now 28, was teased about her weight—for being too skinny. But during college, a lack of physical activity and her devotion to fast food took its toll. Convenience continued to trump health after Sarah got married in 2009. Rather than cooking, "we just microwaved pizzas or cheesy pastas every night," she says. Over the next three years, Sarah's weight climbed to 200 pounds. She felt exhausted all the time for no particular reason and found herself wheezing for breath whenever she had to go up a flight of stairs. To top it off, her blood pressure was sky-high. "I knew obesity could actually kill me," she says. "I wanted to live." 

In the spring of 2013, Sarah started overhauling her diet. Over the next two years, she took up weight training and cardio—and now, she's at a trim and healthy 120 pounds. 

Here's how Sarah says she was able to accomplish her goals:

• Make fitness convenient. "I got an exercise bike so I can work out whenever I want. I like to pedal while I watch TV."

• Shop smarter. "To deflect temptation at the market, I have a 'no junk in the cart' rule. I don't even set foot in the chips aisle."

• Fake-fry it. "I make 'fried' fish by dipping codfish in egg whites and whole-wheat panko and then baking it."

For more on Sarah's incredible weight-loss journey, pick up the April 2015 issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now. In the meantime, check out more inspiring weight-loss success stories and healthy ways to lose weight.

More from Women's Health:
The Small Steps I Took to Shed More Than 100 Pounds
How One Woman Gained Back All the Weight She Lost—Then Changed Her Mindset to Drop and Keep Off 140 Pounds
Eat These 5 Foods to Lose 5 Pounds

View the original article here