Tag Archives: Weight Loss information

This Woman Lost 120 Pounds On the Keto Diet Without Setting Foot In a Gym

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When I was in second grade, my parents got divorced and my brother and I ended up living with my dad. Unfortunately, while our health was always a priority for my dad, we didn’t always have the means to eat the most nutritious, home-cooked foods. (We often lived in small places, sometimes without a kitchen.) That’s when fast food and processed foods became part of the norm.

My unhealthy relationship with food really took off during that time. Even though I was a skinny kid growing up, by the time I reached high school, I was considerably overweight and didn’t know where or how to start gaining back my health.

Over the years, I tried everything from the South Beach Diet, Atkins, and Weight Watchers to B12 shots with diet pills, the infamous 21 Day Fix, SlimFast, and juicing. The list goes on. Each time I tried one fad or another, I felt like this was it. Each time, I was sure that this time was going to be the time that I finally made a change.

One of those times was my wedding. I thought for sure that the occasion would be the perfect way to get back into shape. Unfortunately, thanks to all the bridal showers, parties, and tastings, I ended up gaining weight instead of losing it. By the time I walked down the aisle, I was a size 26 and weighed over 300 pounds. (Related: Why I Decided Not to Lose Weight for My Wedding)

From that point on, I felt completely hopeless. The fact that I wasn’t able to lose weight for what I thought was the most important day of my life made me feel like maybe it just wasn’t going to happen.

My true wake-up call came just three years ago, when the son of a friend was diagnosed with a terminal disease. It was devastating to watch him regress because of his illness, eventually becoming bedridden and then passing away.

Watching him and his family go through that pain made me think: Here I was, lucky to have a body that was healthy and capable despite everything I’d done to it. I didn’t want to keep living like that anymore. (Related: Watching Her Son Almost Get Hit By a Car Inspired This Woman to Lose 140 Pounds)

So I signed up for my first 5K in his memory—something I now run every year as a reminder of where I’ve been. In addition to running, I started looking for healthy eating ideas and came across keto, a very low-carb, high-fat diet. I’d never heard of it before. I’d already given everything else under the sun a shot, so I decided it might be worth trying. (Related: Everything You Need to Know About the Keto Diet)

In January 2015, I started on my keto journey.

At first, I thought it would be easy. It definitely wasn’t. For the first two weeks, I felt tired and hungry all the time. But as I started teaching myself about food, I realized that I wasn’t actually hungry; I was detoxing and craving sugar. ICYDK, sugar is addictive, so your body literally goes through withdrawal when you cut it out. But I found that as long as I stayed on top of my electrolytes and stayed hydrated, the feeling of hunger would pass. (Check out: The Results One Woman Had After Following the Keto Diet)

In just four or five weeks, I started seeing results. I had already lost 21 pounds. That—combined with a newfound mental clarity from cutting sugar out of my diet—really helped motivate me to continue eating well. I’d spent my whole life obsessing about food and, for the first time, I felt my appetite decrease. This allowed me to think about other things that were important to me and to get out of the hungry haze I’d been living in. (Related: The Keto Diet Transformed Jen Widerstrom’s Body In Just 17 Days)

I started keeping my diet simple, yet consistent—something I maintain to this day. In the mornings I usually have a cup of coffee with half-and-half and a natural sweetener and scrambled eggs with avocado on the side. For lunch, I’ll have a bunless sandwich wrapped in lettuce with chicken or turkey along with a salad with dressing (that isn’t loaded with sugar). Dinner usually involves a moderate serving of protein (think fish, chicken, or steak), with a side salad as well. One of my goals is to include green cruciferous vegetables in every meal. I’ll snack sometimes if I’m feeling particularly hungry, but TBH, most days that’s more than enough food to keep me satisfied, and it doesn’t leave me thinking about food. (Also see: How to Safely and Effectively Come Off the Keto Diet)

You might be thinking: What about exercise? I’m not the kind of person who goes to the gym, but I knew that being active would help with weight loss. So I started doing small things to add activity into my day, like parking my car far away so I had to walk farther to get to the store. My weekend activities changed too: Instead of sitting on the couch and watching TV, my husband, daughter, and I go for long walks and hikes. (Related: Why Exercise Is the Least Important Part of Weight Loss)

To date, I’ve lost 120 pounds, bringing my weight to 168. It goes without saying that keto has been a wonderful decision for me and is a very important part of my story—so much so that I wrote a bookabout it. [Ed note: Many experts believe the ketogenic diet is best followed for a limited amount of time—i.e., for a little as two weeks or up to 90 days—or suggest carb-cycling as an option when not following a low-carb keto diet. Consult your doctor before starting any new diet to ensure there are no contraindications.]

That being said, when it comes to extreme weight loss, it’s important to find what works best for you. Once you find that, you have to really invest in it—that’s where sustainable success really lies. Most people who’ve struggled with their weight know that it comes with body-image and self-esteem issues. You have to focus on addressing those issues before you can truly make being healthy a lifestyle and not just a passing phase.

At the end of the day, if my story inspires even one person to treat their body well, then I’d consider that a job well done. The biggest and scariest decision is the decision to try, but what do you have to lose? Take that leap and start treating your body the way it deserves to be treated. You won’t regret it.

This article originally appeared on Shape.com.

How to Deal With Friends Who Are Obsessed With Food and Weight

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Since I was a teenager, I’ve witnessed my fair share of body and food shaming, namely from friends and classmates. As we perused the dessert menu after dinner, I recall one friend saying she couldn’t order her favorite dessert because “I’m wearing a crop top out tonight and want to look good.”

I’ve listened to friends compare their own bodies to those of women in completely different circumstances. Every time, I’ve choose to smile politely and nod my head at these self-deprecating comments. But as the years have gone by and talk about disordered eating, body positivity, and body image have only become more common, I’ve increasingly wondered why we let our friends say these things about themselves and let it slide as normal behavior.

RELATED: 9 Ways to Help a Friend With an Eating Disorder

It really hit me during a recent brunch meet up with a few close friends. The conversation started with banter about our jobs, our love lives, and weekend plans, but soon, the weight loss talk crept into the conversation and overtook everything. I listened to people who I saw as beautiful already, both inside and out, consumed with thoughts of what they were eating and how they were working out to combat the extra calories or fat or carbohydrates in those foods.

I sat there in silence because I wanted to scream Stop it! but it felt rude and wrong to dis something they felt so passionate about.

And I’ve been there too. During my month trying Whole30, I found myself obsessing over every morsel I ate and how it affected my body. I would catch myself mid-sentence, talking about how great my new eating style was, and then suddenly think This isn’t the real Julia. She wouldn’t spend so much time talking about her diet in such an unsolicited way.

Still, obsessing over the diet and telling everyone about my final goal is what got me through the grueling 30 days. Because of my Whole30 experience, I understand the allure of talking about your diet and exercise regime constantly. It can provide accountability, yes, but at what cost? All that talk about weight loss goals and fitspiration seem exhausting, and frankly, not worth it.

RELATED: 7 Things You Shouldn’t Say to Someone Who’s Had an Eating Disorder

To better understand the obsession some of us have with weight loss, exercise, and diet, I reached out to Andrew Walen, LICSW, executive director of The Body Image Therapy Center in Maryland. He confirmed my suspicion that obsessing over anything, weight loss included, isn’t healthy.

“A fixation on weight loss, any amount, means that a person is not paying attention to their body’s actual physical needs,” he explains. “We all have natural body types from the very smallest of us to the very largest. When we fight what is normal for our body, we are working against all the hormonal mechanisms that keep us healthy, and that can lead to physical and mental illness such as an eating disorder.”

After hearing Walen’s explanation, I felt better about the unsettling feelings I have when friends and loved ones go on rants about their latest diet or weight loss kick. Still, interjecting when someone you care about is speaking about a topic they care about felt rude and insulting.

Is it possible to look at weight loss or diet talk as a hobby, just as someone might want to talk about taking up a foreign language class or going on a major road trip? Everyone has their own lifestyle choices and interests, after all, so saying “Your weight loss talk makes me feel uncomfortable” has never sat right with me.

RELATED: The One Thing That Transformed My Relationship With My Body After Living With Anorexia for 12 Years

But Walen insists bringing up your concerns is the best thing to do. “When you’re surrounded by those who continue to obsess about weight loss or the food they’re eating, it’s appropriate to say how that makes you feel uncomfortable and if they can change the subject,” Walen explains. “It not only helps you, but can help the people around you grasp how much time they spend, and waste, on this topic. If they persist, perhaps this is a group need to spend less time with.”

There is a fine line: While giving your attention and praise to a friend who appears happy and healthy is normal, congratulating them when they lose weight they’ve been obsessed with shedding can prove dangerous. That’s because saying I can’t believe you lost 50 pounds! seems to suggest that the number on the scale defines their worth.

“If we celebrate the number, and the number goes back up, that person feels horrible about themselves,” says Walen. So instead of cheering on your friend for her pounds dropped, focus other wins like her positive mood, mastery of a new yoga pose, or cleaned up sleep schedule.

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Next time a friend goes on about her weight loss goal or diet regimen and I feel uncomfortable, I plan on taking the scary but necessary plunge into confrontation. Upsetting or offending a loved one isn’t a great feeling, but it’s a way to challenge our culture’s obsession with weight and diets—which perpetuates harmful, disordered thinking about the female body. 

The Diet That Helped This Woman Lose 70 Pounds Actually Involves Eating More Meals

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Counterintuitive, but it worked.

In September 2015, fitness influencer Briana Shaffer weighed 190 pounds—and she was ready to make a change. Now, this 24-year-old from Carlsbad, California is an amazing 70 pounds lighter. 

Her secret? She attributes her weight loss to a workout regimen consisting of weight lifting and high intensity interval training (HIIT). She also began eating five to six small meals per day, as opposed to the typical two to three larger ones most of us have. She shares her meal ideas and workouts on her YouTube channel and Instagram.

RELATED: What to Eat for Dinner if You’re Trying to Lose Weight, According to a Nutritionist

As Shaffer discovered, eating smaller meals more often can help shed pounds, and it’s proven to help dieters stay on track, Keri Gans, RDN, a nutritionist and author of The Small Change Diet, tells Health.

”For some individuals, consuming smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day is a successful weight loss method,” Gans says. “If these meals are well-balanced, in other words consist of protein, a healthy fat (i.e. avocado, olive oil, nuts) and a carbohydrate packed with fiber, they are more likely to stay satiated until their next meal. Also by wisely planning out these meals there is less opportunity for over-eating and giving into cravings.”

More important than the number on the scale, however, is how Shaffer’s fitness journey has helped her self-confidence.

Shaffer posts before-and-after photos regularly, and a recent one talked about her insecurities. “It’s so hard not to compare yourself to women you see online or the women in movies,” she wrote. “I so badly wanted to look just like them. Slowly, I realized I could be my own kind of beautiful.”

It hasn’t been a smooth ride the entire time either. After losing the first 40 pounds, Shaffer says she experienced a plateau. In her Instagram post, she said, “When I was 150, I felt good but still wasn’t where I wanted to be. I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in where we want to be that we forget to take a moment to look at how far we’ve come.”

RELATED: Scale Stuck? How to Get Over That Weight-Loss Plateau

Though she tried pills, “ridiculous teas,” and other products geared toward losing weight, she said she saw real results after adjusting her mindset and began appreciating her own body.

“Some things that helped me were never going cold turkey,” she says. “I’ve always allowed treats into my diet and have believed in living a healthy balanced lifestyle.”

The 4 Things This Woman Cut Out of Her Diet to Lose 30 Pounds in 100 Days

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Refreshingly simple—and amazingly successful.

Lots of people resolve to lose weight in the new year—then for a variety of reasons end up throwing in the towel. Not Marga Banaga. She did keep her New Year’s resolution to eat healthier and exercise nearly every day, and she’s seen amazing results.

RELATED: How to Ease Withdrawal Symptoms When You Quit Sugar, According to a Nutritionist

In a before-and-after Instagram post, Banaga shared that she lost 30 pounds in 100 days. “I did it!!!!” she wrote in the caption. “I survived 100 days of eating clean and trying to workout everyday! Never really had a cheat day.”

So what did she do to lose weight and get in shape? For 100 days, Banaga did not consume alcohol, meat, cheese, or sweets. She committed to a pescatarian diet, meaning a vegetarian diet that includes seafood (tuna and shrimp were frequent meals).

In a 20-minute YouTube video, Banaga shared even more details of her weight loss, plus daily updates.

Banaga decided to launch her New Year’s regimen after reaching her heaviest weight, which made her feel depressed. Early on, she even declined invites to hang out with friends so she could strengthen her resolve. “I could not tempt myself with food and alcohol because my self control was not good yet.”

Though she didn’t notice any body changes in the first two weeks, she said she felt better, and her clothes were fitting differently after less than a month. 

Her road to health was not particularly easy, and in her YouTube video, Banaga was honest about the more difficult days. On Day 67, she revealed that her brother had passed away. “I haven’t been in the mood to do anything,” she said, admitting that she was too upset to eat or work out.

RELATED: 5 Habits of Vegetarians You Should Steal

She considered ending her challenge there, but ultimately decided to keep going. On Day 81, she noted that her form had improved since her first trip to the gym. And while she’s crossed the 100-day finish line, Banaga isn’t giving up her newfound healthy living plan.

“Now that the 100 days are over, I need to challenge myself even more,” she wrote in the Instagram post. “Thinking of counting my macros so I can get all the nutrients I need and I’m thinking of lifting weights already! Need to push myself even more!!”

A Surprisingly Easy Trick to Control Overeating 

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And the answer to why you always find yourself snacking.

Though it might be tempting to delay doing the dishes, new research may have you scrubbing sooner rather than later. According to a study conducted at the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, spending time in a cluttered and chaotic kitchen may cause us to double the amount of calories we consume. The results are published in Environment and Behavior.

The researchers began by splitting 98 female participants into two groups. One group was asked to write about a time when their lives felt in control, and the other group wrote about a time when their lives felt out of control. Half of the participants then waited in a messy, hectic kitchen—filled with newspapers, dirty dishes, and a ringing phone. The other half waited in a clean and quiet kitchen. Bowls of cookies, crackers, and carrots were available in both environments.

In just 10 minutes, the participants who wrote about a time when they felt out of control ate 53 more calories from cookies than the stressed-out women who entered the clean kitchen.

“Being in a chaotic environment and feeling out of control is bad for diets,” Lenny Vartanian, PhD., lead author of the study, said in a statement. “It seems to lead people to think, ‘Everything else is out of control, so why shouldn’t I be?’”

The group that wrote about feeling in control ate about 100 fewer total calories in the cluttered kitchen than those who went in feeling stressed—suggesting meditation might be a helpful technique (though the researchers suggest cleaning is likely the easiest solution).

Still feeling lazy? Washing the dishes is good for more than just our waistline. A previous study found that the household chore encourages a state of mindfulness, which can lead to reduced stress and improved well-being.

The Workout That Helped This Mom and Daughter Lose a Combined 184 Pounds

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This 1980s-era dance program is still inspiring weight-loss success.

Get ready to do some jazz hands for this mother-daughter duo. Jaime Allison, 40, and her daughter Calista Jean Jones, 18, have lost a combined total of 184 pounds—and they credit their weight loss to their favorite workout: Jazzercise.

RELATED: How to Be More Confident in the Weight Room, Dance Class, and More

Their Jazzercise journey started in January 2016, when the two were talked into attending a class, Allison tells Health. Ever since, they’ve been regulars at the Jazzercise studio in Trussville, Alabama.

“From that point on we were hooked,” Allison says. “Who doesn’t love to dance? For one hour, a stress-free, heart-pounding, fun, fat-burning dance mix that give you amazing health benefits and even muscles!”

For these women, it’s not just about breaking a sweat. One of the benefits of Jazzercise has been the bonding experience.

“Jazzercise has completely changed our relationship,” Allison says. “Raising a daughter is tough enough, seeing her struggle like I did as a teen with her weight and self-confidence is difficult. We have found something we can do together, to keep each other accountable and motivate each other. It’s our special time together.”

RELATED: I’m the Worst Dancer, but I’ll Never Quit Taking Dance Fitness Classes—Here’s Why

Jazzercise was created by Judi Sheppard Missett in 1969, according to the company website. The workout is described as a “high intensity dance party that fuses cardio, strength, Pilates, hip hop, yoga and kickboxing.” Jazzercisers can burn up to 800 calories during each 60-minute class, the site states.

Allison says she takes Jazzercise classes three to four times per week and follows the Weight Watchers program. She frequently posts side-by-side transformation photos, snaps of her meals, and also mirror selfies at the studio. Many of the selfies feature Allison and Jones beaming after a tough workout.

“We are a team, helping each other, making good food choices and keeping each other on point,” Allison says. “Our bond is something special that I would never trade. I always wanted her to look up to me [and] now I feel like we both inspire each other.”

It’s been over two years since Allison walked into her first Jazzercise class, and she says persistence and self-love allowed her to make this life-changing step toward a healthier lifestyle.

RELATED: 6 Dance Cardio Workout Videos That Will Get You Out of Your Exercise Rut

“It just takes one moment, one decision, making a small change that can completely shift your mindset for the better, becoming healthier, fit and happy,” she says. “Do something different, try something new, out of your comfort zone, you might just love it! That’s what Jazzercise did for my daughter and [me]. It will be worth it! Promise!”

Watch This Man’s Weight Loss Journey from 202 Lbs. to 160 Lbs. in Hyperlapse

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Daily workouts and meal prep were his keys to success.

Fed up with his growing weight, an Oklahoma man decided to commit to a diet plan for 12 weeks — and stayed on track by filming one video a day.

Hunter Hobbs graduated from college two years ago, and discovered that the long hours at his desk job — plus daily lunches out — had negatively impacted his waistline.

“Over the past year I had got to a point where I had some super unhealthy habits,” Hobbs, who works at an oil and gas company, tells PEOPLE. “The whole full-time working routine caught up to me.”

He had been fairly slim in college thanks to a more active, outdoorsy lifestyle, but had never dieted before.

“I decided for once in my life to really just commit to 12 weeks,” Hobbs says. “I came up with the idea to document it, and I thought, if I can stick to this and make a change, I can end up with something really cool. That was a big motivating factor.”

Hobbs committed to daily workouts, focusing on weight lifting and eventually adding in cardio workouts to burn fat. He also started cooking all of his meals, which were heavy in lean proteins and healthy carbs, like chicken, eggs, sweet potatoes and oatmeal.

“While all my friends went out to lunch every day I was the only guy eating at my desk,” he says. “I was just super consistent about it, which made a huge difference.”

His weight loss journey sadly meant saying goodbye to his social life for a few months, and avoiding the food temptations all around him.

“My roommate doesn’t eat very healthy at all, and he would always eat right in front of me. One night I came home and I told him I was really craving a pizza so badly but that I had to resist. And he said, ‘Oh, that sounds good’ and ordered a large pizza and ate it right in front of me,” Hobbs recalls, laughing.

And the start of his diet was tough, because Hobbs didn’t start seeing results for three weeks. But he stayed strong, other than a couple candy indulgences to keep himself “sane.” And 42 lbs. later, he’s thrilled with the change.

“I love how I look now,” Hobbs says. “My self-esteem is 100 percent better. I feel full of energy and motivated, and way more confident.”

With his weight loss challenge now complete, Hobbs says he will relax a bit and start going out with his friends again. But he plans on generally sticking to his healthier lifestyle because he’s “in the habit now.” Plus, he’s learned how to successfully lose weight.

“Everyone’s body responds differently, but I know that consistency is key,” Hobbs says. “If you make it a habit you’re definitely going to see some real progress. My transformation was meant to be a bit extreme, but you can definitely stay motivated and see progress if you stay consistent.”

Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness Once Gained 70 Lbs. in 3 Months: ‘I Just Could Not Stop Eating’

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Van Ness said that he was a chubby kid until high school.

Queer Eye‘s Jonathan Van Ness is celebrating his weight loss journey.

The grooming guru from the hit Netflix show shared before and after photos on Instagram on Tuesday — one of him at his heaviest weight, and another of himself now.

“After my step dad passed away I gained 70 lbs. in three months,” Van Ness, 31, wrote on Instagram. “I didn’t like how I felt or looked, it’s so important for me to look back and tell that man from five years ago he was lovely and gorge. I can celebrate where I am now as long as I send love to the ‘me’s’ along the way.”

Van Ness told InStyle that he was a chubby kid until high school, when he lost weight. But after his stepdad died of bladder cancer in 2012, he gained 70 lbs. in just three months.

“I just could not stop eating, and that took me, like, two years to lose that weight,” he said. “My fitness journey now has really been from that really rapid weight gain. I was a chubby kid who got made fun of a lot, and I got fit in high school and I stayed fit in my 20s, until my dad died. I went from being pretty fit to 230 lbs., which isn’t, like, the biggest for being 6-feet-tall, but I had been 165 lbs. just three months prior. That taught me a lot about how people treat you differently when you’re fit and when you’re bigger.”

Van Ness initially started hitting the gym to lose those 70 lbs. for other people, but now he works out for himself.

“There was a time when I was like, ‘Oh my god, I have to lose this weight because if I don’t, then who’s gonna date me?’ ” he said. “[Now], my working out is about me. It wasn’t always like that, but that’s where it’s landed. It’s something that I choose to share because I want to help people feel better and I found that for me, just sharing myself seems to be helping.”

And he adds that while unfair female body standards happen to be a hot topic right now, they’re just as bad for men.

“I think that the ideal of men’s physiques in general, gay or straight, is one of the most under-talked-about things ever,” he said. “Ninety-five percent of these bodies that we’re seeing, that we’re striving so hard to look like, are genetically engineered, like, let’s be very clear. It’s steroids. It’s just important for people that are trying to do the best with what they have to be honest about it.”

Van Ness said he used to care more about looking like the men he sees in ads, but now he’s happy with his body.

“I love how I look right now,” he said. “If I were to do steroids, it would be so that other people would see me the way that I already see myself. And no! F— that. No. No, thank you.”

Carb Back-Loading Might Be the Next Big Weight Loss Trend—But Should You Try It?

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There have been a number of carb trends lately, from diets that cut way back on them (such as paleo, pegan, and keto) to carb cycling (a strategy that alternates lower-carb and higher-carb days). Now there’s carb back-loading, which—in a nutshell—entails eating most of your carbs at night.

The theory behind carb back-loading is based on the relationship between carbs and hormones like insulin and cortisol, which play a role in how likely you are to burn carbs or store them—either as glycogen (the carb “piggy banks” in your muscles) or as fat. Carb back-loading proponents believe that shifting the bulk of your carb intake, as well as your workout, to the evening optimizes hormones, and prevents carbs from being shuttled into fat cells.

All of this means that during the day you’re limiting your carb intake to a very strict 30 grams, tops. The strategy is said to help reduce fat and build muscle, while you enjoy carby faves like pasta, bread, and sweets at night, after you’ve finished your workout.

But before you get too excited about ordering pad Thai for dinner, hold up. Here’s a closer look at carb back-loading, which isn’t as straightforward as it seems—and some bottom line advice about the best ways to eat carbs to manage your weight and maintain optimal health.

RELATED: The Healthiest Way to Do Intermittent Fasting, According to a Nutritionist

The evidence for carb back-loading isn’t all that promising

Without going into too much detail, the research is limited. Some studies cited to support the theory are either very small (with, say, 10 participants), or don’t follow the exact carb back-loading protocol. Other research relies on methods that aren’t ideal, such as having participants report what they eat, or measuring body fat with techniques that aren’t considered to be as accurate. And some studies were conducted with obese adults, who generally have different metabolic profiles and hormonal levels than active, normal weight people.

Carb back-loading is largely used by body builders

These people are engaged in intense workouts to build muscle mass and look extremely lean. If your objectives are to feel well, both physically and mentally; have a balanced relationship with food and your body; and optimize your nutrition, carb back-loading probably isn’t for you. I also believe the eating strategy is risky if you have a history of disordered eating or binge eating.

The nighttime carb party does have limits

Fans of carb back-loading say it’s okay to enjoy fries, shakes, and desserts after workouts, and not worry about being gluttonous. But proponents also recommend that you aim for about one gram of carb per pound of body weight. So if you’re a 130-pound woman, you can’t exactly enjoy an unlimited carb buffet. Case in point: one veggie burrito from Chipotle provides 123 carb grams.

When it comes to carbs and weight loss, extremes aren’t necessary

It’s simply not true that every gram of carb you eat will automatically feed your fat cells if you don’t limit your carbs to nighttime, after you’ve worked out. You can lose weight or prevent weight gain, and increase muscle mass by choosing quality carbs (think black beans, quinoa, oats, fruit and veggies) in appropriate portions.

Numerous studies back this up, and I see it over and over again in my practice. I’ve helped many professional athletes and others simultaneously reduce body fat and build muscle without using carb back-loading.

The truth is, many people overeat carbs, which creates a surplus of unneeded energy that either maintains body fat, or causes weight gain. And poor quality carbs, namely refined starch and sugar (think bagels and brownies), are even more likely to wreak havoc on your waistline.

Read to ditch added sugar? Sign up for our 14-Day Sugar Detox Challenge!

Simply upgrading the quality of your carbs (by eating more whole foods and fewer processed and refined foods) and eliminating your carb excess is enough to help you slim down. At the same time you’ll be supporting your energy, mood, digestive health, immunity, athletic performance, and overall nutrient intake.

Final thoughts: If you sit at a desk all day and work out in the evening, and you want to experiment with shifting your carb intake to later in the day, give that a try. But strive to create an approach that’s balanced, sustainable, and practical for your body’s needs. In my experience, this type of pattern yields the best results, both for your waistline and your overall wellness.

Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, is Health’s contributing nutrition editor, a New York Times best-selling author, and a consultant for the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets.

This Personality Quiz Will Tell You the Best Food and Fitness Plan for You

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In this excerpt from her new book, The Right Fit Formula ($25, amazon.com), health and fitness expert Christine Lusita, CPT, explains how to choose a weight-loss strategy that will work for you.

If you’ve ever taken a personality test, chances are it was the one developed by psychologists William Moulton Marston and Walter Clarke. Their DiSC program is the gold standard in personality assessment, grouping people by four main categories: Dominant, Influential, Steady, or Conscientious.

It turns out those categories describe my own clients beautifully. In fact, in my many years of practice, I’ve identified these four types of weight loss clients:

  • The Leader, the take-charge client who hates being told what to do but goes all-in when something clicks.
  • The Socializer, who rah-rahs every weight loss idea I throw at her but has just a teeny bit of trouble staying on track because, well, you only live once!
  • The Supporter, the busy, pragmatic soccer mom who hates the idea of anything “trendy” and who says she’s running around all the time anyway and doesn’t that count?
  • The Planner, the disciplined thinker, who loves to discuss the benefits of metabolic conditioning but would rather walk 10 miles than take a Zumba class.

Over the years, I’ve gotten to know each of these types intimately. I know that a Leader would never end up at the same workout as a Supporter (unless she’s leading it!) and that a Socializer will eat very differently than a Planner. Each encounter has helped me understand that nobody loses weight the same way, and that everybody needs a customized food and fitness plan that speaks directly to their personalities. 

Uncovering your Right Fit ID

Yes, I know: Nobody falls neatly into the above categories. Oprah, for instance, has definitely got some Leader mixed in with her Socializer personality. And quintessential Planner accountants can be great at parties.

But chances are you definitely lean in one direction. That direction will determine your Right Fit ID, the food and fitness plan that makes sense to you.

So here’s a quick pop quiz to help you narrow it down. Don’t worry about whether more than one answer fits or doesn’t fit; just pick what sounds most like you. Have fun with it!

When you go to a new restaurant, you like to:

a) Order the chef’s special


b) Get input from tablemates so you can share

c) Look for something familiar


d) See what looks like the best value

If you could afford to, you would:

a) Hire a private chef


b) Rent out a trendy restaurant for your birthday party

c) Hire someone to make and pack your kids’ lunches


d) Hire the world’s top nutritionist to tell you what to eat

At dinnertime, you’ll often find yourself:

a) At a business meeting

b) Out with friends


c) With family


d) At your desk

If you don’t have the time to cook, you usually:

a) Go to a drive-thru


b) Call a friend and go out


c) Find something you froze last week

d) Drink a protein shake

When you open your refrigerator, you see:

a) Whatever the housekeeper put in there


b) Lots of wine and snacks


c) Leftovers


d) Nine containers of yogurt (they were on sale)

The workout routine that makes the most sense to you might be:

a) Racquetball


b) Zumba classes

c) Walking the dog

d) Golf

The last time you blew off your workout, you were probably:

a) On a plane


b) Slightly hung over


c) Dealing with a to-do list

d) On a deadline

You would rather eat nails than:

a) Join a boot camp


b) Swim laps


c) Take a trapeze class


d) Play pick-up basketball

On the other hand, you might not mind:

a) Having your own gym

b) Trying beach volleyball

c) A next-door yoga studio

d) Taking up martial arts

Your best reason for getting fit is to:

a) Avoid a heart attack


b) Look great


c) De-stress


d) Maintain optimal health

If you picked mostly As:

Your Right Fit ID is Leader. You want immediate results, and you don’t want to fool around with too much prepping, shopping, or calorie counting. If you could, you’d hire a chef and trainer and build a gym just so you could get fitness over with as quickly as possible.

For you, a food and fitness plan might include:

Simple, easy food plans
; flexible, portable meals (the drive-thru is the Leader’s Waterloo!); one-on-one competitive sports, like running and racquetball; adrenaline-rush workouts, like sprinting or singles tennis

And it would definitely not include:

Complicated recipes and kitchen prep; lengthy discussions about fitness details; boot camp trainers who get in your face; group classes

Great diet matches for you include:

Mediterranean, Paleo, Biggest Loser Diet, or the Flexitarian Diet, all of which offer plenty of options and simple plates

RELATED: Go Flexitarian: Eat Less Meat and More Veggies in 3 Weeks

If you picked mostly Bs:

Your Right Fit ID is Socializer. You want to work out in social settings and talk, talk, talk about diet, food, and what’s working and what isn’t. If it were up to you, every meal would be celebrated on Instagram and every workout would end with a wine-and-cheese mixer.

For you, a food and fitness plan might include:

Some type of group support to share eating plans and results; fun workouts, such as dance or social team sports, such as volleyball or softball; a cooking club or recipe swap

And it would definitely not include:

Solo sporting ventures, like lap swimming or track; YouTube workouts (unless you’re the one filming them!); detailed calorie counting and food weighing

Great diet matches for you include:

Weight Watchers, The Wild Diet, The Spark Solution Diet, or Jenny Craig, all of which offer plenty of support, interaction, and community

Ready to ditch added sugar? Sign up for our 14-Day Sugar Detox Challenge!

If you picked mostly Cs:

Your Right Fit ID is Supporter. You’re all about family time and obligations, and you probably feel guilty even for scheduling workout time! You’ll have to be convinced that fitness is worth your time and effort.

So for you, a food and fitness plan might include:

  • Accountability. No wacka-doodie workouts. You want something with a proven track record.
  • Convenience. Drive across town to break a sweat? Please. You have a life!
  • Familiarity. You don’t care about that skinny celeb in People magazine. You want to know how your hairdresser got back into her high-school jeans.
  • Numbers. You want equipment that tracks your progress and calories. When you hit 30 minutes or 300 calories, ding! You’re outta there!
  • A firm schedule. If it can’t happen at the same time every day, it’s probably not going to happen.

And it would definitely not include:

Anything trendy or kooky-sounding; foods and supplements that come only from certain stores or websites; workouts that require special equipment or too much time

Great diet matches for you include:

Mayo Clinic, Volumetrics, Nutrisystem, and the Zone diet, all of which are all moderate and measured

RELATED: What to Eat for Dinner If You’re Trying to Lose Weight, According to a Nutritionist

If you picked mostly Ds:

Your Right Fit ID is Planner. You’re a label reader, a calorie counter, a data cruncher. You know—or you plan to know—what glucose does to blood sugar and how gluten is processed in the colon.

For your logical, analytical personality, the right food and fitness plan would include:

Anything with well-researched and proven methodologies (If there’s science behind it, you won’t mind combining certain foods or cooking in precise methods.); equipment that provides benchmarks and feedback; journaling to track your progress; slow-paced workouts—martial arts, lap swimming, pilates—that include skill-builiding and precision

And it would definitely not include:

Trendy diets or workout groups; Zumba classes, dance, aerobics, and other “just have fun” workouts; fast-paced trainers who push for action

Great diet matches for you include:

The Dash Diet, The Whole 30, TLC, and The Macrobiotic Diet, all of which include plenty of logic, science, and realistic approaches to weight loss

For a food plan, workouts, meditations, and energy boosters tailored to each personality type, pick up a copy of The Right Fit Formula.

Excerpted from The Right Fit Formula. Copyright © 2018 by Christine Lusita. Published by Skyhorse Publishing.