This Woman Shared the Most Relatable Before-and-After Post About Being Stuck at a Weight Loss Plateau
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A Man and a Woman Lost 100 Pounds Each While They Were 5,000 Miles Apart—Then Fell in Love Online
This Mom Jiggled Her Excess Skin to Prove a Point About Embracing Her Post-Baby Body
“It’s FINE if you have some jiggle when you wiggle,” she wrote, and we couldn’t agree more.
Caleh Cristler, a California-based influencer, has built up a big following by posting photos of her post-baby belly and being refreshingly candid about how her body has changed since having three kids.
RELATED: These Real Women Showed Their Excess Skin to Make an Important Point About Weight Loss
But her recent Instagram video of the loose skin on her stomach had a more specific message. Cristler hoped the visual of her moving around her loose belly skin will remind followers about the reality of how birth affects a woman’s body, and also make the point that women should never compare their post-pregnancy shape to someone else’s.
“Ladies, I originally lost over 75 lbs after my first two babies, then I got my pregnant with my third (2nd caesarean), gained 50 lbs back, and I’ve lost it all again,” she wrote in the caption. “My point? You lose a collective total of around 125 lbs, you’re gonna be left with some excess skin.”
Cristler reminded people to never compare their appearance to hers. “I’ve also got stretch marks because genetics and I’ve also got abs because I workout and eat well,” she said. She later added, “It’s FINE if you have some jiggle when you wiggle. It’s FINE if you choose to have it removed. It’s FINE if you decide to do whatever because it’s YOUR body. What’s NOT fine is letting fear hold you hostage from anything in your life.”
Since posting her belly jiggle photo, Cristler has seen an overwhelming response from followers, and people are thanking her for her transparency. “It’s been really encouraging to see so many women respond positively and share their own experiences,” she tells Health.
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Loose skin is a common concern among women after giving birth, and many choose to go under the knife to remove it. Lately, however, influencers are taking to social media to share why they have no plans to do this—it’s a personal decision and should be judgement-free.
This Woman’s Before-and-After Bikini Photos Show How She Lost Half Her Body Weight
Here’s what she told us about weight loss and happiness.
Bikini season is fast approaching, and we are loving one before-and-after photo with an important message about adopting a healthy lifestyle.
Last month, Carli Jay shared two different photos of herself at the beach. The photo on the right shows Jay after she lost half of her body weight. She started at 280 pounds in February 2014. Four years later, she now weighs in at 140—but makes a point to say she’s still the same person inside.
RELATED: These 13 Women Prove Every Body Is a Bikini Body
“[I’ve] always been happy – now just living healthier, fitter and stronger in more ways than one – at half the size!” the Australian fitness influencer wrote, “and the best bit this is not over yet – [it’s] a lifestyle with a never ending finishing line of where I [wanna] go with it! Be the best you, you can possibly be, in your [lifetime]!”
She also makes it clear that in her opinion, every body is a bikini body, no matter the size.
“My biggest piece of advice is that bikini season is for everyone!” she tells Health. “You need to own it no matter what size or shape you are. I rocked a bikini at 280 pounds on the beach because this girl wanted a tan—and no one was going to stop me!”
Jay’s Instagram page shows gym selfies, workout videos, beach photos, and side-by-side transformation posts. She puts it all out there to motivate people to achieve their wellness goals in a healthy, positive way.
RELATED: I’ve Never Felt More Confident Than When I Put on This Swimsuit
“If there are things that you are insecure about or want to change or improve about your body, do it for the right reasons,” she says. “Do it for your health, not because you are hating on yourself!”
Jay often posts about her gimmick-free weight loss success, and how she launched her journey by adjusting her eating habits and heading to the gym. She also offers nutrition and fitness tips on her YouTube channel, Miss Carli Jay Healthy Living.
This Mom and Her Daughters Have Lost a Total of 154 Pounds in One Year—and Each Used a Different Method
Chip Gaines Shares a New Photo After His 10-Pound Weight Loss
The Fixer Upper star is gaining strength and losing weight with help from his little ones.
Training for a marathon has given Chip Gaines some serious, well, gains. The Fixer Upper star is just one month away from completing his first-ever marathon, the Silo District Marathon in Waco, Texas. And he’s sharing his new fitness goal (and weight loss!) on Instagram.
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In a photo posted to the Gaines family’s @magnolia account, a beaming, fist-pumping Chip is racing along a trail. Just last month, the 43-year-old father of four (and soon-to-be five!) talked to Runner’s World about how running has changed him physically and mentally.
“I’m down around 10 pounds!” he said in the interview. “And the fact that I’m not sucking wind at mile 1 is probably a pretty good sign, too.”
Gaines explained that he’s sacrificed some sleep during his grueling training schedule, but his family has been the ultimate support system. In one adorable post he shared in January, Chip showed his followers the pre-run snacks and motivational notes his little ones prepared for him.
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“It’s about making a commitment and sticking to it no matter what,” he wrote. “And trust me, that ‘no matter what’ part is a real kick in the pants…especially at five o’clock in the morning. But my family is so supportive of this whole thing—my kids are excited for me when I leave on a long run, and they can’t wait to ask me how it went when I get back. If anything, they’re helping me hold myself accountable.”
And while his newfound love of running is changing his looks, the TV star’s natural confidence has remained solid. Last May, he talked about his pre-weight loss “dad bod” in the summer issue of The Magnolia Journal.
“At any given moment, there’s a little voice in my head . . . that’s constantly telling me, ‘Way to go, Chip, that was so funny!’ and ‘Hey, Chip, you look good in that size medium T-shirt!’ A few times [it] has even told me my dad bod is ‘rockin.’”
The DASH Diet Is Great For Weight Loss, So Why Is No One Following It?
This article originally appeared on CookingLight.com.
The DASH diet often flies under the radar, especially when compared to buzzy diets such as the Keto diet, but it’s one of the most widely-respected diets out there. U.S. News & World Report has named it the “Best Diet Overall” for eight consecutive years in its annual diet rankings, and it’s recommended by the American Heart Association, who used it to develop their 2010 Dietary Guidelines.
With virtually no food groups as off-limits, DASH offers much more flexibility than other popular diet plans. It can also aid in weight loss and weight maintenance, given its emphasis on overall health. With all its praiseworthy qualities, you’d think everyone would be following a DASH diet plan. But here’s the surprising truth—less than 2 percent of the population actually follows the DASH diet.
How could this be? Let’s take a closer look at the DASH diet to find out for ourselves.
What Is the DASH Diet?
DASH stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.” The diet was developed out of a study by the National Institutes of Health after researchers noticed that vegetarians tended to have lower rates of high blood pressure. Understanding that sodium intake affected blood pressure, researchers also believed that these levels may also be impacted by other nutrients in plant-based diets.
Enter the DASH diet. When individuals followed this eating plan, researchers saw dramatic reductions in blood pressure levels. Today, the eating plan is recommended for preventing and treating hypertension and heart disease—and it has been linked to decreased bone deterioration, improved insulin sensitivity, and possible risk reduction for some cancers.How to Follow a DASH Diet Plan:
The DASH diet plan focus on increasing vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes; choosing lean meats, low-fat dairy, nuts and healthy fats; and limiting added sugars, trans fats, added salt, and processed foods. Serving sizes from each food group are based on individual calorie needs (see below for a 1600-calorie plan), and you’ll likely find that the plan looks pretty close to the MyPlate plan, as well as another consistently rated “top diet,” the Mediterranean Diet. Here’s a breakdown of the recommended nutrients in a typical day and week on the DASH diet:
Nutrients Per Day:
- Grains: 6 servings
- Vegetables: 3-4 servings
- Fruits: 4 servings
- Low-Fat or Fat-Free Dairy: 2-3 servings
- Lean Meat, Poultry, or Fish: 4 ounces or less
- Fat/oils: 2 servings
- Sodium: 2300 mg or less
Nutrients Per Week:
- Nuts, seeds, and legumes: 3-4 times per week
- Sweets and added sugars: 3 servings or less
The secret to DASH’s success is its emphasis on increasing vegetables, fruits, and whole foods that are naturally low in sodium and high in potassium. While most know that reducing sodium is essential, many don’t realize that getting adequate potassium intake is just as key for regulating blood pressure.
When foods are processed, their potassium levels actually decrease. So, choosing whole or minimally processed foods can improve blood pressure regulation from both a sodium and a potassium perspective. In addition, you’ll usually decrease your intake of saturated fat, added sugars, and overall calories—all of which can help you lose weight, and keep it off for good.
So—Why Does DASH Have So Few Followers?
DASH’s lack of followers seems to come down to misconceptions that people have about it. Here are some common perceptions about the DASH diet, including what is—and what isn’t—true.
Misconception #1: The DASH Diet is Only for People With High Blood Pressure.
The DASH diet was created when researchers were looking for ways to effectively reduce hypertension, but this was over 20 years ago! Though it’s still often marketed as a treatment for high blood pressure, the DASH eating plan is really an ideal way to eat for overall health, weight maintenance, and chronic disease prevention. In fact, studies suggest that DASH lowers risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and some cancers.
Also, people with high blood pressure aren’t the only ones who need to worry about sodium intake. Data suggests that 90 percent of Americans exceed sodium’s max limit (3500mg) daily. Regularly going over this amount takes a toll on your body—even healthy bodies—over time.
Misconception #2: “Low-Sodium” and “No-Salt” are the DASH Diet’s Sole Focus.
Sodium reduction is part of the DASH equation, but it’s not the only focus. Eating by DASH recommendations also increases your intake of potassium, calcium, magnesium and fiber—all nutrients that play a role in cardiovascular health, as well as the prevention of other chronic diseases. It’s thought to be the combination of increasing your intake of these nutrients and decreasing your intake of added sugar, salt, sodium and unhealthy fats that leads to lower blood pressure and a laundry list of other long-term health benefits.
RELATED: 7 Ways to Keep Food Tasty While Decreasing Your Sodium
Also, reducing sodium doesn’t restrict you to boring, bland food, nor does it mean you have to toss out the salt shaker. Yes, reducing the amount of salt you use and choosing lower-sodium products are key, but opting for fresh foods or whole foods instead of boxed, canned, and ready-to-heat items makes a big enough impact. Experiment with spices and herbs, and use a little salt to enhance flavor. Salt should never be the sole flavoring or seasoning in any in dish.
Misconception #3: The DASH Diet is Unapproachable.
Many equate healthy eating, particularly lower-sodium eating such as DASH, with the idea that all meals have to be cooked from scratch. This is overwhelming for many (myself included), but there are plenty of tricks and tips to help you. First, understand that “whole foods” doesn’t exclusively mean fresh produce. Take advantage of time-saving, minimally processed foods like unseasoned frozen vegetables and no-salt-added canned veggies.
Two additional shortcuts that can easily be worked into a DASH diet plan are meal prepping and batch cooking—both of which are important for quick, healthy eating. Meal prepping doesn’t have to mean cooking a full meal, either. It’s just preparing components that can be used to toss together a quick meal—like baking chicken breasts, roasting vegetables, and cooking a whole grain like quinoa. You can also minimize time spent in the kitchen by buying weekly salad greens, bags of pre-cut veggies, and prepping produce at the start of the week.
Misconception #4: DASH is a “Diet” That You Follow Intermittently.
Perhaps the biggest thing that holds people back from following DASH is approaching it with an “all-or-nothing” attitude. However, DASH does not fall under the common “diet” approach of following an eating plan for a few weeks and then returning to your old way of eating. After all, no one’s diet is perfect. Like the Mediterranean Diet, the DASH diet is best viewed as a healthy way of living and eating. Making small, gradual changes in your food choices—and food quality—can help you form healthier habits for life.
These 5 Women Look Like They Lost Weight—but They Actually Gained
It’s a mystery many successful dieters encounter: Why do they feel lighter and fit better into their clothes when the scale tells them that they’ve actually gained weight instead of dropped pounds, as they expected?
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Five women who experienced this phenomenon took to social media to share their thoughts and side-by-side images. If you’re trying to shed pounds, listen to their advice to never track your progress solely by what the scale says.
“3 years, 6 kilos and a new bikini,” @yolaforthewin wrote under her before and after posts, showing her 6-kilogram (13-pound) weight gain. “Weight is just a number … and that’s about it.”
“I’m 25 pounds heavier, fitter, and wear a size 6 versus a 14 (for those that care),” said @bananas.gets.fit of her photos. “The purpose of this post is to show you what the scale says does not matter, take your measurements, take progress photos and stay consistent.”
“I am 15 lbs heavier than I was at my lowest weight last year in November,” @kaylegetsfit shared in her transformation post. “When you are on a healthy eating plan and working out regularly (for me it’s 6 days a week) AND LIFTING your body composition changes dramatically. Throw your scales away people!”
“I am 10 pounds heavier, in the right picture, than I am in the left,” @schlutowk captioned this before-and-after photo. “The scale is meaningless, folks. Your weight doesn’t matter.”
“Scales are stupid,” Natalie Bunting said, revealing that she had gained close to one pound since starting her fitness regimen. “And I’m willing to post a bikini photo in order to prove it.”
This Couple Started Working Out Together in Their 40s—But Had Completely Different Results
Weight loss has a gender bias.
Getting fit with your partner can be a lot of fun. But it can also be crazy frustrating—especially if they quickly lose weight and gain muscle while your journey is much more of a struggle.
Fitness influencer Ally Tokar knows what that scenario feels like. The before-and-after photos she recently shared—showing what she and her husband looked like in their 30s and how they look now, in their 40s—perfectly illustrates how two people could follow roughly the same shape-up plan with wildly different results.
RELATED: This Couple Has Dropped Almost 400 Pounds Since Making a New Year’s Resolution to Lose Weight
“4.5 years y’all. FOUR AND A HALF FREAKIN YEARS that I’ve been eating vegetables and proteins instead of pizza and drinking 45 ounces of water every damn day and saying ‘no thanks’ to cupcakes when I really just wanted to smear the icing all over my face and moan inappropriately at kids’ birthday parties,” she wrote.
While Tokar struggled to get more fit, her husband, Kory, had a much smoother ride. “And all he had to do was eat a few salads over 3 months and he has a V,” she wrote, describing the toned lines connecting his abs and hips. “Do you have a V? I don’t have a V. WHY DON’T I HAVE A V?????”
Tokar’s story isn’t unusual. And as she found, it’s typically guys who find it easier to lose weight and build definition than women.
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That’s because men typically lose one to two more pounds a week than women do, even when they follow the same age, weight and fitness plan, explains Sean Bourke, MD, co-founder of JumpstartMD, a group of medical weight-loss clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area. “Weight loss is stacked in favor of men on account of differences in hormones, metabolism and muscle mass,” Dr. Bourke previously told Health.
It’s not fair, we know. But luckily, reaching your fitness goals doesn’t have to mean shedding pounds at a steady, rapid clip. If you’re having a hard time losing weight, skip the scale and focus on eating whole, healthy foods and getting regular workouts. It might take longer than your spouse, but you will get healthier and fitter.
These 8 Women Look Like They Lost Weight—but the Scale Didn’t Budge
When most people start a weight-loss plan, they typically have a goal weight in mind—and then do regular weigh-ins with the bathroom scale to track the rate at which the pounds peel off.
The crazy thing is, even though your clothes might fit better and you feel lighter, sometimes the scale will stubbornly stay put. It’s demoralizing, sure, but also a good reminder not to get too hung up on what the number says. Instead, nutritionists advise that you chart your diet progress by how much healthier you feel, any increase in your strength and endurance, and a change in body-fat composition ratio, among other measures.
RELATED: Here’s What to Eat for Lunch if You’re Trying to Slim Down, According to a Nutritionist
Don’t believe us that it’s possible to drop lbs without seeing that reflected on the scale? Take it from these 8 women, who posted dramatic before-and-after images on social media to explain what they learned when this happened to them.
“In both of these pictures I weighed 160 lbs, this is the difference over a year of CrossFit had on my body,” @kari.leigh said. “I gained a lot of strength and lost body fat. The best part was I felt incredible too! I stopped stressing about the scale so much and just focused on how I felt. It boosted my confidence and allowed me to get to know myself better.”
“The number on the scale is only one unit of measurement,” @fitness_cara captioned these photos of herself, both of which showed her at 127 lbs. “I recently stopped caring about the number and celebrating it, it is so freeing not letting this number control me!”
“Honestly I think the biggest factor is just time,” @em_wizzfit wrote. “Being kind to yourself, forgiving yourself, bit by bit slowly adds up. My confidence has never had anything to do with my weight or my body shape, but my perception of myself. [That’s] what you need to work on.”
“So many women think the answer to looking or feeling their best is to lose weight,” @theblondefiless wrote. “While for some people this is certainly true, for others it may be best to pursue a body recomposition.”
“And this is why the scale should not be the main measurement of progress or health,” @shapebynat shared. “The scale does not differentiate between muscle, fat, water, and organs. I am the same weight between these two photos, but my body composition and health is a whole lot different.”
“Feeling healthy is THE number one measure of a healthy body, and I know that whats the mirror, and in my progress pics like this one, are 100% more accurate measure, and I’m so glad I’ve documented my whole weight loss journey,” @fat2fitdotie captioned her side-by-side photos.
“This is why you shouldn’t depend on the scales when you’re working out!” @laurapattison_fit shared. “I have so much more muscle definition now & look completely different, yet weigh the same. Our bodies are incredible!”
“In both photos, I weighed the exact same amount, 145 lbs,” said @jay.qwellinn. “It’s amazing what eating clean and some muscle definition can do for you.”