19 Weight-Loss Tips From Experts + Real People Who Have Lost The Weight (+ Kept It Off!)
If you're looking for weight-loss inspiration, our friend, celebrity trainer and author Bob Harper, came by to help Rachael highlight 19 healthy diet and exercise tips.
Bob and Rach were joined in the kitchen by weight-loss blogger and author of Lose Weight with Your Instant Pot, Audrey Johns. Plus, Adrienne Walter and Jayme Hunsinger — who lost 240 pounds between them! — shared some of their favorite weight-loss techniques. And, even more viewers and experts sent in their tips. Check out all 19 below!
1. DRINK 2 BIG GLASSES OF WATER BEFORE EVERY MEAL
"If you're feeling hungry, you might be thirsty!" Bob says.
2. EAT 1 SERVING OF YOUR CRAVING + 2 SERVINGS OF HEALTHY VEGETABLES
"You can absolutely have pizza or pasta… just have one serving of that thing you're craving and two servings of vegetables," Audrey says.
For healthy recipe inspiration, check out Audrey's recipes for Instant Pot Bruschetta Chicken and her Instant Pot Taco Mac And Cheese!
3. COLOR COORDINATE YOUR MEAL PREP CONTAINERS
Meal prepping is a great habit to get into — especially for those of us who want to eat healthy meals, but also have busy lives! When Audrey meal preps, she separates her ingredients into three categories, each represented by a color. So, she stores veggies in a green container, protein in a blue container and healthy carbs (like brown rice) in a red container. Then, whether she's running out the door to work or cooking for her family at night, she can easily grab what she needs and go!
BONUS TIP FROM RACH: WASH + PREP YOUR PRODUCE WHEN YOU GET HOME FROM THE GROCERY STORE
By washing and prepping — aka slicing, dicing or chopping — your fruits and veggies as soon as you bring them home, you have no excuse not to eat healthy produce. Don't put your produce away until it's prepped. That way, you can easily snack on or cook the ingredients in a timely manner, even during a busy week.
4. CUT OUT ADDED SUGAR
After "Inside Edition" anchor Deborah changed her lifestyle, she lost 30 pounds. Her first tip? Cut out unnecessary sugar!
5. KEEP LESS HEALTHY FOOD IN A SEPARATE CUPBOARD
If you share your home with other people, Deborah says to claim a cabinet or two for your own food and don't even open the other cupboards. If you don't see it, you might not want it!
6. ROAST VEGGIES AND FREEZE THEM FOR AN ON-THE-GO SNACK
High fiber food fills you up, Deborah says, so this is a great idea.
Hear Deborah talk about what else she eats and the strategies she employs to stay healthy throughout the day!
7. TAKE PHOTOS TO TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle or tone your body, document your progress by taking a series of photos every month. Adrienne Walter, a viewer who lost 90 pounds six years ago and has kept the weight off ever since, suggests taking three full-body pictures: one straight on from the front, looking at the camera, a second of you facing backwards and finally a side view so you can see any changes in your belly and chest.
8. START A GROUP TEXT WITH YOUR GYM-MATES
Jayme Hunsinger, a viewer who has lost 150 pounds, says having an accountability group has been crucial to her fitness journey.
"We hold each other accountable, we call each other out," Jayme says, "and I find that's such a great thing to have is to have that support and that accountability."
9. TRACK WATER INTAKE WITH HAIR TIES
Adrienne uses hair ties on her water bottle to keep track of her water consumption and ensure that she hits her hydration goals. She simply rolls one hair tie down to the bottom of her bottle every time she finishes eight ounces of water. By the end of the day, she would ideally have all eight hair ties at the bottom, meaning she drank 64 ounces of water. (Plus, she never forgets her water bottle or her hair ties at the gym!)
10. COUNT YOUR WEIGHT LOSS IN JEANS, NOT POUNDS
To prevent yourself from getting discouraged every time you step on the scale, consider keeping track of your progress by holding onto old pairs of pants!
"As I would lose the increments, I kept the different milestones," Jayme says. You can really see the change with this method, because you're seeing your actual size rather than just a fluctuating number.
11. USE A WEEKLY PLANNER TO TRACK YOUR GOALS
Write down all the exercise you want to do each week on a big chart, Adrienne says, along with your weekly water and food goals. Keep the chart in a prominent place in your home and add a fun sticker when you hit your goal.
"This is like a road map to weight loss," Bob adds. "You've got to have organization skills, you've got to have a plan."
12. USE A "SWEAT STASH" JAR TO STAY MOTIVATED
Every time Jayme used the word "diet," she tried to replace it with the phrase "lifestyle change," she says. "It really helped change my thinking."
And if you need extra incentive to make this trick work for you, why not put your money where your mouth is?! Use a "sweat stash" jar — essentially like a swear jar. Whenever you say something negative about yourself or use a weight-loss word you'd rather avoid, put a dollar in the jar.
Use the money to sign up for marathons, like Jayme, or invest it back into another healthy outlet to keep yourself accountable.
Watch the video above to hear Adrienne and Jayme share their stories!
13. TUNA POUCHES ARE GREAT SNACKS ON THE GO
Tuna is a source of potassium (an important electrolyte) and it also contains vitamin D, says Michelle Dudash, R.D.N., chef, nutritionist and author of Clean Eating for Busy Families.
14. KEEP HEALTHY SNACKS IN CLEAR GLASS JARS
This way, they'll be the first thing you see, Michelle points out.
15. SWAP CHEESE AND SOUR CREAM FOR HUMMUS
For more from Michelle, including her recipe for vegan hummus nachos, watch the video below!
16. INTERMITTENT FASTING — ONLY EAT DURING AN 8-HOUR TIME FRAME
Celebrity trainer Jorge Cruise suggests intermittent fasting for many of his star clients as a way to help them fast-track their health.
17. USE HEALTHY FATS TO SUPPRESS APPETITE
Hear Jorge explain how to incorporate healthy fats into your diet in the video below:
18. FOR A LONG, LEAN FIGURE, WEIGHT TRAIN ONCE A WEEK
One studio audience member, Amy, says she wants a longer, leaner figure but is worried about too much muscle making her look bulky. Bob's solution? Get some good weight training in once a week for lean muscle mass, which will help burn fat off of your body and make you feel great.
19. WHEN STARTING A GYM ROUTINE, CHOOSE ONE GOAL AT A TIME
If you've been away from the gym for a long time, how can you get back into working out while preventing injury? Bob's advice for one studio audience member, James, is to keep focusing on healthy eating habits. "That's where you're really going to get your weight loss," Bob says, "the gym workouts are going to be great enhancements, but it's all about what you're eating."
And whether you're starting to work out for the first time or trying to get back into a regular fitness routine, Bob says to start off slowly at the gym. Think about one thing you want to achieve and have that be it. Don't think about anything else, because it's so easy to get overwhelmed this way.
Hear what else Bob has to say about seeing positive results at the gym below: