7 Secrets From People Who’ve Lost More Than 100 Pounds

Weight Loss Tips From Real People Who Won at Losing

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A quick Google search for weight loss tips returns hundreds of results, with everyone from bloggers to nutritionists to doctors weighing in on the topic. But when it comes to shedding weight and keeping it off, the true experts are those who have successfully done it. We checked in with the people behind real-life success stories who have done just that — some losing more than 100 pounds — and picked their brains for the tips, habits, and lifestyle changes that work.

These tips show that you don’t have to shell out money for meal plans or gym memberships in order to lose weight. What you do have to spend is some time thinking about substitutes for unhealthy snacks and foods. Cravings, especially for sugar, prove to be the pitfall of many dieters. So it’s no surprise that successful dieters come up with a system to effectively combat cravings for sweets without feeling deprived.

And replacing junk food with real food can keep you full and energetic. Cat Elliot, who lost 113 pounds, knows this for certain. “Eating real food is key,” she says. “Skipping meals, excessive restrictions, and diet pills and products do not help. They wreak havoc on your body, mood, hormones, and metabolism.”

It’s also beneficial, these dieters learned, to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate — to both keep full and avoid reaching for sugary drinks. And science supports their experience. A study published in September 2015 in the journal Obesity found that when subjects drank about 2 cups of water before meals for 12 weeks, they lost almost three pounds more than subjects who didn’t drink water.

These dieters also learned that sometimes weight loss depends on acts of mind over matter, especially where exercise is concerned. People who have lost and maintained a healthy weight come to learn that enjoying exercise makes all the difference, and that exercise isn’t reserved for only one time or location — it’s something that’s integrated into a daily routine.

Another thing successful dieters know: You need to learn how to deal with minor setbacks, like gaining back a pound or two, along the way. They also know that it’s easy to get distracted by numbers, and for that reason, the scale is only sometimes your friend. Better to pay attention to your energy levels, an increase in time or distance when exercising, and how your clothes are fitting — they’re all great indicators of the progress you're making.

Substitute Healthy Treats for Troublemaking Sweets

a small plate of a frozen dessert and a small spoon

Successful dieters know that sugar should be eaten sparingly. Sara Knowles Lugger, who lost almost 150 pounds, designates sugary desserts as a once-a-month treat. The rest of the time, she turns to healthy, homemade substitutes. “When ice cream cravings hit, I create a substitute using bananas,” she says. “All it takes is frozen slices of banana, a bit of peanut butter (or any nut butter), and cocoa powder (to taste) thrown in a food processor and whipped until smooth.”
And she never keeps unhealthy treats in the house to tempt her. “If I really need something sweet, I’ll have a friend bring me over one serving size so I won’t eat the entire bag,” she says.

Ditch Quick Fixes and Just Eat Real Food

The most effective diet plan is one based on nutritious, whole foods — something Cat Elliot, who successfully dropped 90 pounds, only to gain much of it back, knows all too well. It was only when she realized what her body needed — and vowed to ditch the diets, and start eating real food — that she was able to shed the weight for good, ultimately dropping 113 pounds. “When I tuned in to what worked for my body and my gut and ate real, healthy food regularly, the weight began to budge, effortlessly and permanently.” she says.

View Exercise Not as a Chore but as Your New Happy Hour

It also helps to shift your perspective on fitness. “I used to hate exercise. I saw it as a form of punishment,” says Elliot. “But when I began to exercise as a way to simply nourish my body, improve it, and have fun, I started to enjoy it.” Another bonus to enjoying exercise? Elliot says she was then able to lose weight much faster.
Erica Lugo, who lost a whopping 157 pounds, couldn’t agree more, attributing learning to enjoy exercise as one of the biggest factors in her weight loss success. “Stop making losing weight and being healthy such a chore! Make this fun. It’s your time!” she says.

Hide the Scale and You'll Stay the Course

Weighing in once a week can be a helpful tool to gauge your progress, but stepping on the scale too frequently can drive you crazy. “Try not to focus on the number on the scale too much,” says Noelia Beatriz Trujillo, who lost 43 pounds. “If I’m getting stronger and lifting more weight and my clothes are fitting better, that number on the scale could even go up a little and it wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
When Pamela Kimbro, who dropped 150 pounds, hit the inevitable plateaus that come with weight loss, she put the scale away: “I only weighed myself every two weeks so that I wouldn’t stress over minor fluctuations,” she says. “I focused more on how my clothes were fitting than the number on the scale.”

Ignore Fluctuations and Focus on the Finish Line

Another thing successful dieters know: Keep your mind trained on your goal. At the beginning of her weight loss journey, Hanna Preston, who lost 110 pounds, would let one bad week completely destroy her motivation. “It was all a mind game, and it took some getting used to,” she says. “I trained myself to not record every pound I lost or gained. It sounds counterproductive, but it was so important to look at the bigger picture. You don’t need to count every pound. Base your success on how you feel.”
Your energy levels, an increase in time or distance when exercising, and how your clothes are fitting are all great indicators of the progress you're making.

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