Use a TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calorie calculator and enter your personal information. It gives you different calorie options based on your body and activity level.
Tip: From Monday to Friday, stick to 2000 calories a day. On the weekends, allow yourself a little extra. This will give you a little flexibility to enjoy a sweet treat or something fun without feeling guilty.
Walk 30 minutes every Monday through Friday. Mix this with some workout videos on YouTube at least three times a week. Grow with Jo is a good place to start. Focus on specific areas—arms, legs, glutes, back, and core.
If you have a treadmill, utilize it. One thing that can help you stay consistent with walking on the treadmill was finding a show you only allow yourself to watch while walking. It gives you something to look forward to and made the time fly by. It turns your workout into “me time,” and that small habit makes a big difference.
Eat whatever you want as long as it fits in your daily calorie limit. That simple rule naturally will lead you to make healthier choices. Check the calories per serving on everything you pick up at the store. Instead of ice cream, go for sherbet—or grab a fudge pop when you want something sweet!
If you go over your calories, don’t stress about it. One meal isn’t going to make you gain all of the weight back. If you overdo it at one meal, cut back on the next instead of throwing the whole day away. Learn to move on and keep going like normal.
A lot of people think weight loss is all about only eating healthy foods—but that’s just not realistic or sustainable. If you cut out everything for a year and lose weight, the moment you go back to “eating normally,” the weight often comes right back. Weight loss is a long process—and realistically, you want it to be. Taking your time helps your skin adjust and reduces issues like loose skin. Slow and steady really is the way to go for lasting results.
The key is finding a balance—a mix of healthy foods and the occasional treat—because that’s how most of us eat in everyday life. That’s what makes it sustainable. That’s what makes it feel easy.
Buy yourself a food scale—it helps so much. Get the My Fitness Pal App (free version is fine) and log all of your meals daily. Track your weekly weigh-ins in the app. The graph feature was super helpful—it shows you how normal it is for weight to fluctuate, which keeps you from getting discouraged.
DO NOT base your weight loss progress solely on the number on the scale. Seriously—it can be misleading. As you lose fat, you’ll likely build muscle too, which can keep the scale from moving much. Instead, focus on progress photos and how your clothes fit. That’s where you’ll really see the changes! Take pictures of yourself in clothes that were too small and use them for progress comparisons every three months. Seeing the visual progress will keep you motivated when the scale doesn’t tell the full story.
Try to get the whole family on a similar eating schedule as you. It makes things so much easier when everyone is on the same page, and it helps create a supportive environment—plus, you won’t feel like you’re doing it alone. It’s hard mentally and physically if you are making food for others in your family that you can’t eat.
Drink at least 6-8 cups of water every day.
Anyone can do it! You don’t have to set foot in a gym, or buy fancy “healthy” foods. Just put in the work every single day.
