• Hanna Kim tried to lose weight by cutting out what she viewed as unhealthy foods, but it wasn't sustainable.
• She educated herself on fat loss and instead tried to cultivate healthy habits.
• Tracking her calories helped her make more intentional choices.

Before losing 22 pounds in a sustainable way, Hanna Kim tried many diets but ended up putting the weight back on because she hated the process.

"My perception of weight loss was just so negative," Kim, a 24-year-old YouTuber based in Sydney, told Business Insider. In the past, she would cut out all the foods she considered "bad" and force herself to do workouts she didn't enjoy.

As a teenager, Kim, who is Korean, was also heavily influenced by K-pop — whose stars are often put on strict diets and exercise regimes — and the Korean principle of "ppali ppali," or doing everything as quickly as possible.

Kim wanted to lose fat, and fast. When she didn't, she felt deflated and quit. "It was just a cycle of trying weight loss and then failing at it. Then hating the journey and really being negative on myself. Then wanting to try again and just this endless negative loop," she said.

Things shifted in 2021 when Kim looked into the science behind losing fat safely, and realized it couldn't be achieved quickly but should be part of a bigger goal of developing healthier habits.

"That gave me a lot of, I guess, courage to be more patient with the journey and to realize it's not a short sprint, it's a marathon," she said.

She started to make small changes to her lifestyle and lost 22 pounds in a year. She has kept the weight off for three years and now finds it easy to maintain.

Here are the two simple changes Kim made.

Going on 10-minute walks

In the past, Kim had joined a gym three times but quit after six months because her motivation to look a certain while would eventually wane.

When she started thinking of weight loss as a long-term investment in 2021, she was leading a fairly sedentary lifestyle: eating whatever she felt like, often including takeout, and didn't exercise regularly.

She knew that even a small change would ultimately make a difference, so she started by going on a walk. "I realized, 'OK, if I choose today to go outside for a 10-minute walk, that's still a win in my book,'" she said.

She set herself the goal of moving every day and found workouts online that aligned with her non-perfectionist approach and matched her mood, which helped her develop a love for exercise.

"If I was in a mood to just dance for a bit, I'd search up dance workout," she said.

Sticking to her daily calorie budget

Before 2021, Kim ate a lot of ultra-processed foods, including chocolate and cake, Korean fried chicken, and fast food. At the time, she had no idea how many calories they contained or that to lose weight, a person needs to be in a calorie deficit, meaning they burn more calories than they consume.

When she started her weight loss journey, she tracked her calories with an app to calculate her daily budget, or how many calories she needed to eat to lose weight. The "eye-opening" process enabled her to make more intentional choices.

"If I had 100 calories left, what's going to make me feel good? What's going to give me more energy?" she said.

At the start, she gave herself a leeway of around 120 calories but she mainly stuck to her budget. She also made sure to not demonize or cut out any foods, but tried to opt for lower-calorie versions of her favorite, less nutritious foods.

"It was definitely enjoyable. I wasn't just cutting things out straight away," she said.

Over time, she naturally started to focus not just on how many calories she consumed but the nutritional value of food. She reframed whole foods and fresh produce as treats because of how they made her feel.

"Now that I know the whys behind, 'why do you have to exercise?' 'Why do you have to eat well?' And it's ultimately so that your body can function the best it can," Kim said.

• The personal trainer Ben Carpenter said it's a mistake to rely on willpower to make healthy changes stick.
• For lasting fat loss, Carpenter advises making habits that can be kept long-term.
• Work with, not against, your existing preferences, he said.

If you want to lose weight successfully — and for good — it helps to make it as easy as possible.

By making healthy habits effortless, you won't have to rely on willpower and are more likely to stick to them, Ben Carpenter, a personal trainer and fat loss coach, told Business Insider.

Carpenter's new book, "Fat Loss Habits," is designed to help people set themselves up for sustainable fat loss.

"When it comes to weight loss, a lot of people view obesity traditionally as a lack of willpower," Carpenter said.

But willpower is a finite resource, and at some point, it will run out, he said.

By choosing a form of exercise you enjoy, rather than what's optimal, you're more likely to develop a habit that becomes so ingrained in your routine that you don't have to think about it.

"Over time it becomes second nature," Carpenter said.

Think long-term

Changing your mindset about fat loss could be the key to getting off the yo-yo diet cycle.

Carpenter said that instead of asking yourself how you can lose as much weight as possible as quickly as possible, ask what you could still be doing in a year's time.

"What could you be doing so well a year from now that next January you aren't asking yourself again, 'What diet should I go on?' I think that's a fundamental mindset shift that would help most people," Carpenter said.

People go on and off restrictive diets like they're switching lights on and off, Carpenter said: "If someone can adopt health-promoting behaviors that they can adhere to for long periods of time, arguably the need for dieting diminishes."

For your weight loss to be long-term, you need to think about long-term habits, Carpenter said: "Most people are trying to achieve long-term goals, but they're doing it via short-term behaviors."

Dietitians have previously told BI that diets promising rapid, drastic weight loss are unsustainable and best avoided.

Keep a food diary for a couple days

Carpenter recommends people self-audit before trying to lose weight.

This could be as simple as keeping a food diary for a couple of days to help you identify tweaks. For example, swapping cream in your coffee for milk.

"I prefer to ask people what they're doing at the moment, their own preferences, and then try and find things that take as little effort and cause as little pain as possible," Carpenter said.

He added: "If you can get better results doing 99% of everything you are already doing, it takes a lot less effort and willpower than someone going, 'Here is your new diet plan, good luck.'"

Overhauling your diet can seem doable at the start but motivation often dwindles.

"From a motivation perspective, it could be really exciting to make substantial changes to your eating and watch the scale drop quickly. It might even motivate you to keep going," registered dietitian Alix Turoff previously told BI. "But when your plan is very rigid, this motivation typically lasts only a few weeks before you're burnt out and wanting to quit."

• Many people associate losing weight with restrictive dieting, but that is unsustainable for most.
• Three people who met their weight loss goals sustainably shared how they did it.
• They learned it's not necessary to cut out entire food groups or eat tiny portions to lose weight.

Three people who lost weight sustainably after years of yo-yo dieting shared the most valuable lessons they learned about fat loss.

Weight loss and restrictive diet culture are almost synonymous in our culture, meaning most people who want to lose fat start by cutting out the foods they enjoy. But research shows that this rarely works long-term, and eating too few calories can have unintended health consequences, such as malnutrition, disordered eating, and fertility problems.

Experts who have spoken to Business Insider in the past agree that to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit, burning more calories than you consume — but that shouldn't mean going hungry, cutting out entire food groups, or spending hours doing exercise that you dread.

Three people who learned this through experience shared what helped them lose fat in a healthy way.

Prioritize health over appearance

"You can't shame yourself into weight loss," Alaias Bertrand, a 25-year-old content creator and marketer in Florida who lost 75 pounds in three years, previously told BI.

Bertrand said she previously tried "everything under the sun" to lose weight, including diets like keto and intermittent fasting. But they didn't work because she was too focused on the end result, and she was hungry all the time, she said.

It was only when she started making lifestyle changes for her health and wellbeing that she lost weight naturally.

"My adjustments became less about 'I need to look a certain way' and more so 'I want to feel a certain way. I want to feel good in my body,'" she said.

You can eat foods that you enjoy and lose weight

Benji Xavier, a 28-year-old content creator, lost 100 pounds in just over a year, and has kept it off for two years, by making healthier versions of his favorite foods at home.

Xavier, who is based in New Jersey, previously lost 100 pounds in high school by "falling victim to toxic diet culture" and heavily limiting what he ate. But it left him obsessed with food and miserable, and he regained the weight a few years later.

In August 2021, he tried to lose weight again but was determined not to restrict himself.

"I was just sick of it. I'm like, 'no, I can't do this. I can't torture myself anymore. I'm just going to try to eat healthier.' And it worked," he said. "You can still have foods that you enjoy and lose weight."

Find activities you actually enjoy

Mae Suzuki, a content creator based in New York, lost 40 pounds after being stuck in a cycle of restrictive dieting and bingeing for years.

She used to force herself to do boot camp-style workouts that she hated and eat food that she didn't like. When she didn't see the scale shift after a few weeks, she would give up because she wasn't enjoying the process, she previously told BI.

Suzuki realized that she needed to make the process fun, so she joined a gym and tried all the different classes until she found what she actually enjoyed. She learned that she loved weightlifting but wasn't so keen on cardio.

"Once I stopped focusing on the things that I didn't like in order to lose weight, that's when I saw gradual but consistent weight loss," she said.

Find someone to come on the journey with you

Bertrand said she found adding a social element, whether that's a friend, coach, or team, can help with motivation when losing weight.

"When you tell someone that you respect and admire a goal of yours, you are more likely to accomplish it," she said.

For her, being a member of her high school and college track and field team was a catalyst for learning how to fuel her body, stay active, and be held accountable.

Focus on little milestones

Xavier said that focusing on little milestones helped him stay motivated. "If I were to sit here and think 'I need to lose 100 pounds,' that's a lot. You don't want to do that," he said.

Fixating on his end goal made him feel overwhelmed and discouraged when life got in the way and he didn't achieve his goal as quickly as he had planned.

"It takes time to achieve your goals, and you get there step by step, not all at once."

He added: "Just take it day by day, week by week."

• Hanna Kim lost 22 pounds in a year when she changed her mindset toward weight loss.
• She tried fad diets for years but couldn't sustain them.
• Kim learned to be consistent, not perfect, and celebrate small wins.

After years of trying to lose weight through restrictive diets that didn't work and left her feeling deflated, Hanna Kim lost 22 pounds in 2021 and has kept it off. She shared the two biggest lessons she learned.

Kim, a 24-year-old YouTuber in Sydney, was stuck in a cycle of trying to lose weight through restrictive dieting, hating the process, giving up, and feeling like a failure. "It was just this endless negative loop," she told Business Insider.

It was only when she started to question why it wasn't working and educate herself on sustainable weight loss that she made progress. She learned that there is no quick fix for weight loss, but making small, healthy changes and focusing on health over appearance makes a difference, she said.

Previously, Kim led a fairly sedentary life, did no exercise, and ate a lot of fried food and takeout. She knew that jumping straight into a 45-minute HITT session would be overwhelming, but wanted to commit to some movement each day. She started by going on a 10-minute walk.

She also calculated how many calories she could eat while remaining in a calorie deficit, the state where you burn more calories than you consume. Experts agree this is necessary for weight loss.

She began to eat within her calorie budget, but she didn't cut out any foods. "I learned that I can be flexible with what I eat, so having a Kit Kat bar is fine as long as I'm within my calorie budget," she said.

Weight loss can be enjoyable

Kim used to have a negative association with weight loss because it made her feel terrible about herself.

But when she shifted her mindset to see it as an opportunity to invest in her long-term health and forming healthier habits, she saw it as a positive.

"It's a good thing. It's something that can be enjoyable and something that could be fun," she said.

Over time, she grew to love exercise and eating a more nutritious diet because she went in with a curious mindset. "It's something you should wake up looking forward to. What am I going to learn new today? What new recipe can I make today? What exercise is going to make me feel good today?" she said.

She saw the journey as a way to work on herself more generally and find what made her feel good mentally and physically.

It's not about perfection

Kim learned to take things slow and let go of perfectionism by accepting that she won't be able to stick to her regime 100%. By giving herself grace when she did eat more than her calorie budget for example, she was able to keep going on her health journey rather than give up like she had in the past.

"It's going to be a long-term investment, and everything that I do is ultimately going to make a difference," she said.

She found that being consistent was more important than being perfect and she celebrated "small wins" along the way.

• Business Insider has interviewed dozens of people who've lost weight.
• We rounded up some of their top, practical tips to make fat loss simpler.
• High-protein diets and calorie deficits are key strategies for successful weight loss.

Weight loss is, on the face of it, simple. If you are in a calorie deficit — consuming less energy than you're burning — you will lose weight.

The reality is much more complicated. Genetics play a role, as do underlying health conditions. For many, new habits only get them so far if they don't change their mindset.

Business Insider has interviewed dozens of people who've lost significant amounts of weight, and gathered their best advice.

1. Join a sports team

When Alaias Bertrand, a marketer and content creator in Florida, joined a sprint team, the rigorous training schedule helped her lose 75 pounds without really trying.

That said, while exercise does contribute to overall calorie burn, it makes up less of our overall daily energy expenditure than most people think.

2. Eat from a smaller plate

Bertrand told BI that a smaller plate helped her cut portion sizes and reach a calorie deficit.

"That was something that was very doable for me. It was very actionable because all I have to do is grab a smaller plate," she said.

Eating smaller portions also helped Stephen McKenna, a former school principal, lose 145 pounds.

3. Walk for 10 minutes

McKenna started by aiming to walk for 10 minutes a day, adding five minutes each week to help him lose weight. He now makes sure to get 7,000 steps a day.

Leah Mancuso took a similar approach: Mancuso, a photographer, told BI she started by walking on the spot at home or in her backyard for 10 minutes at a time.

It kick-started changes that would see her lose 200 pounds: Mancuso now walks around 8,000 steps a day.

4. Eat one nutritious food a day

If the idea of overhauling your whole diet is overwhelming, start small. Mancuso started by trying to eat one nutritious food, such as eggs, each day.

5. Get more protein

Eating more protein is helpful for shedding fat because it keeps you feeling full, takes more energy to digest than carbs or fat, and helps your muscles recover after workouts.

Many of the people BI interviewed, such as Alec Kneberg and Andrea Pence, cited high-protein diets as key to their weight loss success.

Kneberg, a bank worker, lost fat while building muscle, and Pence, a mom of two, lost 140 pounds over two years.

6. Hit a calorie deficit but don't over-restrict

A calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight without surgery, and counting calories can be a helpful tool (albeit not one that's right for everyone).

Maria Kirkeland, who lost 159 pounds, found that calorie counting actually helped her make sure she was eating enough while still losing weight, which helped her stick with it.

"Before, when I'd tried to lose weight, I'd done more guesswork, and I think that led me to undereat, which would then lead me to break because I got so hungry," said Kirkeland, a teacher.

7. Find lower-calorie swaps

Lower-calorie versions of his favorite foods helped Kneberg stick to his calorie deficit, he said.

Bethany Dobson, a fat loss coach and personal trainer who lost 44 pounds, had a similar experience. Coming up with lower-calorie versions of her favorite meals helped her stay on track.

8. Eat high-volume foods

High-volume foods are those that take up a lot of space on your plate (and in your stomach) for relatively few calories, helping you stay full while in a calorie deficit. Focusing on high-volume foods helped Benji Xavier lose 100 pounds.

9. Meal prep

Xavier, a content creator, also meal-prepped to help him stay on track with his nutrition and reduce the chances of him opting for fast food.

Taking time on Sundays to make meals for the week ahead meant he could eat healthily even when he was too busy to cook.

Swapping takeout for a healthy, portion-controlled meal delivery service, combined with walking, also helped Megan Tjelle, a nurse, lose 55 pounds.

10. Strength train

Strength training has many longevity benefits and also helps you maintain muscle mass while losing fat. Many people BI interviewed, including Kirkeland and Tjelle, did strength training, even if they started off just walking.

11. Visualize a healthy lifestyle

For Mae Suzuki, a YouTuber, working on her mindset was the key to breaking free from a binge-restrict cycle.

When she started visualizing her dream self and following the habits she imagined she would have, she lost 40 pounds over six months.

• Small, sustainable dietary changes can lead to substantial weight loss over time.
• Five people who lose weight shared how their diets changed before and after.
• Most focused on portion control, calorie counting, and incorporating whole foods.

It's rare to lose fat without changing your eating habits — after all, a calorie deficit (consuming less energy than you burn) is the only way to lose weight.

However, you don't need punishing diets or to cut out all your favorite foods.

For many people, small tweaks like focusing on protein and eating smaller portions make big differences.

Five people — each of whom lost between 50 and 200 pounds — told Business Insider how their diets changed.

Less fast food

Clark Valery, an assistant manager at a pharmacy chain in New York, lost 140 pounds by cutting down on fast food and cutting portion sizes.

Before he lost weight, a typical meal could be two Big Macs, 20 chicken nuggets, two large fries, and a soda from McDonald's, or eight tacos from a Mexican restaurant. "The portions could've fed four people," he said.

To lose weight, Valery ate meals like scrambled eggs on a whole-grain English muffin with a small piece of sausage, or grilled chicken with salad or vegetables.

Lower-calorie swaps

Maria Kirkeland, a teacher from Norway, lost 159 pounds in two years by counting calories. She made some small changes to her diet too. For example, she replaced the salami and cheese on her bread with cottage cheese and low-sugar jam, and started making her own salads with less dressing than those in her work canteen.

At dinner, Kirkeland started eating leaner cuts of meat and opting for boiled or baked potatoes over fries. "They're not very calorically dense, they're very filling, they're very satiating, and they're so nutrient-rich. I love potatoes. I eat them for almost every dinner I have," Kirkeland said.

Easy, whole-food meals

Leah Mancuso, a photographer in Scottsdale, Arizona, hates cooking but still made changes to her diet to help her lose 200 pounds. Previously, Mancuso mostly ate drive-thru meals and freezer food but she's now developed new staple meals like cottage-cheese bowls and chicken with potatoes.

"I try to eat mostly at least minimally processed foods, but also make it very, very easy because I don't like cooking," Mancuso told Business Insider.

Substantial lunches, light dinners

Betsy Grunch, a neurosurgeon from the outskirts of Atlanta, lost 50 pounds when she quit fad diets and educated herself about nutrition. Before losing weight, she regularly ate fast food, such as pizza or Chick-fil-A, and had energy-dense drinks like sodas and frappuccinos.

Now, she intermittently fasts by skipping breakfast, then she eats a large, high-protein lunch and a light dinner. Grunch focuses on whole foods and protein, with carbs in moderation, she said.

Meal prep

Benji Xavier, a content creator from New Jersey, lost 100 pounds by making healthier versions of his favorite meals. Xavier used to eat a lot of fast food for convenience. To lose weight, he meal prepped on Sundays so he had healthy dishes ready to go during the week.

Xavier focused on high-volume, high-protein meals such as turkey and eggplant lasagne, or chicken-fajita-stuffed bell peppers.

• Ciara, 28, submitted an average day of eating to be reviewed for Business Insider's Nutrition Clinic.
• A nutritionist said eating more food, especially carbs, would help her.
• If you'd like to have your diet reviewed by an expert, fill out this form.

Ciara, 28, submitted her eating routine to Business Insider's Nutrition Clinic, where qualified dietitians and registered nutritionists offer readers advice on their eating habits.

She said her goals are to lose fat and gain muscle.

Ciara does five CrossFit sessions plus five cardio workout classes a week. She rests on Sundays, she said.

Rebecca Ward, a sports nutritionist and personal trainer, told BI that as Ciara uses so much energy, she needs to eat enough to fuel herself and help her body recover, even if she wants to lose weight.

"She would also benefit from taking a lighter training day on one of her days rather than having only one rest day per week," Ward said.

Building muscle requires enough rest and recovery time between workouts, Ward added.

"If she's sufficiently fueled through better, more optimal food choices, that is definitely achievable," she said, referring to building muscle and losing fat.

While strength training is essential for muscle building, exercise is not a prerequisite for fat loss. Moving more does contribute to a calorie deficit, but research suggests formal exercise makes up only about 5% to 10% of a person's overall daily calorie expenditure.

Overexercising without recovering sufficiently can put stress on the body, hinder progress, or be a symptom of an unhealthy relationship with exercise.

"When we overexercise, we often do it for the wrong reasons, believing we 'need to sweat every day to burn calories' or we 'need train cardio to lose weight,' when actually our bodies will benefit more from a mixture of exercise regimes," Hayley Madigan, a personal trainer, previously told BI.

Ciara eats a high-protein diet

Ciara doesn't eat until 3 p.m. when she has half a high-protein ready-meal consisting of rice and meat.

After working out, she has an egg-white omelet with mushrooms, onions, and cauliflower rice or salmon with broccoli and cauliflower rice.

Later in the day, she has a portion of protein pancakes, two packets of protein chips, and, if she's still hungry, a protein shake or bar.

Ciara estimates she eats 1,200 to 1,300 calories and 110 to 120 grams of protein a day.

By not eating till 3 p.m., Ciara creates a large fasting window from the evening before. While some people feel good while intermittent fasting, it doesn't suit everyone and isn't required for fat loss.

Jaclyn London, a registered dietitian, previously told BI she recommends people eat breakfast as it can form part of a healthy relationship with food and also "set the stage" for the day ahead.

Eat enough carbs to fuel and recover

Ward said it's great that Ciara is eating plenty of protein to help her maintain muscle mass, but she'll struggle to build muscle with such low overall food intake.

"Her diet is very low in calories given the energy expenditure she will have with 10 exercise sessions a week," she said. "It will be difficult for Ciara to recover from or fuel her workouts optimally."

It's true that a calorie deficit is required for fat loss, but dropping your intake too low can have negative consequences such as slowing the metabolism, fatigue, brain fog, muscle loss, and menstrual-cycle loss.

"I'd be intrigued as to how well she performs during workouts that are designed to hit her goal of increasing muscle mass," Ward said. "She would benefit from having more carbs in her diet to optimize performance in said workouts, to achieve higher intensity and volume."

Ward recommends Ciara eat more carbs with every meal and snack, perhaps starting by eating more fruit daily, which would provide fiber too.

Carbs not only provide energy for workouts but help replenish glycogen stores after exercise too, which aids recovery.

Don't forget healthy fats

Ciara's diet is also low in fat.

"Fats are essential for optimal health, are fuel for exercise at lower intensities, but also very important for recovery," Ward said. "So adding in a little oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds will help her recover from training and have greater vitality from fat-soluble vitamin absorption."

Consider separate fat-loss and muscle-gain phases

While it's not impossible to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously, doing so in separate cycles can be more effective.

This means eating at maintenance calories or a slight surplus to fuel muscle growth for a few months and then dropping into a slight calorie deficit to lose body fat.

"Losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time is possible, but is definitely sub-optimal and arguably better done in phases, i.e. maintenance and then a fat-loss phase," Ward said. "The exercise is more enjoyable too when at maintenance calories."

• Jessica, 40, submitted an average day of eating to be reviewed for BI's Nutrition Clinic.
• A dietitian said that eating more substantial meals would reduce the urge to binge on snacks.
• If you'd like to have your diet reviewed by an expert, fill out this form.

Jessica, 40, submitted her eating routine to Business Insider's Nutrition Clinic, where qualified dietitians and registered nutritionists offer advice on readers' eating habits.

She said her goals are to lose fat and gain muscle.

Jessica has four daughters aged five to 12 and works a full-time remote job. Her husband leaves for work at 6:30 a.m., so Jessica gets the girls to school before starting work.

"I love the idea of working out but struggle with motivation," she said. "I have a Peloton next to my desk but rarely find time for it. I will go on streaks for about four weeks, then fizzle out for another month before I work out again."

Jessica said she would love to lose 30 pounds and be back at her wedding weight by her next anniversary, but she struggles with snacking throughout the afternoon.

Dietitian Alix Turoff told Business Insider that Jessica's eating pattern is common among busy moms but there are a few key things she can change to achieve her goals.

Tip 1: Eat a substantial breakfast

Jessica starts the day with a cup of coffee with creamer, and mid-morning she drinks a protein shake mixed with water and powdered peanut butter.

"I usually skip lunch because I'm not hungry because of my shake," Jessica said.

Turoff said that not eating anything substantial for breakfast or lunch will likely contribute to overeating later.

"Between her coffee and her morning shake, she's probably taking in a maximum of 200 calories until her kids come home which is when she's struggling with binge eating foods that aren't making her feel good," Turoff said. "This lack of substantial food intake during the earlier part of the day can lead your body to feel deprived, triggering overeating."

If Jessica wants to stick with a shake, she could add some frozen fruit and nut butter, or keep the shake the same but add a slice of wholegrain toast with butter or nut butter, Turoff said.

Tip 2: Eat meals with protein, carbs, fat, and fiber

Mid-afternoon, Jessica hits the snack cupboard.

"I binge eat all the snacks when my kids come home — chips, granola bars, handfuls of chocolate chips," she said. "Seriously, everything that could be bad for me, I eat it."

Jessica said she prefers whole foods over processed but frequently binges on the latter when she's stressed (which is often).

Turoff recommends ensuring breakfast and lunch provide protein, carbs, fat, and fiber.

If Jessica doesn't feel too hungry at lunchtime, she doesn't have to have a huge meal, but it should still be balanced. For example, she could have a salad with lean protein (such as chicken, tofu, or shrimp) and beans, or a turkey sandwich on wholegrain bread, Turoff said.

"She'll be better able to stabilize her blood sugar levels which will not only provide sustained energy but will also significantly decrease her cravings for carbs and sugar," Turoff said.

Tip 3: Plan snacks in advance

Having more substantial meals should decrease Jessica's desire to snack come the afternoon, but Turoff also recommends planning more nutritious snacks in advance.

"I would encourage her to pick three different snacks that she could rotate on a daily basis so that she knows what her options are and doesn't have to make too many decisions," Turoff said.

She recommends popcorn with string cheese, nuts with a piece of fruit, or a protein bar.

Tip 4: Eat carbs at dinner

Jessica's husband cooks dinner and they usually eat lean meat with two or three vegetables.

"Many nights we eat out due to our busy schedules," Jessica said. "I usually don't eat much at dinner because I've binged so much after school."

Turoff recommends adding a carb like a baked sweet potato, rice, grains, or pasta to dinner to make the meals more balanced. Once Jessica is snacking less in the afternoon, she should be more hungry for dinner.

Tip 5: Calories are king for fat loss

When it comes to weight loss, a calorie deficit (consuming less energy than you're burning over the course of the day) is essential. You don't have to count calories, but it can be a useful way to work out portion size.

"Her calorie goal will depend on her current height, weight, and activity level, but if she wants to get a better idea of how many calories to aim for at her meals, she could use the rough calculation of multiplying her goal weight in pounds by 12," Turoff said.

She added: "This will give her a rough sense of how many calories she should consume each day to lose weight. From there, divide those calories up by breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to know how many calories to target at each meal."

Tip 6: Build up to exercise

Exercise plays a smaller role in fat loss than many people think, so Turoff recommends Jessica tackle her food first.

"I find that people become more motivated once they start to see the weight start to come off and that might give her the push she needs to start exercising more consistently," Turoff said.

If Jessica doesn't actually enjoy using her Peloton she should try different classes or gyms to find a form of exercise she likes.

While any movement is good, Jessica will need to incorporate strength training into her regime to gain muscle. Turoff recommends two to three sessions a week.