How I Lost 40 Pounds by Walking and Without Starving Myself: Here’s the Truth

Online fitness coach Alexandra (@alexx.fitt) has amassed a following on TikTok and Instagram by sharing videos about her weight loss. In her many viral videos, she reveals the simple but effective changes she made to her lifestyle that enabled her to drop the weight fast. In a new Instagram video, she gets specific about the “3 things” she “stopped doing to lose 40 pounds.”

She Stepped Away From the Scale

The first thing Alex did was stop weighing herself, she writes. “Why? The scale was messing with my head, so I threw it off my balcony.”

She Stopped Counting Calories

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Lots of health experts recommend counting calories, but that didn’t work for Alex. “I stopped counting calories and stuck to a schedule. I ate breakfast at 8 a.m., a snack at 11, lunch at 1, a snack at 3, and dinner at 6. And yeah, your schedule may be different, but if you have 5 minutes to check TikTok or like this post, you have 5 minutes to grab an apple or pick up a protein bar and throw it in your purse,” she writes.

Related: I'm a Dietitian, and These Are 7 Foods You Should Never Eat

She Stopped Doing Workouts She Hated

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Her third lifestyle change? “I stopped doing the workouts I hated,” she claims. I remember I’d always do 40 minutes on the Stairmaster (it didn’t help me lose weight, only raise my cortisol levels), and on the days I was lazy, I’d skip the gym altogether just because I didn’t want to do cardio. Now, my only cardio is walking.”

Her advice? “Start implementing a routine that makes you happy and works for you, not anyone else,” she concludes the post.

Here’s How She Used Walking for Weight Loss

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As for exercise, in some of her other videos, Alex elaborated on how walking helped with her weight loss. Not only would she walk for 20-30 minutes in the morning, but she would take a short 10-15 minute walk after lunch.

Related: 5 Habits from Fitness Trainer Krissy Cela that Could Change Your Life

Try to Walk 30 to 60 Minutes a Day, Says Another Expert

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“You can do 30-60 minutes all at one time, or you can do a few 10-15 minute bouts of exercise throughout the day. Whatever works for you,” says The Diet Diva, Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian. “Either way, you are raising your metabolism and teaching your body to burn calories.”

💪🔥Body Booster: Just because experts recommend habits, like counting calories, weighing yourself, or doing specific workouts, doesn’t mean they will work for you. If they don’t, make changes accordingly.

YouTuber Natalie Stringfield lost 40 pounds and changed her life with the most straightforward exercise: Walking! The “glow-up” expert details her journey online, explaining exactly how she worked out, what her diet looks like, and other important details that helped her reach her goals. “Ever looked at a picture of yourself and wondered, who is that?” she says. “Yeah, me too. It happened to me. No judgment, but I figured out how to transform my body and my mindset without spending hours in the gym and without starving myself.” Here’s how Stringfield did it as a 43-year-old woman who wanted to be strong and fit.

19-hour Intermittent Fasting

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Natalie swears by specific, consistent behaviors that let her lose weight without question. The first is intermittent fasting. Natalie allows herself a five-hour eating window every day from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. (she chooses the morning to enjoy her coffee). “The longer I fast, the better I feel, the less cravings that I have,” she says. So, so many benefits to fasting, you guys. I highly recommend you do your own research to find out all of the amazing healing benefits of fasting. It is not just weight loss.”

Pillars of Weight Loss

Natalie swears by eating in a caloric deficit, fasting 18-20 hours per day, and walking an hour a day. “That combination of things is elite,” she says. “I went to Arizona. I had to gain a good eight pounds in Arizona, drinking alcohol, not fasting. I blew up you guys, [but] I locked back in. I've been walking, fasting, and eating in a caloric deficit, and when I tell you every single day that I wake up, I am smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller. It doesn't take long to work. I start losing weight within a couple of days, literally.”

Walking Every Day

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Natalie walked every day for at least an hour. “When I originally lost my weight, I was walking an hour a day every single day,” she says. “I'll just say maybe five days out of the week minimum I walked. Sometimes, it was seven days a week. Sometimes, it was six days a week. It's very easy to get into a habit, and you crave it so much. The benefits of walking are so profound that you may find yourself just wanting to walk every single day.”

Break Up the Walks

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Natalie says you don’t have to do the whole hour at once. “You can definitely break it up,” she says. “You can definitely break up your walks. If you need to do 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon, then that's good.”

Move Throughout the Day

Natalie knows how important it is to move constantly throughout the day. “The best way to do that is to park farther at the grocery store,” she says. “Take the steps. If you can work at a desk and you have an iPhone, your iPhone will remind you to stand up. Use that opportunity to do a few laps around your office, which is what I do. I work in an office. I'm at my desk eight hours a day. I have to purposely get up and walk around my office and take laps.”

Start Slow

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“Although walking might seem like it's just like nothing when you’ve got a lot of weight on you, that walking ain't no joke, okay?” she says. “So please don't expect it to be that easy and pace yourself. If you need to break this up, then break it up, and then if you can start to do it continuously, then go ahead and do it continuously.”

Benefits of Longer Walks

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Natalie now walks for at least 70 minutes. “The thing about doing it continuously is your body will start to use the food you ingested, like carbs. It's going to be using that for energy in the beginning, and there's going to be a timeframe while you're walking that it will shift into straight fat-burning mode, and that comes in about the 45-minute mark, okay? Hence, the reason why I walked 70 minutes was that I did it in one go. I'm trying to get a good 20 minutes where my body's using straight fat for energy.”

RELATED:Top 10 Fruits to Burn Fat You Should Eat Every Day

Burning Fat

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Natalie will walk at 7 p.m., eight hours after closing her eating window. “When I get on that treadmill, and I walk that 70 minutes, I don't think it's taken me that long to get to the point where my body's using fat as energy,” she says. “It just sounds right to me. I might be wrong, but I have been loving the evening walks, and I have been loving the benefits because I feel super snatched, and I feel like walking really transforms your body, and I'm addicted, and I'm in love at this point.”

Winsor Pilates

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Natalie swears by Winsor Pilates. “I did Winsor Pilates strictly for almost a year when I was about 20 or 21, my best body ever,” she says. “I was so lean and long. I was super flexible. I was super strong. My core was tight, and I just loved the look of my body. It really cinched in my waist, and I just had this cute little hourglass shape. I just loved it.”

No Alcohol

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Natalie only drinks on special occasions. “I stopped drinking alcohol when I decided I wanted to lose weight and when I realized how the body tries to burn off the alcohol when you ingest it,” she says. “In a perfect world, if alcohol didn't affect your body in the way that it did, I would literally have some tequila every night. If you're trying to lose weight, but you're drinking every few days, just imagine you're not going to lose the weight. It's going to be very difficult, or it's going to be extremely slowed down.”

Make a Choice

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“I would say if you're really serious about your journey, cut the alcohol out, girl,” Natalie reiterates. “Just wait. It's not even worth it. And to be honest, alcohol does nothing for us. It does nothing for us. It's just not something that we should be drinking all the time, and we shouldn't even aspire to drink it all the time. And this is not coming from a judgy place. I'm just trying to say, honestly, it's not the way.”

Fat-Burning Zone

Natalie encourages people to find out what their fat-burning heart rate is. “It's so important for you to understand that everybody's cardio levels are completely different,” she says. “So the speed that I walk is going to be what I need to be walking for me to be in my zone two heart rate. It's going to be different for everybody. What I highly recommend that you do is Google fat burn heart rate, and you'll see charts. So you'll be able to look at the chart and determine what your zone two heart rate should be in.”

RELATED:12-3-30 Walking Method: 20 Proven Tips to Lose Weight Faster

No Scales

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Natalie no longer feels the need to weigh herself constantly. “In order to stay happy, I just choose not to get on the scale,” she says. “What I use for me is how good I feel in my clothes, clothes getting looser, things that I used to have that didn't fit are fitting, things like that. When I feel super confident, my stomach feels nice and flat or flat as it can be. That's what I'm gauging. I don't do the scale anymore, guys. So that's that.”

Figure out Your TDEE

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Natalie strongly recommends using a TDEE calculator when trying to lose weight. “It's going to tell you how much food you have to eat if you don't want to gain another pound,” she says. “First and foremost, you're going to have to figure out how many calories you should be taking in order for you to lose weight. And in order for you to even get to that point, you need to figure out just your maintenance calories.”

Prioritizing Protein

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Natalie started logging her calories using an app. “What I did was I prioritize protein as my main calorie source,” she says. “So with my meals, I plan it in advance. I didn't wing it Monday through Friday or whatever the case is to figure out. I just started scanning as I ate because it's very important for you to get your protein in, and it was very important for me to get protein and fiber in. So I planned everything the night before.”

And Finally, Use a Food Scale

Natalie would use a food scale to make sure she was accurately logging calories. “So, for example, if it was dinner, I would weigh my chicken first or my salmon or whatever it was. And so if you take whatever portion of chicken that you have that you've cooked and put it on the scale, all right, you're going to need a food scale in order for you to weigh your food.” And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.

Weight loss can be a tricky equation. However, there are many people online sharing their success stories who have shared the healthy habits responsible for dropping weight. Online fitness coach Alexandra, who goes by the handle @alexx.fitt, revealed in a viral video that after struggling to lose weight for years she lost a whopping 40 pounds in five months.

1. She Started to Make Healthier Choices Every Single Day

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“Here's how long it's going to take you to lose weight. I lost 40 pounds and here's what I did and how long it took me,” she says in the video, revealing that her weight loss journey first started in 2020. “I think around that time for a whole year I did every single diet, every single workout, every single meal plan, and nothing worked. Nothing would actually help me lose weight.” However, in January 2021, she learned the secret to losing weight fast. “Instead of following a freaking diet, I basically started to make healthier choices every single day,” she said in the video. It “all started with walking and a schedule,” she continued. “I made a plan of what time I'm going to eat and what I will be eating. I stuck to that schedule,” she added.

Related: 10 Foods That Grow Muscle Fast

2. She Saw Results Within the First Month

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There is scientific evidence supporting the benefits of meal planning. Studies the more meals you eat prepared away from home, the higher your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and early death. And, one study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found meal planning was associated with a healthier diet and less obesity. Then, from January 2021 on “I literally walked every single day for six months straight,” she said. “There were like two days that I missed. Maybe it took me about five, six months to lose 35, 40ish pounds, but I saw results within the first month.”

3. She Lost 50 Pounds in 6 Months

In a recent Instagram video, she got specific about her steps (and also revealed that she lost 50 pounds in six months). “Hear me out walking seriously changes your life, I was able to lose 50lbs in less than 6 months by walking 10k steps a day!” she captioned the post. A 2018 study published in the journal Obesity found a link between walking 10,000 steps a day and weight loss and weight management. Other studies published by the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) in JAMA Neurology and in JAMA Internal Medicine also linked walking 10,000 steps a day to less dementia and less cardiovascular disease overall, with less heart disease, less heart failure and fewer strokes.

Related: 15-Minute Fat-Burning Workout to Tone Your Entire Body You Can Do Anywhere

4. Exercise Shouldn't Feel Like Punishment

Something else that was helpful for Alex was shifting her mindset. She explains that prior to losing weight, she viewed running as “a form of punishment,” but now she feels like exercise is something she is “so grateful for,” she wrote in another TikTok. “I'm grateful I get to go on a run and move my body, and I do that kind of stuff because it genuinely makes me feel good. I don't do it as a form of punishment. I'm like, I'm going to feel so good after I run. It's going to clear my mind,” she added.

Related: I Lost 160 Pounds and Here's 4 Ways I Took the Weight Off

5. Exercise Make Her Feel Good

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“I wake up anxious sometimes. So going on a run or even doing a morning workout, I'm like, oh my goodness, this helps me so much. So that's the kind of mindset shift you got to have when you're trying to lose weight. It's a lifestyle. You're doing this stuff because it feels good for you, not because you have to.” Alex is spot on about using exercise to quell anxiety. The American Psychological Association dubs it a “healthy stress reliever,” and several studies back up the claim.

💪🔥Body Booster: Walking 10,000 steps a day is not only an effective workout for weight loss, it can improve your cardiovascular health and ward off cancer, according to research.

Do you want to lose more than 40 pounds? While it might seem intimidating to embark on a major weight loss journey, there are lots of weight loss warriors who have shared their success stories to keep you inspired and motivated. Many of them have revealed the easy and doable lifestyle changes they made that enabled them to slim down and keep the weight off. Here are 20 tips from nine men and women who have lost up to 165 pounds to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Indya Ago Lost 120 Pounds by Learning How to Have a “Balanced” Approach to Food

Indya Agos (@indyaagos) is a weight loss warrior and coach who lost a whopping 120 pounds via natural methods. “Something I tell my clients when they first start coaching with me is that in order for these results to be sustainable we have to create balance,” she says. “When I first started my weight loss journey, I used to restrict myself so much,” she continues. “I would demonize so many different kinds of foods that diet culture had brainwashed me, and into believing were the reason why I wasn’t able to reach the results I was looking for.”

She Also Educated Herself on Macronutrients

Indya previously suffered from “cycles of binging, and creating a very unhealthy relationship between nutrition and my body,” she maintains. “Through proper education on macronutrients, I was able to heal this relationship. And this is how I help my clients and maintain their goals as well. Education is power.”

RELATED:15 Reasons Why You May Not Losing Weight While on Ozempic

She “Started Slow” and Learned “Self-Trust”

In another video, Indya reveals another tactic that helped her lose so much weight. “You got to start slow,” she says. “If you approach this from an all or nothing mentality, you are only setting yourself up for failure. A big part of this journey is regaining self-trust. You are so used to letting yourself down. The way that you build trust with yourself again is by following through with the promises that you've made to yourself.”

And Took a Deep Dive Into Her Failed Attempts at Weight Loss

Another thing she did is “going to require you to dig deep,” she says. “We need to figure out what your main excuses or your repeated point of failure chances are. You've been stuck in the same exact cycle, repeating the same narratives as to why you haven't been able to be successful in the past. If your story is that you never have any time, then we need to figure out why you're not prioritizing making time. People make time for what's important to them. If the story is that you are overwhelmed and you have no idea where to start, then it is time to reach out for help so that you have a plan of action as well as guidance.”

Raven Norwood Lost 165 Pounds By Cutting Processed Foods From Her Diet

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Raven Norwood, 28, of Huntington Beach, California, started her weight loss journey at 212 pounds and has managed to drop down to 155 pounds, losing 165 pounds in two years. In an interview with Body Network, she explains that she used to eat food containing several dyes, fast food, and packaged food with GMOs, too much MSG, and preservatives. While she didn’t eliminate “any specific food groups because balance is the key to longevity,” she did cut the above from her diet and started cooking her own meals “as much as possible.” Creating healthy relationships with all food groups is so important when it comes to keeping the weight off, she stresses. “Balance is key, so, if I want a cookie here and there, I eat the cookie… no biggie!”

RELATED: 20 Incredible Ozempic Success Stories of All Time

She Also Amped Up Her Water Intake

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Raven adds that “lots of water” keeps her hydrated and feeling full. According to the Mayo Clinic, hydration is important for a variety of reasons. Water helps get rid of waste through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements, keeps your temperature normal, lubricates and cushions joints, and helps protect sensitive tissues.

She Fell in Love with a Boutique Fitness Method

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Raven also encourages finding a fitness form that you love. She discovered rowing at her local Row House. “I love how boutique and specialized gyms are getting more recognition! When I first found Row House, I had never seen a gym dedicated to rowing,” she says. “And on top of that you get floorwork exercises, group fitness and the wonderful community that comes along with it! I think a lot of people would benefit from boutique gyms.”

She Took Progress Pictures

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Progress photos were also an important part of Raven’s weight loss journey. “Sometimes your mind will play tricks on you, and make you feel like you haven’t done as much as you have,” she says. If she feels discouraged, she will look at her “Day 1” photo and it will provide instant motivation. “Take photos because your mind will play tricks on you, but those photos won’t,” she says.

RELATED: 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week

Dils Less Lost 50 Pounds by Not Drinking Coffee on an Empty Stomach

Dils Lee (@dilshealth) lost 50 pounds by making a few simple lifestyle habit changes, which not only aided in weight loss, but were a game-changer in her overall health, especially with her inflammation and hormonal imbalance. One of the first changes that she made? “I stopped drinking coffee on an empty stomach and started making my breakfast look like this,” she said. “Drinking coffee on an empty stomach can lead to bloating, nausea, and anxiety, and it can also raise your cortisol levels, which can negatively impact ovulation weight and hormonal imbalances.”

She Also Switched From HIIT to Low Intensity Workouts

You don’t have to do HIIT workouts to lose weight. The second change that she made “was stopping all high intensity training while I was losing weight,” she said. “I found that I harbored a lot of inflammation in my face, arms, body, stomach, and legs everywhere.” Instead, she opted for lower intensity training. “Basically, by switching to lower intensity workouts, I've found that my waist has drastically come in. My stomach is much more flat, and I'm actually building a lot of tone and muscle in my arms and legs,” she says.

And, She Prioritized Sleep

“The fourth change that I made is that I introduced a healthy sleep routine,” Dils reveals. “My routine includes using supplements like magnesium and then not using my phone an hour before bed. Prioritizing sleep will help your body recover after physical activity. It'll also help with hormone regulation, metabolic regulation, stress and emotional wellbeing.” What are the health benefits of sleep? According to the Sleep Foundation, getting enough z’s is a mood booster, promotes heart health, regulates blood sugar, improves mental function, restores your immune system, helps relieve stress, and aids in weight loss.

Joseph Graham Jr. Lost 75 Pounds By Jump Roping and Doing Pushups

No gym, no problem. Joseph Graham Jr. (@theguywiththepinkshoes) is a fitness influencer and “crossrope athlete” who lost a whopping 75 pounds and toned up his dad bod by jumping rope and doing push ups at home. He does “harder” push ups, he says. “It's not enough to just do as many as you can and do them fast. Once you feel comfortable doing pushups, once you feel like you've kind of got it down, you have to start making it harder for yourself,” he explains. “The resistance is what builds the strength, right?

Alexandra Lost 40 Pounds by Eating the Same Meals Every Day

Online fitness coach Alexandra (@alexx.fitt) personally lost 40 pounds by eating the same meals daily. “For 1-2 months I ate the same meals every single day why? Because I was confused I didn’t know what to eat or where to start so I ate the same thing everyday,” Alexandra confesses in the caption of her video.

She Also Walks 10,000 Steps a Day

In another video she reveals that walking 10,000 steps a day was also key. “I weigh around 150lbs so walking 10k steps burns an extra 300-400 calories a day without spending hours on the stair master,” says Alexandra. “Walking can be done anywhere you don’t have to get fancy gym clothes you can literally walk in your pjs,” she adds. And, it helps regulate hunger. “Walking is not an extremely difficult exercise and it can help regulate your appetite hormones and reduce feelings of hunger,” she says.

RELATED:12-3-30 Walking Method: 20 Proven Tips to Lose Weight Faster

David Tuckfield Lost 60 Pounds EMS Workouts

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David Tuckfield, 61, dropped 60 pounds and reduced his body fat by 23 percent in 16 months by incorporating electro muscle stimulation (EMS) workouts into his routine, which he discovered at BODY20. “I was very skeptical when I first tried the EMS workouts. I was shocked after my demo workout how much I felt a difference,” he told Body Network. “For me, the amazing thing about the EMS workouts to me is that I can actually feel or sense my muscles. That was something that I had never experienced. At first I could feel them only during the workouts, but now when I exert myself I can discern which muscles are engaged. I don’t have huge or impressive muscles, but that I am more in-tune with the muscles I have. It is a good feeling to feel your muscles engage when you do an activity.” Another “great thing” about the workout “is that you really get a full workout (or better) in 20 minutes,” he says.

He Also Set Long-Term Goals

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He also started looking at weight loss as a long-term goal. “Don’t think short term. Think of it as a very long journey,” he suggests. “You will plateau, and you should just be comfortable with that. If you don’t stress out about the plateaus, you will eventually work through them.” Daily weigh-ins also helped him. “If you’ve gained weight, ask yourself what you did yesterday that would have made you gain weight. Usually the answer is obvious,” he says.

Joy Maria Lost 70 Pounds with Hot Girl Walks

Joy Maria (@therealjoyymaria/video) is a weight loss influencer and mother who lost 70 pounds in less than 11 months with the help of, wait for it, “Hot girl walks,” she reveals in a video. “Walking is a thousand percent, the most underrated way to lose weight,” she adds, “and one of my favorite things to do is walk.” She started walking to her errands, walking to and from workouts, and whenever else she could get steps in.

She Also Followed a Meal Plan

“If somebody is telling you that you can lose weight without being in a calorie deficit run because they're lying,” she adds, calling it “the most important step” to losing weight. “I know you guys have heard the saying, you cannot outrun a bad diet, and it's so true. Google, TDEE calculator. From there, put in your information. I'm gonna tell you exactly how many calories you need to eat. I ate about 1600 to 1800 calories daily, just depending on my activity level for the day. If I did two workouts that day, I would eat closer to 1800. If I had a more sedentary day, I would eat closer to 1500 to 1600.” She also followed a meal plan. “I have a seven day meal plan available at the top of my profile. It just makes it really easy when you're going to a grocery shop, when you're first starting out, when things are structured, it's gonna make it a lot easier to follow and just to stay consistent, not skipping breakfast, especially if we're exercising.”

Gen Cohen Lost 50 Pounds by Doing the 12-3-30

Gen Cohen, CNC, lost 50 pounds by doing a few different workouts, including the 12-3-30.

She said that “rather than subscribing to some crazy fitness routine, I'd commit to lifting weights three maximum four times per week and prioritize getting a 60 minute walk in per day,” in a video. “You can go to the gym and do 12-3-30. You can take your dog for a walk. You can get a walking pad and put it under your desk. I don't care how, just 60 minutes of walking.”

Joan Henning Lost 130 Pounds with Keto

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In 2019, Joan Henning started her 130-pound weight loss journey with the keto diet.“ I was able to start keto,” she says. She stayed on the low carb diet for “months.” While on keto, “I probably lost about 10 pounds because keto, it comes off quickly,” she said.

💪🔥Body Booster: Start your weight loss journey slowly and avoid an all-or-nothing mentality to prevent setting yourself up for failure. Focus on regaining self-trust by consistently following through with the promises you make to yourself.