I Lost 50 Pounds in 6 Months With Walking and These 3 Major Changes

TikTok influencer Addie Gibson (@addiepowerr) lost 50 pounds in six months by making some very simple changes. Gibson details her weight loss journey online, explaining exactly how she torched the fat and got fit. Her success came down to three major changes: consistent strength training, maintaining a calorie deficit, and staying hydrated. One major part of her fitness routine was being active every single day, which helped boost her metabolism and made her regimen even more effective. Here's exactly how she did it, according to her TikTok videos.

Overcoming Personal Struggles

"I was always the bigger friend growing up. I've always struggled with my weight, specifically later into my teenage years and early adulthood. I was actually clinically obese and was really struggling with mental health and chronic pain, and those were my two driving factors of why I made that change," Addie says in the video.

"But ultimately, I knew I needed to make a change sooner than later, and I lost 50 pounds, fell in love with the process and through that I also found my love for coaching others."

She Understands Your Struggle

"The reason I'm so passionate about helping other people in their health and finished journey is because I quite literally know what it's like to be you and what you're feeling and what you're facing right now at the beginning stages that I really just want to help you and be there and be your teammate along the way," Addie says.

My 3 Key Changes

"Three things I did to go from 220 pounds to 180 pounds. Number one, strength training, three to four times a week, walk 10,000 steps a day. Number two, stay in a calorie deficit. And number three, I drink a gallon of water a day," Addie says in another video.

The Power of Strength Training

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Gibson did strength training 3-4 times a week. "Strength training helps you lose weight and keep it off by building muscle tissue," according to Corewell Health. "The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate tends to be. More muscle also helps your body burn more fat than muscle, which is important if you want to lose weight and keep your strength."

Walking for Weight Loss

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Gibson walked 10,000 steps every day, which is a highly effective form of aerobic exercise. "As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day," says the Mayo Clinic. "If you want to lose weight, maintain weight loss or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more."

The Importance of a Calorie Deficit

Gibson made sure she was eating fewer calories than she was burning off. "Your weight is a balancing act, but the equation is simple," says the Mayo Clinic. "If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. And if you eat fewer calories and burn more calories through physical activity, you lose weight."

Hydration is Key

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Gibson drank a gallon of water a day as part of her weight loss program. "Thirst, which is triggered by mild dehydration, is often mistaken for hunger by the brain," Melina Jampolis, an internist and board-certified physician nutrition specialist, tells Johns Hopkins University. "You may be able to decrease appetite by drinking water if you are, in fact, low in water, not calories."

Smart Snacking

Gibson indulged in low-calorie, high-volume snacks like watermelon with Tajin seasoning. "Because 90% of a watermelon's weight is water, it's one of the best fruits to eat if you're trying to lose weight," according to Keck Medicine. "A 100-gram serving contains only 30 calories. It's also a great source of an amino acid called arginine, which has been shown to help burn fat quickly."

Protein-Packed Coffee

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Gibson added protein to her coffee for an extra boost. "You can use protein coffee as a meal replacement. It's a quick and easy way to fuel up for a busy morning," registered dietitian Kimmie Sharp, MMN, RDN, LMNT, LD, tells UNL Health. "However, many powders lack essential vitamins, minerals or healthy fats. Some protein powders contain much more protein than you need, which could cause weight gain. If your goal is to lose weight, a shake specifically formulated to replace a meal is a better option."

Supplementing with Creatine

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Gibson takes creatine supplements to support her fitness regimen. "Oral creatine use might allow an athlete to do more work during reps or sprints, leading to greater gains in strength, muscle mass and performance," says the Mayo Clinic. "Creatine is often used by athletes involved in high-intensity intermittent activities that require a rapid recovery during training and competition."

Keep It Simple

"As a fitness coach, I often see beginners overcomplicating their fitness plan. The more complicated the plan is, the easier it's going to be for you to quit when times get tough and they're going to get tough, it's not easy to hit your goals," she says.

Focus on the Basics

"So let's look at the basics when it comes to weight loss and a fitness routine. It always comes back to two basic principles. One, what are you eating and drinking? And two, what are you doing to move your body?" Addie says.

Build a Strong Foundation

"You don't need a complex meal plan or workout plan to hit your goals. You need to nail in the basics before anything else. And a big part of that is consistency in your routine. Start with building a baseline foundation of implementing your basic principles such as eating the right number of calories, drinking plenty of water, and eating a lot of protein, and of course, regular exercise," Addie says.

Consistency is Key

"Do these basic principles stay consistent with your efforts and you're going to reach your goals over time. You can tweak what you need to," she adds.

Rethink Your Weigh-Ins

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"Stop weighing yourself every day and then basing your success off of the number you see each day and getting discouraged. Here's what you should do instead, weigh yourself every other day or every couple of days during the week. Then at the end of every week, look at your weekly average," Addie says.

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Track Your Trends

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"Track this over a couple of weeks or months and look at your trends over a couple of weeks. Don't just look at the one number every day and base your success off of that and then see what your trends are. Are you trending downwards? Are you trending upwards? What's happening? That's going to be the most successful way to track your weight without getting discouraged," she adds.

Set Realistic Goals

"Instead of setting weekly weight goals or scale goals, do this instead. Set yourself goals like step goals or strength day goals. Something that is going to be a little bit more realistic and attainable and can help you with the mental side of this," Addie says.

Make Your Goals Visible

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"Also, write out your weekly goals in a place that you're going to see every day, such as your refrigerator. Give yourself attainable goals to reach. As for the ones in my mirror, these are the ones where I'm going to actually track to make sure I hit my 10,000 steps a day. So I'll tally every day where I achieve that. And then same with my strength days," she adds.

Explore Hormone-Friendly Foods

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"Ladies, listen up. If you're not eating raw carrots for hormone health, today you're signed up to change that. I found this lady on Facebook saying that raw carrots are really good for your hormone health, and she shared this recipe," Addie says.

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Her Commitment

"I can only hope to share that with you and be along the journey with you to at least get you started to a longer, healthier, more fulfilling life. I'm excited at the potential of working with you," Addie says in the video. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.