I'm a Dietitian and This Is How I Lost 100 Pounds and Kept It Off

Registered dietician Ilana Muhlstein (Nutrition Babe) knows first-hand how challenging weight loss can be. Ilana went from 215 to 115 pounds over several years, sometimes going up, sometimes going into maintenance, but always with a downward trajectory. Ilana is sharing her story in hopes of inspiring others who are struggling with weight loss. "I truly believe our bodies were designed to be lean, healthy, fit, and strong," she says. Here's how she did it.

Healthy Routine

Muhlstein noticed tremendous changes with each 10 pounds dropped. "I can tell you my body literally functioned better and functions better with every healthier step I take. As long as I'm eating three solid meals a day, I'm drinking lots of water. I have protein at every meal. I have some healthy carbs. I have healthy fats, and I have energy. I could do handstands and yoga. I'm never too thin or even close."

Meal Planning

Muhlstein started her weight loss journey at age 14 when she weighed 215 pounds. She credits losing weight at a steady 10 pounds a month with preventing too much loose skin. "So the summer after sophomore year of high school, I was like, focus, focus, focus. I planned my meals, I drank my water in the summer."

Lifting Weights

Muhlstein went back to the weight loss camp she attended as a teenager, this time as a counselor. "I decided to get really jacked. I think I was flirting like crazy with the gym guys. So the guys who were in charge of the weightlifting gym were these really, really good-looking Australian guys with adorable accents. I was a counselor who was feeling herself because I was a camp success story, and I was there, so I asked them to train me. So, during all my free periods and even days off, I would be in the gym lifting weights, and I never lifted so many weights. I felt so strong that summer, and I was solid."

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Leaning Out with Yoga

Muhlstein started doing yoga and lifting weights. "So I got so lean, kind of the muscle went out, yoga made me long, and I just looked like bony, which was the first time in my life I ever felt like that. But in a good way, I was still doing yoga, and I still had all this muscle, and I was still eating."

Healthy Diet

Muhlstein was mindful about her diet while continuing to lose weight in college. She had a banana every morning, boiled eggs, fajitas without the wrap, stir-fries, and always had an apple in her bag for a healthy snack.

Talk To your Doctor

She recommends going to see the doctor if weight loss is not happening for any reason. "You can't lose weight because the doctor will probably tell you it is possible—you just need the right plan. So find out if there's anything else going on because it should be possible. So you want to clear that up so you don't keep telling yourself that, right? So you find out the truth in that matter."

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Small Easy Goals

Muhlstein says to focus on small, realistic goals, not giant, overwhelming ones. "Taking it one day at a time and only focusing on one to two pounds at a time makes such a huge difference," she says. "Absolutely. When I was 215 pounds, if I focused on being in the low one hundred, are you joking? I would've given up so easily, so easily."

No Cheat Days

"I have a very slow metabolism," Muhlstein says. "If I decided to take one day to eat whatever the heck I wanted, I would probably gain five pounds in that day, and it would probably take two weeks to lose. So no. And I try to live a life that feels good enough and satisfying enough every day that I don't feel the need to cheat on it."

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Be Sensible

Muhlstein says a sensible plan is the only way to lose weight and keep it off long-term. "Eating three meals a day, having protein, filling up on veggies, still eating carbs, still eating fats," she says. "You can do it, but you have to be smart about it.  It works. It works, and it allows you to be sensible in your life." And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.