I Lost Weight Without Trying by Stopping These 7 Things

Elynn Estelle (@elynnestelle) is an influencer and model who shares health and wellness tips with her followers. Some of her videos get millions of views, including those in which she reveals how she transformed her skin, body, and mind by doing a few simple things. In one viral TikTok video she revealed 7 surprising things she stopped doing that resulted in "unintentional weight loss." 

Elynn "never wanted to lose weight, but I did want to heal my skin, balance my hormones, and by doing that, I unintentionally lost weight," she says in the video. "These are the things I stopped doing that resulted in weight loss."

@elynnestelle Weight loss was never my goal, but these are the things that made me lose weight without trying. #weightlossjouney #hormonalhealth #hormonehealth #howilostweight #loseweightwithme #thingsistoppeddoing #weightloss ♬ original sound – elynnestelle

The first thing Elynn did? "I stopped working out every day and I stopped high intensity workouts," she reveals. "I used to be someone who would go to the gym every day, do sprints, intense weightlifting. When I was trying to heal my skin, a functional medicine doctor explained to me that these high intensity workouts were stressing out my body and I was pushing my body too hard." Instead, she started "going on walks, doing low intensity at home workouts, and I also started to take more rest days," she says. " I am just now starting to integrate weightlifting back into my routine again, because due to the weight loss, I lost a bit of my booty and I want to build it back." A lot of health experts maintain that walking is great for health and weight loss. 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: 3 Easy Steps That Will Help Anyone Lose Weight and Look Great

"The second thing I did is completely let go of my desire to lose weight," Elynn reveals. "For a majority of my life, I was always trying to lose weight, but I read this book about body neutrality and just decided that I was completely done trying to lose weight or change my body. Once I fully accepted and started to love, just feel comfortable in my body the way it was, I started modeling as a curve model. My focus was entirely on doing what was best for my health, not doing what was going to make me lose weight or make me skinnier. The mindset shift of doing whatever I needed to do to heal my body, whether I gained weight or lost weight, I want to do what's best for my body, believe it or not, losing weight has been actually really hard for me because I am a curve model, so it impacts my work."

@elynnestelle Heres what I drink in a day to help me balance my hormones 😇😇😇 #whatidrinkinaday #whatidrinkinthemorning #hormonalbalance #beveragegirlies #hormonehealing #hormoneimbalance #howihealed ♬ Rockin' Robin – Bobby Day

"People freak out when I say this, but I stopped drinking coffee when I cut out coffee," says Elynn. "It gave me a lot more space to implement things that were a lot more beneficial to me than coffee, like herbal teas, matcha, and instead of over-relying on ice lattes to get me through the day, I actually prioritized other things that were more beneficial to my health." Should you quit drinking coffee? According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are several benefits of drinking coffee in moderation. "It acts on your brain to improve memory, mood, reaction times, and mental function," they say, citing a study finding that caffeine can improve endurance and performance during exercise. It is also antioxidant-rich, can ward off diabetes, prevent neurologic disease, lower cancer risk, and ward off depression, they point out.

Related: #1 Dumbest Thing You Can Do to Lost Weight, According to Nutrition Expert (He Did It Too)

Something else she "completely stopped doing" was "letting go of any kind of negative belief about any foods that I might've thought were bad or hurting me", Elynn explains. "It's a little woo woo, but I believe that if you believe something is bad for you, it's going to be bad for you. And there are a lot of bad things that I cut out of my life, but every once in a while I like to have a coffee or I like to go out and eat something that might not technically be good for me, but when I eat it, I fully enjoy it. I focus on all of the positive things the coffee or the bad food is giving me, like a pleasurable experience, time with my friends, a treat. I just let go of any of these negative beliefs that this food or these things were hurting me."

Another thing Elynn claims helped with her weight loss? "I stopped following the same routines every day," she says. "Women's bodies have four distinct phases that our hormones go through." She explains that "your nutrition, your exercise, and your social life" should always be changing to support those four phases. "If you're curious about cycle syncing, I have so many other videos explaining how I did it."

Elynn also maintains that cooking her own meals was a game-changer. "I also stopped eating out," she says. Even though when she ate out she "would order healthy options,"  "energetically" cooking and creating your own meals bring "goodness," she adds. "Some people might think that's a bit silly or weird, only do you know exactly what you're eating and what's going into your food, but you're also just having this very personal experience with what you're about to eat." There is scientific evidence supporting the benefits of cooking your own meals and meal planning. Studies have found that the more meals you eat prepared away from home, the higher your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and early death. 

Related: 7 Proven Strength Training Exercises to Get You Fit, by 15x Ironman Jennifer Rulon

"And last but not least, I stopped being so hard on myself," says Elynn. "Get rid of any pressure. It's about finding harmony within yourself to get to a place where you are the most comfortable to live a happy and enjoyable life.

💪🔥Body Booster: If you want to improve your health, cooking more meals at home is an easy way to do it. There is even research that has found a link between eating more at home and a decreased risk of health issues.