5 Things This Health Coach Quit Doing to Beat Binge Eating and Transform Her Body

Sometimes, losing weight is more about giving up bad habits than just dieting and exercise. Ruth Soukup is a midlife health and mindset coach who personally lost almost 50 pounds. She regularly shares her tips and tricks with her hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers. In a new Instagram post, she reveals what really changed the game in terms of her weight loss journey. “I struggled with my weight for 10 years before I finally lost 49 pounds by balancing my hormones. And the way I approach my health now, 3 years later, looks dramatically different than it used to,” she writes in the post. “These are the things I don’t do anymore after losing 49 pounds and dropping from a size 14 to a size 4 at age 43.”

She Quit Counting Calories

One controversial habit Ruth gave up? Calorie counting, she reveals in her post. “I never worry about maintaining a calorie deficit or restricting what I’m eating. I eat to nourish my body,” she says.

She Stopped Her Plant-Based Diet

Lots of health experts recommend a plant-based diet. However, Ruth claims that shifting to an eating style with animal products was instrumental in her weight loss. “I was a vegetarian for 28 years & used to eat a ton of soy and fake meat. Now I eat real meat, and lots of it!” she writes.

She Eliminated Ultra Processed Foods

Another bad habit she gave up? Eating ultra-processed foods, she revealed. “That’s not to say I never have a potato chip, but for the most part, I really avoid most of the toxic processed foods that I used to eat all the time, including fast food,” she writes.

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She No Longer Drinks Her Calories

Drinking your calories is a no-go for weight loss, says Ruth. She maintains that she gave up drinking green smoothies and “fancy” coffee in order to lose weight. “I used to drink both almost every day, but now I realize just how loaded they were with sugar,” she writes.

She Stopped Doing “Tons” of Cardio

She also shifted her approach to exercise. She no longer does “tons” of cardio. “I used to think working out meant burning as many calories as possible. Now I mostly walk & focus on building strength,” she writes.

She Stopped Snacking

Ruth maintains that she no longer craves snacks. Instead, she eats hearty meals that fill her up. “As time goes on, I’ve found that I now rarely crave snacks in between meals,” she writes. If you do snack, stick to nutritious filling foods – like protein and good carbs – to keep you fueled up and satiated instead of processed foods.

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She Shifted Her Mindset

Overall, Ruth completely shifted her perspective on diet and exercise. “I realize now that the biggest shift has been my mindset, from a ‘this is a temporary diet’ mentality to a ‘this is just how I live’ mentality,” she writes.

She Looks at Food as Fuel

As part of this new perspective, she has totally evolved her approach to eating. “Food is fuel, and I really just want to nourish my body & continue feeling good by balancing my hormones,” she writes.

She Focuses on Non-Weight Benefits

She also focuses on how healthy living makes her feel, not just weight loss. “Because while the sustained weight loss has been awesome, the other benefits are even better. I have so much energy. I no longer get headaches every day. I don’t get sick. My skin is brighter and clearer. I sleep like a baby & poop like a champ. My joints don’t hurt,” she says.

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She Is Committed to Helping Other Women

Ruth concludes her post by explaining that her mission is to help other women achieve the same diet and fitness success as she has. “After struggling for so long, it feels like a miracle, which is why I’m so committed to helping other women get healthy too,” she says. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.

Are your unhealthy habits keeping you from achieving your weight loss goals? Heather Eisenberg is a nutrition coach and personal trainer who helps women over 40 “lose weight with nutrition & fitness,” she writes in her Instagram bio. In a new social media post, she discusses some of the bad habits she had to give up in order to lose 10 pounds in 2 months at 46. “We all have habits that we want to break…Losing weight in your 40s can feel like a struggle, but small changes can make a big difference!” she writes. “Here are 5 habits I let go of that kickstarted my journey.”

Mindless Snacking

The first habit she had to ditch was mindless snacking. “I used to grab snacks throughout the day without even thinking about it—whether I was bored, stressed, or just because the food was there. Now I make sure to have balanced meals that keep me satisfied longer, and when I need a snack, I choose something with protein and fiber, like Greek yogurt or an apple with almond butter,” she writes in her post.

Skipping Meals

The next habit she parted ways with was skipping meals. “I used to skip meals, especially breakfast, thinking I was saving calories. But in reality, it would just lead to overeating later in the day,” she says. “Now, I make time for regular meals—especially breakfast, which sets the tone for my day. A quick smoothie or some eggs and veggies in the morning helps me feel energized and prevents those late-afternoon cravings.”

Processed Foods

The third habit? Relying on processed foods.
”Frozen dinners or packaged snacks were a go-to because they were easy. But I realized they were packed with hidden sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats,” she says. “I swapped them out for whole foods—lean proteins, veggies, and healthy carbs. Meal prepping on Sundays was a game changer. It is much easier to avoid the temptation of quick, unhealthy options during the week, and I actually feel more energized after eating real food.”

Late Night Eating

Late-night eating
was something else she had to ditch. “Eating late at night had become a bad habit. I started closing the kitchen after dinner, giving myself at least 2-3 hours before bed without food. This not only helped me avoid unnecessary calories but also improved my sleep,” she writes.

Overthinking Workouts

The fifth habit she had to let go of was overthinking workouts. “I used to think that if I didn’t have an hour to hit the gym or couldn’t do a perfect workout, it wasn’t worth it. Now, I prioritize movement in any form—whether it’s a 20-minute walk, or a quick bodyweight workout,” she writes.

Breaking Up with Bad Habits Isn’t Easy, But the Results Are “Worth It”

While quitting unhealthy habits and replacing them with ones that will help you achieve your goals isn’t easy, it pays off in the end, she maintains. “Breaking up with these habits took time, but the results were worth it!”

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She Also Stopped Cutting Out Entire Food Groups

In another post, she reveals a few more habits she ditched in order to lose weight. The first? Cutting out entire food groups.
”Eliminating carbs or fats may seem like the answer, but it’s not sustainable. Your body needs a mix of carbs, proteins, and healthy fats to thrive. Cutting out entire food groups can mess with your energy levels, hormones, and mindset. Balance is the key — there’s room for everything when you approach food mindfully,” she writes.

And, She Stopped Giving Up Foods That She Loves

Another thing she stopped doing? Giving up foods that she loves. “Let’s be honest — life without ice cream or pizza sounds miserable! I’ve learned that allowing myself to enjoy these foods in moderation keeps me sane and on track. Depriving yourself often leads to bingeing or feeling like you’ve failed. Including foods you love makes healthy eating a lifestyle, not a punishment,” she writes.

She Stopped Relying Solely on Cardio

Once she stopped relying solely on cardio, it also changed the game.
”I used to think cardio was the best way to lose weight, but resistance training changed everything. Lifting weights builds muscle, boosts your metabolism, and helps you feel stronger and more confident. Cardio has benefits, but strength training reshapes your body in a way cardio alone can’t,” she writes.

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And, She Stopped Letting the Scale Dictate Progress

And, lastly, she stopped letting the scale dictate progress.
”The scale is just one number, and it doesn’t tell the whole story. Your energy, strength, how your clothes fit, and how you feel are all signs of progress. If you let the scale control your mood, you’ll miss out on the real wins. Focus on the bigger picture — it’s way more rewarding,” she writes. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.

Are you struggling to lose weight and keep it off? Nagina Abdullah is a weight loss and metabolism boosting coach for midlife women with a degree in molecular and cell biology from UC Berkeley who has helped over 1,500 women lose weight “and live in their dream body naturally and keep it off for years,” she says in a viral video. “Today, I'm going to share five surprising things that I stopped doing to lose 40 pounds,” she says, “having lost the weight and having kept it off for over 14 years.” In the clip, she explains that she had tried “every single diet out there,” including Atkins, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, and South Beach, but would always lose weight and gain it back — until she started doing these things.

1. She Stopped Eating Fast Burning Carbs

“The first thing I started doing was to stop eating fast-burning carbs. I didn't try to eat smaller portions of carbs. I just started learning about what carbs were better for me and would burn more slowly. And instead of eating fast-burning carbs, I focused on slow-burning carbs,” she says in her post.

She Eats These Slow Burning Carbs Instead

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She explains that fast-burning carbs are “things like bread, pasta, rice, anything that gives you a quick burst of energy,” usually processed foods. “What's happening when you're eating fast-burning carbs? I realized that I was getting a quick rush of energy, but then my body was storing it as fat because I wasn't able to burn it off right away, and that's how fast burning carbs work. They spike our blood sugar, and they are stored as fat,” she says. So, she started eating slow-burning carbs instead. So, instead, I started understanding I could eat carbs instead, like beans and lentils. “Beans and lentils both have more fiber, so they burn more slowly. They don't create that massive spike in blood sugar, and they don't create that fat storage,” she says. She also eats Ezekiel bread, sweet potatoes, and alternative versions of rice like quinoa millet or buckwheat.

2. She Stopped Eating and Drinking Dairy

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“Number two, the second thing I did to lose this 40 pounds and now keep it off was that I also stopped eating dairy or drinking dairy,” she says. “I never had felt that I was lactose intolerant. I never had any intolerance. I never felt bad when I was drinking milk or eating cheese or anything like that. But I found that once I took it out, I realized my weight just started slipping off, like melting off,” she says.

The Lactose in Dairy Is Added Sugar

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“What I realized is that what was happening was that there was added sugar in different kinds of milk or sometimes natural sugars in milk in the form of what's called lactose. So, lactose is a sugar that creates blood sugar elevation. So that's one of the reasons it's bad. It's another way of having sugar,” she says. And almost everyone is “somewhat lactose intolerant, some of us are more than others, and so even if you have a little bit of lactose intolerant like almost all of us do, your body can't process the food or the drinks efficiently,” she says. “It wasn't hard. I just decided not to drink milk as much. I used replacements like almond milk or cashew milk. I did eat cheese if I had pizza, but I wasn't making nachos for a snack regularly like I had been before.”

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3. She Stopped Putting Her Focus on Exercise

The third thing she did? “I stopped thinking that I needed to exercise more to lose weight because I had really thought that I needed to get to the gym. I needed to run, I needed to sweat, I needed to burn calories, and that was the only way that I was going to lose weight.”

She Started Focusing More On Diet

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She explains that there is “so much research and so many scientific studies that show that what you eat is 80% of losing weight,” she says. “If you try to outrun a bad diet or outwork out a bad diet, it will never happen. You're going to be working out and running and exercising so much until you have your nutrition dialed in,” she continues. “So I really started focusing on eating in the right way, on making sure I was taking out those foods that I mentioned and adding in the foods that would replace them. As a result, my weight just started melting away, and then I started adding in exercise so that I could be stronger and I could increase my metabolism by having more tone and muscle in my body, but not as a form to lose weight because it wasn't working for that, and it had never worked for me.”

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4. She Stopped Restricting Herself and “Eating Boring”

“The fourth thing that I stopped doing that has helped me lose 40 pounds is that I stopped restricting myself and eating boring, bland foods in small portions. I had done this for decades. I followed Weight Watchers and Nutrisystem as a way of tracking my calories. And I just kept trying to eat smaller portions of foods that I later found out were actually unhealthy. And I also made them boring and bland because that was all the advice that I saw out there. It was like barely putting salt and pepper onto my foods, and that just didn't hit me because I love food. I would consider myself a foodie. I love going out to eat. I love cooking really delicious food. I love enjoying delicious food. And so every time I would restrict myself, the moment I would hit that 10 pounds or around that amount, I would just start eating all of the foods because I was hungry, and I didn't want to keep living in living a life of hunger. I also realized that I just craved foods that tasted good.

Now She Uses More Spices

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“Now, instead of eating boring foods like plain broccoli and fish with just salt and pepper on it, just really making everything so boring and bland, I started using spices. I started adding metabolism-boosting spices like cumin and coriander,” she says. “Cumin helps decrease belly fat, coriander decreases water retention and bloating. I also started adding in some cayenne pepper, which increases metabolism. I also added cinnamon to my coffee to make it taste good without having the dairy that I had been having before. And cinnamon actually lowers our blood sugar and helps us store less fat. So I started looking at what I was eating in a more delicious way, and I started loving what I was eating, and I stopped restricting myself. And this was the key way that it became sustainable for me once I lost weight to keep losing more weight and get to the body of my dreams.”

5. She Stopped Thinking About Losing Weight

“The fifth thing that I stopped doing to lose 40 pounds was that I stopped thinking only about the goal of losing weight,” she says. “I stopped only focusing on that and making that the reason that I was making every decision.”

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She Put Her Focus on How Good She Was Feeling

“I started focusing on how good I was feeling, how much energy I was feeling, and how much I loved what I was eating. And I started making every day that I was losing weight fun and enjoyable,” she says. “I started experimenting with my healthy foods to make them taste better and to feel full and satisfied. And because I was able to love what I was eating and love what I was doing every single day, I was able to keep doing it all the way to losing 40 pounds. And then I was able to stay there.” And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.