Using This Simple Kitchen Tool Helped Me Drop 108 Pounds

Erika Chacon, 31, 5'4", from Rialto, Calif.
Before: 265 lb., size 18/20
After: 157 lb., size 6/8
Total pounds lost: 108 lb.
Total sizes lost: 6/7

Whether I was grazing on junk food all day or bingeing on Hot Pockets and Oreos after hours, my adolescent eating left much to be desired. Playing softball in high school helped keep my weight in check, but the excess calories started catching up to me in college. Once I graduated, my activity level really plummeted, and the pounds began piling on. By September 2015, I was up to 265 pounds. I felt so embarrassed when my then-boyfriend saw the number on the scale. Soon after that, a stranger assumed I was pregnant. I knew I needed to make a change.

Revamping my habits

To start, I researched how to do meal prep. I would buy anything green and clean, putting together healthy combos of lean turkey, brown rice, and seasoned veggies. I also hit the treadmill at the gym. At first, I felt ashamed when I couldn’t jog for longer than a minute and the girl next to me was logging miles. But I reminded myself that I was making this decision for me, no one else. By exercising daily and eating better, I lost about 45 pounds in three months. Then I hit a roadblock: The number on the scale wouldn’t budge. Panicked, I decided to overhaul my routine.


Measuring up

I started counting calories and using a food scale to keep an eye on my portions. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t eating more than I was burning. I also upped my strength training, integrating squats, lunges, and the occasional TRX class into my routine. The result: a tighter and 60-pounds-lighter frame in six months. These days I’m 157 pounds and still working out six days a week. Even better, now I’m the girl on the treadmill racking up the miles—at a seven-minute-mile pace!


Finish breakfast with something sweet

Wrap up your morning meal with dessert—yes, really. In a Tel Aviv University Medical Center study, one group had a 304-calorie breakfast with 10 grams of carbs, while the other group ate a 600-calorie breakfast with 60 grams of carbs, which included a small sweet, such as chocolate, a doughnut, a cookie, or cake. Halfway through the 8-month study, both groups had lost an average of 33 pounds per person. At the end, however, the low-carb group regained 22 pounds, while the dessert group dropped an additional 15. Researchers say the dessert-eaters reported dealing with fewer cravings, and had a better chance of sticking to their calorie requirements for the rest of the day.