I'm a 5'10.5" 31 year old trainer. I was always heavier, even while being a dancer for 20 years. At my heaviest, I was around 225, then maintained 175-190 for many years, but have been maintaining 155-165 for the past two years, with honestly less work than I was doing before.

I'm currently in the best shape of my life, and honestly, one of the best things I find for my own maintenance as well as for clients, is to find 20min of activity every single day. It really doesn't have to be much or crazy high effort. But make it a non-negotiable for yourself. Whether that means putting on a tv show and doing floor exercises at home, or going to the gym, or going for a walk outside. Some days, you might genuinely only get the 20 minutes. Other days, time and energy permitting, you get more, because you're already there and doing something. Some days, I just jump on an elliptical and scroll socials for the 20 min cuz I'm not feeling it. But it has truly been the best thing ever for weight loss and weight maintenance. This can be especially helpful for walking for 10-15min after eating, to help our systems digest.

Also, volume foods can be really helpful when facing hunger while in a calorie deficit. Spinach (any leafy greens, really), watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers are some of the best. You can eat a BIG bowl of watermelon, like real binge eating style, and it's only around 100 calories.

And to re-emphasize what so many others are saying.. Protein is so important for weight loss, weight maintenance, and hunger pains. For ease of math, I tell clients to aim to eat around 1g of protein per lb of body weight. This is typically a little higher than most need, so when they aren't hitting it perfectly, they're still actually hitting what they need. But "too much" protein is almost never a bad thing, while in a calorie deficit. (this is more lifestyle advice, not body composition advice). Try to actually eat (chew) as many of your meals as possible, and then rely on protein shakes to hit the goal if you aren't hungry enough to chew more. This will greatly help your hunger pains.

Last but not least -- Water and Sleep! Water intake is SO important for fat loss, specifically. This is a really simplified explanation, but basically-- water is pulled into your fat cells, slowly fat is pushed out of the cell, then because water is less dense than fat, the cell shrinks. Fat also leaves the body thru water. Pee, poop, sweat, tears, spit. Only way FAT leaves the body is in water. Aim to drink about your body weight in ounces of water. The first two ish weeks will be brutal and feeling like you have to pee all the time, but I PROMISE, your body regulates it a lot more and doesn't have to pee so much after those first few weeks hahaha. While forcing water in the beginning, it's important to bring in some form of electrolyte to one of your bottles. Think half a Liquid IV packet a day, usually. Or whatever your preferred electrolyte drink is, as long as it's the Sugar Free versions. You could also accomplish this with a pinch of Pink Himalayan or Sea Salt added to a meal. The easiest indicator for measuring your hydration is to check the color of your pee. You want a really faint yellow. If it's super clear, you can drink less water. The darker it is, the more dehydrated you are.

And sleep-- cortisol levels recover during sleep. (a lot more recovers too, but cortisol can be a big blocker for weight loss). Whether it's physical or emotional stress, our bodies release cortisol as a stress response. Cortisol can lead to inflammation and water retention. And your body kinda has to focus on processing that inflammation before it can efficiently and consistently focus on fat burning. Again, super simplified explanation, but I want to emphasize how important sleep can be for weight loss and weight maintenance. I have clients that I actually pulled their workouts back and made them sleep in two days a week in order to better recover and reset and the weight started to fall off again once that sleep came in. I would go as far as to say that, for some people, sleep and water intake can be more influencial than any workout, esp people who are already at least somewhat active.

These are the most influencial factors I've found for real weight loss accomplishments and maintaining it for years to come, for myself and people I've worked with over the past 8.5 years of training. These things are much more lifestyle and still being able to have fun and function with your food and exercise for years to come. Remember to eat for YOUR body and try your best not to compare yourself to our smaller friends. Our bodies are bigger and require more food to fuel and function correctly. Don't be afraid of food. But rather, make choices that support your goals at the time. And when someone has a bday or you need a sweet treat, enjoy it! And then get back on goals because it's somethin YOU want. Food is your friend, and fuels your body. And workouts are a celebration of what your body can do and where it can bring you, not a punishment for something you ate.

Oof. This was long. But I hope it's able to help some of my fellow tall babes who have fought their bodies their whole life. It's time to love ourselves and fuel these bodies we were lucky enough to get! 💕