MY FIT STEPS

Nessa used to eat as few as 1,600 calories daily—until she decided to make a big change. NESSA When my trainer told me to eat 2,000 to 2,200 calories per day to lose weight, I didn’t blink an eye. I did however, make a mental note of the fact that I must have been under-fueling before. I rarely ate breakfast. And because I was generally really stressed at work, I’d forget about food all day. Then, when I’d get home at 6 or 7 p.m., I’d realize I was so hungry that I’d eat something fast and unhealthy, like pasta, pizza, or a burger, followed by something sweet. I think most days I ate about 1,600 calories or a little more. Then on the weekends, I’d often skip lunch in the name of a decadent dinner of meat and potatoes, pasta with cream sauce, a homemade dessert, or a bar of chocolate. If I went out, I’d go the whole nine yards—appetizer, entree, and dessert. Maybe that’s why, after 15 months of losing weight and building muscle with  Kayla Itsines' Bikini Body...

Weight loss can be overwhelmingly daunting, but when you have the right motivation — and the right tools — things start to fall into place and pounds start to fall off. Take Sophie Jude, for instance. After a lifetime of struggling with unwanted weight, she finally found the right motivation (her newborn daughter) and the right tool, a program called Slimming World that introduced her to a healthy education and a supportive community that changed her life for the better. Read on for her full story. Sophie: Before POPSUGAR: What made you decide to start your weight-loss journey? Sophie Jude:  I've always suffered with my weight. When I was 14, I was awarded a scholarship to attend a performing arts school; that's when I realized I was a lot bigger than most girls my age. This led to me getting caught in a vicious cycle of comfort eating when I felt down, putting on weight as a result, then feeling even more down. I'd never eat healthy, filling meal...

When a lot of people think about weight loss, it involves giving up all the foods that you love and busting butt at the gym five days a week. If you're a lazy girl like me, you've probably tried that route and failed more times than you'd like to admit. Here's how to successfully lose weight, the lazy way. 1. Eat Things You Love (Just Less of Them) You don't have to break up with carbs — or any food group — to lose weight. There is absolutely no reason to ban the things you love in order to lose weight. In fact, doing so may only increase your cravings and lead you to failure. The one thing you need to do to lose weight is eat fewer calories than you burn. Instead of giving up on foods you truly enjoy, be mindful of portions and try to balance every meal out with whole, natural foods. 2. Skip the Gym (and Get a Step Counter) What if I told you a gym membership is in no way necessary to lose weight? As long as you are watching what you eat, exercise ...

Sonakshi Sinha recently posted a photo of her holidaying in Singapore, looking svelte and toned, making the internet world go crazy over her weight-loss journey. It has been a long fitness journey for the Dabangg star. She’s been working really hard at it, mixing fitness routines, and even training while vacationing. Want to know how she managed to lose oodles of weight? Read on: Handstands Sinha aced this yoga asana which comes with multiple benefits. Not only does it build upper body strength by engaging muscles on the upper back, the sides of the rib cage, shoulders, forearms and arms, but it also strengthens the bones of your wrists, arms and shoulders, reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Handstands also stimulate the endocrine system which is responsible for regulating mood, growth, development, tissue function, metabolism, sexual function and other bodily functions. When you stand upside down, you also improve spatial awareness, which makes your brain open up to seeing ...

I've been  following the 16:8 intermittent fasting (IF)  plan for over seven months now, which means I don't eat for 16 hours a day and only eat during the other eight hours. I find a lot of inspiration and information from watching YouTube videos on IF. Recently, I'd been seeing a lot about the  Warrior Diet . It's a stricter form of intermittent fasting, during which you have a much shorter eating window of just four hours and then a fasting window of 20 hours. Before Warrior Diet: It seems crazy, right? Yet so many people rave about it. You're meant to obtain more mental clarity, increased energy, better digestion, reduced sugar cravings, and, for those looking for it, faster and better weight-loss and muscle definition results. I never gave it serious thought, though. I mean, how can you only eat for four hours?! But one day, it happened accidentally. I meant to eat at noon as usual, but I was running around doing tons of errands, and it was 4 p.m....