Courtesy of Megan Hoffman
A former competitor on "The Biggest Loser" said she lost 150 pounds and kept it off for years, thanks to five simple weight loss tips.
Megan Hoffman of California was the At-Home winner of the 2020 season of the hit reality show, losing the most weight after she was eliminated from the contest.
She later lost even more weight and became a spin instructor.
Now 39, Hoffman told Business Insider that what she learned from therapists and other experts about consistent healthy habits was more important to her results than the specific foods she ate or how she worked out.
"We get so stuck thinking things need to look a certain way. Nobody's journey needs to look the same," she said.
Hoffman shared the biggest pieces of advice she would give to her earlier self, and anyone looking to start or stay strong on a weight loss journey.
According to Hoffman, maintenance is the hardest part of losing weight — and research confirms it. A common mistake is thinking that weight loss can solve life's problems without a plan to maintain healthy habits and goals afterward.
"Before, I really romanticized what weight loss would be. We think that overcoming the one hurdle will change everything," she said.
Hoffman said part of what made her weight loss sustainable was that she had already built a strong sense of herself and the life she wanted, so the scale didn't define her self-worth.
"You're worthy and deserving exactly as you are. But there might still be reasons to want to change. One does not go against the other," she said.
While Hoffman said she's a big fan of working out, especially strength training, she recommends daily walks as an accessible way to boost weight loss.
"Go for as many walks as you can," she said. "I lost the majority of the weight by walking."
Evidence suggests that adding as few as 500 steps a day can have health benefits.
"The Biggest Loser" has been met with criticism that its weight loss strategies were too extreme, short-term, or exploitative for TV.
But Hoffman said she felt a real sense of community in her time on show (which was not renewed after its 2020 reboot). She said the social connections were key to achieving her results. She worked with a therapist, who she's stayed in touch with, and could surround herself with people she felt were cheering her on.
"Don't be afraid to ask for help," Hoffman said.
Research consistently suggests a social routine is the best way to make healthy habits stick, whether it's exercise or eating a nutritious diet.
Most people who have tried to lose weight are familiar with diet plans that have extensive rules, strict limits, or cut out entire food groups. Hoffman said that while intensive dieting didn't work, it was appealing because it seemed to offer a straightforward solution.
"Fad diets were easy because I love being all in or not thinking about it," she said. "I'm still learning to be more flexible."
But allowing herself more freedom to enjoy foods she loved led to better results in the long term, according to Hoffman. She eventually lost the weight not by being strict but by being consistent with simpler strategies like eating more protein and fewer processed foods.
Another common mistake in weight loss is impatience, prompting people to make changes too quickly and leading to cycles of weight loss and regain, known as "yo-yo dieting."
Hoffman said waiting for the scale to shift can be frustrating, so finding other sources of motivation along the way is crucial.
"The hardest thing is that it takes time. You can work hard for two weeks, not see change, and be miserable the whole time thinking about the number," she said.
Instead, she found the process was easier when she focused on other signs of healthy change, such as having more energy or meeting goals she could control, like going for regular walks.
"Stop looking at the scale and get comfortable with creating the habits," Hoffman said.
