9 Simple Changes That Helped Me Lose 45 Pounds—and Keep It Off

Eliminate the extras

Katie Dunlop’s journey began after college, as she found herself 45 pounds overweight and tired of the ups and downs of fad diets and trendy workout plans. She started to look for small changes that might add up over time. Her first mission was to search and destroy mindless munching. Every night as a pre-dinner snack, Dunlop used to nibble cheese and crackers while cooking. “I didn’t necessarily need that,” she says. Instead of banning this pre-dinner ritual all at once, Dunlop decided to cut out the cheese for a few days, and then phase out the crackers. “Food habits are the hardest thing to change, so finding little ‘tweaks’ became hugely important,” she says.