Six months ago, Jessica Simpson broke the Internet. She posted a photo on Instagram, showing her doing yoga adjacent to a pool. With the sun barely glimmering in the background, Jessica posted a picturesque setting. But what fans noticed instantly was her amazing body. Her new look had fans going crazy. Jessica Simpson has kept things private about her weight loss journey.
But by the summer of 2020, she managed to shed 100 pounds in a little less than six months. How did she get there? She shared her 100-pound weight loss plan in September 2019. Celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak followed her on the journey.
The duo didn’t have a specific weight loss goal in mind. Pasternak as a trainer never works with scales. Instead, he focuses on creating habits, applying them in your daily life, and keeping them forever. And as a byproduct of your new healthy habits, you lose weight. Jessica Simpson lost 100 pounds.
Jessica and Harley started working after the singer gave birth to her third child. And this time, they wanted to try a holistic lifestyle journey. Pasternak says that he installed habits that Jessica would apply on her own time.
Story Stages
Why did she want to lose weight?
Jessica gave birth to her daughter Birdie Mae in March 2019. After giving birth to her third baby, the singer wanted to her pregnancy weight. She has worked with Harley Pasternak for each of her previous pregnancies.
Before giving birth, Jessica weighed 240lbs. And with this baby, Jessica had it easier. Her plan didn’t include any extreme diet or a radical form of exercise. Simpson wanted to reach a goal of shedding 100lbs and maintain a healthy lifestyle ongoing.
Spoiler alert: she did it mostly by focusing on walking.
Jessica’s Five Step Plan
As we said before, Jessica and Harley didn’t set an extreme or radical approach to losing weight. Instead, they focused on a holistic approach to implementing lifestyle habits. Here are five changes they made to her daily life.
Walking 14,000 steps daily
Walking is one of the best cardio exercises you can try. And nowadays, most smartphones have step counters. The trick is to set up a goal, and try to achieve it every day.
Jessica started slowly, walking 6,000 steps daily. It is a social thing you can do with your kids. You can stroll through the city. Slowly, she increased the target up to 14,000 steps daily. And once you hit that target every day, you will slowly burn more calories.
Three meals and two snacks
One of the big mistakes people make when trying to lose weight is cutting down on meals. You won’t shed weight if you eat once or twice per day. Instead, you need to focus on healthy metabolism and fat-burning rate.
For that, you have to have three big meals in the day and two snacks. Those are breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner.
Include protein, fiber, and fat in each meal. For your snacks, combine protein and fat or protein and fiber.
Jessica consumed foods that are a healthier version of things like tortilla soup. Healthy eating plans allow for indulgences or cheat meals.
Hitting the gym
Walking is a great cardio exercise, but for results, you need to hit the gym as well. Jessica Simpson had a 45-minute session three days a week. She worked her ass off and the results came along.
Pulling the plug on technology
Jessica’s plan focused on creating healthy habits. And more than just eating right and working out. She also incorporated a technology-free hour per day. She spent one hour away from technology every day. During that hour, she could do whatever she liked, but away from any technology.
The importance of sleep
A lot of people underestimate the importance of sleep. For adults, 7 hours of sleep per day will make it. But you have to get at least 7 hours of sleep per day. In one interview, Jessica said, “So many people undervalue the importance of sleep in weight management”.
At the end of day, after completing her tasks, Jessica could rest. Every night before going to bed, she would send an email to her trainer, showing that she hit all five tasks. That way, she would go to bed feeling successful.
And that attitude motivates you to work harder and harder every day. You stay positive after finishing your goals. And your body will thank you for it.
Jessica’s Approach to Food
We mentioned previously that one of the five steps incorporated a meal plan. But let’s talk more about it. On her way to losing weight, Jessica Simpson had to eat healthy and balanced foods.
Her diet contained protein, fiber, and fat with no specific rules around food groups. The trick is in reducing certain foods like highly processed snack foods and take-away. But you can still consume carbs, sugar, and fats. You just have to find a way to balance them.
Another interesting aspect of her diet is “no cheat days”. Instead, she has cheat meals. And that is when the occasion calls for it. For example, a date night. Yes, she still enjoys cake once in a while.
Trainers say that cheat days can start a negative relationship with food. If you want to have a little bit of chocolate every few days, fine. But balance it out with something else. It is all about balance and making healthy lifestyle choices.
Jessica says that most days she had egg, greens, and a slice of sourdough for breakfast. Her lunch included a tuna salad and protein with veggies, and rice for dinner. For snacks, she would get nuts, a small piece of cheese, or a few crackers. And she says, “I never felt hungry. Yes, I took advantage of a few cheat meals”.
