America A girl lost 22 kg in a year thanks to the 80/20 eating tip, meaning healthy foods make up 80% of her diet, the remaining 20% is snacks.
Gen Cohen, who lives in San Diego, spent nearly a decade since he was 12 trying different diets, only to eventually gain the weight back.
“I struggled with my weight all my life,” says Cohen, now 29.
Cohen grew up in a small town in Connecticut where health was not a priority. She was very active and played sports, but she and her teammates would always go to McDonald's afterward. Cohen went on her first diet at age 12, which she later realized contributed to her negative body image.
When she went to college in San Diego, being able to eat out all the time was a new thing. She got caught up in the routine and stopped playing sports.
“I had gained about 30 pounds and had no idea how to lose it,” Cohen shared.
She also felt misled by the media and the weight loss industry. All she read was “eat 1,200 calories, cut out carbs, don’t eat fat, buy protein shakes or supplements,” but the more products and quick fixes she tried, the more problems she had. This reflects the fact that unsustainable weight loss methods can stress the body, leading to weight regain.
Cohen's 21st birthday was a turning point. Her mother flew in to visit her and the two went to a scenic location to take pictures. But when Cohen looked back at the photos, she was shocked by how she looked.
"My heart almost dropped because I really didn't recognize the girl in the picture," Cohen said.
She went home and weighed herself for the first time in a while. Her weight had ballooned to nearly 200 pounds. Instead of going out to a bar to celebrate her 21st birthday like many Americans, Cohen spent the night sitting on her bathroom floor crying. She was sad, frustrated, lost, and scared.
"If the weight could come on so fast without me realizing it, when would it stop? I'd tried to lose weight so many times before that I almost thought I was hopeless," Cohen said.
But the woman realized she had a choice: "I could sit on the bathroom floor for the rest of my life and accept my fate, or I could try again."
Gen Cohen lost more than 22 kg in a year. Photo: Business Insider
Cohen decided to love herself more to get healthy. The next day, she and her mother went to the mall to buy workout clothes, protein powder, and a blender.
She began educating herself, reading up on nutrition and fitness. This time, she wasn’t looking for quick fixes, gimmicks, or shortcuts.
"Every time I've tried to lose weight, I've tried to do it for a guy, a vacation, or a special event. This is the first time I've really done it for myself," Cohen says.
Cohen knew she would need to cut calories to lose weight. But unlike her previous attempts, she decided not to go too low because she wanted it to be sustainable—something nutritionists often recommend.
Instead of cutting carbs or fat like she had tried before, Cohen aimed for a healthy balance. She focused on protein—which helps maintain muscle and keeps you full—to ensure she felt satisfied every time she ate, and started prepping her meals in advance.
Cohen had never even cooked a chicken breast before, so she learned about cooking and nutrition at the same time. Every Sunday morning, Cohen wrote out her meal plan for the week, went to the grocery store, then went home to prepare the food.
She tracks, weighs, and measures everything she eats. Counting calories and weighing food can be useful tools to help a person learn about different foods and how much they need. But they are not the only way to lose weight.
Importantly, Cohen doesn't go too extreme with her diet, but rather follows the 80/20 rule, meaning 80% of her diet is nutritious and balanced, and 20% is whatever she enjoys. Nutritionists recommend this approach because it doesn't deprive the eater of what they enjoy and is more sustainable over the long term.
Despite being unable to exercise seriously due to an injury, Cohen stuck to her diet. But in the first three months of adopting her new lifestyle, she didn't lose a single pound. "I was devastated, confused, and felt betrayed. I had blood tests, thyroid tests," she says.
Cohen decided to remove her birth control — a copper IUD — despite her doctor saying it wouldn’t affect her weight. Within seven days of having it removed, she lost more than 10 pounds.
The copper IUD, also known as a copper coil, is a non-hormonal form of birth control. The listed side effects do not include weight gain, nor is there enough scientific evidence to support this. Cohen does not know whether removing the IUD contributed to the weight loss or whether it was just a coincidence.
Later, when she became a nutrition coach, she said her body was in a state of high stress after years of weight fluctuations due to bad dieting. So it took her a while to recover.
Over the next nine months, she lost another 18 kg.
Once she lost the weight she wanted, Cohen turned to maintaining the weight, which she says was no easy task. It took a bit of trial and error to figure out how much energy her body needed and keep her weight stable.
Gen Cohen has maintained his weight for 7 years. Photo: Business Insider
Learning to make healthier versions of her favorite foods has helped Cohen enjoy food while still managing her weight. At the same time, she has developed a mindset and self-compassion that helps her enjoy all of her food and not feel guilty afterward.
Cohen now drinks in moderation and has also learned to make lighter choices when it comes to her weight loss. For example, she opts for a tequila shot instead of a margarita, or a vodka soda instead of a vodka-Red Bull slushie.
Since recovering from her injury — about a year after finishing her weight loss — she's started working out two to three times a week and walking.
"I'm not the kind of girl who likes to go to the gym six or seven days a week. The gym is not my therapy," Cohen says.
She says her best form of exercise is simply walking. "I walk every day. It's a huge part of my life," Cohen says.
Khanh Linh (According to Business Insider )
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