Fitness and Diet Tips

Tweak your physique with these real-world tips from "big loser" Jennifer Dearing who lost over half her body weight.

01 of 08

Bona-fide boot camp

For one hour twice a week, Jennifer sweats it out with a trainer at her fitness club who also assists the U.S. Naval Academy’s boxing coach. They run, do calisthenics, strength training, and more. She’s gained four pounds of muscle and dropped a dress size since the summer of 2008.

02 of 08

Juicy treat

Jennifer loves precut fruit for a convenient, low-cal sweet snack. Her fave combo: Fresh pineapple with berries.

03 of 08

Secret weapon

Jennifer loves Better ’n Peanut Butter, which has half the calories and 85% less fat than regular peanut butter. She puts a tablespoon in her protein shake along with some stevia, and it’s her healthy substitute for ice cream.

04 of 08

Instant portion control

Every Tuesday, Jennifer cooks up chicken and veggies and stores them in single-serving plastic containers for no-hassle, healthy meals.

05 of 08

Sweet tooth soother

When she craves something sweet, especially in the afternoon, Jennifer pops a piece of peppermint gum.

06 of 08

Heart-healthy gift

Jennifer wanted a heart-rate monitor to help her stay motivated. We arranged for her to get a Polar FT60 heart-rate monitor, along with an S1 Foot Pod to measure her speed, pace, and distance accurately from her shoe.

07 of 08

Workout jams

Jennifer likes running to heavy metal music because it gets her running harder and faster. She also loves girl rockers like Madonna, Blondie, and Gwen Stefani. “They give me a good ‘woman power’ vibe,” she says, “that helps me stay strong.”

08 of 08

Celebrate success!

After Jennifer ( Right) finishes a race, she likes to wear a clean racing T-shirt and her medal—reminders of how proud she is of her accomplishment. “Wearing them keeps my high from the race going all day,” she says.

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