Expert Jennifer Tuma-Young Talks Weight Loss Secrets

When it comes to weight loss, Jennifer Tuma-Young gets it. She understands falling for the latest diet craze, has been through the negative pinwheel of emotions, and knows firsthand the struggles of the modern busy woman. As an inspired weight loss expert and recovered yo-yo dieter, Jennifer created the B.A.L.A.N.C.E. program to uncover the real relationship between food and life, stress and weight, self-love and happiness. Her new book, Balance Your Life, Balance the Scale, is chocked full of concrete solutions for changing the imbalances in your life that are often the culprits for unwanted weight. It combines her own success secrets (she lost over 100 pounds!) and insights from working with other women for over a decade. We caught up with Jennifer to discuss her secrets, tips, and recipes for success!

MM: Your new book, “Balance Your Life, Balance the Scale” is based on personal experience and talks about balance and the relationships between food, life, stress, weight, and happiness. Tell us how you felt out of balance and what you did to restore it.

JTY: Believe me when I tell you that when you choose to live your life by being in balance, you will release weight – both in your own life and on the scale. No gimmicks. No starvation. No impossible exercise plans – just a balanced approach that will improve every single part of your life. Being in balance reduces stress, and reducing stress helps you lose weight. It’s that simple. I know this because I’ve seen it happen for thousands of women, starting with myself.

Thirteen years ago, I overcame borderline diabetes and lost more than a hundred pounds, ironically when I decided to ditch dieting and all of the self-loathing that goes with it. Sure, I exercised and chose nutritious foods. But there was way more to it than that – that was just the beginning. I lost all that weight (and have kept the scale in balance for over a decade) by making a far more fundamental change than just cutting calories – I transformed my life by learning what it meant to actually love myself. I changed myself from the inside out – I found my anchor to keep me in balance. And by being in balance, the scale balanced itself.

MM: Cleansing and detoxifying your life is one of your big objectives. What are three tips to help get there.

JTY: There is tremendous value in undergoing a cleansing process that allows you to let go of the emotional and physical debris that contributes to a life out of balance. Here are some of the activities I suggest:

Do a food cleanse that rids your diet and your kitchen of the foods that serve no good purpose in your life, including fast food, junk food, foods that negatively influence your mood, and foods that trigger overeating.
Eliminate time vacuums by evaluating and getting rid of some of the things that unnecessarily suck time out of your life.
Take a look at your mindset and purify it of self-limiting beliefs and unhealthy thoughts that knock you off balance.