Lili Simmons, known for her roles in "Banshee," "True Detective," and "Ray Donovan," has openly shared her journey towards better health and weight loss. Her approach encompasses not only diet and exercise but also mental and emotional well-being, offering a well-rounded perspective on achieving a healthier lifestyle. Her experience resonates with many, especially those navigating the challenges of weight management in their mid-20s and beyond.
Taking Control: A Year of Transformation
Exactly one year ago, Lili Simmons decided to take control of her health, transforming her body, eating habits, and mindset. This transformation wasn't easy, but the results have been significant. She feels healthier, stronger, and more confident.
The Initial Weight Gain: Identifying the Root Causes
One of the primary reasons for Lili's weight gain was an out-of-control diet, with stress-eating playing a significant role. Fast food, comfort foods, and sugary Starbucks drinks became crutches, leading to bloating, swollen feet, fatigue, and even hair loss. Recognizing these symptoms was the first step toward change.
Gradual Changes: A Sustainable Approach
Instead of making drastic overnight changes, Lili Simmons adopted a gradual approach, implementing small, manageable steps. This strategy proved crucial for long-term success.
Kicking the Starbucks Habit
Lili started by addressing her Starbucks habit. With the onset of quarantine limiting her access to Starbucks, she invested in a Keurig and switched to black coffee. While it took some adjustment, she eventually grew to enjoy it. This initial success boosted her confidence to tackle other dietary changes.
Read also: The Richard Simmons Approach to Weight Loss
Portion Control
Next, Lili focused on portion control, halving her meal sizes and eating more slowly. This simple change helped her manage her calorie intake and improve digestion.
Healthy Grocery Shopping
Lili began researching healthy foods and creating a grocery list that prioritized water and coffee over sugary drinks. She incorporated plenty of fruits and vegetables while reducing her consumption of meat, gluten, and frozen foods. These gradual changes made a significant difference and allowed her to adapt to a new lifestyle.
Embracing Cheat Days
Lili allowed herself cheat meals, initially twice a week, then reducing them to once a week as she adjusted to her new eating habits. She emphasizes the importance of balance and enjoying favorite high-calorie foods in moderation. While she believes in enjoying life, she also acknowledges feeling better when eating healthy and even started craving nutritious foods.
The Importance of Exercise: Finding the Right Fit
Lili Simmons discovered that the weight loss techniques that worked in college were no longer effective in her mid-20s. Frustrated, she sought a workout routine that would challenge her body and build strength, not just skinniness.
Discovering the Sculpt Society App
She found the Sculpt Society app, which provided a structured weekly workout routine tailored for beginners. She appreciated the guidance and variety of workouts that fit her busy schedule while remaining effective.
Read also: Discover Richard Simmons's impact
Consistency is Key
Lili primarily focused on 30-minute workouts, alternating between sculpting and cardio, and incorporated 45-minute full-body workouts once or twice a week. The moves were easy to follow, required no equipment, and Megan's personality was refreshing. Despite initial struggles with certain moves and occasional 15-minute workouts on busy days, Lili remained consistent and didn't give up.
Loving the Process
Lili emphasizes the importance of finding a workout you love to avoid boredom and maintain motivation. Falling in love with the process was crucial to her success. She found joy in seeing her body transform, discovering healthy foods she enjoyed, and documenting her progress.
Mental and Emotional Well-being: A Holistic Approach
Lili highlights the often-overlooked aspect of mental and emotional well-being in weight loss. She emphasizes the importance of appreciating and respecting your body, being kind to yourself, and staying patient throughout the journey.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Lili Simmons incorporates meditation into her daily routine. She starts her day with 20 minutes of meditation, practicing chanting and transcendental meditation to reduce stress and energize herself. Even brief moments of focused breathing throughout the day can help re-energize and promote stillness.
The Power of Positivity
Lili believes that wellness extends beyond physical health to include mental and emotional well-being. She emphasizes the importance of being loving and avoiding negativity to feel truly healthy.
Read also: Motivation for Weight Loss: Richard Simmons' Guide
Lili Simmons's Broader Wellness Philosophy
Beyond her weight loss journey, Lili Simmons embraces a holistic approach to wellness that encompasses various aspects of her life.
Skincare and Sun Protection
Lili is diligent about protecting her skin from the sun and prefers to go makeup-free as much as possible, especially in the Los Angeles heat. She uses a light moisturizer and foundation with SPF to protect her skin.
Green Tea
Lili enjoys antioxidant-packed green tea for an energy boost, replacing coffee, which made her feel shaky.
The Brain-Weight Connection
Obesity is linked with the brain aging faster than would normally be expected. Researchers are able to capture this process by calculating a person’s ‘brain age’ - how old their brain appears on detailed scans, regardless of chronological age. This approach also helps to monitor how certain factors, such as lifestyle, can influence brain aging over relatively short time scales.
Lifestyle Interventions
Lifestyle interventions which promote weight loss can have a beneficial impact on the aging trajectory of the brain observed with obesity. The next steps will include determining whether slowing down obesity-driven brain aging results in better clinical outcomes for patients. In addition, the work by Levakov et al. demonstrates a potential strategy to evaluate the success of lifestyle changes on brain health.
Polyphenols and Brain Health
We previously found that weight loss, glycemic control, lowering of blood pressure, and increment in polyphenols-rich food were associated with an attenuation in brain atrophy. Obesity is also manifested in aging-related changes in the brain’s functional organization as assessed with resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC).