A 38-year-old woman who had gained weight from traveling lost 50 pounds in a year. She shared 5 easy ways she did it.
Helene Sula has lost 50 pounds since May 2024, mostly by walking, hiking, and tracking her meals.
The travel content creator, 38, said she doesn't deprive herself of yummy food in foreign countries.
Sula shared 5 ways she lost the weight and is keeping it off, even with the occasional indulgence.
Helene Sula has visited 60 countries and hundreds of cities worldwide for her job as a content creator.
As much as sightseeing is part of her job, so is trying new foods.
After living in Heidelberg, Germany, for three years, she returned to her hometown, Dallas. Over time, she began to notice changes in her body.
"I've always fluctuated, but I especially gained a ton of weight when I moved back to America," Sula, 38, told Business Insider.
Her weight gain pushed her to reflect on her relationship with food, exercise, and travel.
"Food is part of a cultural experience," Sula, who now lives in Montenegro, said. "When I travel to a new place, I want to try the food. But I had to reframe my mindset and make it my mission to realize that I can try the food — I just don't need to eat all of it right then and there."
After a year of exercising and revamping her diet, Sula has lost 50 pounds — and gained a world of self-confidence.
"I am a very positive and outgoing person, but I think over the years, that has gone away a bit because I've been embarrassed," she said. "I feel like I've finally gotten back to myself. It's been really nice."
Here are 5 things Sula does to maintain her weight loss.
Sula used to eat fast food regularly and didn't pay a lot of attention to her portion sizes.
"I'd eat a spoonful of peanut butter, and snacks like popcorn and chips straight out of the bag," she said. " I would never be mindful of how much I was eating or the portions. I didn't really think about that."
Sula has become more mindful of her eating choices, attributing a big part of her weight loss success to portion control.
"I thought I was eating healthy, but I was overeating," she said. "Now, instead of having three scoops of gelato, I have one."
To monitor her food intake and ensure she's maintaining a calorie deficit, Sula uses meal tracker My Fitness Pal. It's available on iOS and Android and is free to use, though users, like Sula, can pay for a premium version.
"I track breakfast first thing in the morning, and then, later in the day, I'll track what I eat for lunch and dinner," she said.
The app has been a game changer in her fitness journey.
"I don't try to be perfect with it — it's just a good tool to make sure that I'm staying on track," she added.
Sula rarely stays in a city for more than a week. No matter where she is, she still tries to maintain a well-balanced diet.
"My husband and I just went to Turkey," she said. "The food in Turkey is absolutely amazing. I still watched my portions, and definitely ate healthy when I could."
For her, that means consuming enough protein, fiber, fruits, and vegetables throughout the day.
Her favorite foods to eat on the road are:
Eggs: While getting certain foods can sometimes be difficult to find in other countries, there's one food she can always count on — eggs. "My No. 1 is eggs in the morning, I'll go for an omelet of sorts," she said.
Fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots: Sula likes to shop at local markets and grocery stores with fresh produce.
Deli meats: She can get most of her go-to snacks, like turkey slices and fresh vegetables, in pretty much every grocery store. "I prefer turkey, just because it's somewhat healthy," she said. "I'll go up to the deli counter in a grocery store and have them slice it for me." She'll typically eat four to six slices, paired with roasted vegetables and a piece of fruit. If she's on the go, she'll have a protein shake instead.
Protein shakes: Not all protein brands are available abroad, so Sula isn't picky. "If I'm in the UK, I like to drink UFit, and if I'm in Montenegro, I'll drink Protein Zott," she said.
A big part of eating healthy is balance — knowing when to indulge or abstain, Sula said.
"If I know that I'm going to have an indulgent dinner, for lunch, I'll go to a grocery store and grab an apple, protein shake, some turkey, and some nuts," she said.
According to her, this short grocery list is fairly affordable in most countries, typically costing about $6.
To ensure she doesn't stray from the menu, Sula keeps a grocery list in her iPhone notes app. She said it's a great way to avoid overthinking and complicating her eating decisions.
"Having a list of the foods that fill me up makes the rest of my day great," she said. "It takes the guesswork out of having to think so much about what to eat. I also don't get hangry."
Sula said that a lack of walking was one of the biggest contributors to her weight gain.
"I went from living in Germany and walking or biking everywhere, to living in Dallas, where I wouldn't even dream of walking down to go to the grocery store," she said.
Now, Sula tries to constantly be on the move. To help her maintain her steps and exercise, her husband, who has a Master's in exercise science, created a workout schedule that she uses even when she's traveling.
While it can look different depending on what country she's in and what she's training for, it typically looks like this:
Monday: An interval workout of a three-mile walk, alternating between two minutes of fast-paced walking and two minutes at a slower pace.
Tuesday: Cross-training, which typically involves swimming
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday: A nine-mile walk
Friday: An eight-mile walk
Saturday: Rest day or 12-mile walk
Sunday: Rest day or 12-mile walk
"My workout schedule is very flexible," she said. "I don't really go to the gym very often. I have weights that I use at home, and I watch YouTube workout videos."
"If I'm somewhere for more than a week, I might go swimming, so I have to find a hotel gym," she added. Typically, it costs her around $5 per visit.
Sula has also added long-distance hiking to her workout plan. In 2024, she walked England's Cotswold Way, a 100-mile trail of rolling hills, woodlands, and farmland that runs from Chipping Campden to Bath, about a two-hour drive southwest from London. The walk took her 10 days to complete.
"It's my goal to walk everywhere we visit," she said. "I'm doing tons of walking in Montenegro. I've done a ton of walking in France. Germany is also really good for walking."
Sula's weight-loss journey hasn't been perfect, and she does have a few regrets.
"For a decade, I kept gaining and losing weight," she said. "I had an all-or-nothing mindset," she said. "I told myself, 'You need to eat healthy, and if you don't, then you ruined everything,' but that's just not real life."
"You can still try all the different foods and drinks, and still enjoy life," she explained. "The same goes for exercise. Building yourself up physically and making small changes makes a world of difference."
Sula's biggest recommendation for those trying to lose weight or better their health is to listen to their body.
"I'm still on a weight loss journey, but I think my No. 1 goal is to really just listen to my body and how I feel," she said. "I realize that food doesn't go away — it's always going to be there. You can try it, but you don't need to eat 55 croissants when you're in France."
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