Weight Loss & Diet Plans

Biggest Loser Winning Workout and Meal Plan

...And Sticking with It

1. Chop ahead: Every weekend, prepare produce to store in the fridge for the week ahead: Steam veggies like broccoli and green beans and put them in containers; stash cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, and other raw veggies in resealable bags. Cut up watermelon and cantaloupe, and fix berries, apples, oranges, and pears so they are ready to eat.

2. Pack a cooler: Phillips keeps a cooler in her car so that she won't be tempted by fast food drive-thrus when she's on the road. In it are fruit, cut-up veggies, cooked green beans, hummus, and a little protein, like grilled chicken strips. "My girlfriends used to look at me like I was crazy when I pulled out those green beans. But now they're getting used to eating like this, too," she says.

3. Give yourself a break: Phillips allows herself one high-calorie day a week when she can eat 2,400 to 2,600 calories. If she craves a slice of cake or pizza, she'll have it. Her splurge day keeps her in check the rest of the week. And if there's a party, she counts it as part of her high-calorie day, not an excuse to go wild.

4. Create a support system: When Phillips returned home from the Ranch, she asked six friends to be her gym buddies — to help her stay on track. She says, "Last week my girlfriend was at the gym before me and said, 'Wow, you're 15 minutes late.' I said, 'Who are you, Jillian?' We laughed, but you need to have people in your life like that."

5. Keep a reminder: Phillips has a life-size cutout of herself as she was when she arrived at the Ranch weighing 257 pounds — dressed in a black sports bra and black spandex shorts. "When I see the sadness in old Helen's eyes, I think about how I could still be living with that desperate unhappiness. I never want to forget where I came from, and that I wanted to change my life and I did it."