Woman gained 20 pounds after following influencers' diet advice and learned three lessons about sustainable weight loss.

After following fitness influencers' nutrition tips for about a year, Hailey Groski unintentionally gained 20 pounds; she later lost the weight by learning calorie awareness and building sustainable habits.

Hailey Groski spent about a year following nutrition advice from fitness influencers and found she had unintentionally gained 20 pounds. As a sophomore studying nutrition in 2016, her typical meals included a large bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter, salads with half a cup of hummus, and acai bowls topped with honey and granola, which she later realized were calorie-dense. She increased exercise — training for and running two half marathons — but still did not lose the weight. Over time she shifted from following generic social-media recommendations to learning about calories, listening to hunger cues, and tailoring her intake to her own needs. Key points: - Groski, a 28-year-old dietitian based in Los Angeles, said she gained about 20 pounds after following influencers' nutrition tips for roughly a year. - Many of her meals were "healthy" but calorie-dense; she named oatmeal with peanut butter, salads with hummus, and acai bowls with granola as examples. - She exercised heavily, including training for two half marathons, but the added activity did not reverse the weight gain. - Tracking calories in an app for a short time taught her which foods had more calories than she expected and helped her create a gentle calorie deficit. - Nine years later she maintains her weight by focusing on sustainable habits: paying attention to hunger cues, exercising for well-being, and not cutting out foods. Summary: Groski's experience shifted her approach from following one-size-fits-all influencer advice to tailoring her diet around calorie awareness and personal hunger signals. That change led to gradual weight loss and an adjustment to a maintenance intake, and she continues to rely on sustainable habits rather than restrictive routines.