At age 22, Emma Roma Jayne had no confidence.
The content creator and TikTok strategist, based in Australia, told Business Insider that she was very active growing up, but an injury forced her to stop playing sports and she “started piling the weight on.”
In March 2022, Roma Jayne decided to get bariatric surgery: a weight-loss procedure to reduce the size of the stomach, meaning you can’t eat as much and feel full faster. At the time, GLP-1 medications like Ozempic weren’t on her radar. Roma Jayne complemented the surgery with therapy to treat her eating disorder.
“Instead of working on my mental health, I would just binge and eat and get the dopamine from food,” she said.
To be eligible for the surgery, she had to commit to making serious, long-term lifestyle changes to prevent gaining the weight back, including having regular sessions with a nutritionist and a personal trainer for six months pre-surgery and two years after.
“People think that it’s like a ‘lose weight quick’ thing. And that’s all you have to do and you’ll be happy and everything will be solved, but your hunger does come back,” Roma Jayne said of bariatric surgery. “If I had those bad habits, that lifestyle that I had before weight loss surgery, I would 100% gain my weight back.”
The data is mixed, but one a review of studies published in the journal Obesity Surgery found that up to 76% of patients regained a significant amount of weight six years after bariatric surgery. Reasons included the size of their stomach growing over time, inadequate support post-op, and patients struggling to break unhealthy habits.
Following the advice of her nutritionist, Roma Jayne initially followed a high-protein, low-carb diet to lose weight, started working out six times a week, and lost 132 pounds over two years.
Three years post-op, she’s maintained her lower weight by mainly eating whole foods and being as active as possible. She has what she sees as a more balanced and sustainable approach to her diet and fitness routine.
Roma Jayne, now 24, shared the four habits that she said have helped her stay in shape.
1) Eating mostly whole foods and the occasional treat
As working out regularly and eating a healthy diet became habits for Roma Jayne, she became more interested in and passionate about nutrition. After the surgery, she ate small portions and few carbs to lose weight, but she no longer excludes any food group as her focus is long-term health.
She still eats lots of protein as she learned that it helps her maintain her weight, but avoids ultra-processed foods and prioritizes whole foods, which are linked to better overall health.
Roma Jayne said that she eats nutritious, balanced meals, such as homemade pizza and wholemeal wraps, around 90% of the time, but isn’t scared of the occasional sweet treat.
“If I want to have chocolate, I’ll just have some chocolate. I don’t restrict myself too much,” she said.
Roma Jayne’s approach echoes what’s known as the 80/20 rule, or eating healthily 80% of the time and being more flexible the remaining 20%.
Dietitians have told BI that this is a sustainable way to eat and maintain your weight, because restrictive diets often lead to cravings, which make it harder to eat high calorie foods in moderation.
2) Strength training three times a week
Roma Jayne lifts weights at the gym three or four times a week. Her current goal is to maintain her fat loss, while gaining muscle, which is known as body recomposition.
Research suggests that strength training helps burn fat while also building muscle mass, which improves the metabolism.
3) Parking a little further from her destination
In the past, Roma Jayne would go to the gym but struggled to be consistent as she saw it as a punishment for being overweight rather than a way to look after her health.
Now she tries to stay as active as possible because it makes her feel good.
Aside from her formal workouts, she’s conscious of her step count and takes opportunities to walk during her day.
For example, sometimes she parks a few minutes away from her office or goes for a walk on her lunch break. “Just any way to get out and about,” she said.
4) Prioritizing healthy habits over the number on the scale
Over the last few years, Roma Jayne’s weight has fluctuated, but she makes an effort to be kind to herself when it does. She focuses more on sustaining the healthy habits she has established than worrying about the exact number on the scale, as she knows they count for more.
“My weight fluctuates so much, and I think it’s just I know that I’m exercising well, I’m eating well, I’m healthy. So as long as I know that I’m doing my best, what is on the scales just doesn’t really matter,” she said.
Obesity experts agree that weight alone is not an accurate measure of a person’s health. Other factors, such as how much muscle mass a person has and water retention, can increase the number on the scale. Plus, research suggests that where on the body the fat is located might have more bearing on a person’s health than how much of it they have.
“I think the biggest thing that’s really helped me maintain these habits and maintain my weight loss is really just doing what’s best for myself. And that’s in every aspect of my life,” Roma Jayne said.
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