Celeste had reached a point of “disgust” with her health and her body. Her unhappiness about how she looked and felt drove her to take action, so she joined the Woman’s Day Slimdown Challenge to lose weight. Celeste was pleasantly surprised to find that Woman’s Day had teamed up with Joy and had asked the participants to follow the four steps outlined in her book, Your Inner Skinny. Joy’s program worked well for Celeste because it introduced her to unfamiliar food combinations that helped her get out of the diet rut she had fallen into.

Being held accountable, to herself and to others, helped Celeste succeed. She began blogging twice a week about the challenges of losing weight, and kept an official weight loss log with diet coaches, all of which helped her stay on track.

Dieting with a buddy — her sister, Allison — also helped keep Celeste motivated, as they made bets bets with each other on who could lose more weight. “A support system can make all the difference in your success or failure to stay on track,” says Celeste. “Don’t be afraid to reach out and say that you’re struggling. That quick phone call may save you from going crazy at the buffet!”

Celeste’s best advice for other dieters is to log your food. “Journaling what you eat keeps you honest,” says Celeste. “For the first few weeks, write down how you’re feeling and when, so that you can really assess why you’re eating — is it hunger? Stress? Anger? Happiness?”

After following Joy’s program, Celeste dropped 25 pounds, and now receives tons of compliments and feels great! The best compliment she received? “My mother told me I looked slim — and my mother doesn’t say stuff like that!”

*Weight loss varies by individual. You may not achieve these results.