Hailey Fernandes, a popular wellness TikToker who has lost 60 pounds and maintained her results for nearly three years, is opening up about the habits that helped her heal her relationship with food and build a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. In a recent TikTok, she shared the five foundational changes that transformed her progress — and her mindset.
Fernandes, who says she spent much of her life dieting, begins by stressing that weight loss starts in the mind, not on the scale.
@lastairbender222 TOP 5 TIPS FOR WEIGHTLOSS as someone who has lost 30 lbs & maintained it for 3 years WHILE healing my relationship with food. #fyp #healthyhabits #weightloss #fatloss #healthiswealth #healthylifestyle #gymgirl #gym #movementismedicine #cardio #weightlifting #gymmotivation #workoutroutine #fitness #intuitiveeating #sustainable #bed #overeating #foodnoise top is @DFYNE original sound – Hailey MF Fernandes
1. Shift Your Mindset: “Food Is Fuel”
Hailey says her biggest breakthrough was learning to stop fearing food.
“You need to immediately switch to the mindset that food is fuel,” she explains. “If you’re starving yourself all day, you’re just becoming more obsessed with food and hurting your relationship with your body.”
She encourages people to eat intentionally rather than restrictively: carbs before a workout, protein afterward, and whole foods that support energy and recovery. “Food is not your enemy,” she adds.
This Clean, Effective Powder Helps Support Muscle Growth, Endurance, And Recovery
2. Move Daily — and Lift if You Love It
Her second tip is to find movement that feels good, not punishing. While she recommends weightlifting for its metabolism‑boosting benefits — “You’re gonna look jacked, amazing!” — she emphasizes that any enjoyable activity counts.
Daily movement, like 10,000 steps, an afternoon walk, taking the stairs, or parking farther away, all add up. “These habits aren’t just to lose weight once,” she says. “They’re to keep it off and feel good in your own skin.”
3. Stop Dieting and Learn Your Body
After years of trying every diet, Hailey says she no longer believes in depriving herself. “I eat 99% whole, real foods, but I’ll never say I’m on a diet,” she explains. “When you say you can’t have something, that’s all you’re gonna want.”
Instead, she practices mindfulness: After each meal, she checks in and asks, How did that make me feel? And before eating something indulgent, she focuses on the outcome — Will this make me feel good afterward? — not the calories.
4. Prioritize Protein and Practice Moderation
Fernandes says hitting protein at every meal was a game‑changer. Her go‑tos include chicken breast, shrimp, eggs, turkey slices, and the occasional protein shake.
But no foods are off‑limits. If she wants something sweet or comforting, she serves a portion, eats it without guilt, and gives herself 30 minutes before deciding whether she needs more. “When you let yourself have something, you realize you can have a little and move on,” she says. “It takes practice.”
5. Focus on Feeling Good, Not Being Perfect
Above all, Hailey encourages a realistic approach: “Not every day is gonna be perfect. If you’re off one day, just continue the next. This is about feeling good.”
She also reminds followers that progress builds slowly: sleep well, hydrate, nourish your body, and choose movement that boosts your mood. “Movement is medicine,” she says, explaining that she no longer does cardio to burn calories, but because it helps her anxiety.
“1% is better than no percent,” Hailey says. “Believe in yourself. Listen to your body. Eat real food. Move to feel good. One day at a time.”
