Woman loses 130 pounds by 'habit stacking': 'Focus on progress, not perfection'

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After losing 130 pounds, Sabrina Osland's key to success is her commitment to investing in herself. 

Osland, 41, from Chanhassen, Minnesota, told Fox News that a turning point for her in that commitment was when someone asked her if she would ever skip a meeting at work or call out sick unnecessarily.

Osland, who has "a really good work ethic," said it was an easy "no." However, Osland said she has "easily" skipped workout classes before.

"The question was posed: 'Why would you treat work more importantly than you would yourself?'" Osland said. 

That was the moment she said her perspective changed and she realized that: "I am important and I need to invest in myself so that I can be greater for my work, for my family, for my home life, just for me in general," she said.

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Osland started her weight loss journey in 2019. At the time, she weighed 266 pounds. 

Osland said she reviewed her eating and exercise habits and made small changes. She began moving for just 15 minutes a day and eventually worked her way up to 30 minutes a day. 

Sabrina Osland, from Chanhassen, Minnesota, has lost 130 pounds after focusing on herself and changing her habits one at a time.  (Courtesy of Sabrina Osland )

When Osland started her weight loss journey in 2019, she weighed 266 pounds. Now, she weighs about 135 pounds.  (Courtesy of Sabrina Osland )

She said writing her exercises on her calendar helped keep her accountable and consistent. 

"What really helped me is just to make sure I put it on my schedule, not only on my personal calendar but also on my work calendar," Osland said. "So I started to block off time so that it was getting done."

Osland also said she worked with doctors and dietitians to help her change her cooking and eating habits. She said she learned to make food that was healthy, but also convenient for her schedule and she started scheduling her meals. Osland said she chose to schedule meals so she wouldn’t miss any, which might have caused her to snack throughout the day. 

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In February, Osland joined an Alpha Strong small group at her local Life Time fitness club, where she worked on her strength training and found a community which encouraged and pushed her forward.

Osland said that at the beginning of her fitness journey, she started by moving for just 15 minutes a day and eventually worked her way up to 30 minutes a day.  (Courtesy of Sabrina Osland )

Osland also said she worked with doctors and dieticians to help her change her cooking and eating habits.  (Courtesy of Sabrina Osland )

"It really helped create more strength, especially as I was losing the weight," Osland said. "To be able to create more muscle so that I didn’t have saggy skin and I was filling it out with something positive was super important to me."

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Throughout her weight loss journey, Osland said she has been focused on taking "small steps to create consistency," also called "habit stacking," she said. 

"So focus on one small thing that you want to change," Osland said. 

After a week or two of practicing that habit, Osland said she would add in another habit and practice that for one or two weeks, and so on. 

Osland is pictured with her Life Time Alpha Strong group, which she joined in February last year. (Courtesy of Sabrina Osland )

"Don’t try to go all in and change 20 things that you’re doing," Osland said. "Break it down into smaller habits that you want to focus on a weekly basis and then once you’ve mastered that or felt good about that, then what’s that next habit that you could add to that?"

Throughout her weight loss journey, Osland said her motto has been simple: "I focus on progress, not perfection."

"I’ve learned to give myself grace," Osland said. 

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Now, Osland weighs 135 pounds, about half what her weight was before.

"I feel amazing," Osland said. "Not only just losing the weight, but it really shifted from losing the weight to more of a healthier mindset and how can I get stronger."

A turning point for Osland is when she realized that it was just as important to take care of herself as it was to work hard at her job.  (Courtesy of Sabrina Osland )

"It makes me want to say yes to everything," Osland added.

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If your new year's resolution is losing weight or having a healthier lifestyle, Osland’s Life Time Alpha coach, Dan Hove, gave Fox News five tips on how to start – and stick with – a fitness journey.

'Be real with yourself and your food'

Hove said that it’s important to set reasonable goals.

"Don’t set some dramatic goal of you know, competing in the Olympics," Hove said. "Make sure this goal is actually attainable by you and usually starting small is always the safest bet for people. And then once you accomplish those small steps, you gain so much momentum that things become even easier and easier along the way."

Hove added that sticking to unprocessed foods will be a big help on your fitness journey.

"I always tell people, always come back to real, out of the ground, planted food," Hove said. "If it comes in a box or a can, it’s usually not for you. So do the best you can to always eat real food."

Give yourself a break every once in a while

"Fitness journeys are such a long process," Hove said, adding later: "Not everyone will reach their fitness goal being 100% perfect along the way. And that’s not what it’s about. It’s always about the process and being consistent over time."

Find a trustworthy community

Hove said finding a good community can inspire you to be consistent with fitness and make healthier choices along the way.

"I always tell people, find a circle of trust," Hove said. 

"Whatever it is, find someone that will hold you accountable along the way, because you’re way more successful doing that, compared to just trying to do it yourself," he added.

Set daily reminders for yourself

"Put it as the background on your phone, post it on a post-it note in your bedroom, set it in your calendar as a daily reminder, put it as your wake up alarm on your phone," Hove suggested. 

Keep track of your progress

Hove said it’s important to take pictures or somehow document what you’ve accomplished so that when you look back, you’ll see how far you’ve come. 

"It’s always good to have the person who’s doing the work see the result of their hard work along the way, because that will just give more momentum, more energy, more fire to keep going," Hove said.