‘Tries everyday to love herself’: ‘Dancing With The Stars’ contestant Jenna Johnson’s weight loss, explored

In a world where people are obsessed with getting enough steps in and tracking via phones, watches, and other devices, Dancing With The Stars contestant Jenna Johnson is used to incorporating a lot of movement into her daily life. Fans are having fun watching her compete this season and also want to get every possible update about her non-dancing life, including her marriage and the time when she lost weight.

Johnson likes to be candid about everything from her first pick for a partner to the state of her skin post-pregnancy. So, it’s unsurprising that when she lost weight, she decided to talk a lot about it.

How did Dancing With The Stars cast member Jenna Johnson lose weight?

In 2019, Johnson posted two photos on Instagram of herself pre and post-weight loss. According to People, she said she felt pride in “how HARD I’ve worked on both my physical and mental health.” She also said, “it’s a BRAIN POSITIVITY post.”

The dancer wrote in the caption that “the girl on the right decided to embrace herself” and she “Tries everyday to love herself and know her worth.” She made it clear she feels great now and for her, losing weight was about her mindset. Before and after pics may be a dime a dozen, especially for celebrities, but Johnson is focused on what matters, and that’s so cool to hear.

Exercise and food are always two integral parts of weight loss, but obsession and negative thoughts can cloud the experience. That isn’t what happened with Johnson. However, she did become mindful about sugar. She said in an interview with New Beauty, “binge eating treats and sugar at night” made her put on weight. She decided to stop eating sugar for a month and once that time period passed, she focused on “moderate amounts of sugar.” As for working out, Johnson told New Beauty she did cardio and enjoyed six impressive morning sweat seasons every week.

These days, protein is a buzzword, and influencers and food bloggers love sharing high-protein dessert recipes (bonus points if they include cottage cheese). But this macronutrient does lead to weight loss for many because you feel more satisfied. Johnson focused on eating lots of protein around the time that she made these changes. In 2018, she talked to People about her healthy diet, which featured a lot of protein. After bacon and eggs for breakfast, she liked having a salad for lunch, and dinner looked like steak, fish, or chicken. She also had pretzels or hummus and carrots for snacks. If that’s what it’s like, a high-protein diet sounds delicious!

The dancer shared that this diet worked great for her. She told Women’s Health that after “a terrible relationship with food” and putting on weight when she was vegetarian, she started thinking about how food could make her feel instead. She explained, “Once I incorporated protein back into my diet, I started slimming down.”

Not to get all cheesy, but the best celeb weight loss stories talk about how what’s on the inside is what counts (or insert your favorite saying about confidence and self-love here). Since she’s been on eight Dancing With The Stars seasons, she knows that she has to eat well and workout so she can feel good and keep going with her busy and exciting life.