Grey’s Anatomy’s Sara Ramirez on How to Lose Weight (Without Going Overboard) This Year

Back in December, Grey’s Anatomy star Sara Ramirez shared some of her best life and love lessons with us. Now it’s January, and we’re all knee-deep in New Year’s resolutions to lose weight.

As the owner of a healthy (not size zero!) body, Ramirez inspires us to find the balance between looking good and being healthy. Here, she shares some body image wisdom to keep in mind during the highest-pressure season of the year.

Don’t Eat Your Feelings.

“Feelings come up to help us when something inside needs attention,” says Ramirez. And no, a cookie isn’t the only way to give yourself attention! “Ultimately it is my responsibility to take care of my feelings,” Ramirez says. So take responsibility and learn to soothe a bad day with a run or a phone call to Mom instead of empty calories.

Don’t Compare Yourself to Others.

Stop cursing yourself for having wide hips or not being as skinny-mini as that girl in the pink shorts at the gym. “You’re ultimately saying, I’m not good enough. How can I be more like them?” Ramirez says. “If there’s something you don’t like about yourself, stop comparing yourself to others and focus on you. Be the best you.”

Losing Weight Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated

“If you want to see results, there is a very simple formula. You must burn more calories than you consume,” Ramirez reminds us. “Some of us keep trying to find that quick fix or instant gratification, but I’ve learned the hard way that it doesn’t work.”

Don’t Eliminate All Foods You Love

“Wearing scrubs on Grey’s Anatomy is awesome, but I will also go to a table read of an episode and find that in four days I have to be dancing in my underwear!” Ramirez laments. “If you want pizza, have it. [But] if you have too much or feel crappy afterward, own that choice. And if you don’t want to feel that way again, you know what to do.” (That would be not eat pizza.) It’s all about a balance, so if you can eat things you love in moderation, there’s no reason you can’t sneak in a slice here and there.

Want more from Sara? Follow her on Twitter, or catch her on Grey’s Anatomy Thursdays on ABC.