Known for her bubbly personality and quick wit, Kaley Cuoco, 39, made us all laugh as Penny on The Big Bang Theory. 

While the vivacious star—and mother of two-year-old Matilda with her partner, actor Tom Pelphrey—is the picture of health, she has talked openly about the tweaks she made to her diet and exercise regimen to slim down gradually and feel more energized.

Spoiler alert: Cuoco’s plan—which saw her shed six pounds and improve her health—includes glorious peanut butter and even more glorious “cheat days”! We talked to a top dietitian and doctor about how we can incorporate Kaley Cuoco’s wellness and weight loss strategies into our own lives.

What inspired Kaley Cuoco to get healthier

If looks told the whole tale, it would seem that Cuoco has never needed to lose weight. But the star of the upcoming suspense thriller series Vanished has been candid about putting on unwanted pounds during particularly stressful periods of her life (haven’t we all!).

She would also be the first to point out that health is much more than skin deep—it’s all about feeling strong from the inside out. And that begins with mindful eating, she told Shape, per Women’s Health magazine back in 2015, when she was married to now ex-husband, former professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting.

“We got into this habit we called the bedtime snack,” Cuoco said. “The drawers next to the bed were filled with candy. Eventually, I realized it was mindless eating. I was just doing it because [Ryan] was doing it, and it was adding hundreds of calories I didn’t even think about.”

“So, I cut that out,” she told the publication. “Our refrigerator and pantry have completely changed, because we don’t eat crap anymore. No more soda, chips, cereal; we had boxes of stuff that only a 4-year-old would eat.”