What are you eating anyway?


*DISCLAIMER, I AM NOT A DOCTOR OR MEDICAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. ALL IDEAS DISCUSSED AND DESCRIBED IN THIS POST ARE MY OWN AND ARE NOT MEANT TO TREAT OR DIAGNOSE. IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION PLEASE SPEAK WITH YOUR DOCTOR.

The number one question I’ve received is, “What are you eating?” Followed by more inquires about my specific diet plan or what company I’m affiliated with. Rest assured, I’m not trying to sell you anything. I am not affiliated with any weight loss plan. Besides becoming an Amazon affiliate to help offset some of the cost of starting this blog, I’m not associated with any company or program. I’m just a regular stay at home mom who has always had a passion for cooking and a desire to become a better, healthier version of myself.

I grew up on a steady fast food diet. By the time I was in my late teens I was obese. I also had an autoimmune disorder and I didn’t know how to make myself better. By this point I tried pills, fads, programs, gym memberships, and personal trainers but eating poorly was so ingrained in me none of those things ever lasted long. I was an emotional eater, a bored eater, a TV eater, a binge eater; food controlled me.

By the time I met my husband in my 20’s I was over 200lbs.

For the last 6 years I have applied myself to studying nutrition and the proper way to fuel our bodies. The human body was designed to repair itself. In January I was ready to put my body to the test.

January 3, 2017 we stopped eating out and we kicked processed food to the curb. I was 212lbs.

Today, April 6, 2017 I weighed in at 166lbs.

46lbs! In a little over 3 months.

The question everyone wants answered, how did I do it?

It’s simple. If it comes from the earth and is unprocessed, I eat it.

I limit grain, most days I do not eat it at all. About twice a week I’ll have a half a cup of organic brown rice or a couple mini muffins that contain organic oats, that are not fortified with folic acid.

I limit dairy. I’d say I don’t eat it at all but In the interest of full disclosure, and because ya’ll will probably see it on my instagram stories anyway, I do eat a little bit of cheese here or there. Somethings are just too good to give up. Like parmesan and cheddar.

I do not eat sugar, with the exception of a little bit of raw local honey or Grade A/B organic maple syrup. Sugar is what yeast needs to grow. Most of America has a leaky gut; toxic overload of bacterial imbalance, and sugar fuels the fire. If you are eating processed, prepackaged, middle of the grocery store foods you really can’t avoid these things. There are a few products that are out there, the market for them is growing everyday, but nutrition from real food can’t be beat.

I eat loads of veggies. I try to eat the rainbow everyday and I do it up heavy on the green. Vegetables are the majority of what I eat at every meal. 

I limit fruit, it has naturally occurring sugars that I don’t want to overload myself with while I’m trying to lose weight. For example, I’ll eat a half an apple or a half a banana and a handful of berries in a smoothie and thats about all the fruit I eat in a day. Except for lemons. Lemons don’t count.

Eggs, meat, alternative flours (coconut, almond, and cassava), oils (coconut, avocado, and olive), nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate are some other examples of what I eat.

WATER. I drink at least 10 8oz glasses a day. Your body needs it to release the toxins and to make your bowels move, which is obviously important when you’re trying to lose weight.

At meals I remind myself that my stomach is only as big as my fist, if I eat any more than that it can cause distention. Eating in this manner means that I tend to eat a little more frequently. I usually eat 3 meals a day and 1-2 snacks interspersed, not all days though.

The best thing about eating this way is that it’s NOT a diet. It’s exactly the way we all should be eating. I’ve been successful largely in part because I prepare all of my own food. By preparing it myself I am able to have the chocolate chip cookie because it’s made with honey and almond flour instead of heavily processed, nutrient starved flour, animal fat, and tons of sugar.

No secrets, no plan. Just started eating the right foods, in the right portions. Armed myself with the right tools. So that even on nights when I don’t feel like cooking, I don’t call the pizza man.

For eight tips to help you get started, click here!

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I never imagined after writing this post that my blog would go viral, that I’d end up losing over 125 pounds before the end of my weight loss journey, and that I’d become a National best selling author best known for my recipes and inspirational writing style.

When I look back on this first blog post, I cringe a bit. I would love to rewrite the whole thing but I think it’s important to honor where we start and this is where I started. A stay at home mom, blogging in the midnight hours after her kids went to bed, trying to help others believe that the impossible is possible.

If you’d like to read some of my current work check out one of my books Instant Loss Cookbook, Instant Loss Eat Real, Lose Weight, or Instant Loss on a Budget which are all available wherever books are sold.

You can also find me over on Instagram where I share daily inspirational content.


 

65 Comments

  1. You are so right! I love your story and since I am Paleo I know the great bebfits. Your blog is great and look forward to seeing it

    1. Your story is amazing!! I just got diagnosed with MTHR and I have Celiac and Hashimotos. I eat very well and I can’t lose weight. My naturopath put me on Adrenal Support and the good b complex and methalfolate 5000, it was to much for my system to handle. I am trying this multivitamin you are on and my naturopath agrees. I can’t wait!

  2. This is fantastic! While I know the information that you have provided, I have yet to fully apply it. I’m a busy working mom of 3 little ones. What tips do you have to make this work with a family? Did you take vitamins, minerals, probiotics or any supplements?

    1. I take a multi-viatmin with a methylated folate(metafolin) instead of folic acid because my body can not absorb folic acid. I have the MTHFR gene mutation and folic acid makes my body overly toxic and causes a host of issues. I’m taking milk thistle to help my liver as I lose weight. I am drinking homemade kombuca for probiotics. That’s it! I don’t have unlimited funds so I have to be careful where I’m spending my money and right now I’m really focusing on investing in good produce.
      My hat goes off to you! You have a lot on your plate! I would say meal planning and prepping will help you the most. I will try to put a post together as soon as possible.

      1. Would you tell me more about the multi-vitamin you take and what problems MTHFR gene mutation causes?

        1. I have the MTHFR gene defect too and before taking methylated B vitamins I was exhausted most of the time. And I’m a fitness instructor, so it didn’t make sense. I got my genes tested through 23andme.com and at that time they didn’t provide medical genetic reports, so I used a site called geneticgenie.com which took the data and gave me lots of information about my genes.

      2. I also have the MTHFR gene mutation, both kinds. Do you have any links that you can share so that I may read up on it?

          1. Thank you! Do you also take a calcium supplement since the vitamin doesn’t have calcium? Thank you!!

  3. Thank you. I recently lost weight on Ideal Protein and this is great advice for those of us coming off of a controlled diet. This is exactly how we all should be eating for a healthy life.

  4. Thank you for sharing your story. I once ate like you and lost 30 lbs. My weight is creeping back up because I just got lazy. Thank you for inspiring me!

  5. Just wondering how your digestion is eating like this? A few years back I was eating low carb and limited my fruits but was eating healthy fats and higher protein, lots of veggies and was drinking close to 100oz of water per day. I lost about 15 pounds. My digestion was horrible and wasn’t using the bathroom consistently. Then I had a possible gall bladder attack or developed kidney stones (never got an exact diagnosis) I ended up in the ER with severe pain in my stomach/side. Other than this I felt amazing and had such energy but now I’m scared to go back to eating like this because I fear that the unexplained pain and my bathroom issues will return.

    1. Wow, that would be concerning! I would definitely talk to your physician before embarking on that path again. (TMI warning) most days my bowels move 2 times. Sometimes I skip a day but I’m really regular. I also pee constantly. I always have to pee because I’m drinking so much water!

  6. It’s really a great and helpful piece of info. I’m glad that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.

  7. As a busy, stay at home mom, I really appreciate your post and inspiring story! My question for you is what do you feed your kids? Do they basically eat the same way? I believe I’ve spoiled mine with quick, convenient (and unhealthy) foods and snacks that it will be a challenge to switch them over, but definitely worth it I’m sure. Thanks!!

    1. Thank you Kate. They eat exactly what I eat. Sometimes it’s altered a little. For instance, we just had fajitas for lunch. I ate mine in a lettuce wrap, the kids and my husband had organic tortillas. If I have a green smoothie for breakfast they’ll usually eat blender muffins, fruit, and maybe some greek yogurt. But lunch and dinner we always eat the same. I wouldn’t have the energy to make two separate meals. 🙂

  8. My mom shared your blog with me today. I love it! I have about 100 lbs I’d like to lose. I was trying out the Keto diet, but I’m not exactly sold on not eating very many veggies but lots of fat and moderate protein. I have done Whole 30 and have done really well. This seems similar to W30 and Paleo without backing yourself into a corner by saying I’m doing X or Y diet. I like it because it seems like it is family friendly and I want to help my kids to have healthy dietary habits as their foundation. Like another person mentioned, my kids have become accustomed to cereals and yogurt tubes for breakfast…which are laden with sugar! I look forward to seeing more recipes and best wishes on your blog. P.S. I have that food processor….I was really impressed with that one after I bought it because my Cuisinart just up and died one day!

    1. I draw a lot of recipes from Whole 30 and Paleo, they have a lot of great stuff!
      Try the blender muffins! My kids were hooked on cheerios but in January I said no more.
      We’ve totally replaced cereal with blender muffins and there are no complaints!
      That is hilarious about the food processor! It’s the best ever!
      Welcome, I’m so glad to have you here! I’m about to hit my 100lb weight loss mark
      from my heaviest weight ever. Only 4 lbs to go. YOU CAN DO IT!!

  9. After coming across your post on the IP Facebook group, I was so inspired by your story that I wanted to join you by following your blog. I’m in love with my instant pot (my family and friends are subject to endless updates on my latest IP experiments!) and I’ve wanted to start usuing it more to improve on my family’s diet with quick, easy, healthy meals. I, too, lost 50lbs last year between January and May (with a similar starting weight) eating with the same convictions and approach as you until I found myself pregnant with my 3rd. Apparently, losing weight makes me surprisingly fertile! I gained a lot but not all back but have since added another 15 in the last couple months and I need to get back into a healthier lifestyle. So. Too late to make a long story short, but thank you for inspiring me and I’m looking forward to joining you on this journey.

    1. Thank you Karen! Your story sounds a bit like mine! Anytime I lose weight I get pregnant! lol I’m going to have to keep my eyes on that because this mama is done having babies! Looking forward to what you think about the recipes. 🙂

  10. I’m a bit older than you but I’m still inspired and hopeful about your method. one thing I think most forget to mention is safety around little ones. Mine are now 11 & 13. I use to cook a lot in the microwave. I could program the hell out of that thing. I did that because if I got involved with the kids it would stop cooking and there were no hot pots for them to pull down on their heads. I got an instant pot about 5 years ago because I could get something going right after school then close it up before we left for ballet and it’d be done when we got home. But again the kids were away from it and it was contained. Anyway – love your story and will be digging through your recipes. You should add a blender stick to your links. ?

  11. You are such an inspiration. I keep telling myself I have to start doing what you did. Keep falling off the wagon. Thank you for sharing your story, I am going to do it.

  12. I love what all of you have commented. Try losing at 70+ with knee and hip tears keeping you from exercise. I want to pass this on to my family, I think they would love your blog too. Thank you for going out there and telling us. 🙂

  13. I do eat a paleo diet which i rarely deviate from due to intolerences to gluten and dairy. I have not lost any weight eating this way and i do walk and swim daily. I love my instant pot as well, in fact i own two of them. Iamnot sure whyihave not lost weight. I do eat fruit and potatoes. Some sweet potatoes and squash would be the carbs i eat. Any suggestions?

    1. Cindy, I would highly suggest that you see a functional medicine doctor. I ate well for years, with a few major falls off the wagon, but my body held onto the weight until I began taking the proper multivitamin. I found out I had the MTHFR gene mutation which was contributing to my miscarriages, still birth, and overall body toxicity. I’ve studied nutrition for almost 7 years and it was very frustrating that I never seemed to lose or my loses were very small.
      Once I began taking the proper multivitamin, one with methylated folate instead of folic acid. It was like the door to my weight loss had been unlocked.
      If I were you I’d visit a functional medicine doctor and ask to be checked for hormonal imbalances and gene mutations, MTHFR specifically, it’s my understanding that about 60% of the population has it.
      It sounds like there’s something going on in your body that’s preventing you from losing.

      1. Thanks so much i will look into this. I am from canada and have not heard of this kind of dr.

  14. I love your recipes and blog posts but you never talk about what kind, if any, exercises you do (i.e. walking around the block, yoga ect..) I know the food we eat is a big part of getting healthy and losing weight but being physically active is also important. I know you have young ones and they are likely to keep you somewhat busy but even just adding something as little as 15 minutes a day of yoga or simple weight training or resistance bands will have a big impact.

    1. Hi Erin! I have not done any exercising throughout this process. I do normal every day movements like laundry, cleaning, chasing babies and I tried to do yoga once but with my busy guys it just wasn’t working out. Movement is so beneficial but all of mine was normal day-to-day stuff, nothing formal.

  15. So amazing are your results and your testimonies. I also think having a budget hat you are able to buy fresh is very important. What would you say is your monthly or weekly food budget?

    1. Great question Chris. We spend $200-$250 every two weeks on groceries for a family of 5. The youngest doesn’t eat much though, he’s still a little guy. 🙂

  16. Brittany,
    I’m sure you hear this all the time but you’re such an inspiration to me. As a single mom of 3 it’s really hard to put myself first but this year I’m doing just that. Now my question is- when you got rid of all the processed food- what about the kids? Do you buy them crackers, gold fish, etc? I know that would be my weakness having it in the house probably but also that’s what they eat for snacks, school lunches, etc.
    Thanks!

  17. Wow! That’s so awesome! Nice work!
    Did you write your meal plans down? You should sell them. I’ll buy!

  18. I’m okay with leaving grains out except quinoa. Do you consider quinoa on the spectrum of rice and oats or would once or twice a week be okay? I like adding it to salads or soups 🙂

  19. Hi Brittany. When you first started your journey, were you able to limit yourself to servings the size of your first. I’m finding myself still very hungry with that portion size. Thanks!

    1. Hi Pam,
      Not with everything and if I was starving I would have another serving but on my second serving I would try to do less starchy carbs and more green veggies. 🙂

  20. I found you recently. This was a massive lifestyle change in just 4 months beyond just using the instant pot. Did you just give up sugar, carbs, etc cold turkey?

  21. Thank you for sharing your story. I have many of the struggles you have mentioned. Currently, My weight is the same as your Jan. 2017 weight. And My Aug 2018 goal weight is the same as what you achieved July, 2017. I am so very encouraged by your story. My InstantPot is on its way. Here comes healthier ME. M

  22. Hi Brittany, I loved your story, is truly inspiring. I recently started on a ketogenic diet plan and I’m doing well. However, the daily prep and cooking are taking a toll on me. I was looking for something that I might allow me to cook every other day or so. I’m wondering if the Insta pot meals allow for such a thing?

  23. Hi Brittany, my name is Lori and I came across your wonderful site after searching for foods to eat with a MTHFR mutation. My dad passed away in 2017 having cancer. He had homozygous (2 mutations – 1 from each parent). I had my DNA done with 23andMe. All if the regular illnesses and diseases they check for, I had no variants or mutations. But, when I checked MTHFR in the raw data, I found that I had 1 mutation of the C677T gene which my dad had 2.

    Do you think that vitamin you take would be good for me? I have gained 30 pounds in the last 1.5 years and need to lose that weight. I am now aware of reading labels and staying away from Folic Acid and eating plenty of foods with Folate. I am thinking about purchasing the vitamin you take. How many capsules a day should be taken? Also, what is the Instapot?

  24. I am where you were. Except I’m alot older. I am going to try using all your advise. Thanks for sharing, and bless you and your family.

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