Bria lost 33 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Bria lost 33 pounds. She was tired of all the ways that her unhealthy lifestyle was affecting her, including depression, physical pain, and terrible migraines. Determined to change her lifestyle, she put her faith in God into action and transformed her eating habits with the Whole30 plan. Check out her story.

What was your motivation? What inspired you to keep going when you wanted to give up?
My motivation was reminding myself that I did not want to continue living an unhealthy lifestyle which consisted of struggling with depression, physical pain due to the unhealthy foods I was consuming, always feeling tired and sluggish, terrible migraines, and the list goes on. I’ve struggled with my weight for seven years and knew the unhealthy lifestyle way too well. I made junk food my idol.

When I wanted to throw in the towel, I would tell myself, “Bria, you know what it’s like having unhealthy eating habits, and it has had so many negative effects. Give a healthy lifestyle a try and see what happens”.

I am grateful to say that it was very rare when I lacked motivation and wanted to throw in the towel. My sweet, kind, and gracious Lord completely took over this journey and allowed me to stay motivated most of the time. God is the ONLY reason I made it this far.

During the week of March 11th of this year, I devoured a huge meal from Wendy’s and a bunch of sweets late at night. Once I finished eating, I just cried. I cried out to God because I was so lost. Junk food was my only source of joy, but it made me feel terrible. I cried out to my Heavenly Father and told Him that I didn’t know what to do. I loved junk food too much and didn’t have the strength to give it up. I was hurt by what my life had become. I asked God to take over because I was too weak. It was at that moment that I asked God with a sincere and vulnerable heart to help me and guess what… HE DID! I had lost weight a few times before, but I always gained it back. This is the first time that my weight loss journey has turned into a lifestyle. GOD IS SO FAITHFUL! I experience cravings now and then, but when I think of eating junk food, I’m reminded of how much mental and physical pain it caused.

How did you change your eating habits?
I started the Whole30 plan on March 18th, 2019, and my life has changed ever since! There are many restrictions to the Whole30, so I’ll start by telling you what I DO eat lol. I eat unprocessed meats, vegetables, fruits, eggs, and almonds. I’ve replaced regular flour with almond flour, coconut flour, and arrowroot starch; however, I do not use it often…hardly ever. When I make cauliflower shrimp fried rice, I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. I only drink water and tea (nothing added, just plain tea). I also use a lot of olive and avocado oil. I started eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. My go-to must-have snacks are watermelon, guacamole, and unsalted raw almonds.

I don’t eat grains, legumes, dairy, additives, msg, carrageenan, or sulfites — no chemicals or food or drink with added sugars, which means not even ketchup or bbq sauce. What I eat is completely whole, absolutely nothing extra has been added. Whole30 is a lifestyle for me. There is a lot of information about the WHOLE30 out there and an entire community. I would recommend the Whole30 to everyone!!

What did your workout routine consist of?
I didn’t go to the gym at all and still haven’t been. I live in a major city, so my “workouts” consisted of me walking to the train from home, from the train to work and the same when I went back home. I also stopped using the elevators at work and used the stairs for everything no matter what floor I had to go to lol. I walk almost everywhere.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
My starting weight was 182 pounds, and my current weight is 149 pounds.

What is your height?
I’m 5’2.5″.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that God cares about every aspect of my life and that without Him, I can’t do anything. I can’t speak for anyone else, but that is MY truth.

What advice do you have for people who want to lose weight?
My advice to anyone who has been struggling with changing unhealthy eating habits would be the advice that I told/tell myself: Eating unhealthy is comfortable, trust me I know, but think about how it makes you feel afterward. Junk food will ALWAYS be there (unfortunately). Give a healthy lifestyle a try and see what happens. Whenever you want to quit and run to grab something unhealthy, remind yourself that you already know what that tastes like and the effects of eating it. I would also say, find a favorite healthy snack. For me, it is watermelon and guacamole. Whenever I crave, I eat one of the two (sometimes both) and it gets me right together!

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