It was 2020, I had a 1 year old and I was 66 lbs heavier than I am today, the heaviest I'd ever been. I was counting calories and doing Slimming World, and about 80% of my brain space was taken up with food, losing weight, and guilt. I hated my body. I didn't want to be in photos with my baby, and I'd wear big, baggy, dark t-shirts to try and hide myself. My personality was totally different back then, too. I was shy and quiet, and I didn't want to take up space.
Then the world shut down, and like everyone else I was at home with a lot of time to think. In June that year, I pressed play on Chelsea's Lean With Plants podcast, and it changed everything.
Here's the thing: I already knew ABOUT low calorie density and whole food plant-based eating. I knew all the influencers at the time, and I'd watched endless "what I eat in a day" videos. I'd even tried eating that way myself, but it never stuck, and I kept slipping straight back into my old habits. But the way Chelsea explained it was completely different, and for the first time, it actually clicked. I didn't need to eat less food. I needed food that let me eat MORE.
I'll be honest: I didn't think it was going to work. I was so sceptical. But I'd tried everything else, and this felt like my last hail mary, so I jumped all in. I was genuinely terrified to eat oats, potatoes, rice and pasta after a lifetime of fearing carbs, but I trusted the process and filled my plate with whole plant foods, eating like the volume eater I've always been.
In the first month, I lost 10 lbs. By December, six months in, I'd lost 40.
Sweet treats and carbs every single day, and not a calorie counted. Along the way, I started learning to make low calorie versions of all my favourite foods, and I had SO much fun finding creative ways I could still eat cake, ice cream and pizza while making them healthy and perfect for weight loss. Honestly? That's still the most fun I have in my days: creating recipes and sharing them.
That's where this whole journey began.
