#164: How Jess lost 20 kg, found her confidence & gained total food freedom!
Do you relate to any of these scenarios?
Are you someone that's stuck in the cycle of following a diet or cutting your calorie down but you keep putting the weight back on after you lose it?
Maybe you feel results for a short term period, but a holiday comes and you totally give up and then return to your old habits?
Jess, mum of 3 from Melbourne said yes to all of the above before finding me and starting my 3 Week Body Reset, followed by the Health With Bec Tribe.
But now, she’s lost just under 20 kgs (!!) over the last 12 months without finding it hard AND has enjoyed the process, loved the food, been on holidays, hasn’t felt hungry and works it in well with her family life and full time work..
I had to get her on the podcast to share her story and tips here to inspire you to also lose weight sustainably.
There are some amazing tips here for the women on my programs too!! Especially if you’re also a mum.
If Jess can do it, so can you.
00:00 Intro + Exciting Podcast Announcement
03:44 Exclusive Listener Discount For All HWB Programs & eBooks (Until Monday 5th August 2024)
06:18 An Introduction To Triber Member, Jess Dean
07:32 Her Incredible Results To Date
08:55 Before Joining The 3 Week Body Reset …
10:13 Other Diet Attempts In The Past
12:58 Why The 3 Week Body Reset?
14:40 The Driving Force To Continue With The Health With Bec Approach
18.50 Navigating The 3 Week Body Reset With Young Kids
21.12 Following Meal Plans & Choosing Favourites
22:50 Motivations To Stay Consistent
24:35 Positive Side Effects/ Positive Changes
26.45 Tips & Ideas For Lunches & Dinners
29:00 Planning & Prepping On The Weekends
30:48 Advice To Other Women Who Are Feeling A Bit Stuck & Defeated?
Links:
Download my FREE eBook with 4 15 minute meals: click here
Start your weight loss, gut healing and anti-inflammatory journey now with my 3 Week Body Reset
Continue your journey and figuring out YOUR own balance in the Health with Bec Tribe
Explore my recipe eBooks: Click here!
Follow me on instagram: @health_with_bec
Read This Episode:
BM: Hello Jess and welcome to Body Bites with Bec.
JD: Hi Bec, it's nice to meet you.
BM: It's so nice to meet you as well. I can't wait to hear all about your journey because I haven't read or heard much about it yet, which makes the podcast so exciting so I can just find out everything along the way. How are you feeling today?
JD: Yeah, good. I'm excited to be here, but a bit nervous as well but I just want to share my story.
BM: Absolutely, let's dive straight into it. So before we get into it, would you like to tell everyone a bit about who you are and what you do so that we can get to know you a bit more?
JD: I am a Mum to three kids. I have two sons and a daughter. My oldest two, they're 11 and nearly 10. They're actually home-schooled, so I spend a lot of time with them and then my youngest is five. He's in kindergarten, but he wants to go to school next year, so he will be going to school and then I also work from home as a tutor for kids, mainly with dyslexia and dysgraphia or just anybody who's struggling really with their literacy. I also help my partner with our tree company, he's an Arborist. I do all the paperwork side of that as well.
BM: Gosh, so you're a very busy woman then?
JD: Yes, very busy. I spend a lot of time at home with the kids but trying to find the time to fit everything in, can be difficult.
BM: Yeah, absolutely. I can see in the background what those posters are, so it makes sense that you're a teacher from home and you're on the other side of Australia aren't you? Are you in Melbourne or Sydney?
JD: I'm in Melbourne in the Dandenong Ranges, so it's pretty cold up here at the minute and wet. I'm originally from England, so it's like being back at home in the winter over here.
BM: Yeah, they're both pretty cold aren't they? So let's dive straight in - give us a bit of an idea about what your results have been and when did you start with me and then what are your results to this day and then we'll dig deeper into how you did it and tips but just as an overarching thing, when did you start and and what are your results?
JD: I started in August last year, so coming up to 12 months now with the 3 Week Body Reset and then I joined the Health with Bec Tribe because I lost five kilos in the three weeks and I was just feeling so good. At the end of the three weeks I went on holiday and I was still enjoying myself, but I came back and I was still losing weight and feeling good about myself and continued with the Tribe and up to date I've lost like just a tiny bit under 20 kilos.
BM: Oh, that's incredible. You should feel so proud of yourself.
JD: I'm so proud! My daughter said to me earlier when I told her I was coming on the podcast. She said - “Mum, how much weight have you lost?” I was like “20 kilos” and she said “so that's a whole Patrick, who's my youngest son!” I was like - “yeah, it is!”.
BM: It's crazy when you put it into context like that, isn't it?!
JD: Yeah, to think you've been carrying that around the whole time.
BM: How incredible is that? So I'm really excited to dig further … the first thing I want to ask you is where were you at? How were you feeling and what made you find me and decide to embark on my program? How did you feel at the time?
JD: After each kid, I put on more and more weight and I always went up and down and never drastically down, I'd lose a few kilos and then I'd stop and I just looked in the mirror and was like - this isn't good. I don't feel fit. I don't feel healthy and the most important thing for me is feeling strong and healthy and having the energy to keep up with the kids and do my exercise every day and I just wasn't feeling that. So I actually did try and do it on my own for a bit. I was like - okay, something's got to change! So in June, there's a bootcamp around the corner from where I live, so I started going there and I lost a couple of kilos, but was not getting anywhere. Your reset kept coming up on Facebook for me and I just thought - I didn't feel like I had anything to lose. I wasn't forking out thousands of dollars for a program or anything like that.
BM: Yeah, that's what's good about it, isn't it? It's just $149 and it's a three week plan. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work but if it does, then women join the Tribe. So you've got nothing to lose. So that was your attitude before you signed up and then had you tried any other diets in the past or when you were trying to lose weight yourself with the bootcamp, what were you doing when you say that you were trying to do it yourself?
JD: So I did intermittent fasting for a while which worked and it made me feel good but I didn't change what I was eating. I just changed when I was eating and I was probably still not having the healthiest of habits. Even as a child and as a teenager, I always carried a little bit of extra weight so I always had that battle with wanting to lose a bit more. I remember I was probably about 16 doing SlimFast and then the Atkins diet and it was always great for a little bit and then just not maintainable. You just can't live off shakes every day.
BM: No, you can’t and then some women are doing it for so many years of their lives … that's why there's just so much yo-yo dieting, because unless you're taught how to eat to lose weight in terms of how to maintain it afterwards and form the right habits, then of course you’re not taught - you're going to go back to your old ways and then regain the weight, so it's such a common story that I hear all the time and it's obvious why it exists, isn't it?
JD: Yeah and look I've always known what foods are healthy foods and what's good and I've always enjoyed those but I've also enjoyed the stuff that's not so good for you and the big portions. I've always been one of those people that just fills your plate …
BM: Yeah, so am I. When you're a foodie and you've got to be conscious to either lose or remain weight it just takes a bit of extra work but as we'll get into, I love really showing women how you can truly have both so you can eat big portions and have tasty food whilst also getting results because after all the different fad diets, and because this is what I hear so many women say and what I say is, you try to lose weight and until you find me, you can have that mindset where you think - oh my gosh, if I need to lose weight, it's going to be so restrictive and I'm going to be hungry the whole time and the food's going to be so boring …
JD: Yeah, you do, you think you've just got to eat lettuce leaves every day or cabbage soup or that you can't actually go out and have dinner with friends because you're constantly worried about what you'll eat and how it will sabotage your diet.
BM: Yeah and you can, which we'll get into as well, but with my approach, you can go out for dinner and lose weight and I guess that's one of the most freeing and exciting things for people to realise and it sounds like you realised that when you went on your holiday after you lost weight, because so many diets out there don't teach you how - they they don't leave that space and room for you to enjoy life at the same time. They just tell you what to do and then everyone believes that you can't actually live a flexible, enjoyable life when you're dieting because it's going to ruin your progress. So then when you found me on Facebook, what was it that stood out about the 3 Week Body Reset? Do you remember what caught your attention and made you think - okay, I'm going to try this?
JD: I think it was the pictures of the food. It looked so good and reading the reviews - on the advert that kept coming up, it was how everyone feels full all the time, there's so much variety and I actually really enjoy cooking. I think food is probably my love language. It had to be something that made me feel good. It just looked so amazing. The dishes were good.
BM: Awesome, that's good to know so back in August last year, 12 months ago, as you were doing the 3 Week Body Reset, did that live up to your expectations? What did you see was different between this way of eating compared to the other diets you've tried in the past?
JD: Everything was tasty which was good. I do remember on day one I was thinking - I don't know if I'm going to enjoy the keto mug bread and I was so surprised! I was like, this is actually so good. Even my partner - there's one dish that is his favorite and he requests me to make it all the time now - the Soy Ginger Pork Steaks. So, it just felt like I was using so many fresh ingredients and herbs and just a lot of taste and big portions, because if you're eating a lot of vegetables, it's okay, you can eat a lot of that and you can eat a lot of protein.
BM: Yeah, exactly! So the main things you feel were different were the flavour and portion sizes of food?
JD: Yeah, I just didn't feel restricted. I have a big sweet tooth, so I loved that there were sweet things in there that weren’t going to put me in a spiral.
BM: Yeah, absolutely the alternatives to sugar … and so when you finished the 3 Week Body Reset and then you went away and you came back, what were your reasons for going on your holiday, coming back and then being able to follow on with this lifestyle and the Healthy With Bec Tribe? What was your drive to be able to continue rather than doing what you used to do in the past and gain the weight back?
JD: It just felt like a bit of a no brainer to me. It was just easy to come back and get back into it. I was actually excited to get back and think - okay, I can start cooking for myself again and eating these healthy meals that are just going to give me energy and make me feel good.
BM: That's exactly why I love to teach women because to lose weight over a long period of time and then to keep it off, it's a weekly thing, right?! So, unless you're enjoying the meals and you're finding it easy enough, then it's going to be hard for anyone to keep up for longer than a couple of weeks.
JD: Yeah, that's so true and there's times when I'm not perfect. After doing it for a long time now, I feel like I know my body a lot better, but there would be times where I'd start to think - oh no, I've had too many freedom meals this week but it was okay, because I was like - I can keep going tomorrow, because I know what works for me now, and I've not undone all the work that I did. I just keep going!
BM: That's exactly where I hope to get women and if you're a new listener, the 3 Week Body Reset is step one to work with me and then if women get results and they want to continue, like Jess, the Health with Bec Tribe comes next and in the 3 Week Body Reset, I really teach women to eat out or grab takeaway and just eat within reason, whatever they feel like, a couple of times a week and then in the Health With Bec Tribe, the same principle is true, but that's definitely just an average to follow.
So like you said Jess, there are some weeks like no one's perfect - you might go on a holiday and have freedom meals every single day like most people do, but then you might come back and you might only have one a week and so it's all about how it begins to average out over the week and the month and I really teach women that and like you have said after a certain amount of time, you just begin to learn your own balance and how much you can eat and week after week, it becomes a bit easier to see how your own body's responding and how much you truly can eat out of those times.
JD: Yeah, that's so true. Back in January, I think you asked me to come on the podcast and I chickened out because I had a bit of imposter syndrome and I was like - no, what if I just put all the weight back on? What if it's a fluke and I'm not valid to go on and chat to you? Then I was like - hang on a minute, this has been nearly a year and even with slip ups and weeks where I have been on holidays, you can still come back to it.
BM: I’m so glad that you did come on because if you kept up the habits that you've learnt even like I always say 80% of the time then that's incredible. You should be so proud and like I say in the Tribe all the time and on the podcast, the “slip ups” and going on holidays and overindulging too much and coming back gaining weight and where you feel like you've gone one step backwards … it's never a bad thing because that's how you learn because then you get back and you go okay - I'm really bloated again or I've gained five kilos. So what did I do on that holiday compared to what I normally do in my life? That's how you really find your own answers and then you might go on holiday again in six months and think - okay, I remember that holiday … maybe this time I'll do some more steps and have one less wine?
Doing those things is really essential when you're losing weight and learning to maintain it and create a whole new lifestyle for yourself. So you've been doing that and you're absolutely on the right path. I'm so glad that you're on the podcast talking about it.
JD: Yeah, it's good and when I look back to what I used to be like, and then now … I might have a few too many treats but that's nothing compared to what I used to do, which is why it's still okay, you still keep tracking okay because your whole mindset changes.
BM: It's all about the mindset, isn't it? So because you've been doing it for a year and you've been losing weight consistently for a year, I'd love for you to share with everyone a few more insights and tips with how you've done it and how you organise yourself as such a busy person. You're a mum and you work but you've still managed to keep up with this lifestyle. We'll start with your family, do they eat the same meals as you or how do you structure that with your family life?
JD: So my kids can be quite fussy.There's some dishes which they will eat and there's some which there's no chance they're going to eat and that's fine. So when there's something that I want to make for me, but I know they're not going to eat, I try to have a backup in the freezer for them. They love spaghetti bolognese and so whenever we have bolognese, I'll just make a big batch of that, so I can still cook what I want and then I just have to reheat that for them or if it's just a protein, they'll eat the protein and then I'll just add potatoes or pasta and the same for my partner too, because he works a very physical job outside, so he has bigger portions and more carbs but it just seems to work.
BM: How long did it take you to find that balance of it working? Was it a little bit harder at first to work out how to eat the meals with the kids, or how did that look for you?
JD: When I did the 3 Week Body Reset, I stuck with it. I was like - this is what I'm doing! So I was super organised, you had the shopping list there, so that was easy and I did multiply most of it so that it would feed all of us because I wanted the kids to try it as well but then just had those backups for them, even if it meant that they were having a cheese and Vegemite sandwich because they would probably choose that most nights anyway to be honest. Look, it didn't take too long. I just had to be organised. So like I said, if I'm making something that I know they like, just make extras to put in the freezer for them or for me as well, if I'm making something that they're not going to eat but is freezable, I'll make a bigger batch of it, put it in the freezer, and then I can cook what they like, and I can just reheat mine. So it works both ways with just having stuff in the freezer ready to go.
BM: Yes. I love that tip so much and a lot of people share similar advice in that way, but I've never really heard it in the way that cook extra of a child-friendly meal so that when you have what you want, there's backup for them all the time. I really like that and then the organisation is key to success. So how do you organise yourself? When the monthly meal plans come out in the Tribe, do you follow that to a tee or are you starting to change things up or do you meal plan yourself with all the recipes that you've got? How does that look for you?
JD: I go through and choose the recipes that I think I'm going to enjoy the most and then because I've got so many recipes now because I've been in there for so long. I have my favourites but then sometimes I'm like - hang on, I've missed out on so many because I haven't tried them because I've just been sticking to the ones that I like! but yes, when they come out, I choose the ones I want and then meal plan around that. I might try two new ones in a week so that it's not too overwhelming because I find when you're trying a new recipe, it takes longer. It takes longer to cook because you're not used to it.
So much of the things I used to cook, I don’t even have to think about because I've done it so many times. So I like to have a few things that I know what I'm doing and then add a couple of different ones in each week and I do sometimes think the kids might like that one, so we'll try that one first, because I do love it when we get one that everybody likes. Obviously that's mainly for dinner, breakfast has become so easy because one of my favorites is the banana mug bread or mug cakes. I know that off by heart now and I can just whip that up in two minutes and it's done or the chia pudding, my partner loves that one too.
BM: Oh good, that makes me so happy because there's so much good gut loving fibre, it gives me this weird sense of happiness when I know that people are getting fed so well.
JD: Yeah, and even my son likes his smoothies, so I'll sneak some chia seeds in there for him, just knowing how good it is for you.
BM: It's a good feeling! Just on that quickly, do you feel like with all of the food that you're eating, is that another driver for you because it is for me? Whenever I eat my meal, I'm like - oh, it just feels so good to know that you're putting so much goodness into your body. Has that been another thing that's helped you stay on track with just how good it feels?
JD: Yeah, especially if there's loads of veggies and the different colours and in the Summer when you've got the salads and it's just all so fresh and you just feel like you're nourishing yourself. You're looking after yourself and then when you don't make that choice and you make maybe a choice that wasn't so good, you really notice it and you think - oh, why did I do that?
BM: Let's talk about that because I feel like that's something that a lot of people don't realise and there would be so many people out there in the world that unfortunately just wouldn't know how good it feels to eat well. I really like to reach the women that are already very health conscious, but they just need a few extra little tweaks, so I'm sure not too many people will relate, but if you're just eating processed foods, takeaway, little veggies, little fibre … you can feel so much better in so many ways from your energy, to your mood, to your bloating, to so much if you just eat really clean and healthy and it's an incredible feeling when you actually do eat right and then you think - oh my gosh, how do other people feel like this and they don't know how good it feels to feel good.
JD: Yeah. I think that's what it is. Until you've done it, you don't know because you just feel like it's normal. You think - oh yeah, this is how everybody feels but it's not, you don't need to feel sluggish after you've eaten or almost like a feeling of regret because you don't feel like you've done anything good for your body and so much has got so many processed ingredients in everything these days, because we live busy lives, so that's what people turn to, but it doesn't have to be like that.
BM: So what have been some positive side effects? If you compare how you feel now, when you're feeling well with the meals compared to if you were to make a not so good choice or how you felt before, except for the weight loss results, what positive side effects do you feel that have kept you on track with wanting to eat this way?
JD: If I'm eating healthily and I'm feeling good in my body, then I want to exercise more, so that has helped to boost that, so I'm exercising six days a week and I've got the energy to do that. Like I'm getting up at 5 o'clock in the morning because that's when I can have the time for me. I actually ran a half marathon on Sunday which was amazing. I never thought I'd be able to do that. So it's helped with my exercise. It's helped with my focus. I feel like I can be more organised. My partners like - you’re more organised. I don't know why, but it's just flowing. My PMS has improved and that's another thing he's noticed. He says - you don't want to kill me every month now! Things just don't seem to get to me so much. I don't have the mood swings that I used to have.
BM: Wow … a whole host of things and like you said, it all does really work in a circle. The better you feel, the more likely you have the motivation to actually want to exercise and then when you exercise, you get better brain clarity for work and less overwhelming and then when you feel less overwhelmed, like you can be more organised, which is then helping you obviously plan your meals and so you can really see how healthy eating and reaching a balanced weight makes you feel confident and good as well. It really does work in a circle and there's so many other benefits you can get from other benefits aside from just the food side of things. It translates into the rest of your life, doesn't it?
JD: Yeah, definitely and just the confidence as well. You just feel more confident.
BM: And like you said when you know you're fuelling yourself with good things it does make you feel good about yourself, doesn't it because you're doing something good for your own body. So we've talked about your dinners and your breakfast, what do you do for lunch? Do you follow what I say and not everyone has to, but it's just what works for so many people. Do you have leftovers the next day or do you make your own sort of salad on the go? What do your lunches look like?
JD: Every day is different for me because we do different things each day with the kids. It's not like I'm going to work in the office every day, so it depends on the day. Sometimes I'll have leftovers, sometimes it will be either your keto loaf or the Venerdi bread and I'll make a tuna toastie and chop up some raw veggies on the side, super quick and easy. I like to have the soup in the freezer, so I've got a few different soups in there. So on a cold day like today, I can just heat that up. In Summer, I do love salads though. I'll chop up the lettuce and veggies and then keep that separate, keep dressing separate, protein separate and I'll make enough for a few days, so then I just put it all together either in the morning if we're going out or at lunchtime if I'm at home.
BM: That's a cool idea, so you prep it ahead of time by doing that, but you don't actually assemble it all. You just have the protein, the dressing and all the veggies and then you assemble it as you eat?
JD: Yes, because otherwise it might go a bit soggy and it stays fresher that way.
BM: That's a great tip. So when it's a bit colder, you try to have some big batches of soup in the freezer and you'll have that with some Venerdi bread or the bread loaf and then if it's Summer, you'll do your prep with your protein, veg and a dressing and then that'll last you for a few days, how good! Do you cook something different every night for dinner?
JD: Yeah, usually as the kids have got older, it's got harder because I used to be able to make stuff for two nights, but now they eat more, so I’ve got to cook every night.
BM: It's a lot of volume that you'd have to cook now in terms of if you're cooking a bolognese … it’s got to feed five people plus hopefully have leftovers, so pots I'm sure are quite big!
JD: Yeah but then it's good to know, it's all there ready.
BM: So I can really hear from this that for success, you've got to really love the food. So I love that you're really just choosing the things that you love the look of most and then obviously making it easy. So I really like your tip about if there's too many new things in a meal plan, you'll try to just cook a couple, but then keep what you know, because that's how I always really try to design the meal plans. I don't want to put too many new recipes in there, especially with breakfast. A lot of people like to just be familiar with the breakfast they cook. So you want to have a bit of excitement and variety, but not change it up too much, so I really like that. I think a lot of people will find that really useful and then organisation - I love that you said that because it's so key! So taking that time to get prepared ahead of time. Going back to that, do you spend a bit of time on the weekend or how does it look for you?
JD: I do. I spend time on the weekend going and doing my shopping list and planning that. I usually order it online or every now and again if I know I'm running out of my almond meal, I'll jump o to Woolies and add that to my shopping list or whatever is running low because there's the staples that we always need to have like almond meal. Like I said earlier, I do have a big sweet tooth, so I always need monk fruit because that's my favorite sugar alternative and then in terms of the meals, I just try and prep them when I can, so if I've got a spare 20 minutes and I'm already in the kitchen, I might make a sweet treat while I'm in there or I might chop up the veggies for dinner, if it's lunchtime.
BM: Love that but you're inspired to do that because you do your shop on the weekend and then through the week is when you just know what you're cooking that night for dinner, so you'll just find a pocket of time in the day if you can, to get prepared for it?
JD: Yeah because there's always different activities in the evening, so what time we eat can change every day as well. So you just have to be a bit prepared. Sometimes I've got time in the evening. Sometimes it has to just be a throw-it-all-in-the-pan.
BM: I know it probably sounds simple to you, but I really love that tip that if you notice something's running low to just write it down straight away. So is your list on Woolworths just like an open shopping list that you can just add to, and then I guess you just finalise it at the end of the week.
JD: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
BM: That's cool because I'm the sort of person that's so disorganised in some ways that I'd be like - oh, I need to get that soon and then it will get to the time and I'm like - oh Jesus, that was too late, I haven't got it now! But if you just write it down straight away, then you won't forget and it gets done, so that's really cool. I really like that you do that with your staples that you end up eating regularly.
JD: There's still times where I'm like too but it definitely helps minimise that.
BM: What advice would you give to other women who are feeling a bit stuck and defeated? Maybe they've tried lots of different diets in the past and they're a bit worried about whether to give this one a go or not? Do you have any sort of pieces of advice or words of wisdom for them?
JD: I would just tell them to just do it because like I said before, I felt like I had nothing to lose by doing it and I do tell everybody that, especially people who know me are like - oh, you've done so well! I tell them - you've got to get on to Health with Bec, it's amazing. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work but at the worst, you've got some tasty recipes to keep trying out and at the best, you have a massive transformation and hopefully join the Tribe because that is also amazing. That keeps me going too because in the Facebook Group just seeing everybody else in there and you're not on your own, people post photos of what they've made, and you're like - oh yeah, I'm going to make that this week or next week. There's so much support, and all the hard work's done, you don't have to worry about what you're going to eat because that's something that can get a bit monotonous when you're trying to plan meals for everybody every week but for the 3 Week Body Reset, what you're going to eat is planned out for you, you don't have to think about it.
BM: Oh, thank you so much for sharing that and thank you for spreading the word all the time. It means a lot because that's such a great way to inspire other people and I really liked that take on it too. What's there to lose? Even if you don't feel like you get results, it's just such healthy food that is so high in nutrients and it won’t do any harm to try it! Anything else that you want to share before we end this?
JD: If you've been thinking about trying to make a change and it doesn't have to just be weight loss, like you said before, all the other benefits to it, it's amazing, just do it!
BM: I'm really proud of you. You should be so proud of yourself as well, especially, there are so many women and so many people in the world that really do use the “I'm too busy to do this” excuse, but getting you on and hearing what you do, it really shows that it's truly possible, but it really sounds like you just prioritise the right things - so you're organized, you spend a bit of time on the weekend and then you just do what you can to prep through the day so the nights a bit easier and it's really inspiring to hear, so a huge well done to you and and I can't wait to continue to see your posts in the Tribe .
JD: Thanks Bec.