Unveiling how I lost 20kg in nine months without Ozempic or extreme dieting: Here are all my effective strategies

A 20kg weight loss in just nine months was achieved by an office worker without giving up favorite foods like tacos, burgers, or sweet treats.

Brittany McCrystal, residing in New Zealand, used to have a sedentary lifestyle working as a travel agent, consuming takeaway meals daily, and indulging in alcohol.

Describing her past self as wearing size L and 16 clothing, the 23-year-old then shared that she struggled to walk down the street without feeling breathless and was fed up with her appearance reflected in the mirror.

‘It was the hardest time of my life and I struggled every day,’ Brittany, now 29, told FEMAIL.

She tried everything to lose weight including fad diets, shakes, pills and juice cleanses but those only made her relationship with food worse. 

She knew she needed to overcome her bad eating habits to get healthy. 

Determined to take control of her weight once and for all, she found a realistic way to slim down to a size six to eight after overhauling her lifestyle.

She credits the 80/20 rule for her svelte physique, where she eats 80 per cent whole, nutrient-dense foods and leaves 20 per cent room for indulgences, within reason.

Brittany McCrystal has revealed how she went from a size 16 to a size 6 in just nine months

Before her incredible body transformation, Brittany said she was ‘unhappy’ with her life. 

‘I would hide beneath baggy T-shirts and never feel confident in anything I wore, I was tired of being tired,’ she explained. 

‘My lifestyle was really bad. I worked a desk job, I wasn’t getting much movement and I relied heavily on takeaway meals… I ate out every day and I also drank a lot, which did not help.’

She started looking for ways to lose weight but would find herself falling into the ‘fad diet trap’.

‘It ruined my relationship with food,’ she said. 

‘While I was attempting the keto diet, it made me think that carbs and sugar were the enemy and made me afraid of eating all the foods that I loved.’

Brittany watched as her weight began dropping off, leaving her at her lightest weight of 54kg, but she was still ‘miserable’.

‘I learned that your smallest self won’t necessarily be your happiest or healthiest self. For so long, I strived for the lowest number on the scale and I got down to 54kg,’ she said.

She credits the 80/20 rule for her svelte physique, where she eats 80 per cent whole, nutrient-dense foods and leaves 20 per cent room for indulgences, within reason

‘I had never disliked my body more. It caused me to ruin my past relationship, lose my period and my hair started falling out. It was because I was solely focused on the outcome rather than the journey and the life that I was gaining.

‘The real stinger was that after I dropped that low, I gained about 10kg of it back within the first two months.’

During her 2018 weight loss journey, she realised there were no ‘quick fixes’ or ‘magic pills’. 

For Brittany, losing weight and keeping it off for good came down to making a lasting lifestyle change.

‘If you try and take shortcuts, I can guarantee you will end up at square one, just like I did many times when I tried weight loss shakes, pills, juice cleanses and keto,’ she said.

‘I’ve learnt that you can eat all the foods you love and still see results, you just need to be smarter with your choices and make small adjustments. I let myself eat the foods I want, along with the foods I know my body needs.’

As an avid cook and ‘foodie’, Brittany started getting ‘creative’ in the kitchen.

‘I started making small swaps to my favourite ingredients,’ she said.

‘Then it clicked that I could make these small adjustments to my meals – make them lower in calories and higher in protein – so I could make them work for me and my weight loss goals.’

She began walking 10,000 steps a day and tweaking her diet.

For Brittany, losing weight and keeping it off for good came down to making a lifestyle change

Her healthy diet consists of homemade meals – including chicken Caesar salad and banana Snickers chocolate bars. It’s all about enjoying her favourite foods in moderation

‘I didn’t step foot into a gym until I had lost about 10kg of the weight,’ she said.

‘It all came down to moving more and being in a calorie deficit. I made changes like swapping full sugar Coke to sugar-free low calorie options.’

She started incorporating ‘volume’ foods into her diet to help her feel full while staying on track with her goals. 

‘Volume foods are foods that are lower in calories but higher in volume so you can actually eat more on your weight loss journey,’ she said. 

‘You’d be shocked to see how much more food you can eat and not feel hungry – but still see the results you want.’

Brittany said she stopped listening to the ‘toxic diet culture’ and just focused on what was actually working for her and what made her ‘feel good’. 

‘I ended up losing 20kg in nine months. I then maintained that for a while, I started building muscle and then lost the rest afterwards,’ she said. 

Her lifestyle changes included walking 10,000 steps a day and following the 80/20 rule

Brittany said she stopped listening to the ‘toxic diet culture’ and just focused on what was actually working for her and what made her ‘feel good’

Her homecooked meals are constantly changing because she doesn’t enjoy eating the same foods, but she always makes sure they are delicious and never boring.

‘My meals always change because I’m such a foodie,’ she said.

For breakfast, she would typically eat crispy Mexican egg tacos, a healthier version of eggs benedict or treat herself to banana choc chip oat pancakes.

Lunch would usually be a homemade dish such as soba chicken noodle, a poke bowl, a ‘non boring’ salad, or a chicken Caesar wrap or sandwich.

Her dinner consists of home-cooked high-protein nachos, a healthy ‘fakeaway’ version of McDonald’s McChicken burger, pasta or anything from Asian cuisine. 

Her go-to snacks are a high-protein yoghurt bowls, homemade banana bread or mini Biscoff cheesecakes. 

‘All the meals I make are always adapted to meet my goals,’ she said. 

‘So they will be adjusted with ingredients that make me feel good but also leave me feeling good while smashing out my goals.’

Brittany said she always treats herself to her guilty pleasures, enjoying them in moderation.

‘I’m all for reaching your goals and sticking to the plan but you also need to remember that life is for living and if you can’t do that then what’s the point? It’s something that I live by,’ she said.

‘If I’m craving chocolate I will let myself have the chocolate but I will pair it with something that’s high in protein, and lower in calories like Greek yoghurt to help myself stay full and satisfied.

‘I focus on the 80/20 rule. 80 per cent of the time is focused on whole, nutrient-dense foods and 20 per cent can be made up of “fun” foods, or whatever you are craving at the time. I always love a little sweet treat after my meals.’

To stay fit, she always ensures she completes 10,000 steps a day and typically works out four times a week, including Muay Thai, running and strength training.

‘I don’t have a strict workout routine because I used to do that and it actually made me not enjoy strength training,’ she explained. 

Her homecooked meals are constantly changing because she doesn’t enjoy eating the same foods, but she always makes sure they are delicious and never boring

Now, more than six years on, Brittany said she feels happier and healthier than ever before

Now, more than six years on, Brittany, who’s now an online health and fitness coach, said she feels happier and healthier than ever before.

‘I just want to give my younger self a hug, and tell her that she was worthy,’ she said.

‘It’s taken time for me to understand, and it’s definitely been a journey but it was never really about the weight loss. It was actually about the life I’ve gained, and the health I’ve gained in the process.’

For those struggling to lose weight, Brittany said: ‘Please don’t give up on your goals, you are worthy no matter what size you are.

‘As long as you are happy at the end of the day that’s all that matters, but I promise that if you never give up on your health journey, it’s impossible to fail. Yes, it takes time but it’s so worth it. 

‘It’s really important to focus on the journey and not the physical aspects. I know that’s easier said than done, but you have to do the work on the inside, not just the outside.

‘Otherwise, you’ll always be focused on the next thing and never be truly happy.’

Brittany’s homemade ‘fakeaway’ of McDonald’s McChicken burger

295 cals per burger | 43g protein | Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

400g lean ground chicken

1 tbsp mustard

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne (optional)

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup corn flakes – blended

Low-calorie high protein burger buns (better buns)

1 tbsp light mayo per burger

Lettuce for serving

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. In a bowl, mix the lean ground chicken with half of all the spices (mustard, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper).

2. Form the mixture into 4 patties.

3. Mix the remaining spices with the cornflake mixture

4. Coat each patty in the cornflake mixture.

5. Place the patties in an air fryer and spray lightly with cooking spray.

6. Cook at 180 degrees for 10 minutes

7. Assemble the burgers with the low-calorie buns, light mayo, chicken and lettuce.