{"id":615182,"date":"2026-04-18T14:12:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T14:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/615182\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T14:12:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T14:12:21","slug":"woman-loses-100-pounds-with-these-small-changes-instead-of-restriction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/615182\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman Loses 100 Pounds With These Small Changes Instead of Restriction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Breanna Fowler once considered strict restriction a hallmark of weight loss. She\u2019d follow a diet, eating morsels of low-calorie health foods during the workday. And then, at night and during weekends, she\u2019d fall back into familiar patterns of overeating sweets and ultraprocessed foods<\/a>. \u201cLetting loose\u201d was how she rationalized it. <\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know what my body needed,\u201d 29-year-old Fowler, of Belleville, Illinois, tells TODAY.com. So, she limited everything, oftentimes cutting out entire food groups. As much as she tried to stick to the uncompromising 800-calorie deficits she set for herself, a bad day or poor mood always set off a binge-eating episode. \u201cFood was my emotional blanket,\u201d she says. And the more she limited her intake, the harder Fowler rebounded. <\/p>\n

She felt like she was letting herself down. How was she 275 pounds with back pain, and breathless when climbing stairs, she\u2019d ask herself. \u201cAnd then that would just emotionally tear me down because I would tear myself down because I\u2019m not happy with who I am,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

That was until February 2023. Fowler woke up one morning and it “clicked,” she says. She knew she needed to approach weight loss differently. \u201cI had to find something that didn\u2019t feel so out of my element, something that I could grow with, and something that worked around my life,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

The Moment It Clicked<\/p>\n

Fowler had always approached things with a running start, diving into the deep end for quick results that never came. So, she committed to learning the basics and joined Weight Watchers, one of the best weight loss programs<\/a>, experts previously told TODAY.COM.<\/p>\n

Its point system allowed her to abandon her fixation on calories. Instead, she was allowed a certain number of food points. Just one beloved fast-food item after a long day, she soon realized, would cost her all of the points allotted to her for the day. \u201cIt just really opened my mind and made me realize, like, \u2018Wow, I didn\u2019t know anything about nutrition,\u2019\u201d Fowler says. \u201c(It gave me) a little bit of understanding of what I was actually putting in my body.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BreannaBreanna Fowler credits her weight loss to going slowly.Courtesy Breanna Fowler<\/p>\n

Next came movement. Fowler was never one for physical activity outside of PE classes in high school. As she got older, things remained the same, save an occasional walk. <\/p>\n

Resisting the urge to turn herself into an athlete overnight, like she did with her eating habits, Fowler eased her way in. <\/p>\n

\u201cI began with small changes,\u201d she says. YouTube, she discovered, is a trove for workouts you can do in your living room. Two accounts, growwithjo<\/a>, featuring walking workouts and home exercise routines for beginners, and The Fitness Marshall<\/a>\u2019s dance-forward workouts (some you can even do from a chair) became her favorites. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re both just really easy to follow along with, and they\u2019re fun,\u201d she says. The more she enjoyed the movement, the more she came back to it. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then, I did also begin to push myself a little bit more with getting my steps in,\u201d she adds. \u201cYou know, making it a little bit more religious to walk my dogs, maybe after work, even if that looked like 10 or 15 minutes. It didn\u2019t have to be an hour or whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upping the Ante<\/p>\n

By 2024, Fowler stopped Weight Watchers and started tracking macronutrients<\/a>. She prioritized protein and embraced carbs as an essential energy source, rather than something to fear. <\/p>\n

Sundays are now for meal prep. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a lot of work spending a couple hours in the kitchen, but it\u2019s totally worth it to have at least a solid structure for your week because it\u2019s so easy to get off track,\u201d she says. Balance is her new focus.<\/p>\n

Her go-to breakfasts typically feature Greek yogurt<\/a>, fruit and eggs, or she\u2019ll opt for an egg scramble with mostly egg whites<\/a>. Lunches are lean ground beef, sweet potatoes, cottage cheese<\/a> and vegetables \u2014 broccoli and asparagus are her favorites. To satisfy her sweet tooth, Fowler makes the viral “protein cheesecake”<\/a> made from vanilla Greek yogurt and sugar-free pudding mixes. <\/p>\n

“That being said, I still enjoy ice cream and tiramisu when my macros have room for it,” she adds.<\/p>\n

As she got more fit, she realized had the energy to turn her 10-minute walks into a mile, which then became a minimum of 10,000 to 12,000 steps per day<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2025, she began strength training to build muscle \u2014 and it quickly became clear why her former habit of eating as little as possible kept her stuck. The key, she says, is to \u201cmake sure that you\u2019re fueling your body properly to make sure you\u2019re getting your gains.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BreannaBreanna Fowler added strength training to her workout routine in 2025.Courtesy Breanna Fowler<\/p>\n

And although she\u2019s relocated most of her workouts from the living room to the gym, Fowler\u2019s relationship with YouTube stands strong. Thanks to the fitness experts on the platform, Fowler learned to develop a workout split<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Monday: Upper bodyTuesday: Lower bodyWednesday: Cardio and coreThursday: Upper bodyFriday: Active rest<\/a>Saturday: Lower bodySunday: Rest<\/p>\n

She also implements a push-pull focus<\/a> in her two upper-body workouts. And prioritizing progressive overload<\/a> calls on her to increase her reps and\/or weights over time in order to maximize muscle growth.<\/p>\n

Fowler\u2019s quick to point out that building her wellness know-how took time and a commitment to learning, and she\u2019s proud of it. Even now, on the rare occasion when an unfamiliar machine stumps her at the gym, she\u2019ll pull out her phone, look up its purpose and watch videos on proper form right there on the gym floor.<\/p>\n

The gym has become her \u201csanctuary\u201d and her \u201chappy place,\u201d she says. It\u2019s where she goes for calm after a long day, a bad mood or a hard week. \u201cI just genuinely enjoy it, and it\u2019s because I built it up to where I am now. \u2026 I started somewhere small, and I grew with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she describes moments when other gym-goers have clocked her proficiency and ask her for tips on form, she\u2019s giddy. \u201cIt\u2019s just kind of mind-blowing,” she says.<\/p>\n

What the Future Holds\"BreannaBreanna Fowler’s longterm goals continue to expand as her weight-loss journey boosts her confidence and drive.Courtesy Breanna Fowler<\/p>\n

Now, at 168 pounds, Fowler\u2019s goals include building more muscle and losing a bit more weight. She\u2019s considering getting her personal training certificate to \u201cshare the love of fitness and inspire a couple of people.\u201d She doesn\u2019t intend for it to be a full-time job, just something that will bring her joy. <\/p>\n

Maybe she\u2019ll even compete in a bodybuilding competition, but that\u2019s for \u201clater on,” she adds.<\/p>\n

Fowler has evolved into someone who\u2019s confident and outgoing; she\u2019s taking full-length photos of herself rather than hiding behind cropped selfies and posting on social media<\/a>. If you want it, you can open up your life this way too, she says.<\/p>\n

“You must experience discomfort in order to grow. And once you start, once you hit that first milestone that you keep telling yourself that you can never accomplish, that\u2019s when you realize nothing is impossible,” she adds.<\/p>\n