The Manifesto
For my very first post, I want to share my journey since graduating with my Master’s in Nutrition in 2020 and how I lost 30 pounds and have kept it off.
I went to college for nutrition because it genuinely interested me. The more I learned during my bachelor’s degree, the more curious I became, which ultimately led me to pursue my master’s. Nutrition wasn’t just something I studied, it was something I wanted to fully understand.
Now, the job I have to pay the bills isn’t related to nutrition at all. I haven’t worked directly in the field for the past few years, but I’m still here, still passionate, and still living this every day. This space is where I get to share my personal views on nutrition, the lessons I’ve learned, and the strategies that helped me lose 30 pounds and maintain that weight loss since 2022, which is arguably the hardest part of all.
If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain weight you’ve already lost, I’ll be honest with you: there is no quick fix. I’ve worked as a weight loss coach and helped many people lose weight, but the most common struggle was always maintenance. You put in the hard work, see the results, and then life happens and you slip back into those old habits, and the weight slowly comes back.
I get it. It’s hard to ignore the chips, cookies, ice cream, hot dogs, and everything else we actually enjoy eating. It’s hard to hit 8-10k steps every day. But maintaining weight loss requires more than willpower, it requires a shift in mindset.
For me, that meant making real lifestyle changes and healing my relationship with food. I stopped labeling foods as “good” or “bad” and focused instead on balance and sustainability. When I first started losing weight, I leaned heavily into calories in versus calories out because at its core, weight loss really is that simple.
Where I struggled most was the cravings. Cheeseburgers, queso and chips, tacos, French fries, crispy chicken. If it came from a fast-food menu, I wanted it. I would stay “on track” all week, then the weekend would roll around and I’d tell myself, I earned this. One cheat day quickly turned into a cheat weekend (and if you know Torchy’s Tacos, you know).
I eventually realized that the problem wasn’t a lack of discipline, it was deprivation. By avoiding the flavors and foods I loved all week, I was setting myself up to overdo it later. So I asked myself a different question: How can I make this sustainable? How can I still eat the foods I love and continue losing weight?
That’s when I truly leaned into my nutrition background and started focusing on protein. Increasing my protein intake helped control my cravings, keep me full, and allowed me to create high-protein meals that tasted indulgent but were actually macro-friendly. These meals didn’t feel like “diet food,” and that’s what made all the difference.
This balance, real food, real life, and realistic habits is what BEVs Wellness Kitchen is all about.
Today, I’m starting with one of my go-to high-protein breakfast recipes. It’s a meal that supports a balanced lifestyle and is something you genuinely look forward to eating, not something you force down just because it’s “healthy.”
Blueberry & Vanilla Pudding Overnight Oats
High-protein, easy, and meal-prep friendly.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup of Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 cup 2% milk (or a milk alternative you enjoy)
1/2 Tbs Vanilla JELL-O Instant Sugar Free Pudding
1/2 Tbs Chia Seeds
3/4 Cup (170 g) Oikos Vanilla Triple Zero Greek Yogurt
40g Frozen Wild Blueberries
*Serving Size: 1
Instructions:
1) Mix oats, milk, JELL-O mix and chia seeds in a container of your choosing.
2) Place in fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight.
3) Add your yogurt and blueberries.
4) Stir and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- Adapted and modified to increase protein.
- If you don’t want the blueberries to be frozen, heat them in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds before you add them in.
Macros (approx.)
257 calories | 20g protein | 32g carbs | 2g fat
