In January of 2017, Brittany Williams weighed 212 pounds and was desperate to lose weight. After trying every weight-loss method under the sun, Williams decided to try something new. She gave her barely-used Instant Pot a go and challenged herself to make healthy meals every day. In a single year, Williams dropped a whopping 125 pounds.
“I tried diet pills, pre-made, pre-packaged weight loss food, [Slim Fast], [Nutrisystem], starving, working out, nothing lasted, nothing worked,” Williams wrote on her blog, Instant Loss. “I began to lose hope. I started to feel resigned, like maybe my body was supposed to be big.” (Editor’s note: There’s nothing wrong with being “big” or small, or medium, or however you want to describe your body — every body is different, and it’s up to you and your doctor to decide what and what isn’t healthy. This is merely one woman’s personal experience that she’s sharing).
Williams’ husband had bought her an Instant Pot — like the one you can buy here from Amazon ($79.95) — although, Williams had only ever used it for comfort foods like ribs, mac and cheese, and cheesecake. She wrote in her blog that one day she decided to make dinner every night for an entire year using the Instant Pot. But rather than cooking comfort foods, Williams knew she had to swap out hefty ingredients for lighter ones.
“I knew that in order to succeed I needed something that made cooking easy and convenient,” she wrote. “I had to quit eating out completely because I knew I didn’t have the self control or the will power to say no.”
Williams made the complete switch to eating unprocessed foods and weeded out dairy, grains, and sugar from her diet. Just by eating good, wholesome foods that she prepared at home, Williams was able to drop 73 pounds by July of 2017 — a mere six months after her starting period.
She credits the Instant Pot for making healthy meal-prep so doable for those with busy lifestyles. Because the Instant Pot is part-pressure cooker, it can churn out meals in a breeze, therefore eliminating the need for fast food.
“I quickly discovered that all of my [slow cooker] meals could be converted to pressure cooker recipes and instead of hours, cooking them in the Instant Pot took minutes,” Williams wrote. She added that even when she’s unable to start cooking dinner until 6 p.m., she can still have a nutritious dinner on the table in about a half hour.
Now, two years since her initial weight drop, Williams has put out her own Instant Pot cook book — Instant Loss Cookbook: Cook Your Way to a Healthy Weight with 125 Recipes for Your Instant Pot, Pressure Cooker, and More — and remains an inspiration for those who are traveling down a similar weight-loss path. She currently has over 83,000 followers on Instagram.
And Williams’ Instant Pot recipes are just getting better and better. These refried beans look magical.
This beef stew is the only thing we want on cold, snowy days. Plus, it’s literally ~so~ quick and easy to make.
And this Instant Pot mac and cheese is actually cheese-free and gluten-free. Yet, it still looks heavenly.
Williams is even making pies in an air fryer. She is a true genius.
On top of eating right, Williams has also started a workout routine and has teamed up with a personal trainer. She’s been updating her followers on her workout journey and reminding them that the number on the scale may fluctuate or not depending on how much muscle one gains.
And she’s been honest and open about the “cosmetic” procedures she had along the way to help increase her self esteem and complete her transformation.
She’s also been even more transparent about the skin she still has. Specifically, she gets asked a lot about her extra thigh skin.
If you’ve been looking for motivation to eat healthier, lose weight, or just treat your body kinder in the New Year, check out Williams’ Instagram and blog. She will definitely help you look at your body with a lot more love.
“Someone asked me the other day what I see when I look in the mirror now and I still see the same girl that’s in all three photos. I always liked her. She’s the same girl at 235 as she’s is at 135 I just have a deeper understanding of her now. I’ve learned more about the things it takes to keep her healthy.”
We’re all about these good, positive, and healthy vibes. Keep them coming, Brittany!
Obviously you don’t *need* an Instant Pot to make healthier choices. This was Williams’ weapon of choice — there are plenty other ways to make meals convenient AND healthy. Before you decide to drastically change your diet, please do the research and ideally consult with her physician.
