A bride has revealed how she shed almost 30kg so she could feel her best on her wedding day – and why compliments on her new figure do more harm than good.
Brooke Reffo was 92kg at her heaviest so set out to lose 10kg to tie the knot with her partner Daniel but once she reached her goal decided to keep going.
15 months after getting engaged, she was 27kg lighter, energetic, more confident and comfortably fitting into clothes three sizes smaller.
The Melbourne hairdresser was overwhelmed with comments about her changing appearance and, while complimentary, the attention saw her develop extreme anxiety around going work and social events.
Now that the comments have waned, Brooke has learned to love her new lifestyle and what she sees in the mirror as she shares her weight loss secrets and what her average day on a plate looks like.
Before and after: Brooke Reffo (pictured) was 92kg at her heaviest before she embarked on a weight loss journey to drop three dress size and feel confident on her wedding day
Brooke had wanted to lose weight and clean up her health for as long as she could remember.
‘I had always given in to binge eating and always said ‘I’ll get this under control when I get engaged so I look amazing for my wedding day’,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘Daniel and I were engaged on July 14 2021 and my weight loss journey started on July 15.’
Melbourne was plunged into its final and second longest lockdown just days later so Brooke had time to focus on coming up with a new diet plan and not being on her feet all day for work, she could manage a low calorie intake.
‘I spent each and everyday counting calories and walking the neighbourhood. I researched healthy, low calorie recipes and documented everything I consumed on the MyFitnessPal app to hold myself accountable,’ she said
Brooke wanted to lose weight and clean up her health for as long as she could remember. ‘I always gave in to binge eating and said ‘I’ll get this under control when I get engaged,’ she said
The day after her partner Daniel proposed, Brooke started on her weight loss journey by coming up with a new diet plan of low-calorie but delicious meals
‘I started with 1,200 calories a day which is very low, but I was stuck at home in lockdown and wasn’t exerting much energy.’
Brooke teamed her new clean diet with regular exercise, walking or jogging up to 10km a day.
After lockdown finished, she dropped down to 4km-6km as she was on her feet all day working and tried going to the gym more often but attributes her body transformation to a calorie deficit.
‘I sporadically did a gym class with friends every now and then, but I don’t really enjoy the gym,’ she said.
‘I taught myself portion size and I wholeheartedly admit for me, my weight loss was down to what I put in my mouth.’
Because she was burning more and exerting more energy at work, Brooke upped her calories to 1,800 a day to sustain her and the kilos kept dropping off.
By the time she hit her 10kg weight loss goal, she was feeling confident she could go the extra mile so continued new regime.
Because she was burning more and exerting more energy at work Brooke also upped her calories to 1,800 a day to sustain her and the kilos kept dropping off
While she was stoked with her progress, comments from clients about her appearance caused a great deal of stress.
Regular customers who would return every six to eight weeks for a haircut noticed Brooke getting smaller each appointment.
‘It took me a while to get used to the consistent comments on my appearance. I had comments like ‘You look so much better’, which was a hard pill to swallow,’ she said.
‘I actually eventually developed anxiety and started having panic attacks when getting ready or arriving at a social event. It’s taken me a long time to get used to the ‘all eyes on me’ and comments about my appearance.’
Brooke said she would much rather people ask how she was feeling in her new body instead of inadvertently insulting her old self by gushing about how much ‘better’ she was looking.
‘I much more appreciated the comments or questions ‘Are you feeling good?’. Then it turned into ‘Stop losing weight now, you are looking too thin’,’ she said.
Brooke said she would much rather people ask how she was feeling in her new body instead of inadvertently insulting her old self by gushing about how much ‘better’ she was looking
By her wedding in November last year, Brooke had achieve her health goal and was 27kg and three dress sizes smaller
‘People have laid off with the comments now as my weight has stabilised so it’s old news.’
By her wedding in November last year, Brooke had achieved her health goal and was 27kg and three dress sizes smaller.
Brooke said the key to weight loss is consistency but she is happy to loosen her restrictions to enjoy special occasions like Christmas.
One of Brooke’s favourite breakfasts was a Weet-Bix and apple mix she said tastes just like a ‘McDonald’s hot apple pie’ without the guilt.
She mixes apple chunks, cinnamon, honey and crushed Weet-Bix in a bowl then zaps it in the microwave to warm it up and bring out the juices in the apple.
Brooke then adds a splash of milk and a dollop of coconut vanilla yoghurt on top.
RECIPE: Brooke’s favourite healthy McDonald apple pie breakfast
Brooke shared her go-to healthy breakfast she said tastes like a guilt-free McDonald’s hot apple pie
Ingredients
- One apple
- Cinnamon
- Honey
- 2 x Weet-Bix
- Milk of your choice
- Cocobella coconut vanilla yoghurt
Method
- Chop the apple into bite-size chunks and place in a bowl.
- Sprinkle over some cinnamon and drizzle in honey to your desire and place in the microwave for one minute and 30 seconds.
- Crush in two Weet-Bix, add a splash of milk and place back in the microwave for another minute and a half.
- Top with two generous dollops of coconut yoghurt and enjoy.
Source: bybrooke.g/TikTok
Another breakfast favourite is a bacon and egg muffins which she has with a wholewheat English muffin, barbecue sauce and no cooking oil or butter.
Before lunch she snacks on protein yoghurt with a teaspoon of peanut butter or a hard boiled egg with salt and pepper.
Brooke usually has dinner leftovers for lunch but will often eat a taco bowl with seasoned turkey or pork mince, cos lettuce, tomato, corn, capsicum, light sour cream, hot sauce and crushed corn chips for extra crunch.
For dinner she enjoys salmon with garlic broccolini and potatoes cooked in air fryer or mash adding she avoids cheese and cooks with as little oil as she can.
While she now loves what she sees in the mirror, she said taking control of her health had made her feel better about herself, not just physically.
‘My mental health, energy levels and sense of style excelled once I had lost weight,’ she said.
‘Being able to go to a shop and know that a size 10/12 would fit and look amazing is the best feeling.’
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