How Busy Mum of 3 Lost Over 30 Kilos, Without Exercise

Bridget’s Journey 

Bridget Foliaki-Davis is a professional chef, functional nutritionist, award-winning cookbook author and a mum of three who’s struggled with unwanted weight since her first child. 

Bridget says, “As a middle-aged woman with three children, I thought being overweight was just part of life,”. 

For 28 years, Bridget, like many others, spent her days yo-yoing. She would put on weight, then try ‘quick fixes’, crash diets, and hours at the gym. The weight would drop, only for it to creep back with a vengeance a few months later.   

For a long time, Bridget felt ashamed of her body and always felt terrible when she knew she had to go out in public. 

“I love the ocean but was too embarrassed to go swimming and only did so when the beach was deserted. I wore layers, smiled infrequently and had so little energy I barely enjoyed our holiday,” she said about her vacation in 2017.     

She was unhappy with her body; she was always tired, extremely moody and found herself mostly depressed. “I didn’t like myself; there was a lot of self-loathing going on,”.

Does that sound familiar? 

It wasn’t until Bridget was at her heaviest (90 kilos/198 pounds) that she decided she would find a way to lose weight and keep it off.  

After a lot of reading and researching, Bridget came across the term ‘Gut Health’, which opened her world to a brand new perspective. “I could feed people well, but when it came to the nutrition I was putting in my body, I had absolutely no idea.” She started taking notes about all the foods that were good for the gut and all the foods that were not.  

As a Chef with over 20 years of experience, Bridget realised that she understood flavours, textures and cooking techniques but didn’t quite grasp how food affected our bodies.

Of course, she knew the basics: sugar and gluten eaten in large quantities are bad. Deep-fried food isn’t nutritious. Overeating can cause weight gain. We all know this… so why are a lot of people still overweight? It’s because we’re human, and that type of food tends to be delicious and comforting, not to mention addicting.

A lightbulb went off in Bridget’s mind that night. “Good food need not be bland or boring when you have the right recipes at your fingertips...Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”  

The next day, Bridget said she set out for the supermarket with her notes. She filled her basket with all the gut-healthy ingredients she could find, including all spices and sauces that are also good for the gut. 

Yes, spices and sauces. A key that Bridget says ensures you enjoy the foods you eat no matter how healthy it is. 

“When you start eating healthy, you may have preconceived ideas that eating healthy food tastes a bit like cardboard. As a chef, I started to look at food from a chef’s perspective, making sure it’s delicious first and just happens to be healthy.”

And with that, Bridget’s new healthy journey began. 

So, how did she do it? 

The short, Bridget has attributed her weight loss to eating nutritiously, adding lots of flavour to her dishes, and keeping her gut healthy.

By using her skills as a Professional Chef, Bridget gave a new life to healthy dishes that would otherwise be bland and boring. “I put flavour first,” says Bridget. “Then it doesn’t even feel like you’re on a diet.”

At the time, Bridget had a public Facebook page called Bridget’s Kitchen, which had a small following. Bridget would share photos of her creations (usually unhealthy) on the page, and if people liked it, they would ask her for the recipe.

As she began her new health journey, her posts slowly started to change to more healthy ones. “I would take photos of what I was eating, and then post them to my public page”. It wasn’t until she started receiving floods of recipe requests for her healthy dishes that she realised she wasn’t the only one wanting to eat better. Soon after, her small Facebook following grew to over 70,000, and Bridget’s Kitchen changed to Bridget’s Healthy Kitchen. 

“In a couple of months, I transformed the way I look, my health and the way I feel. Happier, healthier, thinner and more energetic then I’ve been in decades, and I did it all with food and eating well.” Says Bridget. 

She regularly posts FREE recipes and cooking classes on her Facebook page, Bridget’s Healthy Kitchen. She also posts a daily LIVE, answering any questions people have about weight loss, gut health, and healthy recipes. 

After gaining a large following, doing numerous TV and magazine interviews, and writing various eCookbooks and three healthy hardcover cookbooks, Bridget has made a name for herself in the health community around the globe. She has also won awards for two of her cookbooks.                   

So, how can YOU do it? 

Bridget’s top tips for losing weight and keeping it off: 

Cut out everything that uses white flour

White flour is usually made from refined wheat, which is a type of refined carbohydrate. Refined carbs have been stripped of almost all fibre, vitamins and minerals. For this reason, they can be considered "empty" calories  

They also have a high glycemic index, which, when consumed, leads to rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels. Eating foods with a high glycemic index has been linked to overeating and increased risk of many diseases. 

But that doesn’t mean you can’t have ‘bread’. Give Bridget’s Gluten-free Sandwich Loaf a try. She also has a digital cookbook dedicated to bread → Bridget’s Healthy Bread and Pastries

Cut out refined sugar

Like white flour, refined and processed sugar is also a refined carb. These types of sugars include table sugar, high fructose corn syrup and agave syrup, among others.

If you have a sweet tooth, try Bridget’s Gooey Chewy Chocolate Brownie that’s refined sugar-free.

You may also want to get your hands on some sugar alternatives, such as Zero as Erythritol Sugar

Start your day with protein

Having protein for breakfast rather than a few slices of toast or cereal will keep you fuller for longer. Aim for at least 30g of either chicken or eggs.

Bridget likes to eat Healthy Chicken Scotch Eggs each morning. She preps a few over the weekend and stores them in her fridge for an easy ‘on-the-go’ breakfast.   

Lunch should be the most substantial meal of the day

Opt for a big lunch rather than a larger dinner. It’s also important to include protein as it will keep you full.  

 Bridget loves her Sticky Salmon on Broccoli recipe for lunch. 

 

Add superfoods to your diet

In our post ‘Top 10 Healthy Supercharged Foods to Include into Your Diet’, we list off Bridget’s  

Top 10 superfoods. We also include a few recipes to help get you started. 

Join Bridget’s Healthy Kitchen on Facebook for FREE!

Every week, Bridget posts healthy recipes and informative LIVEs. She’s helped thousands of people lose weight by eating well. All her recipes on Facebook are free to download and are super easy to follow. Join here. 

 

There's also a community Facebook page, BHK Family, where thousands of likeminded people gather to talk all things health! 

Preparation is key

When we’re busy, we tend to ‘fall off the wagon’ easily. Prepping for the week helps take the stress out of mealtimes. 

 

Looking for more help? 

Thousands of people have successfully lost their unwanted weight and have maintained their goal weight by following Bridget’s 28 Day Meal plan. 

The recipes are easy to follow and delicious - you won’t even think you’re on a diet. 

Don’t just take our word for it, though.

 As you can see, people aren’t only losing weight, but they’re also getting their health back. 

Join thousands of others and eat your way to a healthier you with Bridget’s recipes and 28-Day Meal Plan. 

When you purchase the meal plan, you’ll receive:

• A healthy meal plan that lasts for 28 days
• A suggested snack list, including portion sizes
• A weekly prep list to make meal prepping easy
• A complete shopping list
• Additional bonus recipes
• QR code links to informative videos to make everything easier!