Brittany May's journey is a powerful testament to the human spirit's capacity for change and resilience. Her story, marked by significant weight loss and a complete lifestyle transformation, offers inspiration and practical insights for anyone seeking to improve their health and well-being. From struggling with her weight since childhood to achieving a remarkable transformation, Brittany's path is filled with challenges, determination, and ultimately, triumph.
The Turning Point: Weighing on a Fertilizer Scale
For Brittany May, a 25-year-old teacher, the realization that she needed to make a change came when she had to weigh herself on a fertilizer scale because a regular scale could no longer accommodate her. At 514 pounds, she knew she had to reclaim her health. This moment served as a powerful wake-up call, setting her on a path to lose 336 pounds in just under two years (22 months, to be exact), ultimately reaching a weight of 178 pounds.
Early Struggles and the Comfort of Food
Even as a youngster, May had always been on the heavy side and was the last kid picked for sports teams. Over the years, she packed on the pounds. She recalls sporadically trying diets and workout plans - “everything under the sun” - but nothing lasted long term. So she’d give up. "Doing things on my own, it just wouldn’t happen,” she said.
For May, food had always been a source of comfort. Throughout her life, everything revolved around food. Back then, May said, she never ate a single meal. Instead, she consumed what she calls "the meal before the meal.""We would have stopped at a fast food restaurant on the way home. When we got home, we’d have a protein that was breaded, a potato, a starchy vegetable and a starch on top of that. We didn’t see much greens. It was comfort and convenient food," she said. At her heaviest, she couldn’t even fit behind the steering wheel of a car.
Finding a Sustainable Solution: Optavia and Community Support
Through a friend, she found out about Optavia, a weight-loss program based on packaged meal replacements and personal coaching. It worked for her, and she’s now a coach there. What clicked for her? Having her own village of support.
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"Knowing that I don't have to do it alone, that's been the game-changer. It was the community," she said. This program provided her with the structure, support, and accountability she needed to succeed where previous attempts had failed. The Optavia program emphasizes six small meals a day, five of which are provided by Optavia, offering a structured approach to nutrition.
The Role of Mindset and Habits
Brittany emphasizes that her weight loss journey was "mostly a mind game." She knew she had to drop her stubbornness and be willing to tackle the bad habits, the sedentary lifestyle, and the relationship with food. The first step in her weight loss journey was to confront it. Once she started to view food as fuel instead of a source of comfort, she began slowly incorporating new, healthy habits into her daily routine. She started walking more and eventually started going to the gym.
Embracing a Healthier Lifestyle: Food and Fitness
The changes include what's on her plate."There’s so much more color. Food is actually beautiful. It’s a sensible portion. I eat more moderate amounts. I play around with cauliflower. I eat a leaner protein or seafood and low-starch vegetables," she said.
Brittany's transformation extended beyond just the numbers on the scale. She embraced a healthier lifestyle, incorporating more colorful and nutritious foods into her diet. She learned to enjoy sensible portions, experiment with vegetables like cauliflower, and prioritize lean proteins and seafood. Even her wardrobe has benefited from the new Brittany. "I love skinny jeans."
Initially, Brittany focused on changing her diet before incorporating exercise. She gradually added healthy habits like parking further away and taking extra laps at school. Over time, she began walking and eventually joined a gym, shifting her mindset from viewing the gym as a place of punishment to a place of celebration.
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The Unexpected Challenge: Loose Skin and Surgery
Only while she celebrated her transformation, she was caught off guard by the challenge of carrying around loose skin. “I thought I was just going to have loose skin, be fine with it, and be able to move on with my life,” May told Women’s Health Magazine.Nobody ever warned her of just how heavy the extra skin would be and how much pain it would cause. To make matters more difficult, she found out that skin removal surgery came with a high price tag, which she hadn’t saved up for, but she was determined to make it happen anyway.
After spending a year searching for the right surgeon, May got the surgery, and 13 pounds of excess skin removed, in January 2019. She underwent a corset body lift, which removed excess skin and reshaped her torso, and a medial thigh tuck to remove skin from her thighs. The surgery took 13.5 hours, involved nine feet of incisions, and removed a whopping 13 pounds of skin.
The Mental Transformation and a New Lease on Life
Brittany reveals that her transformation journey completely changed her attitude towards life. From being passive, she has now the drive to take risks and live to the fullest. I went from watching life from the side lines to jumping in and actually living life. It started off as just a physical journey, but it turned into a mental journey, too. Brittany May. This newfound self-love has broadened her social circle, leading her to meet her fiancé, Dwight.
Brittany's journey has also set her up to potentially be a mother someday-something she never thought she could do at 514 pounds. Now, she can dream of having a healthy pregnancy, being fully present in her kids' lives, and making sure they know all about health and nutrition from day one. I don’t wish being 514 pounds on anyone, but I'm glad I went through it.
The Instant Pot Revelation
Brittany admits that she was a reluctant convert to the Instant Pot. She had asked Brady to get her a stovetop pressure cooker and he came home with an Instant Pot.“I was so mad,” she says. “I had two toddlers and I was pregnant with my third. I thought, ‘I can’t learn one more thing.’ It sat in the box for a long time - it intimidated me.”Brady said he would return it, but she decided to give it a try. She made a batch of rice, figuring if it was terrible she would only be out a few cents. “It came out perfectly. The kids asked for seconds. I thought it was the best invention ever,” she says.
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For Brittany, the Instant Pot solved a common dilemma - how to prepare healthy food quickly. “It’s easier to call the pizza man or get a frozen Stouffer’s meal. With the Instant Pot, I can procrastinate all day long, forget to take the chicken out of the freezer, and then throw it in with vegetables. In 30 minutes I can have dinner on the table and we’re all eating,” she says. She likes how she can use the Instant Pot to prepare kid-friendly meals. “We’re really not missing out on anything. We still eat chicken nuggets, French fries, and pizza, we’re just making those recipes in more of a healthful manner,” she says. Two of her family’s favorite recipes? Chicken tortilla soup and chicken lettuce wraps.
As Brittany started cooking with the Instant Pot, she saw her weight drop. She lost 19 pounds in January 2017, 46 pounds by April 1, and 125 pounds by the end of the year. “It was the first time something like this had been sustainable for me,” she says. “I don’t eliminate any food groups, I just eat real food in modest portions.”
Inspiring Her Family and Others
As Brittany started to lose weight, her parents, 47-year-old Rebecca and 50-year-old Dan Padilla, decided to join her in her weight-loss efforts. Their first attempt fizzled after six weeks, when they splurged on an anniversary trip and didn’t get back on the healthy eating path. But they tried again. “She really motivated us. It inspired us to see everything she had accomplished,” Rebecca says. At one point Brittany bought her parents an Instant Pot. “She made us more comfortable with it. We tried some of the recipes and they were easy and convenient and good,” Rebecca says.
Rebecca began to share the details of their weight-loss journey, posting monthly updates from their Chino, Calif. home as part of Brittany’s Instant Loss web site. Slowly, steadily, they lost weight, documenting both their successes and their setbacks. By October 2018, Rebecca had lost 57 pounds and Dan had lost 40. But then some tough medical news sent reeling - Rebecca was diagnosed with breast cancer. They’ve put their monthly updates on hold so Rebecca can focus on healing. They are also maintaining their weight loss for the moment and planning to restart their weight-loss efforts once Rebecca finishes her treatments.
Brittany’s journey has inspired not only her family but also countless others. Roxanne Villafranco, a 35-year-old mother of two, found inspiration and support through Brittany's Instant Loss site.
Expert Perspectives on Weight Loss
Medical experts emphasize that losing a significant amount of weight, like Brittany May, is unusual without surgical intervention. However, they acknowledge that it is possible with dedication and the right approach. They stress the importance of focusing on long-term, sustainable changes rather than setting intimidating goals. Safe medical weight loss is generally considered to be 0.5 to 2 pounds per week.
Experts also highlight the physical benefits of significant weight loss, including improved organ function, reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease, and decreased medication needs. However, they caution about potential downsides such as gallstones, nutritional deficiencies, and excess skin.
Brittany's Advice: One Day at a Time
Overall, I’ve lost 336 pounds over the course of 23 months. For those looking to start their journey to health, I would say to take it one day, one habit at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed with wanting to lose a large number of pounds. Take small steps and make a plan. Don’t let one moment derail you.