How I Lost 20 Pounds Without Counting a Single Calorie (or Crying Over Kale)
Let’s just get this out of the way: I’m a woman over 40 who lost 20 pounds without going keto, paleo, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, joy-free, or whatever Gwyneth is into these days.
I didn’t count calories.
I didn’t track macros.
I didn’t even give up bread. (I KNOW.)
This is me…before and after…if you’ve been holding onto extra weight, then you know how hard it is to find pictures from “BEFORE.” I avoided the camera at all costs and cringed every time I had to be in a photo with my family. But here it is. And I don’t have what most would consider a “perfect“ body. But after releasing 20 pounds, my body feels better, I have more energy, and I’m much more likely to get in the photo now.
Here’s what I did do?
I hit the big red RESET button on my entire approach to health, using a little framework I now teach to other women who are equally fed up with diet culture nonsense.
This is me…before and after…if you’ve been holding onto extra weight, then you know how hard it is to find pictures from “BEFORE.” I avoided the camera at all costs and cringed every time I had to be in a photo with my family. But here it is. And I don’t have what most would consider a “perfect“ body. But after releasing 20 pounds, my body feels better, I have more energy, and I’m much more likely to get in the photo now.
It’s called the RESET Method, and if you’re nodding along while half-eating your kid’s leftover chicken nugget, buckle up.
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R – Rewire Your Diet Brain
Let’s be honest: my brain was a hot mess of food rules and failure narratives.
I had thoughts like:
• “I was good all week… I deserve this entire pizza.”
• “I ate a carb, so today’s ruined anyway—might as well keep going.”
• “I’ll be perfect starting Monday. Promise.”
That? That’s diet brain. And she had to go.
So I kicked her out with some solid mindset work, daily journaling, and the realization that eating a cookie doesn’t require a confessional. Rewiring diet brain was like removing a toxic ex from your group chat. Peaceful. Freeing. Slightly awkward at first.
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E – Eat With Purpose
This does not mean I suddenly became a monk who meal-prepped lentils and quinoa for fun.
It means I started eating like I actually liked myself. I asked questions like:
• Does this food give me energy or send me into a crash-nap spiral?
• Am I actually hungry or just tired, bored, or mad at my boss?
• Will I be satisfied or still rummaging through the pantry like a raccoon in 10 minutes?
I focused on satisfaction, fullness, and energy, not rules. And guess what? When I ditched the guilt, I ate less crap—not because I had to, but because I wanted to feel better.
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S – Stress Less
I didn’t just have stress. I was stress. Full-time job, hormones doing parkour, kids with 85 after-school activities, and a to-do list that judged me silently from the fridge.
Once I realized stress was keeping my body in “store fat, panic later” mode, I stopped glorifying the grind and started doing actual stress-reducing things like:
• Breathwork (aka not snapping at my spouse)
• Walks without my phone (I KNOW. Revolutionary.)
• Saying “no” to stuff that didn’t light me up
When my nervous system chilled, my cravings and constant hunger did too. Turns out, your body isn’t broken—it’s just overstimulated and under-napped.
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E – Energize With Movement
For years, I thought weight loss required high-intensity sweat fests and bootcamp instructors yelling at me through Zoom.
Spoiler: it doesn’t.
What worked?
Moving in a way that didn’t make me hate life.
• 10-minute walks that doubled as mental health breaks
• Gentle strength sessions (sometimes in pajamas)
• Dance parties in my kitchen that no one needs to see footage of
Movement stopped being punishment and started being a gift. (Also: way fewer pulled muscles. Hooray for aging gracefully.)
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T – Tune Into Your Body
This was the wildest part.
You know that moment when your jeans fit better and you go, “Wait… did I accidentally lose weight?”
That happened to me.
When I slowed down, ate with presence, and treated my body like a friend instead of a project, it responded in kind. I noticed hunger before I was ravenous. I ate enough but not too much. And I actually wanted things like veggies and sleep. WHO WAS I?!
Turns out, tuning into your body is the original biohack—and it doesn’t cost $300 or come in powder form.
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So yeah… I lost 20 pounds.
No diet. No deprivation. No tracking apps that make you feel like a failure because you ate an apple wrong.
Just the R.E.S.E.T. Method, a lot of grace, and a refusal to hustle for a body I already respect.
If you’re over 40 and over the BS, you don’t need another diet.
You need a RESET.
And if you want the first step I followed to kick start your weight loss today, you’ll love my Protein Cheat Sheet—THE guide with 75 ways to add protein to every meal without losing your mind.
Grab your copy HERE and let’s reset everything but your personality.