Food Network Star Ree Drummond talks about her dramatic weight loss and the moment she hit the bottom that led to her fitness journey.
Known for her successful cooking show and food blog, the Pioneer Woman has built an empire with her love of food and dessert making in her home state of Oklahoma, where she and her husband Ladd Drummond live on a ranch.
The TV host said she hit rock bottom one evening earlier this year after dropping her son Bryce off college.
“I have a cooking show, I write cookbooks, I have a cookery website. I have a restaurant, a bakery. So it crept on and on and in January of this year we took my son Bryce to college. And I tell this story, but I basically hit rock bottom one night eating chips and salsa. I went a little overboard, but that evening I thought, ‘I’ll start tomorrow, I’ll do something else.’ And I’ve just started and I’ve lost almost 60 pounds now, “she said in an interview with Entertainment tonight.
‘PIONEER WOMAN’ REE DRUMMOND REVEALS HOW SHE LOST 43 POUNDS IN 5 MONTHS:
Drummond said she “never” had a goal in mind when it came to shedding pounds. Instead, she just focused on wanting to feel better – and she confirms that she actually does.
Ree Drummond announced that she has lost nearly 60 pounds.
(Tyler Essary / NBC / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
“I feel great and that’s what counts. The scale was kind of a gauge for me that I was going in the right direction. And it was never about having to lose that amount, it’s really about how I feel feel, “she shared.
“I feel great, I have, I feel strong. Even when I was thinner, I think I’ve never been a squatter or a taller before. Not since my ballet days. So it’s really nice, the muscles, from who I thought were gone forever. “
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Drummond, who owns an ice cream parlor, pizza parlor, restaurant, and inn in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, said that weight loss travel can transform a person’s everyday life.
“It changes your whole mindset if you just have the routine of exercise on your day and, you know, I still eat the foods I cook for my family. I still eat cake. I’m just eating a Rhode Island-sized piece instead of a Texas-sized piece, ”she said.
The flavor maker also served her first acting role. She will star in Discovery + ‘s first original film, titled “Candy Coated Christmas”.
“I’m not an actor, I’m hosting a cooking show, but when the Food Network asked if I would like to do their first Christmas film, I said that in about two seconds I would say yes,” added Drummond. “And even though I knew I couldn’t act and I knew I had no experience, I just thought, ‘How could you say no to that?’ I mean, Christmas movies are such a part of the tradition and I have friends who are so obsessed with them, so I said yes and then thought, ‘What on earth have I done?’ “
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In June, Drummond announced that she had already lost 43 pounds. Before changing her lifestyle earlier in the year, she announced that she had tried a number of things Lose pounds earlier, like intermittent fasting, personal trainers, fashion diets, and weight loss programs. However, none of these methods were right for her.
“I’ve tried it before and it choked me during my meal window,” she said of the fast. “Since calories are important, that didn’t work for me.”
Drummond said she decided to keep it simple and instead focus on eating fewer calories each day and relying on portion control. Drummond found that using online calorie counters made it easier to achieve their goals. Also, using a digital food scale – as opposed to a plain measuring cup – was helpful to make sure it was “as accurate as possible with the calories I was eating”.
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“Counting my calories was just opening my eyes and it was important to me,” said the Food Network personality. “I had completely lost track of the calories I was consuming every day, so it was very helpful to get an overview of what I was seeing. I could tell if it worked by decreasing it over time and adjusting it up or down, of course, as I walked. “
She also “made exercise an integral part of my day, whether I was walking the dogs or doing the rowing machine.”
Fox News’ Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.