YouTube Star Lost 70 Pounds, Eats Carbs at Every Meal

There’s a good chance you’ve come across Hannah Howlett if you’re a consistent 'healthy [...]

There's a good chance you've come across Hannah Howlett if you're a consistent "healthy living hacks" or "weight loss tips" searcher online. Howlett, commonly known as "High Carb Hannah" has gone from a size 16 to a six by following a plant-based diet based on her favorite starches (like potatoes, rice and oatmeal) in their most natural form.

Howlett has made waves digitally, specifically through her YouTube channel, with her relatable diet struggles, realistic weight loss transformation and ode to carbs.

If her online name "High Carb Hannah" gave you pause alongside her impressive transformation photo, you aren't alone. It's not often we associate high-carb anything to a before and after photo at this caliber. However, it's just that — high amounts of carbs and a lot of trial and error — that landed her this great success story.

Like many others, Howlett has struggled with weight her entire life. She told Women's Health, "For years, I yo-yo dieted, and ran through every plan out there from Weight Watchers to Paleo to South Beach. I'd go on a new diet for a couple months, lose 10 pounds, and gain everything back." We know this story all to well. The more diets and fads Howlett tried, the more she failed.

Research has proven time and time again that yo-yo dieting simply doesn't work, plus it poses serious risks to your health. Dr. Srila Bangalore, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, gathered weight data over several years from 9,509 people and shared his findings with NPR.

"Over a period averaging 4.7 years, people who had the greatest fluctuations in weight — about 8.6 pounds — had double the risk of a heart attack, stroke or death, when compared with those who experienced weight fluctuations of less than 2 pounds."

Read this, remember this and accept that yo-yo dieting isn't lasting for your waistline and it's dangerous to your overall health — even when the weight gained and lost is as low as 10 pounds.

Similar to Howlett's crash dieting, she was fickle with her exercise. "I went through random bouts of exercising but could never make it stick. For years, I felt constantly depressed because I viewed my body so negatively," she shared with Women's Health.

Fast forward to an "enough is enough" type of revelation a few years ago, and she came to the conclusion that restrictive diets were not for her. Enter: freedom with trial and error.

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Who’s hungry? #vegan

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Howlett knew she wanted to stick with a plant-based diet, so with that as her only restriction, she began eating what she wanted, when she wanted. She applied that same freedom to her exercise routine — moving her body when and how she felt was best in the moment.

While we applaud this freedom-of-restriction mindset, we know it takes time, practice and self control to adopt these best practices as a healthy lifestyle, rather than a short-term solution. We don't often recommend throwing restrictions and structured guidelines to the wayside too early on in one's weight loss journey, because it often backfires, not unlike Howlett's experience.

"…I followed this myth that I could eat as much as possible and lose weight. Before this journey, I would literally have a 10-banana smoothie for breakfast. Lunch was a similar smoothie or a huge serving of fruit. For dinner, I just loaded up on potatoes," Howlett revealed.

Was she happy because she wasn't feeling restricted? Yes. Was she miserable because her energy levels spiked and plummeted all day without any sign of weight loss? Yes.

Through trial and error, Howlett learned that a modified restrictive-free practice worked best for her goals and lifestyle. Now, she starts her morning with a 500-calorie serving of hashbrowns loaded with vegetables. For lunch, she'll have a cup of rice loaded with greens, a cup of beans and fresh salsa. For dinner, she enjoys a large salad with a few small potatoes.

To anyone who has suffered through restrictive, limiting diets, these three meals may sound too good to be true because we've been trained to think carbs are the enemy.

Celebrities and health professionals, like Julianne Hough and Heidi Powell, are debunking those myths with their healthy lifestyles and incredible figures. "[Carbs] make my brain click on and everything else is able to function," Hough told Us Weekly. "I thought they were my enemy, but they're actually my best friend."

Howlett echoes that sentiment, telling Women's Health, "One constant in my meals is that I never skimp on the carbs…because they help me feel full and energized." This plant-based meal plan helped her lose the first 40 pounds in just six months.

As for her workouts, she makes sure to get 10,000 steps in a day. In addition to her step requirement, she typically exercises four times a week for about 60 minutes. The exercise of choice depends on her mood. "Some days I'll go on a 10-mile bike ride, other days it's yoga or bodyweight calisthenics exercises."

The underlying tale of Howlett's 70-pound weight loss success lies in three key factors:

  1. She hit the point of no return where an 'enough is enough' attitude set her will power on fire.
  2. She settled on a meal plan — after testing what worked best for her mind and body — that didn't cause her to sacrifice. (For example, she enjoyed healthy, complex carbs at every main mealtime, mixing in fresh fruits and vegetables for snacks throughout the day.)
  3. She worked her body in ways that were challenging but not so uncomfortable that they became unrealistic and short-lived (she didn't force herself to join a gym).

While everyone's weight loss journey varies, these three factors to success — modified to an individual's goal and experience — is a formula for lasting results.

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