A woman has shared her surprising discovery that three foods commonly perceived as ‘healthy’ were actually contributing to her weight gain.

Michelle Cooper, a self-proclaimed ‘fat loss bestie’ from Shrewsbury, revealed that eliminating these items from her diet helped her drop from a size 20 to a size 12 in just five months.

In a TikTok video, Michelle recounted her struggles with weight loss and explained that she began to lose weight effortlessly after removing these foods, even though she was eating more overall.

Remarkably, she managed to shed 45 pounds in 2023, achieving her weight loss goals postpartum and while juggling work commitments, all without resorting to dieting, following the birth of her twins.

“No calorie counting and no starving myself,” Michelle stated in her video. “I was eating what I thought were ‘healthy’ foods, but they were actually keeping me overweight. Let me explain.”

The first culprit on her list was breakfast cereals, specifically brands like Special K, granola bars, and instant porridge, which are often marketed as slimming or healthy options.

‘They told me that it was the healthy choice but here’s what actually happens. I’d eat them at seven in the morning and then by 9.30am I was so hungry,’ she explained.

‘My blood sugar would actually be spiking in the morning and then crash back down again, leaving me craving sugar and every crash made me reach for something else, biscuits or coffee or snacks, and it was up and down like a rollercoaster all day long.’

Michelle Cooper (pictured) shared how she was able to drop from a size 20 to a size 12 in just five months by swapping out certain ‘healthy’ foods

Michelle found that swapping these types of breakfast cereals for high-protein meals in the morning, such as eggs and bacon or Greek yogurt ‘or even leftovers from dinner the night before’, helped her manage her cravings.

‘Everything changed, I could go for four, five, six hours without even thinking about food,’ she said. 

‘Before, I was obsessed, I couldn’t stop eating and that meant fewer cravings, less snacking and finally, steady fat loss.’

Michelle continued: ‘Here’s the key, if your breakfast is leaving you hungry an hour later, it’s not working for you.’

The second ‘healthy’ food that Michelle said was keeping her from losing weight was smoothies and juices.

‘I used to think that being virtuous by starting the day with a smoothie and getting all your five portions of fruits and vegetables in one go was the best thing ever,’ she explained.

‘But most of them are basically just sugar bombs in a bottle. Sure, yes, they’ve got fruit in and you are allowed to eat fruit, fruit is really good, it’s full of antioxidants and all sorts of good stuff.

‘But these kind of liquid calories, they don’t fill you up, they go straight through you half an hour later – in fact, straight away, you’re still hungry.’

‘I ditched smoothies and I started chewing real food. Your hunger will vanish,’ Michelle advised, adding that eating fruit whole is the best thing to do. 

Michelle said she lost 45 pounds in 2023 without ‘calorie counting’ or ‘starving myself’ thanks to a few changes to her diet

‘Eat it with protein beside it. I had an amazing recipe the other night actually, with tuna and apple, I’ll find a way to share that. It’s game-changing.’

Finally, Michelle said the third type of food she gave up may commonly be found in the cupboards and fridges of people actively trying to lose weight – but they don’t help, she claimed.

‘Anything low-fat. I lived on low-fat yogurts, low-fat spreads, low-fat cheeses. These are the problem,’ she declared. 

‘When companies take out fats, they typically add something like sugar or starch in it to make it taste good.

‘Sugar actually drives cravings. So I eat a “healthy” low-fat yogurt for lunch, it wouldn’t fill me up at all, they kind of taste pretty rank as well, and you spend the rest of the afternoon fighting the urge to raid the cupboards to get something else that is sugary.’

Instead of low-fat alternatives, Michelle said she switched to ‘full-fat, high-protein foods’.

After doing so, she said she felt ‘full again’ and did not feel the need to snack.

‘That’s how I lost fat while eating more food. So these are the foods I ditched and some swaps that finally helped me drop four dress sizes.’

Michelle also offered advice to fans who had questions for her, including on what types of food to swap out.

One person asked if eating wholemeal toast and fruit would make for a good breakfast.

She replied: ‘You’re much better to have meats, eggs, fish and vegetables for breakfast.

‘I know it doesn’t sound like breakfast food (traditionally in the UK) but in “slimmer” European countries it is.’

Another fan said they believed they would ‘have to starve’ in order to lose weight, but Michelle was quick to offer her advice on the contrary.

‘Absolutely you would NOT,’ she wrote. ‘I probably tripled the amount of food I was eating to lose weight – no starving necessary.’