Personal trainer Brittany McCrystal who lost 20kg shares her simple recipe for a chicken burger
A travel agent turned personal trainer who lost 20kg by embracing simple weight loss secrets has shared her recipe for a tasty ‘sticky chicken burger’, as she promises you don’t need to eat chicken and rice to lose weight.
Brittany McCrystal, 27, who is from New Zealand but lives in Sydney, tipped the scales at 82kg after she got a desk job close by to a food court and started ‘partying too much’.
Despite trying to eat healthily, Brittany said she had ‘horrible binge eating and drinking habits’, and would diet only to fall off the wagon and re-gain all the weight.
However, after ditching her all or nothing approach and focusing on a ‘back to basics’ plan centred around nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods and regular exercise, Brittany has lost an incredible 20kg in just nine months.
She now practises what she preaches – and says you don’t have to eat boring foods just to be healthy.
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BEFORE AND AFTER: A travel agent turned personal trainer who lost 20kg by embracing simple weight loss secrets has shared her recipe for a tasty ‘sticky chicken burger’
Brittany said you don’t need to eat chicken and rice to lose weight, and her sticky chicken burger (pictured) is a great example at only 440 calories
‘Today I’m going to be showing you to make this low calorie sticky chicken burger,’ Brittany said in a now-viral TikTok video.
‘There is no need for you to eat boring food in order to lose weight. I lost 20kg eating foods like this every day.’
To make the chicken burger, you’ll need 100 grams of chicken breast, half a teaspoon of garlic, half a teaspoon of onion powder, half a teaspoon of paprika and salt and pepper to taste.
You’ll then need to dunk your seasoned chicken breast in some egg whites in a bowl.
‘Crush 12 grams of cornflakes on a plate and mix it with half a teaspoon of paprika, then make sure you coat the chicken fully,’ Brittany said.
‘Place it in the air fryer at 180 degrees Celsius for eight minutes.’
The PT recommends you try and make ‘fakeaways’ or healthier versions of your favourite takeaways at home so you don’t feel deprived (her burger pictured)
How to make Brittany McCrystal’s low calorie chicken burger
INGREDIENTS
Brittany shared the simple recipe on her TikTok page (finished result pictured)
100 grams of chicken breast
Half a teaspoon of garlic
Half a teaspoon of onion powder
A teaspoon of paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Egg whites
12 grams of cornflakes
For the sauce
25 grams of Greek yoghurt
One teaspoon of Sriracha
Half a teaspoon of mustard
Half a teaspoon of honey
For the sticky sauce
One tablespoon of honey
One tablespoon of Sriracha
Iceberg lettuce
Diced onion
Bun
METHOD
1. Combine 100 grams of chicken breast, half a teaspoon of garlic, half a teaspoon of onion powder, half a teaspoon of paprika and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Dunk this into egg whites in a bowl and crush 12 grams of cornflakes on a plate and mix it with half a teaspoon of paprika before coating your chicken.
3. Pop the chicken in the air fryer on 180 degrees Celsius for eight minutes.
4. In the meantime, make your sauce by mixing 25 grams of Greek yoghurt, one teaspoon of Sriracha, half a teaspoon of mustard and half a teaspoon of honey. Put this on a bun.
5. Add some diced onion and iceberg lettuce to the bun.
6. To make the sticky sauce, mix together one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of Sriracha.
7. Put this on the bun with the sauce and enjoy.
Source: TikTok
BEFORE AND AFTER: Previously, Brittany (pictured) shared why she thinks ‘slow and steady’ is the key to lasting weight loss
Then, she said you can make your sauce – which consists of 25 grams of Greek yoghurt, one teaspoon of Sriracha, half a teaspoon of mustard and half a teaspoon of honey.
Pop this on a bun with diced onion and iceberg lettuce, before topping with the crispy chicken.
‘Finally, to make the sticky sauce, mix together one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of Sriracha,’ Brittany said.
‘That’s it. It’s super simple, low calorie and tastes amazing. You can eat it every day for weight loss as it’s only 440 calories and has 30 grams of protein.’
Thousands who saw Britt’s video were quick to thank the PT for sharing something that’s tasty but also low calorie.
‘Yum,’ one person wrote, while others asked for her bread recommendations.
To lose the weight, Brittany completely overhauled her eating – replacing takeaways and huge portions with nourishing but healthy meals and snacks (pictured now)
Alongside the healthy eating, the 27-year-old aims to train five days a week for an hour and get 10,000 steps daily (pictured working out)
Previously, Brittany shared why the secret to lasting weight loss is to go ‘slow and steady’.
‘Slow and steady wins the race with weight loss,’ she told FEMAIL.
Brittany’s tips for lasting weight loss
1. Go slow and steady with weight loss.
2. Cut fad diets and restriction, they are designed to rob you of your happiness.
3. Get clear on your goals as starting a healthy eating plan without a clearly-defined goal is like driving to a new location without putting the destination into Google maps.
4. Stop looking for quick fixes and focus on one thing at a time.
5. If you want to change your body for good, then you need to change your lifestyle.
6. Have a plan that is designed for you and only you as everyone’s goals are different so finding some ‘random diet and exercises on Google won’t give you results’.
‘If you go in all at once and restrict things, you’ll just feel deflated when you can’t keep up with your regime.’
Brittany said before she lost the weight, she was in a ‘bad place’ with her mental health.
‘I was afraid of carbs because I thought they would make me fat. I also yo-yod on and off the Keto diet because I initially saw results and then it just stopped working,’ she said.
The 27-year-old recalled she had ‘bad panic attacks’ and hid her body in ‘long baggy clothes’.
Worse than this, Brittany’s energy levels were ‘really suffering’ and she had to seek help with a specialist to deal with her fatigue.
Brittany said her diet before was filled with no breakfast, a snack from the vending machine like potato chips, giant portions of leftovers for lunch and big meals at dinner followed by ice cream.
However, when she got on the scales at a friend’s house and saw the number staring back at her, she knew she needed to change.
To lose the weight, Brittany completely overhauled her eating – replacing takeaways and huge portions with nourishing but healthy meals and snacks.
‘Now, I eat amazing, tasty food that makes me feel good afterwards,’ she said.
‘I take typical foods and throw a more nutritious spin on them.
‘For example, this morning I had Biscoff and banana baked oats, lunch was fresh spring rolls and for dinner I had homemade nachos made from tortillas.’
‘I never used to enjoy training until I found a program I love and now it’s just a habit and I love how it makes me feel,’ Brittany (pictured now) said
Brittany said she has learned that being on a health journey ‘doesn’t have to suck and you don’t have to cut all the foods you love’.
‘It’s about finding the perfect balance between a mixture of wholefoods and soul foods, and never labelling a food as good or bad,’ she said.
‘Food is just food, and when you apply a label, it makes you feel guilty which can lead to restricting and then binge eating.’
Alongside the healthy eating, the 27-year-old aims to train five days a week for an hour and get 10,000 steps daily.
‘I never used to enjoy training until I found a program I love and now it’s just a habit and I love how it makes me feel,’ she said.
Her overhaul has also led her to change careers.
Brittany is now a fitness coach and she created her own fitness app ‘BrittFit’, which boasts hundreds of healthy recipes and workout routines.
‘I am also going to compete in my first WBFF Bikini Show in July,’ she added.
‘I’m doing it because I want to show the world my transformation and to know that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.’
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