I Lost 35 Pounds by Cutting These 5 Foods I'll Never Eat Again

Losing 35 pounds is an impressive feat. If someone lost that amount of weight in four months—without using weight-loss drugs—wouldn't you want to know their secrets? We did just that and are here to spill the tea. We spoke with Jim Jackson who let us in on his weight-loss secrets. Not only did he share the hardest parts of his journey—including how he handled social eating situations—but he also let us in on the five foods he cut out of his life completely and what he eats instead.

"I went from 200 pounds (95 kg) to 165 pounds (75 kg) in around four months," Jackson says. "I didn't count calories or follow a strict diet other than eating real, whole, non-ultra-processed food. I simply removed foods that didn't agree with my body."

One of the first steps in weight loss is modifying your diet. Jackson didn't actually set a goal to lose weight, but rather, he struggled with the way he was feeling. Chronic fatigue syndrome had him seeking a solution, and he lost weight in the process.

"Doctor's couldn't help. Google couldn't help. Like a light bulb moment, I realized I was not eating like a human, as we have for hundreds of thousands of years. When I changed my diet to align with this, everything changed," Jackson shares.

He started with getting rid of items in the kitchen and cutting five foods out of his diet completely. Eliminating these things made the biggest difference in his accomplishment.

Seed oils are extracted from plant seeds and are used for cooking. Examples of these oils include corn, soybean, and grapeseed. They're pretty affordable, but their refined processes can compromise any nutritional value.

"I'm not convinced seed oils are as healthy as they're promoted to be. They wouldn't have been in the human diet until recent times, so it made sense to me to remove them from my diet," says Jackson.

Gluten-based foods contain rye, barley, wheat, or triticale, which act as a glue that holds foods like crackers, cereals, pasta, and breads together.

Jackson eliminated bread and pasta from his diet.

"Bread and pasta kept me hungry, even after eating large portions. Cutting them removed constant cravings and bloating almost immediately. If I treat myself to some bread, I can really feel the difference – I feel heavy and lethargic," he tells us.

Sugar is a carb that provides energy fast. It's a great example of "once on the lips, twice on the hips."

"Sugar was driving energy crashes and rebound hunger. I used to get the sugar shakes all the time. Once I had rid sugar from my diet, my energy became steady, and my desire to snack disappeared," Jackson shares.

This elimination may surprise you just as it surprised Jackson. Fruit is touted as being healthy and a perfect low-calorie treat to savor for breakfast or snack."Even though fruit is seen as 'healthy,' it kept my sweet cravings alive—it is nature's candy, after all. Removing it completely broke the sugar cycle," Jackson tells us.

Starchy vegetables are high in carbs. Examples include potatoes, legumes, winter squashes, corn, and root veggies.

"These foods pushed me to overeat without feeling full for long. Removing them made it easy to eat less without feeling restricted," Jackson shares.

The most difficult part of Jackson's path was getting his family onboard with him eating differently than they did, but they worked through it.

Jackson focuses on simple, satisfying meals built around protein and natural fats which help him feel full. He snacks on hard-boiled eggs when he feels like a light snack. Since implementing these changes in his diet, Jackson's cravings have faded, he's in a better mood, and he's more energized.

Jackson's journey isn't always easy. In social situations, he opts for meat and veggie choices. He admits it's hard to be "that person" who avoids most things on a menu, but it's all worth it.

Looking for more inspiration before you head grocery shopping? Check out Nutritionist Reveals The 10-Second Hack To Find Hidden Protein Foods.