Monthly Archives: August 2016

For most of my life I’ve been overweight. Every doctor’s visit was the same: “Tyler, you’re at serious health risk. You need to start thinking about losing some weight…” Just like any 17 year old at the time, it went in one ear and out the other. I continued to eat whatever I wanted with no regards for the doctor’s warning. I was living a lifestyle with dangerous consequences. Looking at my life before the big change, I’ve realized the main reason I never showed signs of changing was being in a constant state of denial, lack of motivation and drive. At one point in my life my uncle graciously tried to help me lose a decent amount of weight by enrolling me in the YMCA tennis camp in Bethesda, MD. He even showed me what to eat and gave me good nutritional advice. But it still wasn’t enough for me to change. As soon as camp was over I reverted back to my old ways and gained all the hard work and effort back.  

Now fast-forward to my first year in community college. I was still eating like I was at 17 years old. Still in denial, I assumed since I could fit in my clothing I wasn’t gaining that much weight. After the first semester I truly hit rock bottom. I was placed on academic probation because I was solely focused on my new job and had my priorities all mixed up. My whole world was shattered. I never felt so low in my life. I just wanted to crawl in a corner and cry. This was the wakeup call I needed to change my life and get my priorities in line. I started to change all aspects of my life, including my eating habits. I began making small changes like omitting sugary drinks and soda, focusing on drinking more water. Also I started setting alarms so I was able to eat breakfast in the morning. It was during this time I came across Lauren’s website. I was completely astounded by oatmeal possibilities. The first oatmeal I ever made from her website was the Thin Mints Oatmeal. Then the rest was history.

Now let me properly introduce myself. My name is Tyler Campbell and I’m majoring in microbiology at Virginia Tech. I love oatmeal because it’s so versatile. It could be savory or–my favorite–sweet. But my favorite part is the toppings because it allows me to be whimsical and creative. I generally choose my toppings according to my oatmeal flavor. For example if I’m feeling in a birthday cake mood I’d generally top it with bananas or strawberries, a funfetti cookie or two, nutella or any chocolate spread I have on hand, sprinkles and my favorite soy chips. Now if going a more savory route my go-to savory oats is a play off of shrimp ‘n grits.

Sunday: Cookies & Cream

The key to great tasting oatmeal isn’t the oatmeal base or whether you used coconut milk instead of water. It’s the toppings. Today I’m enjoying a luscious cookies and cream themed oatmeal bowl. The base is made by either using a cookies ‘n cream protein powder (my favorite is the one by @questnutrition) or simply crushing up a few Oreos and adding a hint of vanilla and stevia. For aesthetic reason every oat base I make sits on top of 2 tbs of chia seeds. Mostly because chia seeds look like little bugs. Since the theme is cookies ‘n cream I chose to use banana slices, a Hershey spread, toasted cookies ‘n cream protein bites and fudge strip cookies. (more…)