‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond reveals how she lost 43 pounds in 5 months: 'I was tired, puffy, and desperate'

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Ree Drummond was ready to turn her life around.

On Tuesday, the "Pioneer Woman" star took to her blog where she detailed how she lost 43 pounds over the past five months.

"What motivated me the most was just wanting to feel better and have more energy," said the 52-year-old. "In January, just before I bit the bullet and took the leap, I was tired, puffy, and desperate… and I knew I shouldn’t be feeling that way."

Drummond admitted she tried so many things to help shed the pounds over the years including intermittent fasting, personal trainers, fad diets, and weight loss programs. However, none of those methods were right for her.

"I’ve tried it before, and it caused me to gorge during my eating window," she said about fasting. "Since calories matter, this didn’t work for me."

Food Network personality Ree Drummond said she was ready to revamp her eating habits. (Photo by: Tyler Essary/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

As for the celebrity-favorite Keto diet, Drummond wasn’t satisfied with that outcome either.

"I’ve tried it before, and it never worked after the initial 10-15 pounds," she said. "Plus, it made me dread avocados, which I always loved."

After feeling frustrated with her results, Drummond said she decided to keep it simple and instead, focus on eating fewer calories per day and relying on portion control. Drummond noted that using online calorie counters made it easier to maintain her goals. Using a digital food scale – as opposed to solely a measuring cup - was also helpful to make sure she was "as precise as possible with the calories I was eating."

"Counting my calories was nothing short of eye-opening, and for me it was essential," said the Food Network personality. "I’d completely lost track of the calories I was consuming on a daily basis so it was very helpful to get a handle on what I was looking at. I could tell if it was working by whether I was losing weight over time, and adjusted up or down naturally as I went."

In addition, she "made exercise a regular part of my day, whether I walked with the dogs or did the rowing machine."

'PIONEER WOMAN' REE DRUMMOND REVEALS 38-POUND WEIGHT LOSS: 'I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER'

Ree Drummond said her husband Ladd Drummond was super supportive in her weight loss journey. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Pioneer Woman Magazine)

"I’ve gotten so accustomed to excusing myself from working out because of my work schedule or travel schedule… but during the past few months, I just chose to be late on a deadline or put off work until the next day so that exercise could happen," said Drummond. "It was a simple shift in mindset, but it was important!"

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Drummond also noted that her husband Ladd Drummond taught her how to do lunges, squats, straight-leg deadlifts, and calf raises to "build muscle in my legs and my butt."

"And guess what? I was absolutely pitiful when I started," she shared. "I am a former ballerina but literally could not do a proper lunge without toppling over… But I still did it, about four days a week to start, and laughed at my uncoordinated clumsiness every time."

When it came to her eating habits, Drummond said she also ditched specialty diet foods. She also didn't "drink a sip of alcohol for over four months" and sugar was kept to a minimum.

"I wanted to eat real food, the food I eat in my household, the food I cook for my family," she said. "Packaged foods can really be great in many cases; I just knew it wasn’t right for me."

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Despite her success, the cookbook author told her readers that embarking on a healthier, happier lifestyle is a work in progress.

"I still love food, I still cook the same food for my family and me, and I'm a real person who realizes I'm always going to be prone to weigh-in ups and downs," she wrote. "But my experiences over the past few months have equipped me with real, doable tools that I feel like I'll be able to whip out whenever things get off track in the coming months and years."

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"It only took me 52 years to figure it out, but that’s OK!" she shared. "I hope this helps you, whether in big ways or small. Remember that feeling good, realistic goals, being healthy, and having fun is the way to go!"