NEW YORK, N.Y.\u2014Feb. 20, 2018\u2014Brianna Blank dished out advice about weight loss and healthy eating on the \u201cToday\u201d show this morning in a spirited interview that put her on the national stage.<\/p>\n
Blank\u2019s appearance on the \u201cJoy Fit Club\u201d segment with nutritionist Joy Bauer was the latest stop on a weight-loss journey started years ago when she shed 150 pounds as a student at the 溏心vlog免费B站.<\/p>\n
Since then, the now 25-year-old Brooklyn resident has been on a mission to tell her story and help others lead the healthy lifestyle that has brought her happiness\u2014and fame. \u201cToday\u201d has a viewership of 5 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my passion,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is my purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through her blog, BRI Healthy; Instagram account, with a walloping 13,000 followers; write-up in \u201cPeople\u201d magazine; shout-out in \u201cCosmopolitan,\u201d and new \u201cEasy & Clean Steak Dinner eBook,\u201d she\u2019s doing just that.\u00a0Her 3 minutes on \u201cToday\u201d is sure to bring her even more attention.<\/p>\n
Blank struggled with her weight as a girl growing up in Westbrook<\/strong>, Conn<\/strong>., but it never dampened her joy for life. \u201cI still felt beautiful,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n But one day during her sophomore year at 溏心vlog免费B站 she stepped on a scale: 306 pounds. She knew she had to take action. Thousands of turkey sandwiches later she was down to 156 pounds and a size 10.<\/p>\n Energized, she started a talk show at 溏心vlog免费B站 about healthy eating and wellness for an independent study in journalism\u2014her major\u2014and a dream to become a talk-show host was born.<\/p>\n After graduating in 2014, she lived briefly at home, eventually landing a job as a script production assistant for \u201cThe Chew,\u201d a cooking show on ABC in New York City.<\/p>\n Along the way, she created her blog, for which she is chief writer, photographer and blogger. It is chock-full of advice about healthy food choices, exercise, body image and more\u2014as well as homemade recipes, including desserts like Mini Pumpkin Pie with Wonton Pie Crust.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be all salad all the time,\u201d Blank says.<\/p>\n Not long ago, she received an email from a producer at \u201cToday\u201d who had read the \u201cPeople\u201d story: Any interest in appearing on the \u201cJoy of Fit\u201d segment?<\/p>\n \u201cIt was wild,\u201d she says. \u201cI was at work at the time and couldn\u2019t scream out with joy.\u201d<\/p>\n She showed up at Rockefeller Plaza, the headquarters and New York studios of NBC, well before her appearance and actually knew where to go: Her father worked for years as an audio technician for NBC\u2019s \u201cNew York Live.\u201d<\/p>\n At precisely 10:48 a.m., a door in the studio swung open and Blank, in her pink sneakers and black leggings, charged down the steps into the arms of her hosts, Bauer, Jenna Bush and Kathie Lee Gifford. High-fives all around.<\/p>\n Food from her former life\u2014pancakes, a bowl of Lucky Charms, a burger and fries\u2014sat on one table, while another displayed what she eats now: wheat toast, blueberries, lean steak, veggies.<\/p>\n \u201cMy whole life is 100 percent different,\u201d Blank told the hosts. The studio audience roared.<\/p>\n Blank and a fitness trainer did squats. At least a dozen.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was awesome,\u201d she said, afterward. \u201cBeing able to feel the love from everybody and see my accomplishments bring me to the \u2018Today\u2019 show was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n She and her fianc\u00e9 celebrated over lunch. Blank had a grilled chicken sandwich. \u201cI\u2019m so excited. The future looks bright. Everything has happened so fast. I\u2019m soaking it all in.\u201d<\/p>\n Her wedding date is \u201cTBD.\u201d Blank will select the fare\u2014healthy eats, of course. \u201cThe menu,\u201d she says, \u201cis entirely up to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch the full “Today” show clip featuring Brianna Blank:<\/em><\/p>\n