Bri Blank ’14

If you’re expecting a darkest-moment-before-the-dawn type of dramatic weight loss story from Bri Blank, forget it.

This is the story of a happy girl who became happier still after losing 150 pounds. And not by drinking the latest superfood shake or doing a three-day water cleanse. Blank did it the old-fashioned way: calorie reduction and exercise. And lots of turkey sandwiches.

“Really. I dropped 50 pounds in four months just by eating turkey sandwiches for lunch and dinner,” said the former journalism major, who is now a Brooklyn-based, part-time script production assistant for “The Chew,” a cooking show on ABC, and author of the blog BRI Healthy, which offers healthy eating and wellness advice.

Blank’s weight loss began in January of her sophomore year. She said she couldn’t remember what prompted her to get on a scale. She wasn’t in the habit of doing it. “I consider it divine intervention,” Blank said. “One day, I thought, let me really see.”

The scale said 306 pounds. Blank took immediate action. And the steady diet of turkey sandwiches plus the addition of regular exercise enabled Blank to shed 150 pounds — and gain insights only a person who’d experienced dramatic weight loss could. It’s what separates her from the thousands of other voices in the field of health and wellness, Blank said.

“My dream is to become a health talk show host. I want people to live the healthiest lifestyle they can,” Blank said. “I can tell you from experience that you can lose weight in an easy way, and it can be fun to eat healthy.”