What happens when a soldier discovers that the most powerful “performance enhancer” isn’t a supplement—but a plate? In this gripping episode of the Crackin’ Backs Podcast, Army Veteran and Registered Dietitian Brittani DaSilva shares how a deployment to Afghanistan rekindled her love for nutrition and exposed a hard truth: even among warriors, burnout, stress, emotional eating, and diet culture can quietly win the battle.

Brittani takes us from chow-hall “stoplight” lines to the reality of 18-hour duty days, from HIIT-induced exhaustion to the long game of strength, recovery, and sustainable fat loss. If you’ve ever bounced between keto, shakes, and “starvation mode” myths—or felt like food was either “good” or “bad”—this conversation will hit home.

“You didn’t get here overnight. You won’t change overnight. But you can change—if you stop chasing quick fixes and start changing your behaviors.”

The Highlights (and Hard Truths) You Need to Hear

1) Diet culture vs. sustainable fat loss
Fast drop ≠ lasting change. Brittani dismantles the allure of $400/month “shake plans” and carb bans, and replaces it with behavior change, mindset work, and skill-building. The goal isn’t perfect eating—it’s consistent, realistic habits you can live with.

2) Emotional eating isn’t a willpower problem
Military life magnifies stress—so does modern life. Food becomes a coping strategy. Brittani coaches clients to name the stress, not shame the snack, then build real tools (therapy referrals when needed, simple distractions in the moment, and “how will I feel in an hour?” awareness).

3) “Good vs. bad” food rules backfire
Moralizing food fuels the binge–restrict loop. Brittani’s antidote: eat for how you want to feel. Two slices of pizza with a salad beats five slices with regret. Traditions matter; skills beat rules.

4) Strength > punishment; recovery > grind
Burned out by five-days-a-week HIIT? Brittani was too. When she shifted to progressive overload strength training and better recovery, she got stronger—and looked forward to training again.

5) Steps, but smarter
Going from 2,000 to 10,000 steps overnight is fantasy. Brittani’s move: incremental goals (2k → 4.5k → 6k…), compounding wins, sustainable momentum.

6) GLP-1s (Ozempic/Wegovy): hope with guardrails
Used thoughtfully, these meds can quiet relentless “food noise” for some clients—but Brittani flags the risks (muscle loss, nutrient gaps) and focuses on protein, fiber, and habit-building so results don’t evaporate.

7) Data builds awareness—not obsession
A single week with an app like MyFitnessPal can be eye-opening. Most people aren’t “in starvation mode”—they’re under-fueled on protein, over-fueled on hyper-palatable calories. Awareness creates choice.

8) Gratitude as a performance tool
Post-military identity loss, childbirth recovery, gym setbacks—Brittani reframed the self-talk. Gratitude isn’t fluff; it’s friction for the spiral, fuel for the comeback.

Why This Episode Matters

If you’re tired of white-knuckling diets, sprinting into HIIT fatigue, or labeling foods like villains—this conversation offers a third way: freedom. Freedom from rule-obsession. Freedom from all-or-nothing. Freedom to build strength, sanity, and a relationship with food that actually lasts.

Tune In & Level Up

🎧 Listen:
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
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▶️ Watch:
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🌐 Show Website:
• https://www.crackinbackspodcast.com/

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