A TikTok star who had "only ever cooked scrambled eggs" has revealed how she recreates high-calorie meals into healthy feasts – and it has even helped her lose four stone in the process.

Rosie Breen, 25, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, who has just released her own cookbook, has struggled with her weight since being a young girl.

While at university, her body "doubled in size", with her going from a size 10 to size 18 in three years thanks to a diet of ready-meal pasta bakes, family size bags of Doritos and bread.

Rosie also struggled with portion control and would constantly sign up to the gym but never go.

“When I was younger, I was always one of the tallest girls in my class and always had broad shoulders and wide hips," the food influencer and author told Jam Press.

“I always felt uncomfortable and like I was the big girl – and I had an incredibly negative relationship with my body – but I grew out of it by the age of 17 and felt good about my figure.

“When I went to university I had recently had the contraceptive injection and I suddenly had this insanely huge appetite – and was in charge of all my meals for the first time.

“[As I gained weight] I didn’t have any self-worth and my confidence was constantly being knocked back.

“I’d re-join the gym at the start of every term and give up after going twice.

"It felt like everyone there knew what they were doing and I felt so intimidated and out of place.

“I also had no sense of portion control at all and by the time I finished uni I had doubled in size, but was still in denial.

“[It wasn’t until] a girl’s holiday to Budapest in October 2018 that I had my turning point.

While on the trip, Rosie had put a towel on after her shower and found it wouldn’t fully cover her body, while it fit the other girls easily.

She finally understood how much weight she had gained – with the scale showing 17st 3lbs.

By the time she graduated later that same year and secured a corporate job, the young girl was miserable with her appearance so the following year, she made a renewed attempt at losing weight – starting with her diet.

Wanting to take on a body-positive approach to eating, the blogger skipped the fad diets and instead focused on "healthifying" her favourite dishes – such as pasta dishes, tasty breakfasts and Thai food.

She felt that restricting foods she enjoyed wouldn't be sustainable.

By making simple ingredients swaps, Rosie recreated dishes including one of her favourites: mac and cheese – a typically calorific meal.

Experimenting with swapping heavy cream for skimmed milk, using light cheeses and breadcrumbs instead of deep-frying the chicken, her recipe for the dish comes in at just 490 calories per portion, with 29g of protein thanks to the bacon and cheese.

A more traditional recipe for the calorie-busting meal clocks in at upwards of 780 calories per serving, chock-full of fat and cholesterol thanks to ingredients including cream and full-fat cheeses.

The same principle applied to her other meals, with Rosie creating healthy versions of all of her favourites – tacos, pad Thai, pasta dishes, chicken souvlaki and pancakes.

She also made portion control a priority and stuck to a daily calorie goal.

The cookbook author said: “With cooking, I found inspiration from restaurant menus – if I liked the look of a dish, I’d try and make a healthier version of it.

“I was never confident in the kitchen despite my parents being really extravagant cooks, but I realised it was time to learn.

“At 20 years old, I asked my little cousin to show me how to cook scrambled eggs.”

Rosie also watched YouTube tutorials and ordered HelloFresh cooking boxes to help perfect her new-found culinary skills.

The influencer was soon feeling great but tackling the fitness aspect of her new lifestyle was a bigger challenge.

Rosie said: “I had to leave 40 minutes into my first class – it was so incredibly hard and I couldn’t catch my breath.

“But the next day my mum pushed me to go back and stay for the whole class, even if I had to sit out part of it, and so I went and had an amazing time doing 'boxercise'.

“I developed such a love for the classes and getting the endorphins.

"It's so important to find exercise that you enjoy."

As Rosie's confidence improved, she decided to share photos of her food on social media and quickly went viral, with people begging her for tips.

By May 2021, she was able to quit her marketing job and became a full-time food influencer with 400,000 followers on TikTok and 80,000 fans on Instagram (@rosiebreenx).

Rosie said: “I knew if I helped just one person with their journey, it would be worth putting myself out there and sharing my story on social media.

"I’ve just been figuring it out as I go along but seeing people making my recipes and knowing I’ve helped them is amazing.

"It feels emotional to have cooking be a big part of my career.

“Losing weight has helped me completely change my mindset – I now know I can do anything I set my mind to."

Rosie has also come out with her own cookbook in partnership with HP Custom Content, dubbed Rosie’s Recipes – where she shares the failsafe meals that helped her shed the extra pounds.

The no-fuss recipes include dishes such as vodka pasta, tofu pad Thai, stuffed peppers and one-pot cheesy chicken and spinach alfredo.

In addition to being happy and healthy, the influencer has also found love.

When she first started dating boyfriend Henry, 25, in September 2019, she worried the weight would creep back on due to dinners and nights out.

But Rosie was determined to have a good balance between working out and dating.

She said: “I found that if I stayed consistent with my routine, I would be fine.

"The proof is in the pudding – it’s what you do nine out of 10 days that counts, not the one day you have off."

Rosie now weighs 12st 9lbs and her favourite healthy dish to make is one of her mac and cheese recipes – with prawns and chorizo for an extra kick.

She takes a balanced approach to enjoying treats, indulging cravings without going overboard – and it's an important part of her message as a body-positive influencer.

Rosie added: “It’s got to be sustainable, otherwise you’ll quit – it’s so true that you can enjoy everything as long as it’s in moderation.

“If you want the chocolate, eat the chocolate – just take a balanced approach to it.”