How This Soon Bride to be Lost 130 lbs

Meet Bailey…

I’m 23 years old and I live with my best friend and fiance. We’re getting married in October!

We have an adorable little puppy who’s just over 6 months old. We’re going to buy a house next spring and looking to adopt lot of children who need a good home.

I had a pretty rough childhood and grew up obese after the age of 8. One of my least fond memories is stepping on the scale in front of my father, sister, and brother thinking I weighed 140 pounds and weighing 185. I was 12. It only got worse from there. I ballooned over the next 3 years after some deaths in my family.

I struggled watching my twin sister and brother (15 months older) excel at sports and social activities. I was always the “music nerd”. I did a lot of choirs in high school and made it through a lot of vocal competitions.

That’s where my passion lies. I love music. I love playing instruments and I love singing. It helped me fit in better in high school. I got bullied a lot for my weight but having popular siblings helped that in high school. Grade school and middle school were the worst. I got bullied every day. One incident stands out in particular.

It was a boy named Mike who was particularly mean to me asking me once, “So when are you due?” It crushed me. Instead of making me want to work on losing weight, it made me eat more. I started losing weight after high school.

The first year, I honestly didn’t have much money for food and lost about 40 pounds because of that. After that, I thought to myself I should keep losing weight. So I started eating better and exercising. It was slow going at first but I really enjoyed it.

I met my fiance, who is amazing, and it made me work even harder to look how I wanted to. I still have work to do, I want to get down to 130 and that’s going to take me awhile. But, I am super optimistic about it.

What was your lifestyle like prior to your transformation?

I use to binge eat. I remember using my father’s credit card after school to buy large pizzas and eat them by myself in a sitting. I would eat 4 hot pockets in a row and half a block of cheese.

I was beyond sedentary. I would get out of breath from one flight of stairs. In my high school students are required to “run the mile” twice a year. It would take me the entire class period and I was so embarrassed seeing everyone waiting for me to finish. I was very unhealthy.

Where does your motivation come from? 

My brother is one of biggest inspirations! He is always striving to be as physically fit as he can and he helps/trains others to do the same. He has always been my fitness inspiration.

He’s fantastic! My sister has always been very supportive of me, at any weight, and she is always there cheering me on. Every time I see her she says, “You look so nice today.” My siblings are my rock!

What does your daily diet look like? 

For breakfast I usually eat oats with water. I often add a serving of almonds. I also like a piece of toast with egg white and half and avocado. I sometimes eat that for lunch as well.

I try to have my bigger meal in the middle of the day. For lunch I usually have a protein (salmon, chicken, tuna, etc.) over a salad with non-fat feta cheese. Dinner is usually something light. I eat a lot of fish (Tilapia, whiting, salmon) with a vegetable. I LOVE vegetables, all of them!

What workout routine has worked best for you?

I mostly do my exercise at home. There are a TON of free workout videos on YouTube. I love anything Jillian Michaels. She kicks my ass. Right now I’m doing one called Yoga Meltdown.

I’m on level two. Each one has a beginner and moderate workout so you can move yourself up once you get to the right point to do so.

I also walk my dog a lot. I want to work up to running eventually. I’ve never been one for running, but I want to get into it.

How has your life changed since the transformation? 

I am more confident, my self-esteem is no longer non-existent, and I feel better. It’s nice to be able to walk and breathe at the same time. People in general, treat me better. That sounds bad but when you’re obese people treat you differently.

I also get hit on now! Which is new to me haha. It’s flattering and for sure makes a person feel better about themselves. Overall, I just feel better.

My breathing is better, my sleep is better, my anxiety is gone, my mental health (which had taken a toll from the bullying) is fantastic, and I am so much happier.

Favorite Quote:

“We know that from time to time there arise among human beings, people who seem to exude love, as naturally as the sun gives out heat.”-Alan Watts.

It isn’t related to fitness but it just fits my personality and has made me feel internal peace. I’m definitely a lover, not a fighter haha.