Bride-to-be Hated Her Proposal Pictures
When Haley Smith got engaged to her high school sweetheart, Matt, it should’ve been the happiest day of her life. But after seeing her proposal pictures, she went home and ‘cried her eyes out’, refusing to post them online.
“I hated how I looked in my proposal pictures. I saw the pictures and cried my eyes out – I didn’t even recognise myself. I wouldn’t post them because I was so ashamed of how much I had let myself go, which is sad because it was one of the best days of my life.”
And that’s when Haley knew she had to make some drastic changes in her life. “I didn’t want to be embarrassed of my wedding pictures, so I knew I needed a change,” she added.
Haley’s Struggle
When her childhood sweetheart proposed, Haley weighed 277lbs, and she felt terribly unhealthy and unhappy. Haley had struggled with being overweight her whole life, and was a self-proclaimed ’emotional eater.’
“Just about anything could trigger me to eat. . . I ate when I was sad, bored, stressed or happy and wanted to celebrate.”
And her overeating had begun affecting her health, self confidence and her social life. “I was tired, slow, sweaty, and out of breath after just about anything.” She added, “I couldn’t sleep, had aches and pains all over my body, high blood pressure, poor complexion, heartburn, and got headaches practically every day.”
“I missed out on so many things because of it.”
“I avoided the pool or beach like my life depended on it, and I missed several family activities like bike rides or hiking trips because I actually couldn’t do them. In turn, this hurt me socially because you can only turn your friends down so many times before they stop including you in plans.” Haley said.
True Love
Fueled by her fiance’s love and support, Haley was determined to make her engagement year the year she made a change. Haley said, “He even loved me enough to propose to me at my highest weight when I was feeling unlovable. So he has seen me at my best and my worst. Whenever I decided to make the lifestyle change, it wasn’t just hard on me because he was having to give up on a lot of things and change, too. He never complained. He was always supportive and eager to try whatever I was wanting to start.”
Turning Baby Steps Into Habits
So Haley began making changes. She would start with small, manageable goals, and wait until they became habits before she would add to them. She started off running three times a week, eventually increasing it to five times a week and added strength trainings to her cardio workout. “Now, a little over a year later, I work out daily – often twice daily – usually for nearly an hour each. You have to start small to make a habit and encourage yourself. I did the same with food. I picked two habits that I wanted to change and started slowly.”
Happily Ever After
Haley was more than happy to share photos from her wedding day. The proud bride had not only married the man of her dreams, but she had also lost 110lbs since those proposal pictures that had started her on this journey!
“I never thought I would look as good as I did. I expected and hoped just to look “normal,” but I felt beautiful – like a real bride should.”
Now feeling healthier and stronger, too, Haley was excited to embark on a honeymoon that would include hitting the beach, and going hiking and mountain climbing–all things she would never have been comfortable doing before her weight loss transformation.
