How I Lost More Than 30lbs

Hello beauty queens! 2021 was a BIG year for me — I started a new job, I got married and I moved 700 miles away from home.

Like many other brides out there, I wanted to look as good as I possibly could. I went to my dress fitting in January 2021 to see my beautiful, custom Olia Zavozina gown for the first time since my March 2020 fitting and design session. I was mortified. It fit, but it did not look good. Once my mom and I left the shop, I started sobbing. I felt so insecure and knew there was no way I would walk down the aisle feeling that way about myself.

Whether we want to blame it on COVID or just not exercising like I should, it had to be changed.

I weighed myself for the first time in who knows how long when I got home, and I was not happy with the number looking back at me. I started doing at-home workouts here and there, but really dragged my feet…and therefore saw no results. Fast forward to my bachelorette trip in June — we went to the beach and took photos/videos galore. I was less than 2 months from my wedding day, and I knew that if I didn’t begin making changes, I would be soo self-conscious on the happiest day of my life.

On the last day of June, I went to a barre class for the first time since college. I went to Pure Barre a few times a week one year as a way to get ready for sorority recruitment, and had abs for the first time in my life. I will never be a girl who enjoys running and push-ups, so finding a class that was more about toning and strengthening your body was everything for me. The studio I chose this summer also offered mat and reformer pilates, so I was stoked to try that.

When I say pilates changed my life, I mean it CHANGED my life. It was not uncommon for me to go to more than one class per day solely because I enjoyed it so much. Hell, I did pilates on my wedding day before going to the venue. Weighed my goal weight on my wedding day and I have continued to lose more!

Of course most work is done in the kitchen - while I’m not strictly vegan, I did shift to a more plant-based lifestyle. I’m updating this post in October 2022 and I have stayed within 3lbs of my lowest weight and I genuinely have so much more energy!