How This Woman Lost 80 Lbs. Making Small Changes
Randi Vasquez was “always pretty chubby” growing up, but it never affected her confidence.
“I was always feeling myself,” the 27-year-old told People. “I wasn’t scared to wear a two-piece bathing suit or trendy outfits. I wasn’t always the happiest about my image, but I didn’t let that hold me back.”
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But after she graduated from college, Vasquez found herself in “a post-grad slump.”
“I couldn’t find the job that I wanted, and I had trouble adapting,” she says.
Living in Chattanooga, Tenn., she and her friends would go for hours-long, mimosa-filled brunches every weekend and dine on fried chicken and waffles. And her other meals were just as caloric — Vasquez relied on fast food and remembers one day when she and her roommate ate at the southern burger joint Krystal’s three times.
“I was getting heavier and heavier,” she says. “I started to notice that my confidence was going down, and I wasn’t motivated to do anything. It started to click that if I didn’t change my life that it would just get worse and worse.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/395OsTFyFv/
Today I was seriously lacking motivation to get my butt to the gym until I saw this photo. The photo on the far left was taken almost exactly one year ago when I started the #Whole30 diet. I hate to admit that I gave up less than 48 hours into the diet and returned to my old ways. The photo in the middle was taken at the end of February just a few days before I started BBG 1.0. By this point I had already lost around 30 pounds but seriously lacked motivation and a steady diet. The photo on the right was taken less than 2 weeks ago on my last day of BBG 1.0! It's incredible how much of a difference one year or even a few months of dedication can make! For all you girls who are ready to give up, DON'T!! ((Also can we please just ignore my facial expressions and sloppy hair in the first two images ?)) #transformation #weightloss #bbg #kaylasarmy #bbgprogress #health #fitness #kaylaitsines #deathbykayla #bbgcommunity #bbggirls #thekaylamovement #burgerstoburpees
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Plus, Vasquez was struggling to do her job as a wedding photographer.
“I remember one proposal session on a mountain and I had to run up and down this trail,” she says. “I couldn’t keep up with the couple and I remember that day was a big moment because I felt so out of shape. I was so embarrassed because I was so exhausted.”
Vasquez decided to start trying to lose weight, but with small changes. She joined her local YMCA in the fall of 2014 and found a body pump class that she loved.
“I went twice a week — I became obsessed with it. Within five or six months I lost 18 to 20 lbs. just by going to the gym,” she says.
In March 2015, a friend introduced her to Kayla Itsines’ popular BBG plan, and she got a Fitbit Surge later that year to monitor her heart rate and figure out how to push herself during workouts.
“Within a few weeks my body started to change and that helped me stay motivated,” she says.
https://www.instagram.com/p/8EQm1dlyPN/
So here it is y'all. A before & after of the past 24-ish weeks. These photos were taken 1 week before starting @kayla_itsines BBG 1.0 and one week after finishing BBG 2.0. I've lost weight, sweated more than I thought was ever possible, gained tons of muscle, got a tan, worked on my eyebrows, and still haven't fixed my hair. ? The past 6 months have been an incredible and eye opening experience. I've done things that I had no idea were possible! Monday I'll be starting BBG 1.0 again and I'm so excited. Who wants to join with me?! ?? December is just around the corner and this girl is gonna be looking hella good for her 24th birthday & NYE. Time to get serious.???✨ #bodyconhereicome #86days
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Vasquez also started cooking more of her meals and going for healthier options. She stuck to a low-carb diet as much as possible, but didn’t cut out fast food completely — “I didn’t want to restrict too many things,” she says. One of the biggest moments in her weight loss journey came when Itsines shared one of Vasquez’s progress photos on Instagram.
“That was one of the best moments for me, because it helped me break down a wall I had up,” she says. “Before I was heavy and I didn’t want anyone to know that I had gained weight after college and that I was struggling, but having that out in the world tore that wall down. It helped me share my story and meet other people like me who were tackling their weight problems.”
And slowly but surely, the weight started coming off.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIV9HDYDtmE/
This is the only time in my life where you will see me post a quote on a photo of myself, but "Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different." •It is so insane to think that these photos were taken less than two years apart. And excuse my frump face in the first photo. I had no idea anyone would ever see my progress photos. ??? Each day you choose to workout, eat healthy, and better your life is slowly changing your future!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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“Year after year, month after month, I made small little goals and just kept going,” she says. “I hit 80 lbs. down in fall 2017. That was such a big moment for me. That was my original weight loss goal. I had these jars with marbles in them, and every time I lost a pound I would move a marble to the other jar. When I hit 80 lbs. down and moved that last marble it was such an amazing moment.”
In the year-and-a-half since, Vasquez has worked on maintaining her weight loss with a few ups and downs — she opened up to her now-72,800 Instagram followers in January that she was “constantly yo-yoing” in weight during 2018 and wanted to find a better balance. And in the months since, she accomplished one of her bucket list goals: running a half marathon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuUE4nRAZF8/
As a photographer you’d think I’d be much better at capturing and sharing my life but clearly I’m not. ??♀️ Here’s a little progress update though!!! February has been a strugggggle. For the first two weeks I was so sick. I may still have a lingering cough but I’m doing so much better now. I haven’t been as consistent with my eating as I’d like to be though. I mostly eat super clean during the week and have a “?treat yo self?” mentality all weekend but I’m still happy with my results. Over the last two months I’ve lost around 14 pounds but also gained a lot of muscle since I’ve been reallll consistent with my workouts. Feels good to finally feel like I’ve got a steady balance going on again. ?? Now maybe its time to take that horrible winter stroll through the target swimsuit section to keep this mentality going. ?? #bellybuttonsag
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“Before I even started losing weight, it was just something I really wanted to do,” she says. “I wanted to prove to myself that I can do something hard. Crossing that off my list was so awesome. It was such a good feeling knowing that the past few years have really changed me as I crossed that finish line.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BukS94cAFvn/
For so many years I had a 13.1 sticker taped to my bathroom mirror and today I finally got to mark that dream off my bucket list. ✅??♀️ Crossing that finish line was one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt. Now it’s time to finally purchase that little bragging sticker for my car. I earned it and I’m so proud of what I accomplished today. ✨?✨ #CHAmarathon
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And overall, Vasquez just feels “much better.”
“I’m more motivated,” she says. “Losing weight makes you feel more motivated in all areas of your life. And I’m able to run around everywhere. Just this weekend I had a wedding and I was all over the place. I don’t feel like my weight can hold me back anymore. I was happy before but there was so much I was held back from that I didn’t even realize.”
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