Kaela: I was 18,
when I really started to put weight on,
and from that point on,
and it just kept going and going.
My heaviest weight, I was
269 Pounds.
When we were getting our pictures getting taken for our wedding,
I didn't know how heavy I was,
until seeing this pictures, "Wow"
"This has to change now."
I've lost 109 pounds.
I'm 160 pounds now
my goal weight is to be 145 pounds.
So I actually wound up buying this like ...
80$ dress on Amazon
that sort of resembled mine
because I definitely wanted to retake pictures.
I'm really excited to try it on now and see how it fits.
Stephanie: Oh wow.
Growing up, I fluctuated with my weight
so when I was younger I was very, very skinny.
I actually suffer from manic depression.
when I was younger I actually tried to
commit suicide.
The difference was back then
when I got really depressed,
I didn't eat at all.
I was constantly at the doctor like
and then as I got older the depression became
"What can I eat now?
I would look at myself and
hate myself.
My heaviest weight I was
269 Pounds.
Kaela: I worked at a coffee shop
and she walked in.
and the minute she walked in she had this smile on
and I was like,
Stephanie: When we met it was instantaneous,
we started dating right away
and then we ended up getting married.
I think when people get into a relationship,
they tend to go out to eat a lot.
they eat whatever they want, they're happy, they're in love
and they just eat all the food that they see.
So we both progressively started to put on weight.
and neither of us faced that head on.
Kaela: So when we were getting our pictures taken for our wedding,
I knew I had gained weight.
I didn't know how heavy I was,
until seeing these pictures.
Just looking at it, seeing how big my arm was,
and the fact that I have no neck,
I would have pin-pointed that
automatically and just completely untagged myself.
We went on a honeymoon me and my wife, just walking
we went to Disney, just walking alone,
getting into rides,
at that point I was only 23 and I was like,
"How is this happening?"
"I'm too young for this."
So I went to the doctor and I found out that I was pre-diabetic.
at 23, and I was like,
"Wow, this has to change now."
From that point on it was like I had to do this,
I lost that first 15 pounds and I haven't stopped ever since.
I started going to the gym three times a week.
Then I added four times a week.
I added a kickboxing class in,
and that became pretty heavy into my workout regime,
It has taken me 15 months to loose 109 pounds.
So I'm 160 pounds now
my goal weight is to be 145 pounds.
Terry: I've been training Kaela now for one year.
There's a lot of weight she lost in a short period of time,
So that could really inspire anyone.
And all workouts are pretty tough,
she never gives up,
she never quits,
she comes every single week, which is dedication.
Melinda: Watching her go through this transition,
it's been phenomenal, she is a fighter.
through and through. Her main goal,
is to do this without surgery.
And for that I cannot tell you how proud I am.
Kaela: Well I'm dead I'm literary dying.
That was actually one of the hardest classes
he's done, I almost threw up.
I didn't throw up though.
This is a size 24.
I put this on my one year anniversary
so June 30th of 2019.
I haven't put it back on since.
Kaela: It was pretty big and it was still a little too big then
but I've lost ...
quite a significant amount
since then as well so
I'm curious to see how big it's going to be on me now.
In the back the amount of loose
material I have back here,
like how I can't even close it because of all the beads,
just all the rows that were kind of on my back,
That you were able to see it, it's just the beads,
Now I definitely don't have that issue anymore.
I just feel like,
so small in something that's so big now.
So I actually wound up buying this like,
80$ dress on Amazon that sort of resembled mine,
and like the best way I could find it,
because I definitely wanted to re-take pictures.
Because as mush as I loved the day and it was
one of the best days of my life.
I still want to look back and look at them,
be proud of myself and be confident of myself,
when I do look at those pictures.
I feel unbelievable in this dress,
I feel like you can see that I actually have a body and a shape.
I feel more like a princess
than I did.
On my wedding day this is how I wanted to be.
this is how I wanted to look and feel,
And as much as it was one of the best days of my life,
I know that I was still self conscious and like,
I don't feel that at all in this dress.
Stephanie: Oh wow.
Kaela: What do you think?
Stephanie: Amazing, you can see
your waistline.
Yeah I just am so proud of you
for everything that you've done.
Your weight loss journey has been such an amazing thing to watch
I think that you're going to crush so many goals
You know only from here on out.
And to see what you were then
not physically. Mentally and emotionally
what the mindset that you were in then.
and to see now,
it blows me away the transformation that you've made.
you are my rock and my hero.
Kaela: Can we kiss each other?
Kaela: I would say to anybody trying to start,
just get up and do it,
time is going to pass anyway.
do you want to spend it getting healthier or do you want to spend it getting heavier?
You want to spend your life living,
you don't want to feel like you are just dying in this body.
We are here for a reason.