https://www.instagram.com/p/BLOUDttgrUk/
It’s only natural for most brides to want to lose a few pounds or get in shape before the big day. After all, you’ll have dozens, if not hundreds of people staring at you, depending on the size of your wedding. But for one 24-year-old newlywed, Haley Smith from Amarillo, Texas, it meant going on an entire fitness journey resulting in an incredible transformation.
When Smith’s high school sweetheart Matt proposed to her in July of 2015, she broke down in tears when she the proposal photos. Although she says she has struggled with her weight for her whole adult life, at that point she was at her highest. That day she decided to make a change, and by the time she got married last week the bride had lost an amazing 110 pounds, which she has spent the past year documenting on her Instagram account.
“I saw them and didn’t even recognize myself,” Smith, 24, tells PEOPLE. “I cried because this was one of the happiest moments of my life, but I was just so ashamed. I didn’t understand how Matt could want to be with someone like me. After seeing those, I knew I needed to change.”
“It is so surreal,” she says. “I thought for sure I would get married in a long-sleeve ball gown dress to hide my whole body, but I ended up picking a strapless mermaid dress. I felt so beautiful in it! Instead of being self-conscious and hiding or sweating the whole time, I was able to feel confident, relax, enjoy my family and friends.”
Smith lost the weight first by not eating after 8 p.m. and only eating out twice a week, which honestly does not even sound like the biggest change. Then she started running three times a week, bought a Fitbit, and began mixing in strength training, and ostensibly the weight must have really started melting off.
Currently the newlyweds are celebrating their honeymoon in New Zealand, however you can see some photos of their wedding day, as well as Smith’s transformation below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLbfTmfAmRW/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLbgkiFA4SS/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLSXMY8Am6t/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLQ3NWMg1SK/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJLPdEkArvm/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKijNY8A72g/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKTEuCtA-d4/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJdrYiLA2G9/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BI5RT4YAF9O/
(Via People)