This article originally appeared on People.com.
After trying countless diets, Haley Smith finally found the motivation to stick to a plan when her boyfriend proposed in July 2015. Smith got serious about weight loss and decided to slim down before their wedding.
“I really knew if I wanted to change, I needed to make realistic goals,” she tells PEOPLE’s Collector’s Edition Half Their Size: The Ultimate Get-Fit Guide
At the beginning, Smith — who married now-husband Matt in October 2016 — started logging her food and incrementally increased the difficulty of her exercise routine, from following the popular “Couch to 5K” running program to hitting the gym almost every day.
But the thing that kept her most accountable was posting her progress photos on Instagram. After 19 months she has lost 113 lbs. and now has more than 90,000 followers. Some days, knowing she has an audience rooting for her is the push she needs.
“If I want to sleep in, I remember something a follower might have said, and it gets me up,” says Smith, 24. “But on days that I do sleep in or struggle with a workout, I always try to be honest about it. I don’t post every time, but I don’t want to sugarcoat that my journey has been some magic, easy process. It’s not at all.”
“I really think my group of followers knows we are on this journey together and that positivity helps feed success way more than any negativity. I’m super thankful for that,” she says.
Aiming to take off another 15 to 20 lbs., Smith, who hopes to start a website to expand her online community, says, “I will keep posting for as long as I have the chance to encourage someone. My profile started as a way to help myself, but now I get to help others. I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.”
Half Their Size: The Ultimate Get-Fit Guide is available in stores now, and can be purchased here on Amazon.
Professional Scope of Practice *
The information herein on "Bride Lost 113 lbs. On Instagram Before Her Wedding: Don't Want to Sugarcoat My Journey" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.
Blog Information & Scope Discussions
Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, acupuncture, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.
We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*
Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.
We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.
We are here to help you and your family.
Blessings
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*
email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com
Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807, New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182
Licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN*) in Florida
Florida License RN License # RN9617241 (Control No. 3558029)
Compact Status: Multi-State License: Authorized to Practice in 40 States*
Presently Matriculated: ICHS: MSN* FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN* CIFM*, IFMCP*, ATN*, CCST
My Digital Business Card
For individuals trying to retrain their body movements for back health improvement, what is the… Read More
Can individuals with body pain incorporate Pilates to reduce general aches and pains while strengthening… Read More
Sleep is vital at all ages, but what is the amount of sleep for older… Read More
Can individuals dealing with joint pain incorporate turmeric as part of their treatment to reduce… Read More
Individuals who have been injured or ill or have a chronic disability may be having… Read More
Can individuals incorporate ways to increase their vitamin C levels to boost their immune system… Read More