‘Embarrassing’ holiday snap prompts mum to lose 30kg

Cassie Ralis went on to lose 30kg after an “shameful” holiday photo prompted the mother-of-two to turn her life around.

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If you were to ask Cassie Ralis to wear a bikini just two years ago, her immediate answer would have been “no way”.

The mother-of-two said she never felt comfortable in her own skin and the thought of wearing a swimsuit was never an option.

Ms Ralis, a receptionist from Christmas Hill, Victoria, said she reached 98kg at her heaviest in 2019 and was considered overweight at 158cm tall.

“Being overweight made me feel awkward in social settings. It stopped me from wanting to go out,” Ms Ralis told news.com.au, adding that she rarely felt comfortable going to the beach.

“I have always worn baggy clothes to hide my body.”

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The holiday snap that prompted Cassie Ralis to turn her life around. Picture: Supplied

At the time, Ms Ralis would drink one litre of iced coffee every morning, setting her back $49, and another $30 a week would be spent on her soft drink addiction.

“That would take me through to dinner as the full-cream milk would fill me up and then dinner would normally be a big bowl of pasta and then some kind of ice cream for dessert,” she said.

Ms Ralis said her “bad eating habits” began as a child.

“Even at school I would just have Milo and milk and rarely ate breakfast. It’s just bad habits from a young age that started it off.”

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The mother-of-two said she was ‘ashamed’ and ‘embarrassed’ by how much weight she had put on. Picture: Supplied

‘Embarrassing’ holiday photo

But that all changed when the mother-of-two came across a photo of herself while on holidays in 2019.

She said the photo promoted her weight loss after she became “embarrassed” she let herself “get that far”.

“We were on holidays on a beach in South Australia and hubby took a photo of me cooking in the kitchen of our camper trailer,” she said.

“I was so ashamed by how much weight I had put on that I was at a point where I wouldn’t go anywhere near the scales.”

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Cassie said the photo prompted her to change her ‘bad’ eating habits, and has gone on to lose 30kg since 2019. Picture: Supplied

Ms Ralis said she was fed up with how her lifestyle also affected her relationship with her kids and was desperate to make a change.

“It made it difficult for me to do things with my kids. When they were young I would just sit and watch them play,” she said.

“They are such active kids and I felt horrible that I couldn’t do the activities that they wanted to.”

The mother-of-two also gained the confidence to rock a bikini after having previously worn baggy clothes to ‘cover her body’. Picture: Supplied

Before discovering The Healthy Mummy – whose 28 day challenges she has followed since April 2019 – the mum said one of the biggest problems she faced was finding a program she could not only stick to, but one that was also family friendly.

“It was easy to stick to,” Ms Ralis said about The Healthy Mummy, adding it also helped her husband and kids loved their meals too.

“To find a program that had recipes the kids could eat too with hidden vegetables, and no arguments, was great.”

Ms Ralis said she noticed a change just three weeks into the program, dropping about 1kg a week.

She said just three weeks after joining The Healthy Mummy, she saw results, dropping a 1kg a week. Picture: Supplied

Cassie posing in a one-piece swimming costume for a Healthy Mummy photo shoot. Picture: Supplied

“To lose the weight my main change was my diet. I also added in different types of exercise,” she said. “I would walk three to four times a week once the weight started to drop, then I added in different workouts like weights, resistance bands and HIIT workouts.”

Ms Ralis said it has taken her “a good 12 months” to get the body confidence she has now and to feel comfortable in her own skin.

In fact, she even hopped into a bikini for a Healthy Mummy photo shoot, saying it helped add to her confidence.

Cassie advised fellow mums wanting to make a change to ‘not be too hard on yourself and make small changes’. Picture: Supplied

“Having a group of women say how good I looked was a real eye-opener for me because I never felt comfortable wearing swimmers,” Ms Ralis said.

“I am so happy with how I look now, I just need to get used to it.”

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