Sexy Mother Runner: Featured Runner Friday: Meet Cassie!

Every runner has a story...

At Sexy Mother Runner we believe that sharing those stories is a great way to share the gift of running while helping to motivate others. Losing weight is usually not an easy task, especially after having children. Cassie has done an amazing job getting back in shape though. Her pictures speak for themselves.

Meet Cassie:

My name is Cassie Nickel. I am 30 years old. I have been married for over 6 years to my loving and supportive husband. I am a stay at home mom, and we have two very handsome boys.

So. Here is my story. I was thin in high school and was on the Danceteam so I was in shape. I never had to watch what I ate. Oh, the joys of being an active teenager and having great metabolism! Into Junior college, I put on about 20 pounds, but thought that was okay. I enjoyed being with friends
and definitely eating out was fun, fun!! Finishing up my undergrad, I managed to put on a little more weight, but never realizing it. I was totally in denial. I never gained any of my weight fast, so it really never bothered me.

After college, I got a job at LA Weight Loss. I was a consultant that helped clients lose weight. I was preaching this stuff for a living and still not believing it. I helped a lot of people, but never really did great with their program. I may have lost about 15 pounds in about 9 months while working there.

When I got married, my wedding dress was a size 16. The real kicker was that the whole dress had to be let out. That really made me feel like crap and I finally started to realize that I had put on about 50 pounds or so in 6 years. I would just tell myself, "Oh well, It could be worse". Plus, (silly me) I thought that I didn't look that bad.

After being married for a little over a year, I got pregnant with our first son. I already weighed 200 pounds. Doctor told me that I should really only gain about 10-15 pounds during the whole pregnancy. HA! Try 40 pounds! I enjoyed "eating for two" a little too much. I did lose all my baby weight in just
3 weeks after having our son. Breastfeeding was a big helper in my weight loss. So, I was back to 200 pounds. I felt good that I had lost the baby weight, but still wasn't happy with myself.

I was overweight and I could feel it. I was robbing my baby of his early childhood. I was lazy. Looking back, I cannot believe how sorry I was feeling for myself. Wow, did I cry A LOT. So for a few years, I stayed around 200 pounds and continued to feel sorry for myself. I have no idea how many diets I started in that time. Then I got pregnant with our second son and gained 40 pounds during that pregnancy too. With the second baby, the weight didn't come off as easy. I only lost about 25 pounds in about 6 months. It was really starting to get to me that my pre-pregnancy clothes were not fitting and I had a 6 month old baby! I needed a change...

Hello Change!! My sister and her husband introduced me to MyFitnessPal. Who would have ever thought that a free app on my phone would help me lose weight!?! Well, It has totally changed my life! March 2011, I weighed 240 pounds and May 2012, I weighed 147 pounds. I lost 93 pounds in 14 months!! I am so proud of myself. It has been a struggle and definitely life changing. I am so much more happier, especially with myself. I can finally give my all to my husband and our boys.

I am definitely fighting for these last 7 pounds. I have been running for 4 months now! I really enjoy it. I have never ran before except for in PE in high school. I am up to running 4 miles without stopping. I will run in my first 5K this fall. I am totally amazed at what I have accomplished in the past year. I have lost a lot of weight. I am a runner. I have confidence and I am happy again. My smile is back, not just for show, but it stays on my face when I am alone too.

My pictures were taken on Mother's Day. May 2011 & May 2012