“I can always remember that I turned to food for everything.” Ashley says about her childhood. “Whether it be because I was happy, sad, or bored- food was my best friend, my comfort.”
At her heaviest, Ashley was 288 pounds.
She never thought much of it until she was 19 and truly stepped outside herself and saw what she looked like, when she saw herself in some photos that her grandmother had printed. That’s when she knew something had to change. She had to make a change.
Ashley was scared that she wouldn’t live to see her 30th birthday.
She enrolled in a weight loss program and immediately lost 11 pounds in the first week. That was just enough to prove to herself that she could do this and motivate her to keep going.
She learned about portion control and how to realistically stay on track with it. After that she added in exercise and training.
She is currently down 145 pounds and counting!
But there is one thing that is holding her back from looking her absolute best- her style. Ashley is a tomboy and mostly sticks to jeans, flannels, and baggy or loose. She even admitted to buying clothes that are a size or two bigger.
“I guess I would like to see myself in something a little bit more classy and not just so tomboyish. I’m not really flashy, but you know classy with some cool accessories would be fun.”
The makeover.
With the help of Rachael Ray and a few of her friends, Ashley got a whole makeover. She learned to love her diet. She learned to love her size. Now it was time to teach Ashley how to love the clothes she wore.
Before the reveal, Rachael and segment co-star Gretta talked about the difficulties of accepting a new lifestyle like Ashley was doing. Though Ashley crushed her goals and accomplished the hardest part of her journey, she was still stuck in her old ways of buying clothes, and these two women were going to help her out of it.
“When people make that dramatic change, it’s hard for them to get used to being that new person.” Rachel says, who has seen situations like this many times before.
After the girls go on a shopping spree, Ashley steps out on Rachael’s show looking like a completely different person.
Her hair is short. She’s in a dress and heels. If you knew her before, she would be totally unrecognizable. But she looks incredible!
The whole experience and reaction from the audience brings her to tears.
But that’s not the last surprise…
People Magazine Style and Beauty and Beauty director comes out and congratulates Ashley on her journey. She is so inspired by her that they want to do a cover story on her for People’s Half their size issue.
The crowd is thrilled and Rachel Ray is matching their excitement. There could not have been a better ending to Ashley’s lifestyle journey.
Check out the video below to see Ashley’s gorgeous new look for yourself!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
