Conner Rensch spent her whole childhood knowing what it means to be bullied and be called "fat."
The first time she recalls hearing the insult, she was around 6 years old, too young to do anything but absorb and internalize the label, attaching it to her own sense of herself.
As a child growing up in Nebraska, she suffered through the bullying, quietly losing touch with her sense of confidence and body positivity, and stuffing herself with sweets for comfort every chance she got. As Conner got older, she also grew heavier.
Much like the Texas grandmother who had to take matters into her own hands after her weight got away from her, Conner reached a point where she felt that she was trapped in endless cycling of dieting, bingeing, and guilt, with no end in sight.
Cyberbullying started in middle school, with one mean girl suggesting that she “just kill” herself via instant messenger. By the time Conner was a freshman in college, she tipped the scales at 271 pounds…
At age 18, as a college freshman, Conner was fed up with her weight. Depressed and exhausted, she decided it was time to break her pattern of emotional eating.
Acting decisively, she sought out the help of a nutritionist and a dietician. She enrolled in cardio classes, took up weight lifting, and started practicing kickboxing. In her first three weeks, she lost 23 pounds.
That initial momentum was just what Conner needed. Encouraged by her progress, she pushed the process further, adopting a healthy lifestyle, and finally establishing a wall between her nutritional needs and her lifelong sweet tooth.
Now age 26, Conner looks like a whole new woman! Her hard work and tireless training paid off; over the course of eight dedicated years, she has lost 130 pounds, almost half of her starting weight.
In fact, her transformation has been so profound that she recently won a bikini body competition, a prospect that would have horrified her just a few years earlier. Today, she proudly bares her stretch marks and scars as proud marks of what she has accomplished!
But, as she told the Daily Mail, the most profound shift in her lifestyle was her own self-image, saying, "I was my biggest bully. Now I've learned to be kind to myself."
And her long struggle with self-care didn't just win her the bikini contest.
With the publicity and interest in her body positive message, Conner has launched a business called My Butterfly Journey to help coach other women in fitness and health habits for a better lifestyle and a more positive outlook!
Check out Conner's beautiful and motivational video about her weight loss journey below. And if you're inspired by her incredible story and transformative message about self-care, make sure to SHARE with friends and family!
