Inspiring Young Mom Loses Over 130 Pounds Despite Suffering From Chronic Pain and Arthritis

When Kassidy Linde was pregnant with her daughter, she began to experience major self-esteem issues. She’d reached 260 pounds and struggled to look at herself in the mirror.

“It got to the point that whenever I would look in the mirror, I wasn’t able to find anything beautiful about myself,” Linde told People.

It was devastating for Linde and made her question her lifestyle choices. She couldn’t stand the idea of her own daughter feeling that way about herself.

Inspired by her young daughter

“I wanted her to look up to me and admire me, so I changed myself.”

Up until then, Linde lived a sedentary lifestyle, had the habit of eating out, and most of what she ate was junk food.

“I obviously knew what I was eating was unhealthy, but I didn’t have the will to change,” said Cheyenne, Wyoming native. “There was even a time that I went to a fast food restaurant and ate in the parking lot because I was ashamed.”

Linde understood that to kick off her transformation off the right foot, she’d have to start by shifting her mindset.

No more excuses - including chronic pain

“I quit making excuses,” she continued. “I started researching, meal prepping and working out. I started drinking a gallon of water a day, and prepping chicken, rice and veggies every Sunday.”

Steadily advancing towards her goal, Linde was on the right track until she hit a set back.

The new mom started to experience pain brought on by rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that affects the joints. While it hasn’t always been easy to manage, Linde never let it stop her.

“It’s extremely hard to stay active while dealing with arthritis,” she said. “I struggle every single day, whether it be with the actual pain or the worry about what if the pain is worse tomorrow.”

Sometimes she’ll be working out, and feel like she’s being stabbed and have to stop. It slows her down a little bit, but she’s learned not to give up.

“Instead of throwing a fit and storming out, I get up, move to a different exercise, and keep going.”

She’s been documenting her journey on her Instagram account since she began, and it’s helped her stay on the straight and narrow despite the obstacles.

“Holding myself accountable via social media was probably my biggest motivator,” said Linde. “What my followers didn’t realize is that for as much I as was motivating them, they were motivating me as well.”

“Putting yourself out there and letting yourself be vulnerable to thousands of people really makes you want to give it your all and do your best.”

She’s lost over 130 pounds since the beginning of her transformation and regained her confidence.

“I can look in the mirror and appreciate my body for what is has been through,” she said. “Losing weight has changed my whole demeanor. I am a completely different person — not only physically but mentally too.”

Now, thanks to this empowering experience, Linde’s focus is to help others.

“It is very important to me to inspire others,” she said. “When I first started, my goal was to lose my own weight. Now my goal is to help other people lose weight too. It is one of the most rewarding and humbling feelings I have ever encountered, and for that I am so blessed!”

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