Tatiana Caso, a 28-year-old stay-at-home mum from Florida, has lost more than half her body weight after getting winded while playing with her children. She now weighs 8st 1lb, down from 16st 7lb, and has gone from a size XXL to an XS/S.
Turning point during trampolining session
The turning point came during a trampolining session with her six-year-old daughter Ana and three-year-old son Mason. "I was so winded, I instantly was so disappointed in myself and I just couldn't understand how I let things get so bad," said Tatiana.
At her heaviest, she was eating sugary cereal, McDonald's burgers and fries for lunch, carb-laden mac and cheese for dinner, and nibbling on crisps and ice cream. She said she had cycled through fad diets but nothing ever stuck, and she used motherhood as an excuse to stay complacent.
Small sustainable changes
In November 2024, Tatiana began monitoring her calories to maintain a modest deficit. Rather than slashing what she ate, she opted for small, sustainable changes and stuck with them, watching the weight come off steadily over two years.
She also got back into exercise, committing to a regular routine from November 2024. Now she lifts weights five days a week and fits in cardio whenever she can. As she prepares for an upcoming bodybuilding show, she trains roughly eight to ten hours each week.
Motivation to keep children safe
Tatiana said a key reason she kept going was the reassurance that she'd have the strength and fitness to keep her children safe. "We live in a scary world and I want to be sure I could carry my children out of any potential danger," she said.
She added: "I feel so much more confident and comfortable in my skin. I don't feel ashamed of my body anymore." Her diet now includes egg white oats for breakfast, lean beef burrito with Greek yoghurt for lunch, and shredded chicken breast with potatoes and green beans for dinner.
