Woman Sheds 90 kg After She Was Told to Buy 2 Seats on an Airplane for Herself

Kayla LaVende, who’s from Australia, one day tipped the scales at more than 152 kg (335 lbs). But the moment she knew she had to change her lifestyle was when she was asked to buy 2 seats on an airplane. She was stared at everywhere she went, and once she confessed that she wished she was invisible. Let’s find out more about the strength of this woman who decided to change her life, and nothing stood in her way.

Kayla’s transformation wasn’t easy by any means.

Kayla has been overweight for as long as she can remember. But now, she gets compared to Barbie after she dropped from 152 kg (335 lbs) to 63 kg (140 lbs) in her difficult weight loss journey.

When she was asked to buy 2 seats, it was the first time she had to fly alone in more than 10 years. Usually, she went on a plane with somebody else. This time, she was sure she would need a second seat, so she pre-purchased it, despite it being an additional expense for her.

“Luckily, I did because I did not realize just how much of that second seat I would take up,” LaVende says. “I actually took up 2 full seats.”

The airplane crew allowed her to board first, and she chose her own seat, picking the last row “so nobody would walk past me and stare.”

Now Kayla reflects on her feelings, saying, “The entire time I tried to make myself as small as possible, wishing I was invisible. There was a very small lady in the third seat of that row. She didn’t say anything, but I could see her looking.”

Since that upsetting journey, Kayla has taken full control of her life. Her weight is now a healthy 63 kg, and she wears a size 6 to 8 — she used to buy size 26.

Kayla had a second source of inspiration during her journey.

She is thankful to a Barbie doll for inspiring her style growing up. “I always kind of turned to Barbie for a little escape. Growing up as a plus-sized child in the ’90s, there were no fashion options for me, but Barbie taught me to get creative,” she says. Her style is so influenced by the doll that she has a Barbie-inspired house and car.

LaVende says her weight has always been a combination of “genetics, thyroid disease, and lipedema all since childhood.” She also confessed she had a poor diet and a low activity level. Her parents gave her a Barbie doll every week as a reward for coping with her quick weight gain.

Now, she has structure in both her eating habits and her workout routine. She says, “Breakfast is a protein shake, lunch will be either chicken or turkey, dinner, usually the same.”

The woman also says her weight loss started with changing her mindset. “I learned all about nutrition and how to eat to fuel my body versus eating for enjoyment,” she says.

The weight came off in less than 2 years, as Kayla consumed 120 g of protein, under 30 g of carbs, and under 20 g of sugar daily. And she drank a lot of water.

Now, she is living her best life and continuing to work hard.

Kayla is now trying to build more muscle and is preparing for a bodybuilding competition. She is thrilled that her weight loss gave her a life without limitations.

And, of course, she’s just happy that her childhood dream is now her real life.

“When people say I resemble Barbie, I guess that is a childhood dream come true. Although I have always dressed in the Barbie style, people only recognize it now.”