Photo/Instagram: @kiah_twisselman California cattle rancher Kiah Twisselman says the only part of her body she used to like was her eyes, which are an icy blue like her dad’s. Just a few years ago, Kiah weighed 285 lbs and wasn’t happy with her body. She’d tried seemingly every possible weight loss effort, making big lifestyle changes to try to drop the extra weight, but nothing seemed to work for long enough to have a meaningful impact. She was giving up hope until she found a book that changed her life.
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ONE MONTH. – One entire month of thankfulness. Every day of October (okay, I missed a day) I wrote 10 things I’m thankful for in this little leather journal. – Family. Some days I miss them so much it hurts, but I’m thankful to have a loving family to miss so darn much. – Brent. Especially when he washes the dishes. (Yes, that definitely made it in the journal.) I’m thankful I’ve found a person, MY person, that can make any place feel like home. – Coffee. Stretchy pants. Warm showers. An able body that I sometimes have to try realllllly hard to love. A career I’m passionate about. A dream I believe is worth chasing. – It’s so easy to fixate on the things that frustrate you, discourage you, or drain you in your life. But what about the things that inspire you? Build you up? Make you excited to get out of bed every morning? – Thankfulness tends to be the theme of this new month. But, I challenge you to let it become the theme of your entire life. Be thankful for what you have, be fearless for what you want. What are you most thankful for today? ••• #last90days #thankful #thankfulness #grateful #gratitude #november #journal #dailyroutine #kentucky #dreamchaser #madeformore
A post shared by Kiah Twisselman – Coach Kiah (@kiah_twisselman) on Nov 1, 2018 at 4:26pm PDT
Two years ago, Kiah read Rachel Hollis’ book “Girl, Wash Your Face.” Rather than major changes to her life, Kiah implemented five easier changes that the book recommended: wake up an hour earlier, drink half your body weight in ounces of water, move your body 30 minutes a day, keep a daily journal, and eat intuitively. She lost 25 pounds from October 2018 to January of 2019, but she wanted to keep going.
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I grew up in the high desert of California’s Central Coast on my family’s multi-generation cattle ranch. Home was 50 miles from the nearest anything and it wasn’t until I went to high school that I realized how rare such a childhood was. I showed pigs as a 4-Her, started my own cattle herd in FFA, carried the “ball bucket” in the branding pen (points to you if you know what that means), and watched my dad fix tractors a plenty in the shop. Yes, agriculture was a part of me, but it wasn’t always my passion. My deepest passion is and always will be people. Show me a room of strangers and I’ll leave with a group of friends. On the spectrum of introvert to extrovert I’m on the very farrrrr right. People are my jam. Our ranch has recently opened its gates to the public, and it’s no exaggeration when I say that it is my dream coming true. Visitors from LA, San Francisco, and beyond are experiencing one of the last pieces of California’s wild west from glamping under the stars to yoga trailrides in my childhood backyard. THIS is special. Yes, the ranch is special, but what is even more special is having the chance to share the experiences of my childhood that I took for granted with others. THIS is how I can bring my two passions – people and agriculture – together. I think people will find that whether you’re an executive at a San Francisco start-up company or an 87-year-old cattle rancher, we are all a lot more alike than we are different. Our childhoods may have looked different, our voter ballots may look different, but when we bring people together in a space like this we all develop a new appreciation and understanding for folks on both sides of the fence. Now THAT is my jam. And this is my farm story. – 🐂🌱☀️ – Shoutout to my sweet friend @sweeeetcaroline18 who has devoted her life and business to teaching people in agriculture how to share their farm story on social media. We have some incredible stories to share in agriculture and she is empowering others to do just that through @the.farm.story. ••• #carrisaplains #twisselmanranch #yoga #thefarmstory #yogatrailride #temblormountainpacktrain #slocounty #agvocate #farmher #ranchlife #westernlife #wellness
A post shared by Kiah Twisselman – Coach Kiah (@kiah_twisselman) on Mar 17, 2019 at 4:41pm PDT
She decided that she wanted to lose 100 lbs by the following October and put in the work required to do it. She was motivated not only by the prospect of a healthier lifestyle and feeling good in her own skin, but also by her job. You see, as a cattle rancher, part of her selling pitch is that beef is healthy, and she wanted to be a picture of health when promoting the benefits of beef to potential buyers.
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When I look at these photos, my first thought is, wow, what a difference a year can make. Although I felt really beautiful in both of these pictures, what I didn’t feel in both pictures was healthy or energetic. This week, I officially hit 70 pounds down, and trust me when I say that it took a lot of sweat and tears to get here. My health journey isn’t just about losing weight. Yes, numbers on a scale are my biggest marker of progress, but in reality health is more about how I physically feel. Kiah a year ago couldn’t walk across the parking lot without feeling winded. She had anxiety every time she had to fly somewhere because she was terrified the seatbelt wouldn’t fit. She would dream of sky-diving, hiking Machu Picchu, wearing an actual bathing suit in public and immediately remove those thoughts because she knew her weight was a barrier keeping her from doing any of those things. I want you to know this: your appearance or the number on a scale does NOT determine your self-worth. You, as you are right now today, is 100% worthy of love, joy, happiness, and all the goodness this life has to offer. And while Kiah a year ago was just as worthy of love, joy, and happiness as Kiah today, I know that today’s version of myself has more mental and physical energy to show up, chase my dreams, and serve others. And THAT, my friends, is what my health journey is all about. ••• #transformationtuesday #transformation #health #healthjourney #weightloss #phitnphat #motivation #lifecoach #goaldigger #madeformore #consistency
A post shared by Kiah Twisselman – Coach Kiah (@kiah_twisselman) on May 28, 2019 at 6:46pm PDT
Well, we’re happy to report that Kiah has now lost over 120 lbs, and more importantly, she’s happier and healthier than she was before.
Kiah is now proud to show off her muscles and has also taken on roles as a life and weightloss coach.
Her story has inspired countless people, and she’s now living an active and healthy life on her ranch.
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Today, I officially signed up for a FREAKIN’ MARATHON. And y’all, it feels like a BIG deal. Running has historically been my least favorite activity of all time. If you would have asked me two years ago if I’d rather go for a jog or give myself paper cuts between each of my fingers, I’d probably opt for the latter. I was NOT a runner by any stretch of the imagination. But, these last two years have been about so much more than weight loss. They’ve been about challenging the identities that I’ve held onto for years. I had put that label on myself – NOT A RUNNER – and held onto it as truth, as though it was just a simple fact of the world, without ever pausing long enough to consider if I even liked it. Did I like the label I had given myself of NOT being a runner? Could I become a runner if I really wanted to? What would it take to be a runner if I did? The good news is that creating a new identity for ourself is a lot easier than we think – most of the time we just have to DO THE DAMN THING. So, I started running. It wasn’t until February of this year that I ran my first mile straight without stopping. I’m still slow, I walk sometimes, I don’t know all the tips and tricks of running long distance, but I’m showing up. I’m doing the dang thing while learning and growing stronger along the way! I, Kiah Twisselman, AM A RUNNER. And February 14, 2021 I’m going to blow my own mind and run the @austinmarathon. Texas, I’m coming for you! Training starts NOW. P.S. If you’re new to running or wanting to get started, I highly recommend the @notyouraveragerunner podcast! And if you’re thinking about running a marathon, you’ve got to watch @brittanyrunsmov on @amazonprimevideo. That’s what pushed me over the edge! If you are a runner or have any tips for me as I start training, drop them below! 👇🏼
A post shared by Kiah Twisselman – Coach Kiah (@kiah_twisselman) on Jun 30, 2020 at 6:33pm PDT
While “healthy” looks different on everyone, we love seeing that this inspirational woman has reached her personal goals, especially as she’s trying to help other people now as well!
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