A mum who hated her own body from the aged of eight has finally fallen in love with herself - because she wants her children to know they are also beautiful.
Reagan Walker, 30, grew up hating her body after seeing her own mum, 56, criticize herself and her own looks.
The mum-of-two struggled with eating disorders and avoided going out because of how she felt about her body.
She was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome – a condition which affects how the ovaries work - aged 16 which spiralled her “hatred” for her body.
After graduating college and meeting her now husband, Brandon Walker, 31, a real estate investor, Reagan decided to go to therapy - realising she didn’t want her future children to grow up seeing her tearing herself apart.
Now after giving birth to her children – Theo, two, and Tatum, one – Reagan has fallen in love with her own body.
But she is not alone, a study found 16 per cent of people aged 18 to 34 love their bodies and only four per cent of us have never worried about our looks, according to research from Kic.
Reagan, a marketer, Austin, Texas, said: “I didn’t want them seeing me tearing myself apart.
“If I had a daughter – I wanted her to know matter what her body was she was beautiful.
“I didn’t want her to learn that she wasn’t beautiful from me.
“I love my body – it’s not perfect but I’m raising two babies, and have a career and a side hustle.
“I love my curves – I’m so grateful for them.”
Reagan grew up seeing magazines depicting the ‘perfect’ female body and being told to lose weight despite being a healthy child.
She said: “My mum was always trying a new diet.
“Looking in the mirror she was always unhappy about what she saw.
“It created a hatred for myself.
“As I got older I developed that habit. I only said negative stuff about myself.
“I was worried about my weight as an eight year old.
“I wasn’t skinny, but a normal kid.”
In high school, Reagan would feel so self-conscious about her body she would sometimes avoid going out.
She said: “I have curves – I hated that as a kid.
“I was feeling so much shame.
“I remember getting ready for an event and going through ten outfits. The voice in my head won and I stayed home."
Reagan suffered a lot of disordered eating – going through periods of starving and binging – and her relationship with he body got worse when she was diagnosed with PSCOS aged 16.
She said: “It was a really difficult time.
“I felt I would never be loved, couldn’t have kids – who would want that?”
In college, Reagan was able to “live her life” and have “fun” and worried less about her weight.
She said: “It was the first time I wasn’t worried about how I looked.
“But I gained 30lbs.
“One day I looked in the mirror and I didn’t recognise myself.
“All the emotions came back and I hated everything about myself.”
Reagan met Brandon, and had thought about starting a family but realised she didn’t want to get pregnant until she had a positive relationship with her body.
She said: “I went to therapy.
“I thought about why I wanted to change my body – and it couldn’t just be because I wanted to look cute in a bikini.”
Reagan had health coaching and started eating for her body.
She said: “I changed how I was talking to my body.
“I would make myself say three nice things about myself every morning when I was ready – they could be I like my smile and I’m kind. Not just physical.
“I started noticing what I loved about myself.”
Reagan feels she finally fell in love with her body aged 27 and then felt ready to try for a baby – welcoming Theo in March 2021 and Tatum in August 2022.
She said: “I focused on how amazing my body was because it was growing a human – rather than any negativity about my body changes.”
Reagan is now a US size four to six and feels confident about her body.
She said: “I love my smile – I can tell I’m truly happy.
“I have a booty and my husband loves it.
“My stomach - there’s stretch marks but it’s where my babies grew, it’s a vessel of life.”
Reagan is instilling body positivity with her son’s from a young age – and gets them to practice saying nice things about themselves in the mirror.
She said: “I want to eliminate that stress in their life.
"I didn’t want to have kids before I healed as I didn’t want to pass on my trauma.
"I don't think there is a specific body type that's perfect."
Reagan Walker, 30, grew up hating her body after seeing her own mum, 56, criticize herself and her own looks.
The mum-of-two struggled with eating disorders and avoided going out because of how she felt about her body.
She was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome – a condition which affects how the ovaries work - aged 16 which spiralled her “hatred” for her body.
After graduating college and meeting her now husband, Brandon Walker, 31, a real estate investor, Reagan decided to go to therapy - realising she didn’t want her future children to grow up seeing her tearing herself apart.
Now after giving birth to her children – Theo, two, and Tatum, one – Reagan has fallen in love with her own body.
But she is not alone, a study found 16 per cent of people aged 18 to 34 love their bodies and only four per cent of us have never worried about our looks, according to research from Kic.
Reagan, a marketer, Austin, Texas, said: “I didn’t want them seeing me tearing myself apart.
“If I had a daughter – I wanted her to know matter what her body was she was beautiful.
“I didn’t want her to learn that she wasn’t beautiful from me.
“I love my body – it’s not perfect but I’m raising two babies, and have a career and a side hustle.
“I love my curves – I’m so grateful for them.”
Reagan grew up seeing magazines depicting the ‘perfect’ female body and being told to lose weight despite being a healthy child.
She said: “My mum was always trying a new diet.
“Looking in the mirror she was always unhappy about what she saw.
“It created a hatred for myself.
“As I got older I developed that habit. I only said negative stuff about myself.
“I was worried about my weight as an eight year old.
“I wasn’t skinny, but a normal kid.”
In high school, Reagan would feel so self-conscious about her body she would sometimes avoid going out.
She said: “I have curves – I hated that as a kid.
“I was feeling so much shame.
“I remember getting ready for an event and going through ten outfits. The voice in my head won and I stayed home."
Reagan suffered a lot of disordered eating – going through periods of starving and binging – and her relationship with he body got worse when she was diagnosed with PSCOS aged 16.
She said: “It was a really difficult time.
“I felt I would never be loved, couldn’t have kids – who would want that?”
In college, Reagan was able to “live her life” and have “fun” and worried less about her weight.
She said: “It was the first time I wasn’t worried about how I looked.
“But I gained 30lbs.
“One day I looked in the mirror and I didn’t recognise myself.
“All the emotions came back and I hated everything about myself.”
Reagan met Brandon, and had thought about starting a family but realised she didn’t want to get pregnant until she had a positive relationship with her body.
She said: “I went to therapy.
“I thought about why I wanted to change my body – and it couldn’t just be because I wanted to look cute in a bikini.”
Reagan had health coaching and started eating for her body.
She said: “I changed how I was talking to my body.
“I would make myself say three nice things about myself every morning when I was ready – they could be I like my smile and I’m kind. Not just physical.
“I started noticing what I loved about myself.”
Reagan feels she finally fell in love with her body aged 27 and then felt ready to try for a baby – welcoming Theo in March 2021 and Tatum in August 2022.
She said: “I focused on how amazing my body was because it was growing a human – rather than any negativity about my body changes.”
Reagan is now a US size four to six and feels confident about her body.
She said: “I love my smile – I can tell I’m truly happy.
“I have a booty and my husband loves it.
“My stomach - there’s stretch marks but it’s where my babies grew, it’s a vessel of life.”
Reagan is instilling body positivity with her son’s from a young age – and gets them to practice saying nice things about themselves in the mirror.
She said: “I want to eliminate that stress in their life.
"I didn’t want to have kids before I healed as I didn’t want to pass on my trauma.
"I don't think there is a specific body type that's perfect."
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FunTranscript
00:00 Hey guys, it's Monday and you know so many of us start our Monday is like okay today
00:05 We're gonna get healthy today
00:06 We're gonna make these changes in our lives
00:08 And I found myself in the same space this morning because I haven't been doing that great
00:13 And I had to stop and make myself think like when you come from a place of negativity when you're trying to make change in
00:19 Your life especially around your body if you're coming because you hate it, and you are eating
00:24 You know salads out of punishment or if you're going to the gym and spending hours doing cardio or weightlifting out of punishment
00:31 Those changes will never last whenever you start loving yourself and eating healthy foods because it you know
00:38 Wakes up your body gives yourselves all the nutrients that needs to survive
00:42 When you start moving because it gives you mental clarity when you start making changes because of positive things you want to see
00:48 Everything changes, and you'll have lasting results, so hope that helps
00:53 Okay, here are four things that made me fall in love with my body
00:57 I was a dancer growing up and a little bit pudgy
01:00 And if anyone is like was a dancer or a gymnast you understand the struggle
01:04 Being around all these girls in spandex and just not feeling like you can wear the same things of them is really hard on you
01:11 So as an adult I had to learn how to fall back in love with my body
01:15 So these are four things that help first get a spray tan getting a spray tan makes you feel 10 pounds lighter
01:22 It just gives you hella confidence, and if I'm ever like not feeling a hundred percent
01:27 It's usually because I just need to get a tan next is learn to dress for your body type
01:32 Understanding your proportions and what type of clothes look good on you and like your personal style is just gonna make you more feel more
01:40 confident and
01:41 Just look better overall third and probably like the biggest thing is look in the mirror and notice what you love
01:48 we get in such a bad habit of looking at ourselves in the mirror and
01:52 Picking and nitpicking like all the things that we don't like
01:56 but instead we should be looking at the mirror in the mirror, sorry and
02:00 Noticing what we love about ourselves when you do that. It's just gonna become more and more natural
02:06 It might be a little awkward at first
02:07 But trust me if you start noticing what you love about yourself your opinion of your body is gonna change
02:12 Even if your body doesn't actually change and fourth stop thinking about the number on the scale
02:18 If you have a toxic relationship with a scale you need to throw it out
02:21 I know I'm not the first person to say this
02:23 but everyone's bodies are created differently and we all have different muscle and bone structures and
02:30 Like harping and worrying about a number on the scale is just not good for anyone's mental health
02:35 If you've been struggling with your body lately and not loving yourself
02:37 Try these four things and I promise you really are gonna change how you feel about yourself and like and follow for more tips
02:44 So I hope this helps. Peace
02:48 You wake up at 5 and roll out of bed
02:51 It's another morning in your 30s. You make a cup of coffee and think to yourself
02:55 How did I get here? You're a mom wife and entrepreneur?
02:59 It's all so amazing
03:01 But the biggest change in your life is how much you've learned to love yourself
03:04 If only your younger self could see you now you think of her at 25
03:09 Cringing every time she looks in the mirror and sees the weight that she's gained
03:14 Halloween is just a week away. Maybe a juice cleanse will get you skinny by then you think of her at age 16 gaining 20 pounds
03:21 In a month you wish you could tell her that it's not her fault
03:25 Her birth control is destroying her hormones and no amount of starving will help
03:29 You think of her at age 8 being crushed when her dance teacher poked her belly and suggested she go on a diet
03:35 Year after year your weight has consumed your identity until now today you wake up excited to get dressed
03:43 Sure, you're not at your smallest, but you've had two babies after all you were at peace with where you were at
03:48 You eat food that nourishes your body you exercise so you have energy to play with your kids
03:54 You filled your day with micro habits and you never stress about starting a diet on Monday
04:00 But most importantly you look in the mirror and you love the woman that you see
04:06 You
04:08 You
04:10 [BLANK_AUDIO]