The stay-at-home mum and part-time florist from Texas, USA, underwent gastric sleeve surgery in August 2016 after doctors told her it would be ‘near impossible’ for her to lose weight due to her thyroid issues and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
She shed an incredible eight dress sizes to achieve her enviable 72kg, size eight figure – and is now even a part-time model for alternative fashion magazines.
And after the heartache of six pregnancy losses, Hailey and her high-school sweetheart husband Frank Frazer, 28, are expecting their second child this December after welcoming son Stryker, three, in 2015.
Hailey, who was bullied due to her size, said: ‘I’ve been obese for most of my life. The weight really started piling on when I was nine years old, just before puberty. My mum was really concerned.
‘It took a really huge toll on my self-esteem. I was over 100kg when I was 14, and I just kept piling on the weight over the years.
‘I’d be bullied constantly every day, both for being fat and being goth. I’d come home every afternoon just bawling my eyes out.
‘They’d make animal noises as I’d walk past and call me ‘lard ass’ and other awful names. One of the worst memories I have is when I was going to prom with my husband, who was my fiancé at the time.
‘I had spent a lot of time getting ready, and I felt really beautiful in my dress, and I had my hair and makeup done – I felt really pretty.
‘As we approached the venue, some other kids yelled out mean things from their car and made pig noises at me. It completely shattered me and totally ruined my night. I had no confidence and developed depression and anxiety. I’d binge eat, and then not eat for days.
‘I’d restrict myself to 800 calories a day, lose some weight, and then binge eat and pile it back on. It was a dangerous and unsustainable cycle. I felt disgusting.’
Frank and Hailey married in 2013 but Hailey said she ‘hated’ how she looked.
‘What was supposed to be the best day of my life was ruined because of my weight,’ she admitted. ‘I felt anxious the whole day and kept shying away from the cameras.’
Then came the agony of six miscarriages.
‘It was heartbreaking each time, and I kept thinking it was never going to happen for us,’ Hailey said. ‘I’ve always dreamed of being a mother. I want a huge family with lots of children. We want to have our own kids and then adopt more.
‘It was a miracle that I had my son, and after that I knew I needed to lose the weight, so I could have the family of my dreams.’
Following weight loss surgery, Hailey embarked on a strict ketogenic low-carb, high-fat diet and healthy exercise – with the mum reaching her goal weight of 72kg in January this year. Two months later, Hailey – who now works out at the gym for an hour and a half, three to six times a week, discovered she was pregnant.
‘With all my health issues, I never would have been able to slim down to where I am today,’ she said. ‘Frank and I have always wanted a big family, and that was the biggest motivation for me to lose weight.
‘I couldn’t believe that just two months after reaching my goal weight, we were pregnant. I’ve almost made it out of the first trimester, and the likelihood of a miscarriage is down to just three per cent. We’re absolutely ecstatic and feeling really positive about this one.’
BEFORE DIET:
Breakfast: Three breakfast tacos (900 calories).
Snack: A doughnut and a large soda (600 calories).
Lunch: 20 chicken nuggets and fries with a large soda (1,500 calories).
Dinner: Spaghetti and meatballs with cheesy garlic bread and soda (1,400 calories).
TOTAL: 4,400 calories
AFTER DIET:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (250 calories).
Snack: Handful of nuts and fruit (300 calories).
Lunch: Beef jerky, boiled eggs and some cheese (400 calories).
Dinner: Homemade chicken Alfredo with edamame instead of pasta (500 calories).
TOTAL: 1,450 calories
