Losing followers in exchange for being myself | 55 of 90

Progress update. I’m now on day 55 of my 90 day journey, feeling more energized, more confident and stronger than ever!!! 😊💪 It has nothing to do with the scale and EVERYTHING to do with the positive changes I’ve made to improve my happiness. In exchange though, I’ve had a lot of angry people leave the community because they believed I was being a total hypocrite who hated my body – you know, apparently the only reason why one could possibly have goals on a journey like this. 🙄

Look you guys, my sole purpose in life is not to gain “followers” and hoard likes. (I also don’t like this word “follower” – it implies that the person can’t think for themselves.) My purpose is to live to my best potential while also teaching you guys things I learn along the way. Some people are going to be on board and some people are not. This journey really upset some people, but if I have to lose followers in exchange for being true to myself, so be it. In regards to you, my readers – I hope that you choose to live your life in a way that brings you genuine happiness. It’s better to have a smaller circle of friends who truly support you over a huge crew of “friends” who will judge you.


Anyway, I’m glad I never strayed. Through the hurricane of false diagnoses, mean comments and unsubscribes, my goals have never changed. And my approach to fitness has never changed.

I want to share an email I got the other day…

First off, to this lovely person – I’m very proud of you for having the balls to own up to your actions, the maturity to apologize, and the mindfulness to reflect. So much respect for you! Secondly, I want to say thank you. THANK YOU for giving me clarity. Throughout all of the negativity surrounding my journey, there were many so moments when I began doubting myself and questioning my intentions. Your email helped me better understand what you and a lot of other POPsters are going through. Thirdly, I hope you are finding success on your own journey towards health!

Guys, I want you to know that when you set a goal that you truly believe in – go for it, no matter what anyone says. What’s important is that you are flexible in your approach and kind to yourself when things don’t work out how you want them to. Remember, this is a LIFESTYLE change – not a temporary thing, so everything you do, you’ve got to genuinely enjoy it, or else, it’s not going to last.

Yesterday’s Recap:

Fit Journal entry! Took a Popping class last night. Man guys, I’m struggling!! I really do not look cool when I pop. LOL. Maybe I will upload to IG Stories but DEF not the main feed. Do you wanna see it still??

LUNCH:

32% carbs, 34% fat, 34% protein

471 calories

Literally my fave lunch right now! Baked salmon with cauli rice and an avocado! Hot sauce and coconut aminos all over my rice. YUMMMMM. Sam tried it and said was good! So happy when my health food gets #SamApproved!

Post lunch, I had some Health-Ade Kombucha in Tropical punch. Love me some bubbly drinks.

DINNER:

19% carbs, 59% fat, 22% protein

841 calories

For a lil pre dinner before dance class, I ate a couple cauliflower flatbreads with avo on top. This time, I just microwaved my flatbreads for 1 min (I don’t think I am supposed to) but they tasted good!

When I got home, I made some cilantro lime cauli rice with ground turkey, avocado, and sriracha. So simple but absolutely delish and filling!

For dessert, I dipped some fresh strawberries in my pumpkin pie hummus and OMG this combination was life!!! I cannot wait to have this again! It’s sweet and tangy all at once and I am LIVING for it!!!

I came in at 1,481 calories and 28% carbs (108g), 49% fat (84g), and 23% protein (90g). Doing better in the protein range but I need a bit more. After talking to the nurse practitioner who went over all my blood test results with me, he recommended for my goals that I eat 1 g of protein per lb of body weight. So – I’ll try to get around 125 g of protein a day. That is a lot compared to what I’ve been doing so I will def need to plan my meals a little more.

Also, I think I’ll have time to go over my blood test results most likely AFTER the big shoot on Friday. Lots to tell you about, so I want to take time to understand all of my results and formulate my ideal plan of attack!

 

29 thoughts on “Losing followers in exchange for being myself | 55 of 90”

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  1. Saraahx says:

    Yup! Quality over quantity any dang time!!! At least, you’re being true to yourself and showing us that. Not everyone treats or loves their body the same way. There’s nothing bad about wanting to lose weight as long as you’re doing it in a healthy way. I think that sometimes change comes from a place of loving and respecting yourself so much. I really that e-mail and how the person not only apologized but also owned up to their mistake.

  2. S Lee says:

    You look happy and healthy and really awesome! In my opinion, you should get 60-80 grams of protein. It’s a better balance, unless you’re doing 3-4 hours a day of HIIT workouts.

    1. Inez says:

      But she even said her healthcare provider recommended more protein. So who are we to advise her when we haven’t seen the bloodwork that her nurse practitioner personally reviewed? I don’t mean to sound rude, but this comment is rather ironic, given Cassey’s post is about someone apologizing for making assumptions about her eating habits and suggesting what would be better for her…

  3. Gayle Trunfio says:

    Who hasn’t in some point in their life HATED their body? It’s natural to have those feelings, and kudos for being true to yourself. Rock on girl!!

  4. Becky says:

    Hi Casey, I like that you gain weight and then need to lose it. It shows you are Normal like all of us! I bought your reset program and I am surprised you aren’t using that to transform your body. That is a little disappointing to me

  5. amanda shaffer says:

    I just want to say that yes you look great, but more importantly you really sound like you are feeling great. Like you are feeling great about yourself and your progress. Don’t sweat what others say or the negativity. We all fall into a rut sometimes during our lives. We get comfortable following our same patterns but you challenged yourself to make changes to make you feel better. I commend you. Anytime you choose to push yourself to be a better you and accomplish the goals you have set it is a great thing. Congrats and keep kicking ass

  6. Brittany says:

    You may have lost a few followers, but you gained one here 🙂 I also purchased the journal so I can start tracking my own journey to become my best self and hold myself accountable. Thank you for the motivation!

  7. Lady-J says:

    I’m new here and I love that you love what you do! (It shows) Your super fun and it make me feel happy to work out. I appreciate all the free work outs. They show me you are a genuine person who cares more about people and your craft than you do $. You have my support for life. I’ll never assume I know your life because I watch you on your videos and I only see a glimmer of what you allow us to know about you and yours. I will alway wish and pray for you to be health and happy. I appreciate all you have already done for me, and everything you will do. Good luck to you and all your endeavors.

    1. Lady-J says:

      *you’re

  8. Can’t wait to hear about your blood test results!

    If you love salmon a lot, I think it’s be easy to eat a lot more to meet your protein needs ^^ I seriously love salmon–ask anyone that knows me!

    And what courage that reader had to apologize and how mature of them to self reflect like that.

  9. ameliajones says:

    i know this isn’t very blogilates, but if you ever run out of ideas, I WANT A HOUSE TOUR!!! it looks amazing and it’s just cool to see because you worked hard for it over the last 10 years and genuinely deserve your dream house<3

    1. I would LOVE to see this too! I have a thing with house tours 🙂

      1. McKayla says:

        That would be SUCH a dream! Yes please! ❤️

  10. Erika says:

    Girl! I love your heart, your spirit, your vulnerability. You are real and you bravely put yourself out there in your truth for the people who trust you knowing full well that negativity will inevitably come along with social media. I think you are a phenomenal human being ♥️

  11. Christy says:

    I get why some vulnerable people had to unfollow, but I’ve really enjoyed and been inspired by your journey. It makes me want to be more fit, healthy and strong myself. Always be true to yourself girl.

    1. SarahR says:

      I get why all the ones who weren’t coming from a position of “vulnerability” unfollowed too though. It’s a very different voice and ethos for “the community” even if someone doesn’t have any prior issues regarding food/exercise or associated disorders.

  12. Emily says:

    I’m so happy to be a POPster with Cassey as our teacher 🙂
    Best of luck with the big shoot this week! Xx

  13. Monica says:

    Girl it makes me so happy to see you blogging regularly again and thriving! I’ve been with you since the beginning and I always look forward to your posts because they’re both well-informed and relatable – a hard combo to get right! I’m glad you stuck to your guns, though I know it wasn’t easy. Unhappy people are always the most vocal but know that many more of us support you unconditionally. Looking forward to the rest of your journey, good luck!

    1. SarahR says:

      Er…. if “Unhappy people are always the most vocal” what does that say about the fact that the positive hype comments consistently outweighed the concerned or critical ones by at least(but usually more than) 20 to 1 on the blog and Youtube every time??

  14. Diana says:

    I still want to see that popping video. I can definitely understand that person’s email to you. I think that’s precisely why many have unsubscribed to you. I am willing to bet that many of your followers have or have had eating disorders at some point as well as orthorexia. They probably looked to you as inspiration to overcome some of that. Then seeing this 90 day journey was triggering for them because it seems to them like you were trying to do something they were trying to get away from. There’s a lot to unpack with this. What works for you may not work for them, we are all different after all. People are getting mixed messages. For the longest time we have been bombarded with weight loss messages that have good intentions but ultimately have been very bad for all of our psyches. Not everyone needs to lose weight, but that’s all you hear about. Health and weight loss have been confused as being the same thing but that’s not always the case. We do have an obesity epidemic that needs to be addressed, but some people need to just focus more on getting healthy rather than simply trying to lose weight. Then there’s the body positive movement that focuses more on self love and accepting yourself as you are and not putting yourself through unnecessary diets and workout regimens that will do more harm than good. There’s a lot more to that as well. I said all of that to say that there’s a lot of mixed messages out there about what we should and shouldn’t be doing for health and weight loss so people are confused about what this is. Some people like you need more structure to get healthier and feel their best, while others would be better off with much less structure to achieve their goals. What might be beneficial to you could be detrimental for someone else. But many people can’t see that. They just think that if they can’t go on a 90 day journey like this and not fall back into unhealthy habits neither can you. When in reality, what works for one person won’t work for someone else. We are all individuals and respond to things in different ways. We all have to be on our own journeys. We can get inspiration from others, but in the end we have to see what works for us and what doesn’t and respond accordingly.

    1. blogilates says:

      You are 100% correct.

    2. SarahR says:

      I found your take really interesting here, @DIANA. Definitely a more nuanced view than most people seem able to conceive of regarding the mass exodus of POPsters. There’s definitely bits I would disagree with you on or at least vary but can definitely appreciate the thoughtful and considered take you’ve put here.

      It was a cool perspective to read amongst the masses of repetitive cookie cutter criticisms.

    3. Sarah says:

      Diana, SO well articulated. For what it’s worth, I think you should do you, Cassey, and that your journey has been awesome! And it’s never okay for someone to be mean to you in a comment or otherwise. But I also get why some may feel disappointed or unfollow–there are times in my own past when this 90-day journey would have felt triggering. I guess the bottom line is we should all pursue health in whatever way works for us, respect that what works for others might not work for you (and that recognize you don’t have to follow someone whose journey doesn’t currently harmonize with yours), but above all be kind to everyone one their own journey. A silent unfollow in the interest of your own recovery or health? Fine. But attacking others is never all right.

  15. Peeta says:

    You go girl! Live life for yourself an not for others who are projecting themselves on you. Check out Aliya Janell’s “Dally Dance” – it’s a nice mix of SEXY and POWERFUL, I think you might like it! Cheers xoxo

  16. Alexis says:

    Hey! Try watching Aliya Janell’s videos on YouTube and Instagram. She’s a phenomenal dancer in LA and teaches dancers on how to focus on letting their bodies flow to the beat versus feeling like they have to commit to every single movie in the choreography. Do what you think is cool and you’ll look cool. 😉

    1. blogilates says:

      I watched one of her vids the other day! Great personality!!

  17. Laura says:

    I have actually followed you more closely now than I have in awhile. Part of that was because I promised myself that once the kids went back to school that I was going to take better care of myself. I started doing some of your workouts again… then, I read the email about your challenge, and now I’m hooked since you are blogging again!

    I hope you continue to blog more often after your 90 day journey. It’s really interesting to see what someone you admire in the fitness industry *actually* eats everyday instead of the plans they are pushing onto you. I think it would be helpful, at least at first, to show how you will navigate your maintenance – it’s really tricky! I don’t mean this in a negative way, but it’s refreshing to see that you really do go through the same struggles, plateaus, and problems that the “rest of us” do. Instead of hiding the fact that you gained weight, you owned it. Thanks for sharing the real you on your real journey. It’s an inspiration!

    PS – can’t wait to hear about the blood tests!

    1. blogilates says:

      Yeah, so many people just push their plans on people that now some fans are saying “wait so you don’t do your own workouts, are you lying to us?” OMG it’s insane. Of course I do my workouts – but I do other workouts too! DUHHHH. Yes, maintenance will def be a thing and I will surely be blogging. Not as intensely as now, but I don’t plan on stopping cold turkey!!