Leah Hope, 75 Skyterra Way, Pisgah Forest, NC (2026)

03/13/2026

This is what I mean when I say my journey has been about gaining life more than about losing weight.

I used to struggle to get up from the ground. When I was around 400 lbs (heavier than I am in this first clip), I needed a table, wall, couch, or something nearby just to help me stand up after sitting on the ground.

Now I can jump. 🥰

It’s about the little things that were never actually little. I just had to tell myself they were little so I didn’t have to face how much my weight was really impacting my life.

No more pretending around here. 🙌🏻

03/12/2026

Swipe to the end to see my first trip to DC over 20 years ago! 🙈

I was out of town for five weeks! 😱 Four weeks at , then a couple days visiting friends in other parts of North Carolina before heading to Baltimore to see more friends. 🤗

I’ve always loved the idea of traveling, but truthfully, it was a lot more challenging at my bigger size. Now it feels easy and effortless. I get to enjoy the experience without feeling limited by my body or my health and that’s something I don’t take for granted.

Also — while I was with both old friends and new friends for most of these adventures, I usually only share photos of myself here out of respect for others’ privacy. But trust me, there were plenty of group photos too. 😉

A little about each photo:
1–2: Exploring Dry Falls in western North Carolina  3: Horseback riding for the second time since losing over 200 lbs 4: Hiking in the rain and realizing my bun gets in the way of my poncho hood 5: Completing my third 5k at Skyterra 6: Enjoying the outdoor hot tub with a pretty incredible view 7: Hiking in the snow 8–9: Comparing photos from my first stay at Skyterra to my most recent stay (about 3½ years apart) 10: Visiting the Inner Harbor in Baltimore 11: Swinging at The Wharf in DC 12–13: At the Washington Monument 14: At the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool 15: Laughing at the Lincoln Memorial 16: Trying Maryland’s ‘best ever’ crab cakes at Koco’s Diner 17: Attending my first professional soccer game to see someone named Messi play who is apparently kind of a big deal 🤷🏻‍♀️😂 18: My first and only other trip to DC back in 2003

When I look at that last photo, I actually think my body looks pretty “normal.” But at the time, I was incredibly self-conscious about my weight. And it wasn’t just in my head — by that point I had already been made fun of to my face for my weight at least four times.

It’s wild how much can change in over 20 years. I barely recognize that version of me. I’m proud of the growth that has happened in my life since then. 💜

I’m so grateful for the opportunities to explore and for the people I shared these moments with. 🥰

03/08/2026

Bodies change throughout the day. Lighting changes. Angles change. Posture changes. Bloating changes. But we keep comparing one static moment to another as if nothing should change.

I could take a “before” photo and an “after” photo of myself on the same day and make it look like a transformation. Not because anything dramatic happened… but because our bodies are human. This is normal!

Social media often shows the best angle, the best lighting, the most flattering moment. But that’s not the full story of a body or a person.

Your body isn’t failing you when it fluctuates.
It’s functioning. 🙌🏻

What you see online isn’t always wrong. It’s not always an intentional lie or a trick to deceive. But it’s just one moment out of many.

Give yourself permission to stop comparing your everyday body to someone else’s perfectly curated body. Focus on health and how you feel over aesthetics. Because aesthetics can drastically change, even within one day. 😉

03/04/2026

My whole life, I wanted to be smaller.
I wanted to change my body. But what I really needed was to change my life.

I thought weight loss would give me the future I wanted.
But the future I wanted required new habits.
New mindsets.
New standards.
New discipline.
New courage.

It wasn’t just weight loss that was going to give me the life I wanted.

It was becoming lighter. Not just physically,
but emotionally and mentally.
It was becoming more intentional.
Not just with my thoughts, but with my actions.

It was a stronger body.
A more confident presence.
A more secure identity.
A freer soul.

The past version of me didn’t know what was possible.�The future version of me knew I was capable of more than I believed.

Both of them helped me get where I am today. 💜

03/01/2026

One of my favorite things about being at is that I don’t have to think about food.

I walk in.
I order breakfast from a simple menu.
There are two options for lunch.
Two options for dinner.
Snacks are always available.
That’s it.

Tracking my calories was a huge part of my weight loss journey. It was never too overwhelming for me, but it still takes extra care and attention throughout the day.

But here, there’s no mental math needed.
No wondering if I hit my protein.
No adjusting later.
No overthinking portions.

I just eat!

Everything is balanced — protein, fiber, healthy fats, micronutrients — and it’s handled for me! 🙌🏻

There is something so comforting about being able to release that responsibility while I’m here. And that feels like relief! 🥰

02/26/2026

Look, I know this might sound crazy, but sometimes I hesitate before posting “before and after” content because I ask myself, “Is the change really noticeable enough?”

There’s a 170lb difference between the photos in this reel.
And I can still look at them and wonder, “Do I really look THAT different?”

These feelings can come with a drastic body change, even when you logically know the change is obvious. Body dysmorphia in this case is a lag between your brain and your body. It’s feeling disconnected from what you see.

For me, it’s not a constant state I’m in.
It shows up for a moment and then it’s gone.
So how do I handle that?

I don’t shame myself for feeling it.
I don’t guilt myself for struggling.
And I don’t try to convince myself how dramatic the change is.

Instead, I remind myself of the changes that matter most, the ones you can’t see in a before and after anyway.

I feel healthier.
I’m more confident.
I can move my body in ways that feel good.
I have more opportunities to travel and experience new things in ways that make me feel capable.
I’m more alive.
More free.

I’m less limited by a body that was unhealthy and holding me back.
Not just because of endurance and energy, but because of its size too.
I’m less concerned with what others think of me because I know I’m taking care of myself.

I’m happier.
Not because my body is smaller,
but because my life is bigger!

Even if I occasionally question the visible changes (while fully knowing I absolutely look different), I’ve never questioned the changes that are lived. The changes I feel, not just the ones I see.
And that’s what I was really after all along anyway. 💜

02/24/2026

I didn’t lose over 200 lbs by doing anything extreme. I did three simple things… consistently.

Here are the three things I focused on:

1. I shifted my mindset.
I focused on building healthy habits instead of obsessing over the scale. I aimed for consistency over perfection. I accepted that this wasn’t a quick fix, it was a permanent change. I realized motivation if fleeting, but discipline is a choice. These mindset shifts alone changed everything.

2. I tracked my calories to stay in a deficit.
Weight loss requires consuming fewer calories than you burn. Tracking is simply how I stay aware and intentional. I focused mostly on whole and minimally processed foods so I could feel better physically and mentally, not just see changes on the scale.

3. I moved my body intentionally every day.
Walking. Marching in place. Hiking. Pickleball. Swimming. Strength training. I experimented until I found movement I enjoyed and I still include things that aren’t my favorite but are good for me. At the beginning, I aimed for 8k steps. Then 10k. Now I simply focus on moving in a way that serves me well each day.

This is important: You don’t have to change everything at once. Start small. Add slowly. Build sustainably.

Fast and extreme changes create fast and extreme burnout. Sustainable changes create lasting transformation!

It’s not about chasing a smaller body.
It’s about building a bigger, healthier life! 🥰

02/21/2026

The first time I tried rowing was at ⁠ when I was 360lbs. I ended up with the best 500m time out of everyone that was being timed while I was there. I assumed my extra weight somehow helped me go faster. 😂

This class was to find an estimate of your VO2 Max (maximum amount of oxygen your body can use for exercise) measurement using rowing endurance to score. I ended up in the excellent range for my age and gender which was surprising to me. 😂🙈

I honestly don’t even know if this is a great time, but it felt like a great time for me! And it’s so fun to challenge myself while I’m here at Skyterra Wellness! 🤗

02/20/2026

Another amazing day at ! 🥰

I strained a muscle in my back, and it’s set me back a little. It’s always hard to be here, where I naturally want to challenge myself and be more active than I am at home, and feel like I can’t fully do the things I want to do because of an injury.

But the first time I came to Skyterra, in summer 2022, is when I really learned there’s a fine line between pushing yourself and overextending yourself. It’s where I learned how to honor my body and its limits while still challenging myself. It’s where I learned there’s a difference between an excuse and a reason.

That’s what I love about being at a wellness retreat. Wellness includes resting. It includes slowing down. It includes pacing yourself.

And I’m so grateful to be somewhere that encourages both! Challenging myself when I can and slowing down when I need to.

Also, I’d love your honest opinion! How do you feel about this style of “day in the life” videos? I’ve usually done voiceovers, but I’ve never shared like this with the real, unmuted clips throughout the day. Do you prefer this style, or the voiceover style more?

02/18/2026

I may not have conquered the world.
But I sure as hell conquered MY world.

And that’s what I hope for every single person seeing this!

Not applause.
Not approval.
Not appearance.

I hope you get to experience the moment where you do something you once thought was impossible… and realize you’re capable of more than you believed.

We all have our own mountain. Whatever yours is, I hope you choose to climb it. 💜

02/17/2026

ANY MOVEMENT IS BETTER THAN NO MOVEMENT! 📣

Is marching in place the only movement I did to lose weight? No. I added in lots of movement over time like walking, hiking, strength training, swimming, pickleball, and more.

But was it a BIG part of my first year? YES. Most of my steps in that first year came from marching in place.

Why did I choose to march in place?
• I had a daily step goal and this helped me meet that goal. • I was too embarrassed to walk in public. • I live in Phoenix, and it’s hot most of the year, so I needed something indoors. • I couldn’t find an affordable treadmill that supported my weight at the time. • Marching in place was simple and I wanted habit change to feel as easy as possible so I would stick with it.

Every single step I took while standing in place counted. It counted physically, because yes, it burns calories. But it also counted mentally. It was me following through. It was me keeping a promise to myself. It was me building discipline in an unglamorous, unexciting and very ordinary way.

You do have to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. I never ate below my BMR during my weight loss which means a lot of my deficit came from adding movement. And most days in that first year, that added movement was marching in place.

So don’t let anyone — including yourself — tell you that small things don’t make a difference. They do. Consistency in something simple will always beat inconsistency in something impressive. 🙌🏻

02/15/2026

In the weight loss space, I hear a lot of people say they want to “bounce back” or “get back” to a previous version of themselves that was smaller. But it’s not just the smaller body you’d get back… it’s also a life with less. A version of you that has lived less, experienced less, learned less, grown through less.

Lately, I’ve found myself wishing I could go back too. Back to a version of me before heartbreak. Before certain disappointments. A version of me with more naive hope and untested faith. But that version of me was also less trusting of herself. Less wise. Less resilient. Less proud of how she moves through difficulty.

If we want to erase the hard seasons, we also erase the person who survived them. And what a joy we would be robbing ourselves of.

If you choose to learn through it all, there is no past version of you that is more capable than the one you are now. No matter how different your body, your life, or your circumstances look.

It’s not just our experiences that expand, it’s our capacity to move through them with more grace, faith, and strength.

If the options are going back, staying the same, or moving forward… I’d rather grow. 🌱

Leah Hope

03/13/2026

03/12/2026

03/08/2026

03/04/2026

03/01/2026

02/26/2026

02/24/2026

02/21/2026

02/20/2026

02/18/2026

02/17/2026

02/15/2026

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