Woman loses 105 pounds to spite husband and his mistress who called her fat

It was the push she needed

Rachel Hosie
Wednesday 07 June 2017 08:58 BST
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Being cheated on is horrible. And it’s even worse if you find out your partner and their bit on the side were laughing at you behind your back.

That’s exactly what happened to Betsy Ayala, and she’d just had her husband’s baby when she found out.

Mere months after giving birth, Ayala, who lives in Houston, Texas, found messages on her husband’s phone between him and his mistress. Not only that, but they were teasing her about her weight.

“I had been with him since I was 17 and pretty much devoted my life to our relationship and him,” the 34-year-old said.

“I was devastated. I found out through some messages I read on his Facebook where they were calling me a cow and fat and just trashing me and my whole world fell apart.

“I didn’t know what to do with myself at the time. I was still over 220 pound with a six-month-old and everything that I had worked for had just vanished,” she said.

There are many ways to respond to a break-up and lots of people resolve to get in shape. This is exactly what Ayala did, but in a big way - she’s now lost 105 pounds.

She’d been trying to lose weight before, but the messages between her now ex-husband and his mistress provided Ayala with the motivation she needed to do it seriously.

By making small changes like cutting out sugary snacks, going to zumba classes and working out with her sister, Ayala slimmed down drastically over the course of two years.

And in fact, she’s even grateful for what happened as it gave her the push she needed.

“Now I honestly feel that what he did was a blessing because otherwise I would have been the way I was forever,” she said.

“I prayed all the time for my life to change and my prayers were answered just maybe not in the way I envisioned but I got a second shot at a fresh start and I’m grateful for that.”

Her attitude to exercise changed too.

“I would cry after every workout and it was then that I decided that this would not define me and I was going to change for me and for my daughter. I wanted her to be proud of her mom and I wanted to be an example for her,” she said.

As a child, Ayala was never into exercise, but she hopes to pass on a love of keeping fit to her daughter.

“I was always the chubby kid,” she said. “I never played sports or wanted to take in physical activity because I was overweight. I did get bullied in school and got picked on. I think for me eating was like self-medication.”

Now, Ayala has 72,000 followers on Instagram, where she’s been documenting her progress.

“I’m a completely different person both on the inside and outside because of my outlook on everything,” she said.

“I was always very negative and had a chip on my shoulder because I was unhappy with me. I’m happier, I’m confident and most of all I’m positive.”

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