Why Viral YouTube Fitness Video Star Cassey Ho Will Never Diet Again The popular pilates instructor discusses the painful reasons it wasn't worth starving herself of carbs in pursuit of 'skinnier arms and a six-pack.'
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Cassey Ho's image is her brand. A viral YouTube fitness star, the Blogilates founder and CEO is toned, taut and muscular. But she once tried to be too toned, unhealthily so. She "extreme dieted," cutting out fruit and condiments in the quest for supermodel abs.
Starving herself of carbs -- even the healthiest of them -- to attain the perfect bikini body was a sacrifice the 29-year-old Los Angeles native tells Entrepreneur was not worth making.
"Was it really worth it to have skinnier arms and a six-pack, so that I couldn't even think and run my business?" she asks herself. Her answer: "No way."
Related: YouTube Fitness Star Cassey Ho's 3 Quick Health Tips For Busy Entrepreneurs
She played a dangerous game with extreme dieting four years ago. It wasn't until earlier this year that the longtime pilates instructor finally came out about what she characterized as "my eating disorder." She also publicly pledged never to diet again. Her disclosure, documented on YouTube and on her blog, sent shockwaves across her large global fan base.
Backlash or not, Ho says coming clean was one of the best decisions she's ever made. Today, she says her relationship with food improves with each passing day. "I want to be able to look at food as a way to nourish my body, not as the enemy."
For more on the entrepreneur's choice to vocally shun extreme dieting, which she likens to "being in jail," check out our exclusive video interview with her above.
