I love sugary packaged snacks, drinks and pastries. This was the
reason why my friends call me the ‘Dessert Girl’. I must say that my love for
sugar and poor diet took a toll in my body that I gained as much as 198 lbs. at
5’ feet and 2” inches tall. I could vividly remember how every day was a
constant battle to look at the mirror because all I could see is the width of
my hips, bloated face and chunky arms.
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It was in November 2007 that I decided to make a 360 degrees turn
to become healthy and lose weight for good. There are two events in my life
that motivated me: One, the realization that I was forced to buy my clothes in
the “Plus” size and “maternity” section of department stores, and two, the
death of my father, of which become my ultimate wake-up call.
Standing 5’ feet and 2” inches tall and probably a size 12, I am
often mistaken as pregnant, I can recall how I was asked if I was pregnant when
I wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong being
pregnant is beautiful but false pregnancy identification is the lowest form of
female torture. Every time I would be mistaken as pregnant, I would laugh it
off and try very hard not to be offended because I want to get the message
across that I am comfortable with my body. To make matters worse, there would always be
weird set of reactions like “I’m sorry Ma’am, I thought you were” and a suggestion
that is equally offending “Ma’am you could try in the plus-size section”. Though
I am used to it, the fat girl inside of me wasn’t. My self-esteem was so low
that I wanted to lose weight immediately so I starved myself and tried every
fad diet. Well, it actually paid off. I was able to shed few pounds but also gained
it exponentially.
Perhaps, the turning point of my life was the death of my father.
It became my wake-up call to take a look on my overall well-being and start
switching to healthy lifestyle. He was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2.
It was an acquired disease due to obesity, sedentary lifestyle and poor diet
that include too much consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks, sugary packed
snacks, saturated fats and trans-fatty acids. My father’s death was my
‘ultimate’ wake-up call. I was thinking that my father could have lived longer
if his diabetes was prevented.
Because I have large amount of weight to lose, my journey to being
healthy was not easy. I have this love and hate relationship with fitness and
to being healthy. Every now and then the fat girl inside me whispers in my ear
to just give up; that it is easier to slacked off, be lazy and eat. It takes large amount of patience,
determination and discipline to be able to loose and keep the weight off. Really!
There are numerous advices and tips about fitness and losing
weight. I have to admit that it is quite confusing to have many guidelines. It
is like hearing a lot of voices in your head and at the end of the day it wears
you out. So I decided to trim down into six points that are easy, sensible and
manageable. Here are my six golden rules that help me to lose weight and
maintained that loss for years.
1. CHANGE OF MIND AND OF HEART-
This is not something I can easily put into words but the most important
factors that influence weight loss are your mind and heart. You should put your
mind and heart into it. There would be lots of changes and challenges in losing
weight and to be able to do and survive those you need the right attitude and
motivation in order to make it effective and lasting. Bottom-line; to change your
weight there should also be a change of mindset and of heart.
2.
TAKE ONE
DAY AT A TIME- I took it slow and steady. I realize that the slower I lose
weight the better I am in keeping it off.
I tried to get used to the changes and major lifestyle adjustment such
as cutting sugar consumption because I wanted to switch to healthy lifestyle. The key here is it doesn’t matter how slow you
go as long as you keep on going. The major changes will soon be your lifestyle
and chances are you will be able to keep the weight off in a long-term. So don’t
rush. Take one day at a time.
3. KEEP A JOURNAL- this is
very helpful to me because I was able to figure out what food I am taking on a
daily basis and the calories that each item I ate is worth. The act of writing
it down helps to raise awareness about the food I am eating and my lifestyle.
For instance, when I am skipping breakfast, I tend to eat a lot and crave for
sugar packed snacks. But when I have good breakfast, I keep the hunger pangs at
bay. Also, when I am stress, I tend to eat a lot of junk food. Writing down helps me to figure out solutions
to these problems and how to cope up with stress eating. Keeping a journal also
help me to understand portion sizes that encourage me to eat mindfully and to
stay on track.
4. EAT HEALTHY- When I
decided to lose weight, I knew changing my eating habits was the most important
at the start of my journey. I cut the sugar packed cookies, pastries and sodas.
I started eating a healthy and balanced diet. I put color in my plate by adding
greens, oranges and reds. I learn to love eating fruits and vegetables.
5. TRAIN DIRTY- My mantra is to train dirty! Sometimes
I envision myself like I’ve been picked for the hunger games! Seriously, find
the exercise that you love and you will never have to drag yourself to commit
on it. Every Thursday and Friday night, I slipped on my running shoes and run
few kilometers and on weekends I do swimming and hip-hop dancing. I do these
things because I love ‘desserts’- I’m kind of sweating it out. And also, if you still look cute and pretty
after exercising then you are not getting the benefits of exercise. As an old
saying goes, ‘You should look like a pig to be able to look like a fox’.
6. REWARD YOURSELF- A piece of
cake will do after all we are perishable item and we should enjoy life’s simple
pleasure.
