Choosing to be Healthy, the Right Way

For as long as I can remember, I've always been this chubby little girl who eventually became an overweight adult. Friends may think otherwise, but I grew up to be a very insecure girl because of my weight. After several declarations that I can lose weight, I finally shed off the “baby fat” in college. I chose to be active. I exercised at least 5 times a week and I ate less to the point of starving myself at times. My baon in college was only enough for transpo, school materials and occasional splurges on food so being on a “diet” was the most convenient thing to do. I educated myself about terms related to weight loss- calories, types of exercise, fad diets. I even tried some of these fad diets. It was a success. After more than a year of vigorous exercise and dieting, the 185-pound teenager became a slender 120-pound woman.

Despite that weight-loss success, I still felt insecure. I felt that I still had something to prove and that it was never good enough. I always felt guilty when I eat. I still pose "side view" for pictures because I still felt fat. Good thing I didn't reach the point of being bulimic. With that new body stayed the old self-image. 

Even with all that "education," my weight slowly rebound. It was the perfect case of "knowing but not doing." With the income from my first job, I grabbed the opportunity to enroll myself at the gym and I joined dance groups to maintain being active. But, this extra income also gave me a sense of freedom to buy what I want and that includes food. See, I love eating. My relationship with food is so intimate that I need to have it with me during happy and sad moments. I allowed myself to eat unhealthy food, I did more than social drinking, always with the thought that I can just burn the excess calories off somehow with vigorous exercise (which rarely happened because of my busy schedule.) With unhealthy food choices, alcohol intake from parties and weekend "unwinding" sessions with friends, stress and less physical activity, being overweight was the expected outcome. 

Then pregnancy came. Emotionally, I was ready to start a family with Roy but I must admit that physically, it wasn't my peak. It was truly a happy moment because we're soon expecting a new member of the family but we were also worried about how my weight and eating habits would affect our child. Thank God the whole pregnancy went smoothly. I never experienced morning sickness and until weeks before my expected delivery date, I was still able to party and attend events. I was looking forward to a normal delivery. I was confident enough because no one in my immediate family delivered via Caesarian Section. But I was wrong. 

During my expected delivery date, my BP shot up to 160/100. I was crying the whole time in the delivery room because I couldn't believe that I'd have to deliver via CS and of course, there was no one else to blame but myself. My case is called pre-eclampsia. It is a medical condition in which hypertension arises in pregnancy. There are several factors leading to this condition and being obese puts a woman at a higher risk. It was at that point when I knew that I wasn't healthy. For someone who wants to have at least 4 kids, this was a major disappointment.

Until I ran out of excuses. Before I started with my 3-month transformation program, momsy was confined because of diabetes. It was a close call because her blood sugar went up to 500. What does this number mean? It means that she could collapse anytime and be in a coma. What does this mean for me? It means that if I stick to the same eating habits and lifestyle given our family history of diabetes, heart diseases, cancer and my personal history of hypertension, mamimili na lang talaga ako ng ikamamatay ko dba?

Kidding aside, I knew that the Spartan Transformation was worth a try because its only side effect is that I would be healthy. I've known this program since 2008 but still chose to be a wait-and-see person because I felt that I can go back to my DIY (Do-it-yourself) days where I can just count calories, exercise and starve some more. After hundreds of testimonials from other countries and from other Pinoys, I'm so happy to have finally given myself the chance to experience what this program promises:
1. No starving
2. Results even with no exercise
3. No rebound
4. Healthy eating habits
5. A Supportive environment

Now, I may not be back to my 120-pound figure yet but I'm definitely on my way to being a hot mama who has a healthy relationship with myself and with food. The Spartan Transformation showed me that it's possible to eat my way to health. Every day is so exciting because I know that I have a solution to share to the people who matter to their loved ones. I know that right now, someone out there is fighting with herself, feeling guilty about every bite and justifying an unhealthy lifestyle with stress and peer pressure. It is not ok because I've experienced it. It is not ok to be slim but you don't love your body enough to nourish it with food nor deprive it of sleep nor drown it with alcohol. The Right Approach to health is all about loving your body and creating healthy habits for the long-term. Both of which, I didn't get to experience in my first attempt at weight loss. Hence, the rebound.

I choose to be healthy because of the big family that I'm starting to build with Roy. I choose to be healthy the right way because I intend to do this for the long-term. I intend to be an example to my daughter and be an inspiration to the people around me. I know that in any endeavor that I choose, being healthy should be a given for me so that I can work and truly enjoy the fruits of my labor.