Here’s the secret: There’s more to weight loss than exercise

MANILA, Philippines - Around this time last year, I was at the Guggenheim Museum in New York for Maurizio Cattelan’s show. Since I was blown away by Cattelan’s work and I was too cheap to transfer to a café, I started writing my resolutions in the lobby with “Focusing on my body of work” as my top priority. For 2012, the only successful body of work I could think of was a bunch of Facebook albums I uploaded in less than 24 hours. What surprised me though was I did something that was left out of my resolutions list after being the top item for 15 years. I don’t know if it’s my bad grammar or if the universe misunderstood me, but in 2012, I was able to focus on working on my body.

Sometime around March, the doctor from the insurance company told me I had to pay a higher premium for my life insurance because at 210 pounds, I was considered “high risk.” You know, I can just roll my eyes when some random kid calls me a pig, but when I was told to shell out extra cash for insurance, I felt like I was punched in the gut! But looking back, I’d say that incident with the insurance is a better wake-up call than something morbid like passing out after eating a whole lechon, or cheesy like getting a “rebound body” project after a heartbreak.

My journey was not easy but it was not hard either. I had to be honest with myself and do an inventory of habits. When I started losing weight, I was like my old unhealthy self hoping for a quick fix. I tried the Dukan diet, which worked at first but made me slip back into carbo loading when nobody was looking. The turning point was being chosen to take part in Women’s Health magazine’s weight loss issue in June 2012, which made the first stages of committing myself to a healthy lifestyle easier. The magazine provided the nutritionist and the classes but I still had to meet them halfway by showing up in class and writing in my food journal. I was so proud to be one of the three women out of five who finished the program that I didn’t even mind being photographed wearing a sleeveless outfit.

Today, I weigh 186 pounds and in terms of BMI and body fat percentage, I’m still a porker. I don’t think Oprah is going to call me to weep and share my journey on her show anytime soon but I have close friends who tell me they’re inspired to lose weight. (I’ll tell you a secret, I even screen cap the messages!) Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever be writing this article for YStyle, but after losing 24 pounds, I feel so accomplished and 19 years old again ––  but I still refuse to wear sleeveless. I’m no fitness expert but here is what I learned from my journey. And pardon me if this sounds cliché, but I tell you, everything they said in the past is true!

There are a lot of ways to lose weight

Aside from self-proclaimed “geeks,” another group I cannot stand are people who give unsolicited advice and impose their weight loss strategies on other people. Do not cave in to your aunt who thinks the blood-type-based diet will be your chance to land a husband or that friend who thinks running at The Fort is the only solution to losing weight when in reality she just needs a buddy to pay half of the parking fee. With me, I learned that I didn’t like running but through my fitness fairy godmother, Ruby Gan, I learned to love red cord, a popular type of suspension training. I also learned strict diets that require me to weigh myself. Having regular meals does not match my lifestyle as a freelance photographer but I learned to eat breakfast more. You just have to be very persistent in finding that exercise and food plan that will fit your lifestyle and motivate you for a lifetime. Up to this day, I still try out more healthy recipes and sign up for trial classes.

Fitness is a lot of factors

I had to find out why I would eat a lot and the truth hurts. I actually ate a lot not because I was depressed but because I was bored! How sad. I would also binge every time I lacked sleep. I also realized I would also skip working out because going to the gym was a workout in itself. So I had to really understand myself to keep falling off the wagon. Listing all the roadblocks such as “lack of sleep” and “gross gym” made it easier for me to look for a solution. For others, losing weight can be more difficult because of health problems like hormonal imbalance and a weak knee. I recommend to go to a doctor for a general check-up. Unfortunately, I really ate my way to 210 pounds and it’s not because I was big boned or hormonal. It helps to go to somebody who can give you a very good assessment. For me it was Women’s Health columnist, nutritionist and physical trainer Mitch Felipe-Mendoza who basically gave me a road map so I can reach my destination.

It’s all about nutrition

Time magazine and the New York Times can debate about the notion “losing weight is 80-percent food and 20-percent exercise” all year, but for me, a big part of my weight loss was changing the way I ate. This is one thing I regret not understanding when I was a teenager who worked out for four hours but had three pieces of KFC for merienda. One cannot simply out-exercise a bad diet. I’m not going to lie, I still have caloric bombs like vanilla cupcakes or chicharon, I just need to portion and incorporate more healthy food. Calorie counting works but it is something you have to get used to. Luckily, it’s easier now with apps that tell me a piece of moon cake with egg yolk is almost 1,000 kcals.

Think long-term not short term

When I was 18, I lost weight for a boy who ended up telling me he just sees me as a baby sister. Shucks. I tried losing weight at 22 for a wedding but, as usual, everybody focused on the bride. Hassle. Every time I go on vacation, I try to lose the buffer weight of five to 10 pounds so I can gorge on every meal. Big mistake since the only thing that lost weight was my wallet. I realized that short-term goals never worked for me because, in the end, my habits came back in full force. The long-term goal I set for myself was to find an exercise I can do daily until I have to live with a walker or a bedpan. I also set a goal to eat something in the morning that I can eat anywhere in the world so I don’t backslide. But I recommend writing specific daily short-term goals like limiting myself to only 1,800 kcals a day and attending yoga class in the afternoon.

Choose a support group

Aside from cutting back on Knorr seasoning, I learned how to zone out on people who are detrimental to my healthy lifestyle. They’re just as bad as a bag of Ruffles! You know that person who gives you the “Minsan lang ako mag birthday” meal pass, or that jealous friend who makes you feel guilty about being a “skinny bitch” and that annoying carefree anti-exercise relative who keeps repeating, “Sarap kumain.” As much as you want to reply, “Sarap mong sapakin,” you have to live with them and just learn to nod your head and say, “Noted.” I also do not recommend being friends with obnoxious meatheads who talk about shakes and squats cause I find them downright gross. My support group consists of people who respect my choices and at the same time encourage me without nagging me to fulfill my goals.