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ANSWERING THE WAKE-UP CALL
“Kahit maging balyena ka pa,” my husband said with genuine
sincerity, “mamahalin pa din kita.” (Even
if you turn into a whale, I will still love you.)
Of course I laughed and gave
him a nudge. Actually, it was more of a push.
My husband is not the funniest
guy in the world but he really made me laugh with that silly remark. I wanted to
believe he meant it, but the cynical side of me knew it was too good to be
true.
Some men prefer plump women and
most guys I know don’t want skinny women. Nevertheless, the issue is not
whether I wanted to be ‘desired’ by my husband or to be more attractive in his eyes. The reality was that I
was unhappy being overweight and unhealthy. For many years, my natural
confidence masked a growing insecurity about my physical appearance. Even if my
husband didn’t have a problem with my obesity, I started to loathe my obsession
with food.
We
manage an archery club.
My husband was a veteran member
of the Philippine national archery team and he was an international athlete
during his younger years. He is now a freelance coach and is still very much
passionate about the sport. I am a preschool teacher, amateur writer and a
sports enthusiast. We put up an archery club because we believe in the numerous
benefits of being physically fit and healthy, while aiming to train young
archers who will potentially compete in future Youth Olympic Games. I do the
paperworks and marketing; my husband does the training and coaching. In this
kind of partnership, I felt uncomfortable being overweight in a field where people
are supposed to be able-bodied or robust. I felt I was not representing the
club and my husband well. I also want to learn archery as a hobby that I can
enjoy until I get old. Buddha said, “To keep the body in good health is a duty,
otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”
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| We love archery! |
My
clothes didn’t fit anymore.
As a minimalist, I am enjoying
the benefits of owning fewer clothes than an average 30-something woman. I was
alarmed to discover that I might not be able to wear any of my regular clothes
in the next few months and I would be forced to shop for new items. Being an
advocate of frugality, I just could not let that happen. The bottomline is that
I was getting really FAT.
I
started worrying about my health.
Walking short distances made me
gasp for breath, moving around the house was a pain, sleeping had become my
favorite past time. I loved mountaineering but it took me hours to reach the
summit because I was slow and heavy. Both of my parents are hypertensive and I did
not like the idea of acquiring diabetes either. An article even stated that
glucose is used as a fuel by cancer cells which prompted me to embark on a
quest to go on a diet - immediately.
A LIST OF SKILLS
Similar to the famous Stanford marshmallow
test, I consider losing weight as a personal experiment on willpower and
determination. Most comments I have received from people who saw my ‘before and
after’ pictures revolved around what they perceived as my high level of
self-discipline or self-control, to which I would always reply with a specific
strategy, such as:
“Avoid eating rice and sugar.”
“Replace rice with vegetables.”
“Eat more meat, vegetables and fruits.”
“Grab an apple instead of a
chocolate bar if you are craving for something sweet.”
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| Me and my son in front of his school: August 2014 (left) and February 2015 (right) |
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| January 2, 2015 (left) and March 15, 2015 (right) |
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| December 13, 2014 (left) and March 29, 2015 (right) |
The best thing I have learned
is that we are all on the same boat. Even the toughest personality can lose
control over delicious food or a gastronomic feast. We all have limited
willpower and if we are not careful, our emotions will dictate our actions.
Dieting has taught me to practice the following skills that will ultimately
lead to weight loss when turned into daily habits:
- Meal Planning – Take time to think about what you will eat tomorrow and how it would impact your actual weight and body image. Will donuts, pizza and chocolates make you fat? Then don’t eat them! The internet is a treasure trove of recipes and helpful information about health and fitness. Instead of wasting time on Facebook, try searching for articles and recipes that you can read to be inspired.
- Cooking – My mother never taught me how to cook and we all want fast food anyway. But fast food is junk food. I realized that cooking doesn’t have to be difficult and time-consuming. There are millions of healthy recipes that take very little time to prepare and are guaranteed to satisfy your taste buds. Since January of this year, I have made it a part of my morning routine to prepare my lunch for work. One of my favorite quick lunches is the classic Caesar salad.
- Problem Solving – Even a so-called disease that leads to unwanted weight gain can be cured by consulting a doctor and getting some medications to reverse the process. Therefore if you don’t have a disease, always remember that our body weight is made up of 10% genetics, 10% exercise and 80% diet. Let us not be convinced that beauty is only skin-deep because more than physical appearance, health must be our number one priority. We are not designed to live forever. Obesity is neither healthy nor pretty. Truth be told – if we are overweight – chances are we often engage in mindless eating or indulge in bad habits like laziness and procrastination. We can all make small positive changes today. It starts with food.
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| "Looking after my health today gives me a better hope for tomorrow." - Anne Wilson Schaef |
