Before – During – After photos

Some of us are not blessed with super efficient metabolism that allows us to guzzle down whatever we wanted without it being stored away as obscenely visible excess fat. We are mostly average folks who inevitably gain weight as we get older because naturally we do not require as many calories to survive as we age. We don’t realize that we should in response shrink the portions we eat or increase our activity levels (the latter choice is preferred). Throw in sedentary lifestyles, desk jobs and modern conveniences and you’ve got the classic recipe for weight gain disaster of the post-industrial ages.

In the interest of science, I would like to show you what happens when the body of a young Malay woman of 155cm in height goes through fitness and diet neglect within a period of 5 years. And then of course the part where I reversed everything.

The 3 photos below portray the following:

before I got overweight (my original slim being & benchmark – so to speak),
while I was overweight (also known as the gluttony period), and
after my weight loss (breaking the barrier of success!).

	BEFORE The Benchmark Here I am in my gadis Melayu terakhir pose. It was nice being a 20-something. The body was slimmer, I actually possessed a jaw line, and I pretty much ate whatever and whenever I wanted and it all seemed to disappear into nowhere. Unbeknownst to me, I was slowly but surely gaining weight. Despite the gleaming smile, I was setting up myself for a more sinister outcome.
	DURING The Gluttony Period Long hair was not the only thing I grew out by the time I hit 30. My waist line took a beating too and finding a good pair of pants that complimented my overtly pear shape was a frustrating feat. My already round face grew rounder, ready to rival Marshmallow Man. This picture of me is unflattering and frankly I am embarrassed by it but I am willing to expose it because I wish I knew someone telling me all this when I was going through young adulthood. Don't even get me started on aerobic fitness and stamina status during this time. Exercise - what's that?
	AFTER Reclaimation! About 7 months (Jan - Aug 2010) after I jumpstarted my exercise routine and improved my diet, I shrunk into this figure, toned my body some and actually exceeded my weight goal by 3kg. Extra cheeks? Gone! (Almost.) I have now maintained this physique for the last 1 year and 4 months and I am stronger and feel better than I did before I started, thanks to a conscious decision to change my lifestyle. I would like to think I am older and wiser now. (And more fabulous, don't forget fabulous.)

If I can do it, then surely anyone can too. Achieving fitness and dropping a few pounds in the name of good health should be anyone’s resolution, no matter what time of the year. You owe yourself that much.

And if you need a cheerleader in your attempts, you can count on me.