Livy Cedeno-Barros : Weight is not gained overnight, so don’t expect to lose it overnight
Turning 43 years old by September 2016, working full time as a dentist 6x a week and a mom of 2 boys, 10 and 4 years old.
There’s no shame in me gaining weight during my 4 pregnancies, I had 2 miscarriages after my first and my body could not manage to go back to it’s ideal pre-pregnancy size and weight easily. Fortunately for some women, it makes it look so easy for them to get back in shape even without diet and exercise but for me it takes a ton of hard work and dedication to achieve this personal goal.
My last pregnancy was in October 2011 at 38, and my maximum weight after giving birth was at 174 lbs. The struggle of being overweight made me quite depressed during and after giving birth to my second child. It seemed that I still looked pregnant even after 6 months of full breastfeeding.
In April 2012, I lost almost 15 lbs due to dengue. Effortless weight was lost but the ordeal to have that illness was frightening.
I tried different kinds of diet and engaged myself with a lot of activities like running, badminton, hiking, going to the gym once in awhile, slowly I am lost those pounds but still was overweight.
In 2015, HIIT (high intensity interval training) was introduced to me by Coach Mark Mellinger, a foreigner giving free training at the Quezon City Memorial Circle. I tried to attend a once a week workout for 1 month then stopped due to conflict with work schedules.
I also joined the Milo Apex Running Clinic Season 11 and really enjoyed the endurance training for almost 2 months under Coach Jim Saret and joined different run races after.
Our neighbor friend, Mr. Angelo “Jelo” Raya introduced CrossFit training to me and my husband, we tried for a few months then stopped again.
Some people say that if you stop working out without the proper diet, you will start to gain weight again and double than what was before. That became true for me.
My goal for 2016 was to become my absolute fittest before I reach the age of 45.
I decided to enroll at Al Function Zone, here in Marikina under Coach Alex G. Florentino. It’s a different atmosphere and approach because the group training is more intense and it seemed that all the girls were younger than me. But it didn’t cross my mind to quit because I know I can do whatever the younger girls can do in the gym.
My husband and kids were very supportive in my journey to fitness. The kids will accompany me going to the gym and they would also workout with me. My husband also enrolled on my second month.
In June 15,2016, my coach invited me to join the 60 days challenge and fortunately my husband supported me and we ended up joining the challenge together with other gym mates as well.
Our diet included no salt, no oil when cooking food, no rice and no sweets (I am a chocolate lover and I honestly gave it up for the challenge). Source of protein will be from fish or chicken without skin and to cook food either grilled or steamed for 60 days.
With commitment and determination, I followed the strict diet program and joined the training for almost 6x every a week.
I began loving the activity that it did not seem like exercising.
It is indeed a lifestyle change for me and my husband. I have learned to be firm by resisting temptations and unhealthy eating habits.
After going through the challenge, from a weight of 133 lbs, my current weight is now at 114.8. And that’s from size large to extra small! I am happy that I was able to achieve my goal in 2 months. And hopefully I can maintain it until I reach 45 and beyond.
Here are the insights and learning I would like to share:
1. I realize that I need to make time for all the things that are important to us. Time management is the key.
2. Encourage your family to join and support you in your journey to fitness.
3. Adjust an attitude to “I can, I will” to and “I can finish what I started”
3. Be patient. Weight is not gained overnight and therefore it is not something one loses overnight. It’s a slow process but if one is determined, patience will have good results.
Thank you for hearing my story. I hope this can serve as an inspiration to all the moms who can relate to the same problem in my journey to fitness.
~ Dr. Livy Marie Cedeno-Barros
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