My Weight Loss Journey with Before & After Photos

Believe it or not, I had been sleeping on the idea of incorporating a fitness column onto my blog for at least 3 years by now. The reason why I didn't do it initially was because I didn't feel I was qualified enough to do so. I am certainly not an expert in this and I did not shed 40kg for my journey to be considered as a groundbreaking or inspiring one.

It wasn't until recently that I decided that my blogging game needs to be leveled up. Sure, writing about travel and food hunts is fun but I realized that my blog is lacking some essence here. I haven't really been writing about the things that I personally care, believe, preach and am constantly working towards diligently in my daily life - such topics include fitness, finance, personal development, emotional well being and all that jazz. That is why I am finally taking the leap of faith, starting with this fitness topic to slowly write more about these topics because I know that I have been growing in various aspects as a person and if this blog remains stagnant, then what is the point of even keeping it alive anymore? 

Growing up, I was never the kid who was ever associated with the word 'fat'. That said, I was far from the type who could eat 3 bowls of rice and binge on whatever they want yet looking skinny af and having chopstick legs.

I didn't like (and still don't) to go outdoors, be exposed to the sun and I hate sweating! So, sports were so not never my thing.

This is me at 15 years old. Being 1.6m tall, I weighed about 49kg at that time. Apart from ballet classes and forced PE classes at school, I hardly did any sports. I wouldn't consider myself fat at that time but my face was definitely round. Where's my jaw line anyway? 

In 2012, after 10 months of living in Australia and having a chef at our dorm who would make us all sorts of yummy meals everyday, my weight reached its peak. Holy crap, just look at those flabby fat arms.

I didn't feel it at that time but I was petrified when I saw my valedictory photos. WTF! I prolly weighed about 55kg at that time.  

After I moved out of the dorm in 2013, I started living on my own in a tiny studio apartment and I finally learnt how to cook for the first time in my life. I cut down on the unhealthy foods and started eating more fruits and relatively healthier.

I participated in weekly K-pop dance classes at that time and that's the only "workout" that I did. Right before our performances, I would practically live on mushrooms, tofu, cabbage and fruits only. That did help me lose a bit of weight but overall, I still wasn't skinny.

In 2014, I started getting more into the healthy eating after moving in with my housemate. Although in that 1-2 years, I was working in a cupcake/macaron shop while she's working at a fast food restaurant, and we would often eat those sweets and burgers, I still managed to shed some weight. I guess it's because simultaneously we also started to pay more attention to what we were cooking and stocking up at home. 

Towards the end of 2015, I went from approximately 49kg to just 39kg in just a month's time. I was going through my first heartbreak, so during that time, all I did was cry, sleep and eat a bowl of oats with raisins once a day. 

Look at my legs and how my shirt was wearing me (not me wearing the shirt). Ignore the messy hair.

This weight loss made me feel more confident with my physical appearance and I'd love to think of it as a blessing in disguise that came during such a messy time of my life.

I never thought my legs and arms would look like that ever - dreams did come true, kay!!!

I decided to give myself a new start. I decluttered my closet and donated a lot of my old pants which couldn't fit me anymore and went out to buy brand new ones. I made a vow to myself at that time to never allow myself to go back to my old size anymore.

Look at the drastic difference in my pants sizes. 

In 2016, my partner in crime started inviting me to go to the gym with her. 

Being unemployed, lost, broke and heartbroken, I thought escaping to the gym with her was the best way for me to run away from my problems. We'd do about 1-1.5 hours of cardio on the threadmills while chatting with one another because that's the only thing that we knew how to do anyway. Slowly, we started following Blogilates and more fitness gurus' videos on Youtube.

When I finally got my first full time job (that's also the time when my partner in crime who got me into fitness started to ditch the gym life herself), I then signed up for an annual membership at a gym near my apartment and started attending various classes, like pilates, reformer, body pump, zumba, yoga and boxing. 

Towards the end of 2016 and the start of 2017, I started getting really obsess and anxious with my diet and workouts because I felt that I was hitting the plateau. Despite all the effort that I was putting into the fitness classes and clean eats, my arms and back somehow got flabbier FML!

It took me a while to switch things up to gain back my sanity. I stopped watching every single bite of food that I ate. I used to feel really guilty and blame myself for ruining my 'clean eat day' after having 1 Mentos!

Moreover, instead of going to the gym everyday, I started doing 20-40 minutes of HIIT workouts at home (about 3-4 times per week). That gave me better results in a more efficient and effective way - I saved more money and time without having to commute to the gym anymore.

By then, I had moved to a new apartment that came with a mini gym anyway, so I would go there to run off my emotions and stress on a threadmill whenever I felt like it.

Going into 2018, I redefined my fitness and body goals and started doing more workouts that are targeted for certain body parts on top of my usual HIIT workouts. For me, it's all about abs, booty, legs and arms. I never look back ever since then. 

Here are a bunch of photos taken in 2019 and 2020: 

Though I no longer weigh 40kg (the last time I checked at the start of 2020, I was around 46kg with clothes and shoes on), I still feel happy and confident with my physique. No, I'm not being complacent - I am still lacking in a lot of ways and I do not look my best every single day with abs and sharp jawline, especially during my PMS days. To keep it real, I still procrastinate and skip my workouts from time to time. But I'm never giving it up. 

One epiphany that I had the other day while doing planks:

There's nothing that guarantees success in a more direct and transparent way than fitness. If you put in the time, effort and sweat into your fitness journey, you will definitely be rewarded handsomely sooner or later. It's directly proportionate and does not rely on a single ounce of luck at all! 

It's simple but it's not easy but we'll all get there! Keep your faith high and your cores tight!