Meet Tamanna, a Singaporean mum who has lost 40 kgs in this last year. She's been struggling with her weight all her life.
At her highest she weighed 121 kilos. She shares, "I am a foodie and growing up, it was hard to stay away from all the yummy local good, Mee goreng, chicken rice, prata to name a few."
The unhealthy lifestyle took its toll though, and she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
She decided to opt for gastric band biatric surgery, in a desperate attempt to lose weight. According to WebMD, a gastric band surgery is a restrictive surgery done to reduce the size of the stomach. After surgery, you’ll usually feel full faster, eat less, and lose weight.
Easier said than done though, and Tamanna suffered severe side-effects, "I got a gastric band surgery done! Many think that this is the "easy way out" but the post surgery recovery and the ordeal of having to eat slowwwwwlyyyy and throwing up nearly daily is far from "easy"."
Slowly, she did end up losing some weight, and for a while she was quite content being a hefty 94 kg. Until her little one came along. She realised she had to take stronger measures for her baby.
"My weight never bothered me or my husband until we had a child. Seeing my precious little one gave me inspiration and the motivation to lose weight and to be healthy. I want to be able to run around, play with him and be there for him, helping him through his life. I knew I had to start getting healthy."
As a first step, she found a personal trainer. Apart from paying more attention to her diet, she realised she had to find a fitness regime she truly enjoyed, "That surely wasn't the gym or some random aerobic classes .... I decided to take up tennis."
She recommends, "Find a sport that you love and keep at it ... It's the best way to get motivated and stay motivated!"
And this year, she finally got rid of her gastric band, "The fact is that I made a grave mistake years ago by doing a gastric band biatric surgery! From multiple deep ulcers to complete inability to eat solid food for weeks as the band shifted, I have seen it all !"
"Please don't make the same mistake and secondly if you do, or already have then it's not to late ... rectify it and learn to live healthy and eat clean and be inspired to stay fit because surgery is surely not the "easy way" out!"
It has been tougher to control her weight gain after she removed the band, but Tamanna is fighting her bulge all the way.
Tamanna is now 80 kgs and intends to lose another 15 kg to be at her ideal weight of 65. She exercises almost daily and watches her diet. "The struggle is real, but I could not have asked for better motivation than the cuddles I get from my son at the end of a workout."
We wish this beautiful mum, jiayou! We know you can do it! #keepfitsingapore
Also READ: From Flab to Fab- This Singapore mum's weightloss journey will stun you!