Working out isn't always about weight loss.

Someone sent me a message the other day saying I was never fat to begin with. The intentions were sweet, but what you might not know is that I actually weighed almost 200 pounds in college (I’m 5 flat). I was a binge eater - the kind who would eat two family-sized pizzas on her own (with Coke!) followed by two pints of ice cream.

That's why progress photos are so important to me. I feel the need to document what my body looks like every now and then because I want to make sure I'm not falling back into old habits and becoming the unhealthy blob of fat that I was back during my college days. Here's my latest progress photo:

MAY 29, 2020 vs SEP 25, 2020

Two months into quarantine, I started feeling my old college habits creeping in. I was practically inhaling cups of rice and ordering two cups of milk tea a day. Food has always been comforting for me, but let’s face it: unhealthy eating habits lead to less productivity, less energy, and a negative mindset.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for the movement of loving your body and accepting it with all of its flaws; but I also believe that you still need to make a point to look after your health and ensure that you don't abuse it by filling it with junk. (But that's just me. *shrugs*)

On the flip side, I was a size zero late last year and everyone said I was so skinny. I hated that just the same, if not more. I know that people meant for those comments to sound as compliments (since most people in the Philippines equate skinniness with beauty, for some reason), but my personal goal for the past few years has always been to look and be fit and strong - not to lose weight or get skinny. (It’s really just a matter of preference.)

I work out primarily for the positivity that it brings. It makes me feel good to finish a killer workout I know the Anj of a few months ago never would’ve finished. It makes me feel good to know that when someone needs help with heavy lifting, I can get it done. Working out has always been a challenge and a competition for and with myself - physical proof that I continue to become stronger as time goes by.

I still remember the exact date and time when I decided that I needed to add some workouts into my life. I was in my obese state (as mentioned earlier) and had just given birth to Syrena about two months prior to that when I found myself in the stupid position of almost falling off a cliff (long story). Anyway, I slipped and for a split second, I saw my life flash before my eyes. My first thought was of my 2-month-old baby girl who would've been left without a mother. It sounds funny, but I swear it was such a scary moment for 22-year-old me.

I knew that if I had slipped, no one would've been able to carry me up because I was too heavy and I knew that I wouldn't have been able to carry myself up, either. When I got back to the city (we were at the beach), I made a vow to change my lifestyle. I had to start with yoga because my ankles and knees couldn't handle anything more intense than that; and from there, I've dabbled in a bunch of other workouts to keep myself un-bored.

So there you have it: my decade-long fitness story in as small of a nutshell as I could put it (hopefully) without boring you. :p What's your fitness story? Would love to read it!

MySlim: My Companion on the Road to Looking Good This Summer

When I first started taking MySlim, I lost 9 pounds in 1 month. What I haven't told you yet is that I continued taking MySlim for 2 more months after that first month. I'm not sure how many pounds I have lost anymore, but I went from a size 34 waist to a size 24 waist. Don't believe me? Here's some proof:

My face was noticeably much rounder before compared to now.

No more rolls and bilbil all over my body.

July 2015 vs October 2015

And for the first time in my life, I actually feel okay wearing a bikini.

August 2015, size 14 vs January 2016, size 2

I had already taken MySlim for three months (without exercise) when somebody pointed out that it was scary because I might gain weight again if I stop taking MySlim. Since I wanted to know the answer to that, I stopped taking it altogether.

Well, despite the holiday season, and without any diet or exercise, I am happy to announce that I didn't gain any crazy amount of weight; so you don't have to worry about gaining your weight back if you stop taking MySlim after you reach your dream weight goals.

I have been eating quite an extraordinary lot recently, though. Because I met someone… hihi :"> …and you know what they say: when you're in love like, you spend more time together and, in turn, eat more and gain weight as a result.

Sadly, I noticed one of my pairs of shorts was a bit snug yesterday, so I decided to get back on the MySlim wagon today. Since I work out now to get toned, I'm hoping the results will be good just in time for the summer season.

Will try and keep better track of my weight and measurements this time, so you can have a more accurate idea on how MySlim helped me reach my summer body goals (if it does - which I am confident it will). :)

Want to try out these MySlim drinks? I'm giving away drink bottles and powder sachets for those who want to try the MySlim drinks for free! :) All you have to do is share this article on any of your social media platforms and tell me why you want to win. Don't forget to put your posts on Public and follow and tag me, so I can see them. :) (Wonder Woman Rises on Facebook, @the_lil_miss on Twitter and @lilmisswonderwoman on Instagram)

You may also check out MySlim on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @myslimdetox #WalangImposible :)

MySlim: My Miracle - I Lost 9 Pounds in 1 Month Without Exercise!

I am pretty excited to share my latest weight loss find with you because get this: it actually works. Yup. I lost nine pounds in one month without any exercise.

Now, let me share a bit of my backstory before I introduce you to the product. I was pregnant at the beginning of this year, but then I lost my baby on February 6. Since then, I wallowed in a sea of depression and ate my feelings. And I had a lot of feelings. A few months later, I enrolled at Gold's Gym as per usual only to get sick various times making it practically impossible for me to hit the gym, no matter how badly I wanted to.

Enter the miracle worker that is MySlim. I heard about MySlim from a colleague who had written about it on WhenInManila.com. While I knew I would have no trouble drinking the capsules twice a day, the thought of LBM from the strawberry drink scared me a little... but not enough to scare me off completely.

Armed with two bottles of 30 capsules each and four bottles of the complementing strawberry drink, I began my journey to *fingers crossed* weight loss. Keep in mind that I could not work out during this entire time, so all I did was a bit of light exercise (aka walking around the mall, and to and from work).

As directed, I took the capsules twice a day. I wasn't too strict as to when I took them, though. After all, there were days when I'd skip breakfast to sleep and other days when I'd forget to take them completely. Unlike with other caffeinated fat burners I had tried in the past, I didn't feel anything different after taking MySlim. My heart didn't palpitate. I didn't feel crazily alert. And I wasn't scared to drink coffee in fear that I'd be bouncing off the walls. I'd just go about my day as normal.

Now, for the strawberry drink, it has to be said that I'm not much of a pooper. I don't know how else to put it. I just don't go to the bathroom much. At most, I'd say I do a deuce about three to five times a month. Yeah, I know. I'm a freak. As such, I was pretty excited yet scared to drink the MySlim drink because I heard I'd be spending the whole day on the toilet after drinking it.

As such, I made sure that I'd be home the whole day after I drank my first MySlim drink. Unfortunately, while I woke up pretty excited about the whole debacle, I didn't feel a thing. Yeah, nothing happened. Still, I hoped that the drink was still doing its business in my belly despite its lack of showmanship.

So, the following week, I decided to drink it again, but worried far less about it. Okay, fine, so I wasn't worried at all. In fact, I drank it the night before a big date with my boyfriend. That night, before I even slept, I hit the bathroom twice. And the following morning, I went three more times. I got a bit freaked out every time I ate that day and prayed nothing would happen, and voila! God was on my side and ensured I didn't dash to the bathroom anymore that day.

The third time I took it, I went three times in the morning, but that was about it.

It is recommended to drink this drink twice a week. However, if you have a busy schedule like I do, I guess anytime you can is better than never at all.

Now, for the results... I didn't really think about the weight loss all that much. I just lived life and ate as usual. And then two weeks later, I noticed that I could slip off my formerly-tight shorts without unbuttoning them. That's when I learned I had lost six pounds. Another two weeks later, I had lost three more.

While I didn't go on a diet or exercise, it was pretty evident that the capsules had an appetite suppressant effect. As such, I definitely cut down on snacking since I didn't have any weird cravings to satisfy. If there was anything that I did crave, it was water. Stay hydrated. Doing so will also ensure that your tummy is full at all times, so you won't each a lot.

Aside from that, these babies will burn your fat with minimal exercise, so now that I'm better and sickness-less, I can't wait to buy some more and see how they will fare when matched with a solid workout routine. Hello, road to sexy. I am officially back. Thank you, MySlim. You're the bomb.

You can check out MySlim on Facebook or follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @myslimdetox #WalangImposible :)

My Big Weight Loss Plan: Gold's Gym, barre3 and the Century Tuna Diet

These past few months, I have admittedly been trying out all sorts of different things with hopes of losing weight, but haven't really settled on a proper plan… until now.

I've tried out different gyms. I've tried out different diets. All to no result because I never stuck to anything and just gave up mid-way. I am finally taking things seriously now, though - mostly coz I have a crazy unexpected Boracay deadline, but also coz it's high time I started fitting into my clothes again, methinks.

So, here's what I plan to do:

1. Go to Gold's Gym every single day.

Okay, I'll be the first one to admit that going every single day for a month probably won't happen, but I'm definitely going to try my best. Why? Because if I've learned anything from my capricious months of trying to lose weight, it's that Gold's Gym is my best bet at doing so.

See, Gold's Gym has great equipment for cardio and weight-lifting. Plus, they've got group exercises, a boxing area and trainers to help along the way. Gold's Gym is basically the one-stop shop for working out so to speak, regardless of whether you want to lose weight, tone or just get more fit, in general.

Check out my first article on Gold's Gym here: Stronger with Gold's Gym.

2. Go to barre3 every single day.

Okay, fine. So I like to set unreachable goals. But if I don't tell myself to go every day, chances are I probably won't. The thing with barre3 is: even though it doesn't involve much cardio, I could see results with it, even after just the first two weeks.

It tightens everything up, takes unwanted inches off and targets the entire body, as well, thus making sure that you stay proportioned and feel good at the same time every time. By the way, they've got a new barre3 studio at Shangri-La Mall, located in The Spa, as usual. :)

Check out my first article on barre3 here: Why I am Currently Addicted to barre3.

3. Follow the Century Superbods Diet.

I gave up on this diet after the second week. Read about my first week of following it here: Century Superbods Challenge Week 1. 

That photo pretty much explains it all. I was miserable for going on a diet. And I just couldn't do it. I just couldn't. I love Family Mart twirls, Starbucks, French fries, pasta and anything sweet and carb-ridden that you can think of too much.

But I know now that I don't really have a choice in the matter. I have 25 days to lose enough weight to look decent come beach-time (not even good; just decent!) and that's something I need to ingrain into my brain.

Can I do it? Let's hope so. If I can't, then expect a lot of photos of me at the beach... wearing a dress. Sigh.

Moral of the story: never eat your feelings after a breakup. Ever.