WLB4: "I'm a Fierce Fat Filipina Diva!"

Hello everyone! My name is Maureen "Mo" De Nieva and I am a Fierce Fat Filipina Diva OR FFF DIVA for short. = )

I am so excited to be a contestant on WLB for Season 4! Before I delve into this first blog post I just want to say special thanks to Pauline from WLB Season 3. If it wasn't for her and posting on my perosnal blog (motastic145.blogspot.com) I would have never known about the world of Win Lose Blog! So thanks Pauline! <3

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In order to realize your goal, sometimes you need to hit a ROCK BOTTOM (originally written in March 2008)

HOW IT STARTED: Growing up my siblings and I were always the heavier kids in the family. Being Filipina-American was difficult because there was always pressure to lose weight. However, my siblings and I turned to food and our outgoing personalities to take us far. When I first started college I was 196 lbs and a size 18. At the end of my freshman year I had gained 47 lbs, which was due to a lot of heavy drinking, late night food runs, and lack of exercise. For the first time in my life I was over 200 lbs. However, I didn’t let my heavy weight get to me because I was popular at school and always had a boyfriend who loved me no matter what size I was.

ROCK BOTTOM: During the first couple of months of my senior year in college I wasn’t sleeping very well. In fact I was sleeping all day, only waking up to go to class and to eat. Being lethargic all the time didn’t cause me worry because I was the typical college student who slept and ate late to study and party. I didn’t worry until I fell asleep at the wheel while driving home from school and almost got into a car accident on the freeway. December 2006 I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. My doctors told me that the reason why I couldn’t breathe at night and was sleepy all that time was because of my severe obesity. I was shocked. I was given a C-PAP machine that I had to use every night to breathe. As a college student and a young woman trying to compete in the dating world a C-PAP machine was not sexy at all.

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT: I just graduated from college May 2007. In the mail I was sent a photo proof of me receiving my diploma. I couldn’t believe my eyes at how much weight I had gained. I was so startled that I was searching the house of photos of me from the last four years for comparison. During four years away at college I had gained 124 lbs, which placed me at a final weight at 320lbs and size 28. I always was the confident, fun, fat girl, but I knew it was time to be selfish for once and focus on myself and my health.

HOW I LOST IT: The next day I signed up for a gym membership and was offered the opportunity to get a personal trainer. In the past I was intimidated by personal trainers, however I knew since I haven’t been at the gym for a very long time I needed all the help and motivation I could get. My help and motivation was my personal trainer Ronny. He didn’t treat me like a fat girl who needed to lose weight, but as a human being who wanted to create a new lifestyle change. I started training with Ronny in June 2007. Since then I have lost more than 60 lbs and can fit into size 18 jeans. I haven’t been able to fit into size 18 jeans since I was a freshman in college, five years ago! I can climb up stairs with ease, I don’t need a seat belt extender when I fly in an airplane, and I can finally ride a roller coaster ride with the harness down comfortably. At 22 years old I always had to assess my chair to see if I could even fit every time I sat down. Now at 23 years old all of those days are gone and I am happy to report that I no longer need to use my C-PAP machine at night when I sleep. My quality of life has significantly improved and it’s because of the constant support I received from Ronny. There were many times I wanted to give up and throw in the towel, but Ronny was there to light a fire underneath me to strive for more.

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Today it is April 1st, 2011: Where is FFF Diva Mo today in her weight loss journey?

I have made amazing progress since 2007, but I am nowhere near where I want to be in terms of weight loss goals. I am a determined young woman, but SAYING YES to the entire world before SAYING YES to me & my health has been my challenge. I wanted to share with you my first blog post from 2008 (see above) so you as a reader, fan, follower have a better understanding of where I am coming from in my journey. It is my hope that my adventures, challenges, and daily rants inspire you to get off your couch and DO YOU. In other words SAY YES to YOURSELF. YES I WILL get off the couch and exercise. YES I WILL stop eating fast food and eat more vegetables. YES I WILL look in the mirror and say DAMN IT--I AM WORTH IT! <3

Stay tuned ladies and gents...the next 7 weeks will be a wild ride!

Dedicated to health,
FFF Diva Mo ^_^