Chloe Lai speaks to Anusha Ramalingam about how she achieved her ideal weight and subsequently changed her attitude to life.

Chloe Lai, 32:
Lost 15kg through diet and exercise to achieve her ideal weight.

Inever thought I would someday be considered overweight. For years, I weighed 50 kilograms, and all the while, I assumed I was doing well maintaining this weight. It wasn’t until an encounter with a friend’s weighing scale (I didn’t own one) that I discovered I had ballooned to 63 kilograms! With my 151-centimetre frame, this put my Body Mass Index (BMI) at 26.6 – in the "Overweight" range.

Looking back at the lifestyle I led, I can see exactly where the weight gain came from, but I think, at the time, I was living in denial. I regularly skipped breakfast, only to gorge on heavy rice and meat dishes for lunch and dinner. Supper was my favourite meal of the day – I would opt for fast food, which consisted of burgers, fries, and fizzy drinks.

I would stay out late three to four nights a week drinking and partying away. I was a smoker too, and this didn’t help me, health-wise.
I refused to wear sleeveless tops; baggy clothing defined my style. Deep down I felt unappealing, and my self-confidence was at an all-time low. I like to refer to that encounter with the scale as "D-Day". It was definitely the wake-up call I needed, though.

Overhauling your lifestyle is never easy, and like most people, I had a shaky start. I attempted a few fad diets, including a 10-day diet that consisted of steamed chicken breast and steamed vegetables. But change is not easy, and I would inevitably give in to my food cravings at some point, and any weight I lost would return.

Eventually, I realised that I was going about my weight loss program the wrong way. It finally dawned on me that I had to put my health first, and the whole point of losing the weight was to become a healthier person. I got serious, so the first thing to go was the smoking.

I started reading and educating myself on health and fitness. I learnt about the types of food that work with, rather than against, our bodies. I also discovered I had a problem digesting meat properly, so I gave up eating meat altogether. I had always felt uncomfortable after eating meals which included meat, and I finally realised why!

I also took a page out of my mother’s book and joined a gym. She has always been fit, and growing up, I watched her attend group exercise classes. So naturally, that’s what I gravitated towards as the first step for some physical activity (though I’ll confess I didn’t enjoy some of the classes initially).

I diligently followed a program I received from a personal trainer, and incorporated my own cardio into the routine. Before long, the gym became my second home. The changes in my body were evident in the fit and size of my new clothing, and when I started noticing my toned back muscles, I was ecstatic! It motivated me to stay true to the course I was on.

Once I had my fitness program sorted and on track, I became very strict with my diet as well, disregarding fad diets in favour of a more permanent healthy eating plan. I cut out as much sugar as possible, and eventually stopped eating fried food. At first it was a little difficult, but eating healthily gradually became easier. These days, I only eat vegetables; occasionally, I might have a meal that includes fish.

Today, at 48 kilograms, I am at my ideal weight. With my activity level, I can eat anything I please and burn it off almost instantly. Ironically, while once I craved and ate only oily food, my stomach now can’t seem to handle it anymore.

The discipline that it took for my weight loss, and the sense of triumph I felt from my achievement, spilled over into other areas of my life, lighting a fire to achieve all my other goals.

In the mid-90s, I was working in big companies, and I felt frustrated that I wasn’t contributing much to society. Career-wise, I knew I wanted to be out in the world helping people and contributing to their lives in a positive way. Having first-hand experience battling my own weight problem, I felt that I could help others achieve their fitness and weight loss goals.

I decided a career change was in order, and I started training to be a fitness instructor. A year and a half later, I took the American Council on Exercise (ACE) International Certification for Personal Trainers; it changed my outlook as a personal trainer. GetActive, my personal training business, evolved from the desire to provide the best service to my clients. It started as a small set-up, and has gone from strength to strength.

I work as an RPM (indoor cycling to the rhythm of powerful music) instructor teaching classes three times a week, and I do my own resistance training three times a week as well. My work is very fulfilling – I can see first-hand how I am contributing to my clients’ lives.

On top of that, being fit and healthy has enabled me to take part in outdoor activities such as road cycling, off road biking, hiking, rock climbing, and running – activities I have become very passionate about. I try to challenge myself by participating in races once in a while too. I believe in always trying to push your limits to see what you’re capable of. "Upping-The-Bar", so to speak, is a great motivator; full-body pull-ups, for example, were always beyond my capabilities, but I worked at them, and now I can manage five pull-ups consecutively.

Having goals is very important. I surround myself with like-minded individuals who love to be fit, healthy and enjoy challenging themselves. It is peer pressure in a good way. Today, I am a new person, and I look forward to what the future has to offer!

FITNESS QUICK TIPS

My advice to people who are overweight, unfit, or unhealthy:

1. It’s easier to stick to something if you’re not doing it alone. Try to get friends and family to train with you and support your efforts.
2. Get involved in sports and activities that you enjoy doing, whether it is gym workouts, jogging, swimming, or doing yoga. If you don’t enjoy it, it will feel like a burden!
3. Incorporate activity in your daily life – choose to take the stairs instead of the elevator, and park a little further away from your office so that you can walk that extra stretch for some exercise.
4. Hire a Personal Trainer for guidance and motivation.

Career-wise, I knew I wanted to be out in the world helping people and contributing to their lives in a positive way. Having first-hand experience battling my own weight problem, I felt that I could help other people achieve their fitness and weight loss goals. I decided a career change was in order, and I started training to be a fitness instructor.

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