Rhelyn Harder
- Santiago knows that some were just joking and did not mean to insult him but somehow he came to realize that simple jokes had hurt him and destroyed his self-esteem
- To achieve fitness goals, one must have patience, self-discipline, hard work, faith, and dedication
- One thing he gave up was soft drinks and it been a year and nine months since the last time he had one
A Facebook user, Jay Santiago, shared his inspirational experience on how he lost 30 kilos in 8 months; as he aimed to inspire other people with the lesson he had learned along his journey to fitness.
Santiago considers himself as the comedian of their group because he’s the source of laughter and the one who brings good vibes. He was also called as “Butanding sa Oslob” or “li-og” for the reason that his neck was dark and not that visible, even in college he remembered that someone called him “Fat Faggot,”
“I can still vividly remember in college when someone called me a fat faggot (a colloquial term used for overweight people with dark skin complexion and who happens to be gay) because I was really huge, a moreno with curly hair, and I sweat a lot easily,” he wrote
Despite all name-calling experience he had, Santiago just laughed for he knewsthat some were just joking and did not mean to insult him but somehow he came to realize that simple jokes had hurt him and destroyed his self-esteem.
“But you know what? At the end of the day, it hit me and I’ve come to realize that and it hurt me and it destroyed my self-esteem.”
For those who tried to lose some weight but seems to be unsuccessful, Santiago says “It’s never too late to start again and again.”
He also remembered that his friends were so tired to hear all his promises of planning to lose weight each year.
“Way back in time, I always tell my friends na “I’ll go diet na.” “Mag workout na gyud ko!” to the point na they gottired of hearing it every year.”
Santiago also admitted that he also sought validation and approval from other people and wanted to achieve something to be accepted, which later made him realize it was wrong. So now, he decided to slowly change that kind of mindset.
https://www.facebook.com/askjaysantiago/posts/2675031889192985?_rdc=1&_rdr
For him, to be successful in your goal of losing weight, it is very important to have a “support system.” This refers to people who would encourage and motivate you. He also advised on staying away from toxic friends especially those who are no longer good for your growth.
Santiago also said that “Change doesn’t happen overnight.” And he added that “There were no shortcuts to losing weight.” To achieved fitness goals, one must have patience, self-discipline, hard work, faith, and dedication!
As to find motivation he said that “Your weakness can really become your strength and asset,” citing an example on how he hated his physical appearance but later learned to embrace it with pride and people started to appreciate it, as well.
“I used to hate my skin and curls before. I feel like I’m so “malas” because of my physical appearance. I tried using whitening products before and I really gave an effort putting wax on my curls just to make it look straight. But now, I’m embracing it with great pride and people start to notice and appreciate it”
He encourages doing workout or exercise at least 3 times a week, despite a busy schedule, which he believes is reason for them to find it hard to start. So his piece of advice is to look for a work out buddy who can motivate you, just like what he did.
He also said that diet is also a part of losing weight but you need to find the best diet that would suit you by consulting a doctor or dietician or make a thorough research.
“Find the best diet for you. There are a lot of dieting methods available today, in which you have to be really careful in choosing what suits you best because what works for me may not work for you. Consult your doctor or dietician or make a thorough research about it.”
Santiago also shared his dieting method called “Intermittent Fasting,” where he eats 8 hours meal time and go fasting in the remaining 19 hours.
“You can still eat rice. I SWEAR. RICE IS LIFE, especially with unli chicken wings, AIDA’s chicken inasal, Samgyeopsal, lechon and humba. But you need to drink a lot of water,” he said.
One thing he gave up is soft drinks and it been a year and nine months since the last time he had one. He also said to have cheat days and eat any food on parties but in moderation.
“Have your cheat days. Don’t deprive yourself and stop demonizing food.”
For the past few months, for us to inspire, he shares the most special thing that he learned while achieving his goal
“Do not focus on numbers because weights are fluctuating and our bones play a big part in our body. What matters is how you feel inside, if you’re happy and contented, then go for it and stay what you are. You don’t need to conform to the standards of this society. We all die in this world anyway so might as well do anything that makes you happy.”
Santiago owes his success to all the coaches who encouraged and supported him as he hopes that everybody would become the best version of themselves.
Now, he is doing crossfit training at StayFit, Cebu where he enjoys and finds a community who supports him.
