👋 Hi! I'm Tania.
Health is deeply personal to me and will always be my top priority. (Read my story below!👇)
I was DONE searching for TRULY clean foods (don't fall for the marketing gimmicks 🧐). So I decided to make my own food, then got seriously addicted to Almond Butter, and the rest is history! 😍
Think eating healthy and going to gym is expensive and boring? I prefer colourful food bowls 🌯 and daily movement 🏃♀️ over $20K medical bills anytime, thanks!
💫 I wanna be 90, chasing dogs around the park; NOT be 90, in a wheelchair, attached to feeding tubes. 💫
👩🏼 How It Started
👶🏻 I had Michelin Tyre arms & thighs as a baby. My mom literally had to separate each roll of fat to wash the dirt trapped in between my skin. 👀
In fact, I was so heavy that I broke my baby swing / bouncer thing! 😂
Little me would always try to reach for food on the table and always asked my grandma for extra food.
👩🏼 As a teen, I wasn't exactly slim. The baby fats didn't go away either. And I ate whatever I was introduced to.
🩻 Scoliosis Brace Journey
At 13, I had scoliosis. Doctors recommended I wore a brace to keep the curve from progressing. I had to wear it daily, 24/7, even to sleep, for 2 years straight.
Then, it backfired...
I had blisters from the metal buttons and abrasions with my skin + sweat.
I wore more layers to hide the brace. And wearing 4-5 layers in Singapore's 30+ degrees heat is no joke 🥵 (think bra + leotard + brace + clothing + extra clothing to hide brace like in this photo 👉🏻).
I started rejecting sleepovers and school camps because I was afraid people would stare when we had to change.
↘️ One Thing Led to Another
To top it off, the brace limited my movements (PE classes were almost impossible), made it SO uncomfortable to eat, squashed one of my boobs, and squeezed out my body rolls. 😪
I was convinced I was fat. I decided not to eat so I could fit more comfortably into the brace and to "look better" in clothes.
At 14, I became anorexic.
I pretty much screwed up my hormones.
I lost my period for the first time (it's called PCOS)🩸, experienced hair loss 👩🦲, developed body hair on my arms and thighs, and I was constantly cold (I mean look at me, long sleeves, scarf, and long boots? In SG's weather??)
🩹 "Recovery"?
6 months later, the weighing scale determined I had "recovered".
But did I really? ED affects your mental health just as much your physical.
My parents literally weighed my food such that I ate at least 1KG per meal, and I had to let them spot check that I'd finished. I was also threatened with "you better gain 20KG in 6 months or we will hospitalise you". Nutrition didn't matter at this point - as long as it was edible, I was made to eat it.
On top of each meal, I had to drink 4 packets of *Ensure Plus per day (my dad would do a weekly stocktake to check). I remember bringing them to school and hiding in the toilet to drink so no one could see.
Growing up Asian, I was taught not to question even if I disagreed.
I developed a negative relationship with food, started binge eating, and fell into depression.
*Ensure Plus claims to be a "nutrient-dense, complete and balanced nutritional supplement". But read the ingredients and you'll find a whole bunch of ultra-processed, inflammatory foods including seed oils??
💪🏻 Strong over Skinny; 🥦 Nutrition over Calories
As I grew older, I became more courageous to live life on my own terms instead of seeking external validation. My therapist once said:
“You’ve to be willing NOT to be liked, in order to be loved.”
It took me YEARS OF HARD WORK & DISCIPLINE to get to where I am today.
I started hitting the gym and lifting weights (🔟 years & counting!! 🥳), stayed away negative energy, learned, unlearned, relearned, and... I'm now on track to becoming a certified Personal Trainer!! 🙈🏋️♀️
I wished school thought us about PROPER nutrition and the 80/20 rule.
There's so much misinformation these days - I mean... the people giving "health advice" have beer bellies🫃🏻, and only form of workout is running after the bus??🤦♀️ Come on!
I also shifted my mindset from losing weight to gaining strength, vitality, and quality of life. 💫
Health, Nutrition, Fitness have since become a HUGE part of my life. And I hope to inspire others too! 💖