PlanforFIT: Can you introduce yourself?
Tua Lek: My name is Tua Lek.
PlanforFIT: How old are you and what do you do for a living?
Tua Lek: I’m 38 years old. Right now I’m working as a university officer.
PlanforFIT: What’s your height and current weight?
Tua Lek: I’m 151 cm (4.95 ft) tall and weigh about 42.5 kg (93.7 lb).
PlanforFIT: Since the first day you decided to change yourself till now, how has your body changed and how long has it been?
Tua Lek: I have changed a lot, actually.
Firstly, my diet has become more nutritious. I had been cutting off all fat and carbs from my diet for years. I even felt guilty just to eat them. My friend would tease me that it was like I was hibernating. They even called me worm for only eating fruits and vegetables. I used to be overweight so I decided not to consume any fat or carbs. It was almost like a sin to be eating fatty foods, so I stopped having them for a while. I knew that this wasn’t doing any good for my health and that I should have all 5 groups of food, but I just couldn’t help it. The results of this imbalance could be seen physically; my hair was falling out and my weight was unstable. I decided to join this program, basically because I wanted to change my eating habit to be more nutritious and eat like normal people did. And it was worth it. During the program, I could eat anything at anytime. Anything at all. I had rice, fried foods, snacks, ice cream, and basically everything I wanted to eat. I didn’t even have to feel edgy or guilty about how many kilograms I would gain after eating all these. I made sure my diet contained all 5 groups of food. It was wonderful to be eating like normal people did. To add up to that, I got a perfect chance to learn how to cook and started to cook for myself. I really enjoyed cooking and creating new menus. It was fun thinking about what you would like to eat in a day and start making it. I was happier than I had been before joining the program.
Secondly, my workout routine has become more effective. I used to exercise everyday. Not that it wasn’t a good thing to do, it just that when you did it for many hours everyday, it became excessive and without a good exercise plan, all of your effort could just go down the drain. Take me for example, I exercised regularly, but I did so without doing weight training because I didn’t really know what a good exercise should be like. After joining the program, I have learned all the essential things about exercise; how should I do weight training and cardio, and how can I exercise more effectively.
Thirdly, I have become more disciplined and gotten back in shape. I am more conscious about what I’m doing and eating. I’m stronger than I have ever been. I have been following this program for just a month, but my body has already toned up. I have got six packs already.
PlanforFIT: How did you start doing weight training and how long have you been doing it?
Tua Lek: I first started more than 5 years ago, but I wasn’t quite serious about it at that time I didn’t really put so much effort in it partly because I thought it would make my body looked bulgy. I would only choose some exercises to do and didn’t do it regularly. Also I didn’t really like it. Only after joining this program that I started to get serious with weight training. The program makes it clear which exercises I should do, and how often and how many sets I should do it. I took it hard during the first week, but after a week, I got used to it. The more I do it, the more I enjoy it.
PlanforFIT: What do you get out of weight training?
Tua Lek: My body is transforming. As I told you before, I used to go with just cardio, yoga, and the like. Now that I have been doing weight training, it really tones up my body. I’m physically stronger and look healthier.
PlanforFIT: What is your current diet plan?
Tua Lek: I really love my current diet plan because I don’t really have to be too conscious about all the calories I’m taking in. I can eat anything I want, be it coconut milk, dessert, or fried foods. There’s no starving and absolutely no rules to prohibit you from eating after 6 PM. You just have to know what you are eating and all the nutrition in it so that you can control the amount of nutrition you take in. There’s nothing stressful about this diet plan. I would say it is actually quite fun.
PlanforFIT: What is your current workout routine?
Tua Lek: Right now, I’m doing weight training along with cardio. I got off-days in which I can take a rest without feeling guilty or stressful that I would gain weight. I also feel that I’m much healthier. Weight training is strengthening my muscles, while cardio is a big helper in my cardiovascular system.
PlanforFIT: Please say something to those who want to do weight training or already did and feel like giving up. How can you keep yourself motivated?
Tua Lek: First of all, you have to identify your goal. Make it clear to yourself why do you have to achieve this goal.
I do this basically for myself. You can buy anything but health. Therefore, if you want a good health, you have to work for it. If you are healthy, you have got strength to do things you want to do. Without illnesses, it is likely that you can live longer with your loved ones and take care of them like you want to. I have seen people suffering from different kinds of disease. I don’t want to end up like that. That’s why I have to start taking good care of myself.
As for those who want to start weight training, I would like to tell you that it is easier than you think. When you get started with something, you got scared because it is still new to you. The first step is always hard and often exhausting. But if you persist, you will finally get used to it and can overcome the hardness one day. You will be really proud of yourself for not giving up. Just conquer yourself and you can win any battle. The result you can see in your body is worth it all.
There’ll be times when you feel tired and start asking yourself why you are doing this. You see it is a lot easier if you just stay in your comfort zone. If this happens, I suggest you take it easy on yourself and just think about your goal and how you can make yourself proud if you can achieve this, the reason why you decided to do this, or your dream body. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Everything achievement takes time and effort. You’re definitely going to win this battle if you don’t give up. And as I told you before, seeing your body transforming is really worth it. If you have your favorite movie star or celeb, take him or her for your motivation. I believe there are a lot a celebrity has to do behind-the-scene. One has to be very disciplined and works so hard to maintain his or her appearance to look good all the time. If they can do this, you can do it too. Just stay motivated and remember that anybody can have a good body. Keep going!
