I was pretty active in secondary school, however when the GCE ‘O’ levels came, I slacked off and due to immense stress, I kept snacking on junk food and ended up gaining a lot of weight.

I hit 70kg when I was in Year 1 at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and I was so fat I had difficulties climbing up to my school. It didn’t help that my school (health science) is at the top.

I realised I couldn’t wear most of my favourite clothes and when I bought clothes online, they wouldn’t fit and I had to sell or give them away – what a waste of money! Then I decided to join netball but couldn’t make it to most of the training sessions because of school commitments.

In Year 2, I really couldn’t stand how fat I was. I couldn’t wear pretty clothes and my self-esteem hit rock bottom when I became a size L or XL, and I was often out of breath.

During this period, Instagram became popular and I started to follow many fitness inspiration like @sugarrandspice, @kaylaitsiness and @jenselter. I decided to go to the gym and work out.

I did lose a little bit, but because I didn’t have proper training, I wasn’t lifting with the right techniques and I eventually stopped going to the gym for fear of injuring myself. Instead I signed up for my first 10km run at the Sundown Marathon 2013. I nearly died but it was an achievement that I’m proud of.

After I graduated, I became a nurse and the hours weren’t easy. However, I work at the cardiology department and I see many young patients come in to be rescued from heart attacks.

That was my wake up call.

I don’t want to become like them and as a nurse I have to advocate a healthy lifestyle to my patients, so this year I decided to hit the gym again. I signed a gym membership in early June and I went for classes like Pilates,which I fell in love with.

Then I saw the casting call for NutriGirl 2016 and decided to go for it. What’s there to lose right? But at the auditions, I went “OH MY GOODNESS”. I felt so out of place there as everyone was either fit or fitter and I felt like this odd round ball sitting there. That was when I understood the true meaning of being left out.

I somehow made it through and I’m now one of the finalists for NutriGirl 2016. Training has been good and from May to today, I’ve lost 11kg, down from 69kg. I picked up running, which is a good way of burning fats, and this year I completed two half-marathons. I also signed up for my first full marathon at Sundown Marathon next year.

I’m happy with my achievements so far, though at times I feel like quitting and giving up because I have to juggle shift work, gym plus part time-studying. It isn’t easy, but it’s all about time management. Looking back on my progress, it makes me want to carry on further and push myself beyond my limits. I did struggle a lot when I was unhealthy but now I managed to gain the confidence to wear prettier clothes. I owe this to nobody but myself.