I grew up as a small-sized girl and weight image issues barely bugged me until I was 19. I went to Australia to study in 2007 and gained 13kg in a year because I didn’t know better – I didn’t exercise and I ate as the natives ate. When I came back to Singapore two years later, all my friends started telling me I was fat and that I resembled a ball. Desperate to lose weight, I tried different diet plans, including diet pills and many crash diets. In the end, my weight fluctuated for the next six years. In early 2013, I was planning for my wedding so I started being more disciplined with my eating. I stopped having supper, cut out flavoured drinks and reduced my carbs intake. Half a year later, my friend introduced me to Bikram yoga and I liked it so I practised it twice a week until my wedding in November. I didn’t lose any weight (ie. numbers on the scale stayed the same), but my body started becoming more toned. By my wedding, I was less bloated and slightly leaner. After the wedding, I continued yoga and tried different types like Hatha, Vinyasa and Ashtanga. Then I got obsessed and practised four times a week, feeling so lethargic every day. I added short jogs in the gym and I managed to go below 50kg for a period of time but this wasn’t sustainable as I didn’t want to feel tired all the time. Finally, I managed to work out a fitness regime that was so much easier to maintain my weight. I’m back at 52-54kg for my height of 159cm and I feel good about myself. Now I exercise two to three times a week – either a jog on the treadmill or yoga. I am not skinny, I am not fat, I am far from perfect – but it doesn’t stop me from being strong and amazing.