A former volleyball player in school, Bernice Lim thought she could eat whatever she wanted to, so long as she was doing some form of exercise. She would upsize her meals at McDonald’s and feast on junk food. As a result, she started to gain weight despite training regularly.
Her friends in secondary school started bullying her and calling her names like ‘Fat Bunny’ and ‘Fatty Fatty Bom Bom’, making her feel defeated and inferior about herself. Bernice began to isolate herself and avoided meeting people.
In ITE, things got worse because her friends were much prettier and attracted more attention from the boys. Bernice tried many ways to lose weight – she took laxatives, starved herself, took slimming pills, started running every day, but the weight always bounced back.
Earlier this year, the 20-year-old student decided to take part in a bikini contest, thinking that it would give her the motivation to clean up her lifestyle. However, the restrictions from the competition preparation process caused her to develop binge eating and the struggles worsened.
Finally, Bernice is now on the road to recovery and trying to live a healthy lifestyle the right way. For a start, she stopped comparing herself to others. She still struggles from day to day, but she is determined to get back on track and focus on health instead of the numbers on the scale.
What advice do you have for others who are struggling with their body image?
Accept who you are, love yourself, don’t tell yourself that you wish to look like your idol because we come from different genetics. Look yourself in the mirror every morning and tell yourself you are beautiful.
What are some of the misconceptions society has about fitness now and how do you hope to correct it?
1) My friends around me often say, ” I already exercised a lot this morning, so now I can eat more.” However, our purpose of exercising is to be healthy and not a way to eat more.
2) Weight training does not give a girl a manly physique; in fact, it aids with weight loss. You don’t need to lift heavy all the time either; lifting light weights at higher repetition will help to tone the muscles and not bulk you up.
3) People think dieting means eating cupboard-tasting chicken breasts and boiled broccoli, but no you don’t have to eat to that level, so long as you eat in moderation.
What do you hope to do in your capacity to help those with body image struggles?
I would love to share my story and inspire them! I might not look the best but I definitely love my body even more now, because I know if i don’t, I won’t achieve the best version of myself.
ROCKstar of the Month is a monthly award given to an inspiring individual who advocates a positive mindset and living an active lifestyle (see full requirements below). As ROCKstar of the Month for March 2016, Bernice receives an outfit from Lululemon Athletica as seen in the photos here.
Requirements to be a ROCKstar of the Month awardee:
- SUPPORT – Believes strongly in the movement and advocates the right mindset
- INFLUENCE – Displays ability to be a positive influence to those around her
- ENTHUSIASM – Regularly attends Rock The Naked Truth events
- LEADS BY EXAMPLE – Demonstrates desire to improve lifestyle aligned with the movement
- CONTRIBUTION – Does his/her part to give back to the movement
