After her first pregnancy back in 2003, Siti Heriany, affectionately referred to as Yanie, kept gaining weight year on year. Every time she tried to lose weight, she would fail. That made the mother of four kids very stressed and she became desperate to lose weight. Yanie tried every diet out there but her weight just would not budge.

Then in late 2018, her weight hit 87kg and she started to suffer a lot of health issues. Her back was hurting all the time. She always felt very tired and fell sick easily. She was sad that she wasn’t able to join her kids for their outdoor activities like hiking and cycling due to her lack of energy.

“On top of that, I hid my big-sized body under baggy clothing and stretchy jeans and constantly compared myself to other women. I would feel jealous about their slim and beautiful bodies,” the 41-year-old reservation officer said.

“I was so unhappy with myself that my self-esteem hit rock bottom. Sometimes, I felt like my friends were talking about my weight and appearance behind my back so I stopped going out with them.”

Finally, with strong support from her husband and kids, she was determined to change to a healthy lifestyle by eating the right food and doing exercise, instead of relying on fad diets and slimming products to help. After one year, she managed to lose about 20kg.

“I’m so happy now that I have the stamina and energy to join my kids for outdoor activities. My family needs me and I have to be in the best of health,” she shared.

“Learning how to accept your new postpartum body can be a struggle but try to avoid negative self-talk. You are not alone and we are here to offer support and celebrate each other’s success. Let’s build confidence and bring positive energy into our lives! Open doors to share with others, be honest and talk openly.”

*This is a collaboration between Rock The Naked Truth and Pink Salt