123.1: I LET THE TITO AND TITA WEIGHT COMMENTS GET TO ME. AND IT MIGHT BE A GOOD THING

Before you go all keyboard warrior on me—yes, I know those “Tumaba ka,” “Di na kita nakilala,” or “Wala na bang control?” comments can really hurt. Trust me, they did.

Granted I am 5'1" and used to weigh under 100 pounds in the Philippines. But when I moved to the island, I was already at 105—my hard-earned pounds were finally settling in.

but After 7 years in a long-distance relationship, CK and I were finally sharing the same zipcode. Life was good. And that good life? It started to show. I went from XXXS to XS to small… even medium sometimes. Which just meant: ticket to go shopping.

Then COVID hit. Like most healthcare workers, we were working crazy hours, skipping walks, and unwinding with too much wine on the weekends and too flavorful food. The pounds? They multiplied.

But after the sting of the words subsided, I started to self-reflect on the physiological effects. Walks felt longer. Knees started to hurt more after a shift (even with no overtime). Lab results started to not be normal.

That’s when I knew something had to change.

soft mornings whisper

seventy-five days begin—-

calm, not cruel, the path.