Personal Info
How I Started
I have always been told that it is easy to become fat in my family, but it was not until adolescence that I became conscious about this. Maybe because I wore a school uniform every day, I didnât notice that I was becoming so huge and in risk of developing some diseases. At 5â7â and 210lb I just could not go upstairs without feeling fatigue, or swim. I wasnât wearing a bikini anymore and did not like to go shopping. It was okay for me when I was size LARGE, but, X-LARGE?? It was going too far. The first time I saw a picture of me in that weight I secretly started to cry and to hate myself. I decided to have no more excuses and in a random day, as I was 18 and didnât need my parentsâ authorization, I enrolled in a gym membership. I was very determined and for that reason I wasnât scared of the 36 months contract enrollment. I understood that if I was going to make a change in my lifestyle, it has to be forever. I had no idea of how to really start, but I started to look for information on internet (I love to read and learn by myself). The staff at the gym was very helpful and even although I had no money to pay to a personal trainer; they were always willing to help me with my doubts. When I first went to the gym, I joined with a good friend, to motivate each other, but he went just for the first week and never came back. I didnât let that kind of things stopped me (no more excuses). I followed the suggestions of experienced people and websites like this. When I joined the gym, I was already 14lb lighter (but at 36% body fat) thanks to a detox diet, and in a matter of six months, I was in 147lb. During this time, my only âfat burnerâ was LOTS OF COFFEE. I never had a clear goal like wanting to lose 60 pounds or something like that. I began wanting to lose 15 pouns, then another 10 pounds, and successively. I think this is important to not giving up and drop the towel. After a year, I was so busy with my finals at college, that I eventually stopped going to the gym and eating healthy. I was always studying and with my mates. My brains needed sugar! As I saw that I was still losing weight, I did not care too much⦠âtil I started to see the scale going up again. I tried to go to the gym again but it wasnât the same. I was reaching 163lb and also went travel and wanted to taste EVERY new food. I didnât have a gym so⦠I started to have more cellulite that when I was really fat. Also had a boyfriend that wasnât into a healthy lifestyle (didnât workout, neither eat well) and he I had to reconsider what I wanted in my life⦠and started again with my journey. I always had role models who helped me stay motivated through their transformation stories. But, of course, I had my moments where I was about to quit. What helped me to start again and never quit were two things. The first thing was the fact that I knew the results when you stop eating healthy and working out (I had the experience) and didnât want to experience that again. The second one was my boyfriend⦠we started to train together. He taught me how to train hard and keep going. Training with my significant other was one of the best things I could do. He is very dedicated to his workout and so was I, because of him. I think it is very important to have a partner who supports you very well in this journey because healthy living must be for your entire life, and we tend to get used to good or bad habits of our significant others. Finally, I had the opportunity to participate in the most important beauty pageant in my country: Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2013, where I was Miss Universe San Sebastián. I never dreamed about being in a beauty pageant because I thought it was imposible for me, but thanks to the assistance of my promoter, Diana Montero and her Miss Latin International US Organization, I became able to do it. They trusted me and I was really awesome for me because they are experts in this matter of beauty pageants. It was the biggest challenge because I had to get in the best shape of my life and still not looking too âmuscularâ. For this, I had a personal trainer, and learned other forms of working out. With this experience, my story was well known all over the world, especially in Brasil, where I had my first big TV appearance and now that the pageant ended here, I am even much more famous now than when competing.
Why I Love it
One thing that helped me a lot to keep working out was to enjoy exercise, you know, really liking the experience, to clear out my mind when I was in a lot of stress. I love that feeling after going to a cycling class. Working out lets me eat a bit more of the food I like and of course, gives me a nice appearance and self-confidence.