“I remembered getting upset at my husband for making me look so fat in pictures. But it was never his fault. I was fat to begin with.”
We’re sure all you wives and girlfriends can relate to what Vyriella said. We naturally expect our significant others to capture us at our best because they’re the ones who know us best. It's easy to get frustrated when things don't go our way.
But for Vyriella, it was more than just frustration. Her weight issues deeply affected her marriage and sex life.
Challenges of Motherhood
Vyriella, 41, is a mother to one and runs an online business.
She gave birth to a healthy daughter in 2018. Like any first time mother, she was excited at the prospect of motherhood. But little did she know that the challenges of being a mother would come as early as the postpartum stage.
Struggling With Pregnancy Weight
Standing at 90kg, this was the heaviest she had ever been.
She admits that the weight gain was partially her fault. She developed “bad eating habits” to cope with the stresses of motherhood—this included munching on chips and cakes (among various other snacks), and drinking bubble tea everyday.
Postpartum Blues
“From the outside, my life looked picture-perfect. I am a stay-at-home mom with a beautiful daughter, a loving and supportive husband, get to travel to different countries...But behind closed doors, I was miserable, suicidal, depressed and mostly unhappy.”
She didn’t just lose her body—she also lost her identity and freedom to becoming a stay at home mom.
She felt trapped at home and cried herself to bed every night. She used to snap at her daughter for crying all the time.
“Nobody knew how broken I was inside.”
Her internal struggle with her emotions and weight took a toll on her marriage. Her husband and her fought “over the smallest things”. She even harboured thoughts of “bailing out” because she felt like she wasn’t good enough.
Her Life Almost Ended
Vyriella’s wake up call came when she and her daughter’s lives were almost lost in a near accident. Both of them were almost knocked down by a car, but thankfully both escaped unharmed.
Nevertheless, this near fatal incident changed her life forever. She realised that she had to live for her daughter and be strong for her. This strength needed to come from living her life as a happier, more positive person.
She needed a lifestyle overhaul.
Vyriella Today
- From being 90kg when she was pregnant, to weighing 78kg after her delivery, to ballooning back to 85kg during her confinement...she’s now 66kg!
- She started waist training this year! Her waistline has reduced by 3cm so she’s now 76cm.
How Did She Change Her Life?
Going Cold Turkey
She cut out most of the sugar and carbs in her diet. And no, she didn’t cut it out slowly—she went cold turkey and cut it out completely!
Although she sometimes consumes sugary or carb-rich foods especially during special occasions like birthday celebrations, she disciplines herself to get back on her diet and watches what she eats afterwards.
Her ‘cold turkey’ strategy was also made easier with her daily ketones supplements which she’s been on for over a year. “It helps regulate my appetite,” she says.
She’s much happier today because she’s in control of what she eats. Even though she’s on a low-carb diet, she feels more energized!
Running
With this newfound energy, she expends it by running almost everyday.
She started running for a distance of 2km to 3km but can now run up to 10km!
While she could see that she was losing fat, she realised she had one stubborn area where the fat didn’t burn off: her waist.
Getting a Smaller Waist
She was introduced to Waistlab’s waist trainers by her friends who had been waist training for months.
After following us on Instagram and reading up more about us, she decided to get herself our waist trainer.
“It’s comfortable to wear. Within a few days, I could see my waist being more defined. My posture was also better!”
She waist trains for 3 to 4 hours a day. She wears it mostly at work so that she has a good posture as she tends to slouch.
Check out the waist trainer she's wearing here!
The Final Setback
It might sound like she’s got her life together but there’s one final setback that’s holding her back: her past as an ex-offender.
Changing perceptions is tough and Vyriella is no stranger to it.
“Being an ex-offender in this digital age has made it SO HARD for individuals like myself who had brushes with the law to reboot our lives with a clean slate.”
Since it’s hard for her to find a job, this inspired her to be an entrepreneur and run an online business.
We celebrate Vyriella’s victory in overcoming her demons and achieving her health and fitness goals, but her work isn’t over. She works twice as hard as everyone else to prove her worth because of her past.
For beating the odds, we truly commend her as one of our #WomenOfWaistlab ❤️