Thinspiration: My Niece Louianne

When I started this blog, I listed so many people who inspire me to go on and continue the journey. Some are celebrities I don't know personally, but before I list them as my "thinspiration," I also told myself I should seek inspiration from people around me.

Today, I am featuring my niece Louianne (read: loo-weyn).


Louianne (the one in front) is the daughter of my cousin Weng. Since I remember, she has always been the chubby kid. She doesn't look fat to me (hello, I know "fat"), but of course, since she lives in the province and most people there are very slender, other relatives would often tease her and sort of make fun of her.

This picture was taken March 2011 - the last day I saw her before my sister and I travel back to Manila after a short vacation. That time, her aunt (cousin Mhai - in maroon) would always ask her to regulate her food intake as she tends to have a hearty appetite. Her dad of course was just okay even if she eats a lot, but since we live in the same house, I saw how much she eats during every meals and I saw myself in her.


Her mom recently uploaded pictures on her Facebook page and I was surprised to see this picture. At first I was thinking if the person the leftmost part of the image was really Louianne, but it was indeed her. This picture was taken December 2011 and in 9 months, there was a transformation on her part. I am happy that 2011 has been a good year for both of us - as we both took on the road to wellness.

I still don't know what she did - maybe she had too many extra-curricular activities at school, or maybe the stress of studying is getting into her (she's studying at a well known private school and is part of the top 10), or maybe because she's now adolescent and is coping up with things being a teenager. Whatever she did, I am happy she was able to address the weight issue very early in her life - now she doesn't have to be in the same situation I was in.