Image: Instagram/@marieltpadilla
Motherhood comes with innumerable joys and sacrifices, and proud mom Mariel Rodriguez opened up on her experience with the latter.
The TV host and actress showed a rawer side of her insecurities as she shared pictures after her pregnancy with one-year-old Isabella and used the hashtag #RememberingWhenIWasSuperFat.
“I remember being so insecure with my physical attributes like I really didn’t want people to see me and think that I lost myself and became ‘losyang’ (shabby),” she divulged.
Image: Instagram/@marieltpadilla
She said the couldn’t bear to post the pictures because of the insecurity she felt, even if there were happy memories attached to them, such as celebrating milestones with Isabella and traveling with family.
“We went to Europe when Isabella was 6 months and I barely posted photos because I really didn’t want people to see how big I got,” she admitted.
Image: Instagram/@marieltpadilla
She revealed that she missed out on personal and work opportunities during that time, and underlying that was a fear of being fat-shamed and cyberbullied.
“When I would be invited to parties I would decline, I’d tell them I’m too fat to be seen… When my management @asianartistsagency would call me for work I would tell them, ‘Please ask if it is okay that I am fat because they might expect the old Mariel and she is not here at the moment.’”
She said she had to increase her food consumption to breastfeed Isabella because she had hormonal problems.
“I had very little milk and I wanted to exclusively breastfeed her (which I did for 14 months) so I ate my way to have milk. It worked for me but my body suffered. No regrets though,” she wrote.
The peak of her weight was 178 pounds, “heavier than my super fit husband [Robin Padilla].”
Image: Instagram/@marieltpadilla
She confessed that she could barely fit into any of her clothes and shoes and her rings no longer fit her fingers. “It used to be a big deal to me because I did not like repeating clothes… super shallow of me I know.”
“But I knew FAT IS NOT FOREVER! I was not going to let that be the new me,” she said.
The pictures come after Rodriguez lost 40 pounds through beauty company Marie France’s non-invasive weight loss program. She shared a photo of her body before and after the program, and her new figure shows off a trimmer waist and thinner arms and legs.
She received support from celebrities and netizens alike. On her “superfat” pictures, actress Iza Calzado advised, “Honestly, your face is beautiful no matter what you are. Please don’t be so hard on yourself. You are so blessed.”
“Pinoy Big Brother” co-host Toni Gonzaga agreed: “Still beautiful.”
Ruffa Gutierrez said, “Well you looked stunning the last time I saw you. Plus, you have a beautiful heart.”
Another “PBB” co-host, Bianca Gonzalez, encouraged her on her weight loss: “So proud of you Ma! You are so inspiring! 120 or 130 or 170 pounds you are still beautiful inside and out.” /ra
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