Mom Of 2 Sheds 26 Pounds And Fits In Her Wedding Dress Again!

• Like many postpartum moms, the daily grind of motherhood took a big chunk of Jojie Perocho-Garcia’s time and priorities, so much so that she put her health on the backburner.

  “After a year of riding the wave of all the 2020 pandemic food trends and watching one K-drama after another, 2021 just felt like it was a good year to focus on health and fitness. What else is there to do?” Jojie shares.

  “I have asthma, and we have diabetes and hypertension in our family, so obesity won’t help at all. It was time for a change,” she says.

  Consistency is key to weight loss

  Starting at 170 lbs (77 kg) in early 2021, Jojie was keen on getting to 143 lbs (65 kg) by May 2021. So her main weight loss program focused on biking and sugar-watching.

  “The hardest thing, hands down, is making the commitment and sticking to it,” she recalls. “I have had many, many, MANY stop and go weight loss efforts over the years, and I knew that my Achilles heel was consistency, so it was important for me to set manageable goals and routines.”

  

  Jojie also did a regular dance-cum-catch-up session with a friend, which she says helped a lot with accountability and kept both of their spirits up.

  PHOTO BY Jojie Perocho-Garcia

  ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW

  She started with calorie counting in January and then switched to the Keto diet in mid-February, “when my cravings were more manageable.” She tried to keep her sugar and carbs to 20 g a day.

  She would go biking four times a week for exercise, starting with 12 km in 30 minutes and then raising her goal to 15 km in 30 minutes. She would then follow this up with a 10-20min HIIT or strength training session.

  Supportive hubby

  Apart from her friend, her constant throughout her journey was her husband Jeb, a professional photographer and videographer.

  “Jeb helped a lot! It was the big and small things. He was my walking and talking conscience and coach, reminding me of my exercise routine and diet inclusions. He did Youtube fitness challenges with me.” Jojie also adds her husband even surprised her with new workout outfits.

  But, perhaps what remained touching was how her husband cheered for her small and big fitness victories.

  “He cheered for having more energy throughout the day and getting my engagement ring and wedding ring fit again and, like Chandler to Monica, he assured me that he loved me and found me beautiful at any weight, shape, and size.”

  Wedding anniversary shoot 

  One of Jojie’s goals for her 7th wedding anniversary was to “fit in her wedding gown again.” So last May 24, 2021, she tried on her wedding dress. To her surprise, she not only achieved her 2014 weight (she was  67 kg at her wedding), but she was down two kilos when she tried it on.

  CONTINUE READING BELOW

  Recommended Videos

  Jojie wanted to celebrate her fitness victory and their wedding anniversary. So she and Jeb with their kids decided to do a photo shoot in their wedding best.  

  “Our whole concept showed where we are now in our wedding best — kids and daily tasks and current looks and all. Thankfully, Jeb and his brother, Andre, are professional photographers, and we made a day of it without disrupting our routines.”

  

  “When my husband zipped it, we literally whooped and shouted with glee,” she recalls, adding that her gown designer Richie Ortega-Torres, safe kept the dress for her all these years.

  PHOTO BY courtesy of Jojie Perocho-Garcia

  

  Jojie says she made sure to take photos of her “officemates”: the dishes and the laundry.

  PHOTO BY courtesy of Jojie Perocho-Garcia

  ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW

  

  The family always takes an afternoon walk, but on this day, they had a dress code.

  PHOTO BY courtesy of Jojie Perocho-Garcia

  

  Jojie and Jeb with daughter Alba, 5, and son Rogo, 2.

  PHOTO BY courtesy of Jojie Perocho-Garcia

  ‘I’m a different person

  Right now, Jojie is 24 lbs (11 kg) away from her goal, and she hopes to reach this on her birthday month in November.

  ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW

  She has this to say for moms out there wanting to be their healthiest self for their families. “My two biggest pieces of advice is to find your driving force and set manageable goals. Know why you are doing it, be it aesthetics or strength/fitness or health, and make it matter to you enough to push yourself through difficult spots.”

  To the husbands, she advises to ‘just be there for your wives.’ “Let them tell you how you can help them at different points–be a cheerleader, a sounding board, an eating partner if need be.”

  Jojie manages to joke that while she was putting on her wedding dress, her child-bearing hips resisted a little but was quick to say that getting back on it was a success, nonetheless.

  “I’m a different person from that bride, and this mindset helped my weight loss effort. No going back — just moving forward to ‘lalakas, liliksi, lulusog.’ Fiercer, faster, fitter!” Jojie concludes.

  What other parents are reading