Meaning, purpose and weight loss

I had failed so many times in my weight loss programs until one day I discovered one effective way to really shed that ugly and unhealthy body fat while also achieving life satisfaction. I started losing weight when I decided to stop dieting and motivated myself to integrate weight loss into something more productive and meaningful.

In 2013 I became a teacher to my lumad brothers and sisters in Bukidnon, where I needed to walk a kilometer daily to conduct classes. After several months I began to look like an artista. I weighed about 55 kilos, down from my 78-80 kilos before I joined the volunteer program of Jesuit Volunteers Philippines. I achieved, not only that waistline I had always wanted, but also the serenity in knowing that I am performing a service and standing in solidarity with my newfound family in Mindanao.

With this experience of teaching and volunteering, my perception of happiness was eventually changed. Thanks to volunteering and teaching, I have realized that happiness can be achieved not merely by having good looks.

Today I am no longer obsessed with dieting and weight loss. Every day I walk to my new school. I do not sit when I am facilitating learning; I stand with my students under the sun in every flag ceremony. And I walk, dance, sing and laugh with them. These are perfect ways of daily burning calories.

I no longer worry about becoming fat again. Teaching has become my way of maintaining my weight and good looks and at the same time doing something that is heroic, meaningful and purposeful. Teaching is something that allows me to express a deeper spirituality — a kind of spirituality that knows how to love.

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Rey Sandy V. Abayan, 28, is a teacher at Lawaan National School of Craftsmanship and Home Industries.