MANILA, Philippines - September 11, 2010 is a big day for information technology guy Lonel Labit. He is pulling all the stops to make sure his suit will still fit on the day he marries the woman of his dreams.

That’s one way of making sure he isn’t gaining weight since the time he lost as much as 78 lbs and brought down his pants size from 42” to 32”. And when you see him, you wouldn’t know that he used to be overweight.

He is glad that he has won the battle against his weight problem. He has changed his lifestyle and food intake habits. Labit now jogs regularly and consciously makes an effort to eat healthy foods.

Labit's inspiring story was shared recently with participants during a Coaching and Mentoring session organized by the HR Division of ABS-CBN. This should inspire others who want to lose weight. Here’s Labit’s story.

Your co-participants in the seminar were surprised that you used to be overweight. How much weight did you lose?

My original weight was 233 lbs. and I now weigh 162 lbs. That’s a loss of 71 lbs. Following my age, height, and body mass index level, I should weigh between 155-162 lbs. I was able to trim down to 155 lbs., but I felt I looked too thin, so I added some weight.

And how about your pants size?

My pants size before was 42. My current pants size is 32.

How did you do it?

I really decided that I want to lose weight. I believe that without the drive, I will not be able to make it since I tried many types of diet plans, even took slimming pills and nothing worked.

I started with brisk walking and jogging in the morning. I also enrolled in a gym and availed of the free training program. When the free program ended, I did not continue the training program since it was expensive. I just gathered all the ideas and training routines and did everything by myself. I religiously went to the gym 3-5 times a week. With that rate, I was able to lose two pounds a week.

How about your diet?

I did not alter my diet drastically since I believe that if I skip meals, I may go back to my old eating habits when I lose weight, then go back to being fat again. I still eat anything I want but I’m computing my calorie intake. I should not exceed 2,000 calories a day or 3,500 calories a week so I will not gain weight.

Since when were you overweight?

College.

What was your lifestyle before?

I ate a lot of rice, ulam, junk foods, chocolates, ice cream, drank a lot of soft drinks, and anything that came my way. I also didn’t exercise.

What drove you to lose weight?

Health and self esteem. I felt bad when I was buying my clothes before. I had to buy XXXL sizes and a lot of stores do not have stocks of big clothes.

After losing weight, what difference did it make in your life?

I had more confidence in facing people. I’m healthier and I really feel that it has improved my work performance. When I was overweight, I sometimes felt lazy and sleepy. I can now buy smaller size shirts and pants.

How do you maintain it nowadays?

I stopped going to the gym last May and I went back this August. When I’m not going to the gym, I still do my brisk walking and jogging anytime in the day when I have an opportunity. I also keep track of my calorie intake.

How would you know that you are not gaining weight?

I check my weight weekly and also check my waist line.

Tell us something about your work in ABS-CBN.

I am in the IT division. I work as a business analyst for corporate and subsidiaries solutions.

Are you the type of person who eats a lot under stress?

Before, yes, but not anymore nowadays.

We heard you bring your own healthy baon to work. Tell us something about it.

Yes, I do bring my baon with the right amounts of rice and ulam that can boost me up for the day. Sometimes when I am not able to prepare my baon, I just make sure that I have a fruit in my bag, either banana or apple.

And if your colleagues invite you to eat out or go to parties?

I do go with them but just make tikim most especially if it is dinner.

What would you advise other people who've been wanting to lose weight?

Set your goal and take charge. Stick to your goal even if there are obstacles that come along your way to losing weight. Don’t skip meals!

This article was first published on ABS-CBN's Intranet site e-Frequency. All photos provided by e-Frequency.