I grew up in Samoa in the Samoan way or the Fa’a Samoa. Often in our family we only had bread and butter or oatmeal for breakfast no lunch or have bread again for lunch. As going without lunch was a regular occurrence, I would simply wait until dinner and then feast on a big plate to make up the missing mid-day meal. However, once I discovered the dangers associated with unhealthy food, I chose to adjust my diet. Once I understood what it was doing to my body I changed my attitude to food. I love my food and with the Samoan culture I grew up in FOOD is very much key. But now, I eat for nourishment, and I certainly do my very best not to overeat. I believe you can still eat a little more, provided it is healthy.

The diet introduced me to cooking just the yucky part of the chicken, the Breast without skin, no salt, on minimum teaspoon of coconut oil, with a feast size green salad, and feast size taro. No fizzy drinks, no sugar, no fanta and grape soft drinks that I loved at the time but water, and more water everyday. To be honest I could not stick to the diet the first week, I would diet and then pinch here and there and I went to compete. It was hard at first but discovering my body changed was something that I could never imagined it would happen. As lose my body fat, I was building a strong mindset on resisting the everyday food, sticking to the diet and training hard.

In the three months I have lost 10kgs and I was ready to dance on stage, and this is how I discovered a deep understanding on food and how I relate to it. It is amazing how knowledge is powerful but I believe it is only powerful if we USE the knowledge as having it without action is the same as not having the knowledge at all. I see food differently now, I would look at a nice pizza, fried chicken, or double cheeze quarter pounder and picture what it will do to me internally, then I walk away and have a salad instead. Its not easy at first but having value my entire body mechanism over satisfying my taste buds helps me maintain a healthy eating habits and training regularly, with a motto that I cannot go three days without exercise.

Thinking ahead in the future, I really want to work as hard as I can right now until I retire, and enjoy my life travelling around the world, and not retire to wheelchair, in-house, or bed. I want enjoy my daughter growing up and hopefully grandchildren so family is the core part of my life, and in order to help steer our family ship into the right direction I must first look after myself, so that I can stay strong to look after my family and have a fulfilling life on this earth.