Priscilla fast regaining her ‘earthy’ form

MANILA, Philippines - There’s more pressure on celebrity moms to whip themselves back into shape after a pregnancy. Former Miss Earth Priscilla Meirelles should know.

Priscilla tipped the scales at 230-lbs. when she gave birth early this year to Sammanta Anechka, her firstborn with John Estrada. She wanted to regain her beauty queen form right away, but since she was breastfeeding and didn’t want any diet restrictions, her slim- ming plans had to be put on hold.

The weight gain, however, took a toll on her self-esteem. “Of course, I was very happy with my baby... but I became a bit depressed because I used to have a certain figure and I gained a lot of weight,” said the Brazilian beauty queen who has made the Philippines her home since she won the Miss Earth crown in 2004.

“There’s a lot of things I was dealing with. And my priori- ties were really with my family and I kind of forgot a little bit about myself because alam ko naman kaya ko mamayat,” she added, interspersing her an- swers with fluent Tagalog.

But Priscilla admitted that she came to a point when she felt she couldn’t do it on her own and needed help.

“I met doktora and she introduced to me their new technology; that it’s good for breastfeeding moms. She said, ‘It’s FDA-approved and I’m sure you’re gonna be happy about it.’ Sabi ko, sige let’s try. I also had a hard time diet- ing. Sabi niya, when you finish breastfeeding, then we start (the prescribed diet). Because

along with the machine, she prescribed a kind of diet and supplement full of L-Carni- tine,” she related. “I was very excited about it. So I started even before I stopped breast- feeding. She said, ‘For now, let’s do the machine and then when you finish breastfeeding, (the diet).’”

The lady doctor Priscilla is referring to is Dr. Claudine Roura, the dermatologist/ cosmetic surgeon behind the Contours Advanced Face and Body Sculpting Institute, who offered Priscilla to try out their latest non-invasive laser lipo treatment called Zerona PRO Rapid Weight Loss Program.

She did the program for about two months. At the time of our interview last week dur- ing her launch as the endorser of the Zerona treatment, she already shed off 80-lbs. and getting closer than ever to her pre-baby body and ideal weight for her head-turning 5’10” frame.

“Even though I stopped the treatment more than a month ago, it’s still working on my body, I’m still losing weight. I’m back to my normal diet. I’m not doing anything. But there’s still effect,” she said.

Priscilla stressed that she’s losing the excess poundage for herself and not for her hus- band or to meet the expecta- tions of others.

“I think that what I’m going through is the same as any woman. You know when you give birth, you gain a lot of weight. Some women gain a little bit, some women like me gain a lot. But it shouldn’t be a reason for you to do something just because you’re scared of losing your husband.”

“Despite the fact na gwapo siya, artista siya, talented siya, (para sa) sarili ko ‘to. Para sa akin. When you’re married to someone and you love that person, life is sometimes not fair in the sense that when men are married to you... in order for you to keep your relationship fresh and flowing, you need also to reach the expectations of your husband. But I didn’t do that just to keep my husband. I did that to be happy.”

Priscilla continued, “Maybe my husband was worried that I wouldn’t lose the weight that I gained. But then again, I think what matters most to him was that he saw that I was not happy. He wants me to be happy.

“And by being happy, my husband will also be happy. So, of course, the relationship flows natu- rally. And one more reason that he doesn’t need to look around is he can look at me and happy na sya.”

Besides, John never pressured her to lose weight. “No. Sabi niya, ‘It’s okay babe you’re still beautiful.’ He never made fun of me, pero nakita nya na hindi ako happy. Whenever we would go out, ayoko because I didn’t like the way I looked. My clothes didn’t fit anymore. I needed to buy a new wardrobe. My shoes didn’t even fit so I was sad... Pero siya, ‘Kaya mo (magpapayat), kaya mo.’ Pero nakita n’ya na nahirapan ako. So when I told him about the (Zerona) he was happy that I found something that could help me go back to my original weight.”

Meanwhile, Priscilla won’t be dragged into commenting on whatever issue or tension there is between John and his ex-wife Janice de Belen, if rumors are to be believed. “Actually, we’re very civil with each other. Janice was always very proper to me and it just shows that she’s a very polite and an edu- cated person. The first time we spoke to each other sabi niya, ‘You know, my kids like you. Thank you

for being kind to them,‘ and sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Thank you very much for approaching me and saying hi to me.’ And after that, whenever we see each other, we would greet each other.

“If she was the ex of John, the respect should always be there. Whatever problems they had in the past, or that the relationship wasn’t great, all I know is that I respect her for who she is and I admire her for the mother that she is.”

Priscilla shared though that before she got mar- ried to John, she had serious doubts, too, owing to the failure of John’s first marriage and her own expe- rience, being a daughter of divorced parents.

“So when we got married, sometimes I thought sana hindi mangyari sakin yung nangyari in the past. I talked to him about it. And then he said, ‘You know Pris, I was very young back then, I didn’t know much. When I got married, I was barely 17 or 18 years old. I felt I missed a very huge part of my life.’ So alam niyang hindi tama.” One sure thing that strengthened the bonds of their marriage is having their baby girl. How has motherhood changed her life? “The love for your child is bigger than any- thing else. You always put her in priority, and then it’s always like anything that you do is for your child,” she gushed. As a new mom, Priscilla enjoyed breastfeeding her daughter full-time for seven months. “The reason why I stopped because there was no more milk, it was really drained out, maybe because I was on pills already. When you drink (birth control) pills, it decreases milk production. But what I’ve no- ticed is that the advantage of a breastfed baby is that she’s a very strong and secure baby because of the bonding of the mother and child.”

The proud mom also happily noted that she wouldn’t be surprised if daughter Anechka will pursue showbiz in the future.

“You know, she’s very comfortable around people, she’s very friendly, she smiles at people. Now, she’s trying to walk on her own, she’s trying to speak. She’s very communicative. So I can imagine her growing into a very outgoing person. I don’t know, but I really think that when she grows up, she will really go for (showbiz). When she screams or laughs out loud, maganda talaga ang quality ng boses (laughs) so I’d joke that baka kaya maging next Sarah Geronimo siya.”

In terms of looks, “she’s really mixed. Paminsan- minsan, I can see myself in her. Then at times, she looks so much like her dad, a babae version of John. She looks so Filipina which is good because I find the Filipina beauty really like something else; it stands out,” Priscilla ended.