'From Being Big To Dreaming Big' Iza Calzado Recalls Overcoming Teasing For Being Obese

Iza Calzado looks back on life as an overweight adolescent in a recent Instagram post.

"Meet Big," she says, referring to the girl on the first of two accompanying photos. "She was teased a lot by her family and friends.

"A lot of them were well meaning and even came from a place of love and concern but the truth with name calling or labels is that it sticks and you may carry it with you or believe in it."

Iza goes on pointing out, "It takes a whole level of confidence, courage, and strength to break free from these names thrown your way."

She then explains why she supports the #stopthenamecalling movement initiated by the soap brand Dove.

"So young girls, like this one here no longer have to endure years of fighting to be seen and known beyond the names. I hope we can stop normalizing in our culture where young girls have to live under the shadows of the names people call them."

Fast forward to today: the sought-after and award-winning actress, who's pregnant with her and her husband Ben Wintle's first child, claims victory. (Read here Iza's pregnancy announcement.)

"From being big to dreaming big, here now is Iza," she declares. "No longer making size a source of pain but rather a source of power. Shine bright, ladies. You are enough."

Overcoming obesity

“Sobrang taba ko no’n,” Iza recalled in an article in YES! Magazine. “Nawalan ako ng gana. I started losing confidence. Lagi nila akong sinasabihan na magpapayat. The more na gano’n, the more na nakaka-depress, di ba?

"I think in my past interviews, especially when I was starting, they would always ask me if I always wanted to become an artista. Lagi kong sinasabi, ‘Not really.’ Pero ’yong totoo, oo, e—gusto ko.

"Kaya ‘not really’ kasi pumasok na ’ko do’n sa stage ng life ko na since everybody was saying that the only way for me to become an artista was to lose weight, ni-reject ko ’yong idea ng pagiging artista.

"Ang sabi ko, ‘Never mind.’ ’Yong gano’n? Parang, eto ako, e. Ano’ng gagawin ko, hindi naman ako marunong magpapayat no’n.”

The teenage Iza had her wake-up call when she was dancing tinikling in school. She accidentally stepped on one of the bamboo poles, and she fell to the floor. When she was taken to the hospital, she was weighed, and she tipped the scales at 216 pounds.

After that, she resolved to lose weight—but, unfortunately, through unhealthy means. “I made the biggest mistake. Pumayat ako in one year kasi hindi ako kumakain. But, no regrets.

"Matigas din kasi ang ulo ko. I was also anemic. I had some friends who kept telling me, ‘Alam mo, mag-exercise ka. Don’t forget to exercise, kasi ’yong skin mo, hindi magiging tight.’”

Eventually, Iza got into running and other fitness activities, which she still does to this day.

Read also: How This Obese, Asthmatic Mom Dropped 52 Pounds