Nadia decides to lose weight

Author: Ethel Ramos
Column: Studio Whispers

IN the 1980’s, Nadia Montenegro was a pretty but chubby 13-year-old whom Mother Lily Montenegro signed up to include in her roster of "Regal Babies."

To encourage her to lose weight, Mother Lily challenged Nadia to trim down, telling her she wanted her and another new Regal Baby, Gretchen Barretto, to star in a teenage movie, "14 Going Steady."

Nadia promised the Regal Matriarch that she will trim down. And thanks to her mom, Linda Montenegro (Nadia’s dad’s family name is Pla), who rigidly supervised her daughter in the star’s battle of the bulge, Nadia succeeded.

Nadia was slim and pretty when she presented herself again to Mother Lily.

Mother Lily, bless her, kept true to her promise. Two young male newcomers, Benedict Aquino and Albert Anido, were added to the cast of the movie which had the late Joey Gosiengfiao at the helm.

Liezl Martinez (nee Sumilang) would have been introduced in "14 Going Steady," too. But she eloped with then popular young actor Albert Martinez before filming of the movie started.

Now mom to three kids, all grown up, Liezl said she has never regretted her decision to give up a budding showbiz career in favor of marriage. She says Albert is an ideal husband and father.

Albert remains active and is one of the most in-demand performers in showbiz. He plays a corrupt mayor in the popular ABS-CBN series, "May Bukas Pa."

***

Nadia, after "14, Going Steady," became even more popular. She was also considered as one of the prettiest Regal Babies, to the point that she was dubbed as the "Brooke Shields of the Philippines."

Lolit Solis, a fellow entertainment columnist, talent manager and TV host, recalled how an equally promising Regal Baby cried himself buckets of tears because Nadia ignored his proposal.

"Ba’t mo naman ginawa ‘yun?" years later we asked Nadia.

"Malay ko naman that he will later become handsome and so popular," she said with a laugh.

Today, Nadia has remained friends with the actor, who is now happily married to an equally popular celebrity. He has likewise become a responsible man.

***

Now 37, Nadia, who is mom to six children, the eldest of whom (Ynah, 16) is a regular of the weekly ABS-CBN series, "George & Cecil."

Nadia is still as pretty.

If only she has not gained weight.

Nadia admits she has truly led an unhealthy lifestyle. With her partner of 20 years, former Caloocan Mayor Boy Asistio, she experienced eating the most delicious foods at hotels all over the world. Not to say the best of Filipino foods.

Then one day, she thought of using the bathroom scale a friend gave her.

What the weighing scale revealed nearly made her faint. It was higher than what she thought she weighed.

"When I met Nadia in person for the first time through Pops (Fernandez, a good friend from way back), I wasn’t aghast as both of them probably thought I would be. Instead, I felt pity for her," recalled Miakela Bilbao, beauty expert and owner of the Mikaela Aesthetic Clinic. "Sabi ko sa sarili ko, here’s a beautiful woman na pinabayaan ang sarili. Walang dapat sisihin if suddenly she develops a heart problem. ‘Pag nagkataon, kawawa ang kanyang mga anak (the youngest of whom is four years old). Ang gaganda pa naman."

Right then and there, Mikaela offered Nadia her clinic’s weight-loss service. She said she will adapt Nadia’s regimen to the star’s situation.

Nothing will be injected to her, Mikaela promised. Nadia will take no slimming pills and the treatments will be non-surgical.

There will be no side effects, as all the machines to be used are advanced, state-of-the-art and US-FDA approved. The treatments will be conducted by two doctors, Drs. Rochelle Mercado and Mylah Joven, both experts in handling and using the slimming machines.

The effect, Mikaela stated, will be permanent and will even take years off her age.

But this doesn’t mean that after the treatment, when you have already acquired the weight you want (in Nadia’s case, she needs to lose at least 80 lbs.) you can indulge and have anything you want to eat.

"Natural na dapat mo nang ingatan para hindi na muling bumalik ang mga tabang nawala sa iyo," said Nadia.

***

Did you know that Billy Crawford had the chance to perform with his boyhood idol, Michael Jackson, in the MTV Video Music Award?

This was in 1996, when he was only 14. Billy’s now 26.

In that same year, when Michael performed in the country for the second time, two former young talents of Star Magic, Carol Banawa and Stefano Mori (remember them?), had the rare opportunity of performing at a jam-packed event with the King of Pop as an audience.

The venue was the Manila Hotel. The occasion was a gift-giving event to 300 orphans.

Michael, who was then billeted at the hotel, volunteered to hand out loot bags (filled with gifts, courtesy of Gift Gate, owned by Virgie Ramos) to the orphans. Yes, all 300 of them.

We all know what happened to Michael Jackson. Carol and Stefano are now out of the showbiz scene.

Carol has married a Fil-Am and now resides in the US with her family. Stefano’s in Italy with his parents. His dad’s an Italian and his mom is a Pinay.

Source: Malaya

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