A journey from weighing nearly 200lbs to being a Binibini

On International Women's Day, March 8, Binibining No. 18 Rosantonette Mendoza wrote a "lengthy post" on her Facebook page to chronicle her journey from being heckled about her weight to being "pageant fit" — all while still lifting women of all shapes and sizes.

"Para sa mga matataba, dating mataba, feeling mataba, dun sa gustong tumaba, at sa malapit nang tumaba — you are beautiful. Just be yourself. At the end of the day, it is still what’s in your heart that matters," Rosantonette ultimately declared. 

Rosantonette, who at the age of 15 was already dreaming of becoming a beauty queen, shared how Miss Universe Canada 2016 Siera Bearchell inspired her to be confidently beautiful with her body, too. 

 

Shoutout to all mah ladies out there! Happy International Women’s Day! You are genuine, unique and BE-YOU-TIFUL. Keep shining!! Find out more about my weightloss journey. Click the link on my bio ???? #Binibini18 #BilbilinToBinibini #BinibiningPilipinas2018

A post shared by Rosantonette Mendoza (@iamrosan) on

Mar 8, 2018 at 2:53am PST

She began having doubts about herself when she joined a provincial pageant in 2013 where people began making nasty remarks like "hala, parang nanay na” and “ano ba 'yan, ba't may naligaw diyan.”

"I stopped aiming for those crowns. I went on with my life, got myself a pretty cool job at a retail company and even started my own business. I fell in love with food so much, you have no idea. Desserts — I love chocolates! I ate whatever I wanted. As in no control at all," Rosantonette recalled.

By December 2016, she weighed almost 90kgs or nearly 200lbs. After seeing Miss Canada slay the stage in a swimsuit, Rosantonette decided that it was time to chase her dream. 

"It has always been my dream to become a Binibini. I knew I had to work extra hard for that goal, my last hoorah to join," she said. "I got myself a gym membership, hired a great trainer, prepped meals, diet et cetera ... lahat ng work out na try ko na ata, bes!"

She confessed that she didn't feel quite "pageant fit" when she submitted her application and, as she was writing her post, she was still "in awe" that she's Binibini No. 18.

"I’ve learned that it’s good to have dreams. But it’s better to have goals. Work hard and do whatever you can to achieve them!" Rosantonette said. "Thank you Binibining Pilipinas for giving me this opportunity to inspire other people with my transformation."

The grand coronation night of the 2018 Binibining Pilipinas will be held on March 18 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. — Aya Tantiangco, GMA News