Nafeela Mohd Haniffah, 12, has been overweight since she was a baby.
When she was in Primary 1, her school asked her mother to take her for check-ups at a clinic in Outram because of her weight.
"The clinic advised me on her diet and some simple exercises but it was hard to get her to eat the right food," recalled businesswoman Rehana Khan, 34.
When Nafeela was in Primary 5, she was put in her school's Trim and Fit Programme and was made to exercise every day.
Despite the programme, she did not start losing weight until she picked up football in the middle of last year.
The 1.57m-tall girl, then an obese 70kg, played the sport nearly every day with children in her neighbourhood. Games stretched up to three hours on weekends.
"I love making new friends through playing football," she said.
Energised, she also started jogging around her estate.
At home, she started cutting down her intake of rice and added more fruit and vegetables to her diet.
"I always ask my mum to cook a bit of extra vegetables for me now," she said.
She also cut down on junk food and chocolate.
Less than six months later, she is down to 55kg and is looking to maintaining her healthy lifestyle.
"Back then, I didn't feel healthy. I had asthma and being overweight didn't help," she said.
She hopes to join her secondary school's netball team this year and wants to set a good example for her two younger siblings, who are both overweight.
Said her mother: "It's easier for me to get her clothes now. She's more energetic and more mature too."
This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times, on January 8, 2009.
