These celebrities redefine weight-loss goals beyond the scale

For theater actress and host Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante, one milestone in managing her weight came when she was able to go on a run for the first time. After the frustration of a stalled scale, progress became something she could feel.

Broadcaster and host Gino Quillamor has a similar, practical goal: keeping the strength to carry his children now and, someday, his grandchildren.

Their experiences gave a personal dimension to the launch of “Go Lose Pounds — the Marie France Way,” a medically supervised weight-management program introduced recently at The Conservatory of The Peninsula Manila.

The program combines several components: physician assessment, nutrition guidance, body-composition monitoring, body treatments and prescription medication for qualified clients. Medication is an option after doctor’s evaluation.

At the launch, five clients discussed goals that extended from feeling comfortable in their clothes to staying active as they age.

Bradshaw-Volante’s physician-guided plan combined medication with body treatments. Running gave her a measure of progress beyond the numbers.

“These are the experts that I chose to trust,” she said.

For actress Bernadette Allyson, feeling confident in leggings and cycling shorts goes hand in hand with a longer-term wish: becoming an active grandmother who can play with her future grandchildren.

“I just want to live a life of quality,” she said.

Registered pharmacist Roan Evangelista spoke about adjusting her habits while navigating hormonal changes at midlife. She had started medication elsewhere and continued her Marie France treatments while making different food choices, walking regularly, and taking up Pilates.

Her concerns included how her body would look as she lost weight.

“I didn’t want to lose weight only to end up looking saggy,” she said, explaining why shape and firmness also mattered to her.

Recording artist Ira Schadewald took a non-medicated route, focusing on muscle definition, recovery and performance. Her priorities centered on how her body responds to activity and what it can do.

Quillamor, meanwhile, linked his goal of preserving muscle to remaining active and present for his family.

The accounts were individual experiences, with different approaches and priorities, rather than evidence that everyone would achieve the same results.

The medical discussions added context. Endocrinologist Dr. Erick Mendoza discussed how aging, hormonal changes and underlying conditions can influence weight, and why body-composition measurements can help explain what the weighing scale alone cannot.

He later joined Marie France physicians Dr. Macgerald Cueto and Dr. Regie Layug for a “Truth or Trend” discussion on individual assessment, monitoring and sustainable habits.

Guests also visited stations offering 3D body scans, body-composition analysis and consultations with doctors and nutritionists. Demonstrations included FMS Elite and Endospheres, treatments the company markets for contouring, muscle toning and skin firmness.

Under the program, physicians review medical history, body composition and relevant laboratory findings before recommending a plan. Nutritionists, consultants and therapists provide support, with reassessment as clients’ needs change.

Follow-up continues after a target weight is reached, through nutritional guidance, physical activity and physician-led monitoring.

Beyond the equipment and treatment names, the clients’ stories supplied the launch’s most relatable moments: running for the first time, feeling at ease in a favorite outfit, or keeping up with children.

For them, the meaning of progress was found in what a changing body allowed them to do.