CinemaBravo

Alfred Vargas recently revealed that he underwent emotional distress when he gained weight — far from how the public eye usually sees him. Back then, he was one of the most sought-after hunk actors in the industry, especially when he was still active in working for movies.

In his newly launched YouTube channel called “Vargas Tries? Pwede!,” the District 5 councilor of Quezon City talked about how he lost self-esteem and got anxious when he reached 251 pounds on the scale.

“May aaminin ako sa inyo, there was a time bumaba talaga ang self-esteem ko, nag-iba ang buhay ko. I was so depressed,” he said on his first episode on his YouTube channel.

“Hindi ko nahalata isang umaga pagharap ko sa salamin… kahit ‘yung sarili ko hindi ko nakilala ‘yung taong nasa salamin. And doon parang gumuho ang mundo ko and doon parang iyon ang pinaka-wake-up call ko. Unti-unti, umabot na pala ako sa 251 lbs.”

He also confessed that he felt aging quickly because of the weight gain.

“Dati kapag nasa mall ako, ‘yung mga tao, tatawagin ako at lalapit pa sa akin, ‘Papa Alfred.’ Tapos, lately medyo lumaki na ako. ‘Yung iba hindi na ako nakikilala. Tapos, ‘yung iba naman nakikilala pa ako, pero ang tawag sa akin, “Tito Alfred” na.

“So what’s funny about this, hindi ko nahalata. Isang umaga pagharap ko sa salamin kahit sarili ko, hindi ko nakilala ‘yung taong nasa salamin. And doon parang gumuho ang mundo ko and ‘yun ang pinaka-wake-up call ko.

“Sabi ko dapat magbago ako and this time around nag-decide ako na I will not do this for vanity, I will not do this for projects, I will do this for my children and para maipakita ko sa aking mga anak kung gaano ko sila kamahal by trying to live the longest that I can.

“From 251 lbs, now I am 201 lbs,” expressed Alfred after sharing the story of his three-year struggle.

He showed through his vlog the exercises that helped him do the job. This was parkour, aided by Ms. Kate Robles, a single mom who also had the same problem as Alfred’s in the past. They were joined by coach Raven Cruz in instructing parkour.

The YouTube channel Vargas Tries, Pwede! is a gift from “Konsi” Alfred and his brother Cong. PM Vargas to their constituents. It’s a fruit of 18 years of “solid friendship.” The question is “Ready ka na ba? ACTV18…”

In Vargas Tries, netizens and fans can send “requests” that they would like Alfred to do.

He gave as examples: “Nasubukan ko na maging tatay on cam, at ngayon off-cam na rin. Nasubukan ko nang maging sundalong diwata at naging sireno na rin at naging bayani na rin ako. Pati ang paglilingkod, pinasok na rin natin.

“E ano pa ba ang gusto n’yong i-try natin? Maging driver? O maging magsasaka? Maging teacher, maging barangay tanod? O maging talk show host? Pwede?

“Samahan n’yo akong subukan ang iba’t ibang larangan dito lang sa ‘Vargas Tries, pwede? Pwede!’,” Alfred invited his viewers.

Catch new episodes of his vlog every two weeks. In the coming months, they target releasing weekly episodes brought to us by the Vargas brothers.

Here’s the first episode of “Vargas Tries? Pwede!”: