When vanity strikes

30 pounds lighter

Appetite for Danger

I have always been big boned. Yeah, this is my blog so I can use any kind of bullshit euphemism if I wanted to. But however I try to sugarcoat it, it just meant one thing - FAT. So fat that I can't remember a time in my life when I can actually be considered thin. But despite the body, people tell me  "Sayang! Maganda ka pa naman". Yes I am that standard girl with nice face but fugly body. 

And because of this I 've had my share of asshole guys who treated me like dirt because of the weight. An ex boyfriend broke up with me when I got really big during my senior year in high school. A guy from my past callcenter job told me, "Liligawan kita pag pumayat ka";  A guy from work told me I am just not f*ckable. A guy I met in Vietnam picked me up by saying I was a "beautiful curvy woman"; And a guy friend of mine told me once that I am a "lollipop" - one he can take the head but throw away the body; so on and so forth. While some felt like compliments, they actually sting like insults in the closet. But of course there are worse things men say to a fat girl - balyena, baboy, dambohala, taba. They just make me laugh honestly. Why tell me the obvious? It doesn't affect me. So, sorry to say this is soo not an account of a fat girl tormented or hurt by men who is out to transform into a bombshell so that she take revenge on all the assholes who played her. No. I just want to get slimmer so that I can rock any outfit and look f*cking great that when I enter a room, all men will stop on their tracks and desire me, then I get to date each one of them and torture them with my talents for teasing, make them wait and when I get them where I wanted them I will rip their heart out, eat it and spit it on their faces... Alright. So I guess the motivation is revenge after all. 

So whilst that was my motivation, I tried everything a fat girl can try, save for surgery. I was determined to shrink from my 235 lbs to 150 lbs. So I tried dieting (Dukan Diet), gymming,  (Gold's, Slimmer's world), pills (pearl, reductil), coffee (brazilian coffee), teas, juicing and what have you. The only thing worked for me was gymming at Slimmers and Dukan diet coupled with a bit of brisk walking. My Slimmer's world gymming episode allowed me to lose at least 15 lbs. But because I wasn't able to continue, I got fat yet again. 

Dukan Diet was effective since I lost 20 lbs maximum while I was on the diet. I tried to complete it twice, but failed both times. Not because my mental determination wavered but because my body cannot take it anymore. The diet is heavy on protein with no fruits and carbs. I found myself sweating all the time, lethargic, cranky. But I give Dukan diet the brownie points for making me lose at least 20 lbs. But then I gained some of them back.  :(

 I was at a loss with my weight loss, as I always have.I kept asking myself, willl I allow myself to stay this way forever? Or can I actually strike a breakthrough? I told myself, I was happy, I was loved. I have a wonderful family, great friends, amazing job, isn't that enough? I told myself I can be happy til I'm 40 at this weight. Or am I ?  

Living on the Fats Lane

The company I'm working (ABSCBN) which produced local versions of Biggest Loser franchise has decided to do the same thing for its employees, this wellness program dubbed as Kapamilya Balik Alindog 90 day challenge. It was a free wellness program for the employees, led by excellent coaches and trainers.  Our coaches are contestants from Biggest Loser Philippines, namely Coach Raffy, Hazel, Dianne and Cristine Obsina, Mommy Ossie, Cathy, Prince and of course Coach Jim and Coach Toni. Everyday, the rehearsal room is dressed up as a gym where participants can come in from 3 pm to 9 pm. usually i come from 7 pm to 9 pm. 

The program started March 24 and since it's already June 14, we barely have 10 days to go til the end of the 90 days. So I thought, why not write about the whole experience?  

The main wellness thrust:  FITNESS AND CLEAN EATING. Surprise, surprise. We all know about this, but never do it right? The key thing for fitness is to find the perfect training regimen that can kick start your interest / drive in working out. For the program, the main star was metafit training.  a kind of training that combines traditional bodyweight exercises with the latest high intensity interval training techniques to set the body's metabolism on fire. 

The first sessions were hell on earth. But soon, I found myself craving the delicious pain of strained body and muscles after a good workout. What's good is that for only an hour, you can burn as much as 600 calories, and you'll be burning more after the workout. 

Eat Clean, Train Dirty

The first thing that I had to learn: 4 minute work out. 10 jumping jacks, 10 squats, 10 push ups and 10 lunges to be repeated for 4 minutes. I also had a love hate relationship with burpees. i learned to like planking, mountain climbers, wiper push ups and ab workouts. I also enjoyed doing getups, medicine ball pushups, tabata, and other circuit training work outs. 

Added to metafit training, is coaching by a nutritionist who taught us about "balanced diet". Carbs, protein, veggies and fruits must all be present during every meal. The tricky part: no seconds. Stick to that plate every meal!

At first it was hard completing all the food groups for every meal as there is always one missing - fruits! consuming fruits while eating out is very inconvenient as not all restaurants have fruits as a dessert option. So the solution: MEAL PREP! I do groceries and meal prep every Sunday! It's more convenient and cheaper! 

Then we, the participants take photos of every meal we consumed,  and post them on our official facebook group. Our nutritionist Coach Rio  approves the meals and suggests better options. 

The Take Aways

My greatest take away: Is that I am 35 lbs lighter :) From 235 lbs I am now at 191 lbs! This is by far my biggest weight loss ever on any program/diet/fitness routine I have ever started. I know it's not much but, I think I am on a roll!  And I hope that I get to stick with this mindset, this desire to better myself, this belief that I deserve to be the best, to be my own proverbial version of perfection.  So I thank everyone involved with the program for this opportunity for better health. Because of this wellness program, my cholesterol, sugar, blood pressure all went from alarming to normal. I learned to eat cleanly than to diet. I learned to be active. I have come to love doing physical activities such as jogging, boxing and yoga. My room now looks like a gym of some sort, what with my gym clothes, my resistant band, elliptical trainer, dumbells, jumping rope, yoga mat, Polar heartbeat and calorie watch, hand wrap and boxing gloves strewn across the room!!! 

Also despite the strict diet, I feel satisfied and full, because I get to eat from various food groups.I am getting stronger and stronger. I also felt more confident.  I still have a long way to go but as they say AS SOON AS YOU SEE THE RESULTS, IT BECOMES AN ADDICTION! I hope I never get tired of pushing! Cross my fingers! 

My Valuable Nuggets

1. First, choose the right carbs. White rice is very high in glucose content. Our nutritionist told us that we can substitute camote, corn, quinoa, oatmeal, red and brown rice for white rice, because they can still provide energy, but at a lower glycemic index. 

2. Carbs is not the enemy. Our nutritionist told us, you need carbs to be able to function well, think well, train well. Never remove it from the plate! Just regulate the amount of carbs. 

3. Change your fitness routine from time to time. Do metafit, circuit,  crossfit, then at times change it to running, or boxing or yoga. Boredom can be the nemesis of working out. So keep it exciting.

4. Drink lots of water before eating. It helps, because at least you feel full before eating. 

5. Keep clean/healthy food on your pantry at all times, especially on particularly stressful days, when you know there's a great chance of you stress eating.  My personal favorites while stress eating are: singkamas that I slice into thin strips, tortilla wraps that I toast and sprinkle with a bit of parmesan cheese which can make "instant chips". I also recently discovered popcorn to be dry popped (can be substitute for carbs), boiled eggwhites and carrot sticks. 

6. I am all for advertising your journey as you can actually get a lot of support over the internet. But, I prefer to advertise sporadically or rather strategically. There is no point posting training photos or clean eats when you actually don't look like you've lost some weight, lest you just become a laughingstock. Just work on your fitness and diet silently and when you see results, post them even during the middle of your journey. As for me, I plan to make my IG a fitness-dedicated IG once I hit 80kg :) 

7. Push harder! Visualize your end goal. Visualize the bikini you'd like to rock next summer. Or that hot guy you'd like to f*ck. haha. or whatever moves you.  Trust me it can help you finish that damn squat jumps or burpee set with flying colors! 

8. This is a little controversial but sometimes, I buy junk food like burger, pizza or a piece of cake not to consume them all but to take just one tiny bite. So what do I do with the left over - I give it away. My father and brother are my usual victims, my left-over eaters, that they are sick of feeling forcefed haha. So why in the hell would I do this? Well I have come to realize that sometimes it's not really the act of eating the food, but the act of possessing it that's actually making you salivate or crave for that piece of sinful, heavenly junk.   

Pics or it didn't happen

Haha. You know it. So here goes: 

And to the guys out there who treated me badly....Nah I won't go after you. I'd just carry on living healthy. After all, fitness achieving my dream is the best revenge. :)

October!!!!

Arghhh!!! I know I write for a living but let me just blabber nonsensically.
It's October and I am still at 195 lbs!
Yes because I have cheated a lot! I cheated big time!
And I am not proud of it.
September was a a ghost month and I hated it...because I ate rice all the time!
I promise to change in the last three months of the year.
No more gaining a pound.

So far I am successful at dieting for two days straight. No rice but cheated with bread and noodles. NO MORE GOING BACK OKAY?!!!

By the way watch Maria Mercedes, the Philippine adaptation! I'm writing for it.

My new diet Duhen! - Day 61!

Haha. Dukan + Cohen so to speak.
This is what I learned from Cohen dieters.

1. No carbs. This is a Dukan diet staple, so I'm having no problems with this.

2. No sugar. This is also a staple, so this is fine too.

3. No salt. Doing dukan, I've bypassed this rule since a small amount of salt is allowed. So I'm going to try to avoid this.

4. Drink lots of water. I do this as well, so I'm fine with this.

5. Eat every after 5 hours. I'm going to apply this!

6. Don't eat after 9 pm!

7. Use your palm as a measure of your food.

8. Instead of one crisp in between meals, I'm going to eat oatbran!

9. No exercise. But I'm going to do a little walking and arm toning, so I guess this should be OK

cheat month

August was a ghost month! It's because I've cheated almost everyday with sweets, rice and carbs! From 190 lbs I gained 10 lbs and now I'm back to 200! It's time for an intervention! I'm restarting Dukan this September Starting with 5 days all meat. I CAN DO THIS!!!

3. Look for Contrasts An overt trait often conceals its opposite. 1. People who thump their chests are often big cowards; a prudish exterior may hide a lascivious soul2. The uptight are often screaming for adventure; the shy are dying for attention. 3. Probe beyond appearances, you will often find people's weaknesses in the opposite of the qualities they reveal to you. - See more at: http://48laws-of-power.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-05-14T09:50:00-07:00&max-results=1&start=12&by-date=false#sthash.d7HHkf9K.dpuf

August 20 - DAY 60

Breakfast: Oatbran pancake
Lunch:  Minute Steak and veggies
Dinner: Steak and veggies