the salt water flush and why i hated it

WARNING: the info bellow will be TMI for some or many, depending on your level of interest.  but it is important information, nonetheless.

some of you have asked what it is and how you do it.  well first of all i learned too late that you are supposed to do it starting the night before Day 1 of the Mastercleanse.  and you are supposed to do it every morning upon waking up. i did it twice, i think on day 3 and day 7 and i did it at night [i'll tell you why in a bit].

what is the saltwater flush?

in brief, the salt water flush is 25-32 oz. [that's 4 glasses!] of warm water with 2 teaspoons of non-iodized salt mixed into it.

why do it?

to flush out toxins, the ones that have stayed with you since you can remember.  it is the other half of the mastercleanse, the other half being the lemon juice + maple syrup + cayenne pepper in water concoction.

how do i take it?

drink the concoction straight up, in as few gulps as possible.  make sure to stay at  home [or a toilet you are comfortable using] within 4 hours after drinking.

you are supposed to drink it as you arise in the morning but that time schedule is very impractical if you have to work and your day is already busy at 6am.

how will i feel after i drink it? [why i hated it]

well in my case, it was absolutely horrible even while still drinking it, think: drinking seawater.  i had to pause some moments  in between because i felt like puking the whole time.  and after?  you will feel bloated and icky. =P  plus, i think it was the reason for my temporary gains on days 4 and 8, i retained some of the fluid. =(

what happens after i drink it?

within 4 hours, you will be rushing, and i mean RUSHING, to the toilet.  i actually rushed and rushed within the first hour.  the feeling is akin to when you have LBM, because you WILL be having LBM, so loose you are practically peeing from your butt. =P and your first "go" will be the most satisfying as you will be like a leaky oil tanker so it is best to sit and STAY there for longer than you think is long enough. [thank goodness for iPad!]

must i do it, really?

it is optional, the other option being - drinking organic herbal caffeine-free laxative tea.  in my opinion the laxative tea is a much better option since you can drink it before you go to sleep. and drinking tea is a pleasurable action. =D

so what do i advise?

first of all it is key to 'flush' in the first 3 days and to start the night before Day1.  this is because by Day 4 and after there will be nothing much to flush out as you have been eating nada for too long.  the first time i did it i was happy with the results which was why i decided to do it the second time.  but the second time i passed practically nothing so it was definitely not worth the suffering and effort.

the next time i do the Mastercleanse i will make sure to drink laxative tea the night before Day 1 and do it every night until there is nothing to flush out anymore. =D

[i buy Smooth Move organic herbal caffeine-free laxative tea at healthy options. i have the chocolate flavor but there is a variety of flavors you can choose from if you prefer others.  1 box has 16 bags and costs about P200++]

from google pics

Life after Mastercleanse

it's been 2 days since the day i ended my 10-Day Mastercleanse.  and i'm happy i'm back to eating again. =D

i've noticed that i do not snack mindlessly anymore and that i eat more slowly now.  well, 10 days of not eating does that to you, i guess.  you try to do a slow-mo of each bite to savor the taste of every morsel that touches your tongue. ha ha, such is my never-ending love affair with food!

i also am a bit more discriminating now as tastes have become sharper, i've been finding a lot of restaurant food either a little too salty or too sweet, or in other cases, bland and tasteless.

i've been eating all kinds of food since yesterday, enjoying every bit of the company [my kids mostly] as well as the fact that i no longer have to shun food.   the funny thing is [well, it wasn't so funny at 4pm yesterday] my tummy had a difficult time adjusting and i had to run to the toilet about 3 times!  i felt queasy and for some moments, it hurt a lot.

i deserved it though because i did not follow the instructions of easing into eating again.  i was supposed to take just orange juice on the first day, then soup today and wait till 2 weeks to start eating meat.  "hell no!' my hungry brain screamed inside my head!  so instead, i jumped right into eating and had cheese [dairy is a huge no-no at the start].   luckily, the suffering and discomfort didn't take too long as i am A-Okay today. =D

i also feel satisfied a lot sooner than before, so i try to pay attention to how i feel and stop eating when the "i'm almost full" signal switches on.  this way i stop just at the right time and eat just the right amount.

i know i have to move more because i do not like restricting myself when it comes to good food.  and a little of this and a little of that can mean a lot, so i've been thinking of how to move more without the pressure of going to the gym, waking up at 5am to run, or having to pack and unpack a gym bag every single day!

i remembered i had the 30-Day Shred by Jillian Michaels and so just a while ago i just went and tried it again.   The first time i tried it about a few months ago, i did not get past level 1, heck i did not even accomplish level 1 with perfect passable form.  i had to stop doing it because my weight was killing my knees and my feet.

tonight, i was able to do just 1/3 of the level 1 routine which isn't surprising given my state of being super unfit. but at least my knees do not hurt and my feet did not get shots of searing pain.  maybe i'm not so heavy anymore. =D

let me tell you a bit about the 30-Day Shred and why i like it.  this video has 3 levels which you are supposed to successfully accomplish in 30 days.  each level lasts for 20 minutes only and you are supposed to do it everyday.  this was designed by Jillian Michaels [one of the trainers on the Biggest loser] for busy people who do not have time to exercise.  the routine calls for a combination of cardio, abs, and strength training exercise which you do alternately and successively with practically no rest in between.  hence my being able to only do about 1/3 of the whole thing.

i had an asthma attack in the middle and had to stop for about 7 minutes before i pathetically tried to follow the moves again.  but i ended up sweating like a pig afterwards which was what i was after.

now, my legs are shaking and i'm expecting some soreness tomorrow.  but i feel great! =D

Mastercleanse Days 9 & 10

I'm now officially a graduate of the 10 day mastercleanse. =D Yipee!  But that doesn't mean i will not be doing it again.  I actually intend to do it periodically as it definitely is a good way to purge impurities from my body.


i'm glad i did this and i'm also glad that is finally over.  i can now take on the next challenge of maintaining my current weight.  for record purposes, here is an update:


Day 1 - November 28 - 165.8 lbs.
       2 - November 29 - 162.4 lbs.     -3.4 lbs.
       3 - November 30 - 160.4 lbs.     - 2 lbs.
       4 - December 1   - 161.2 lbs.     + 0.8 lbs.
       5 - December 2   - 159.8 lbs.     - 1.4 lbs.
       6 - December 3   - 158.4 lbs.     - 1.4 lbs.
       7 - December 4   - 157.8 lbs.     - 0.6 lbs.
       8 - December 5   - 158.2 lbs.     + 0.4 lbs.
       9 - December 6   - 157.2 lbs.      - 1 lbs.
       10 - December 7 -  156 lbs.        - 1.2 lbs


this means i lost 9.8 lbs. in 10 days!


November 29 - Starting narrowest waist measurement - 36 inches
                         1 inch above belly button measurement - 38 inches


November 30 - Narrowest - 35 inches, no change in the belly


December 3 - Narrowest - 34 inches, belly 36.5


this means i lost 2 inches around the waist and 1.5 inches in the belly area.


i've read that after the mastercleanse you more or less gain back half of what you lost.  so if it's true, it will put me at 160 lbs.  i hope not.  i was and still am hoping i can stay in the 150's this time.


i have yet to update my salt water flush experience [it was ugly] and my observations, opinions on how to do the mastercleanse in a better way.  i will do it in the coming days.


for now, i think i will just bask in my achievement. =D  finally, i won a major battle! against cravings, the urge to munch and the desire to binge, which did not feel like a battle most of the time. ;)


i wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Mastercleanse Days 7 & 8

busy, busy days!

here's what i can add to my mastercleanse record of experiences:

Day 7

i started to drink the juice too late, at noon.  maybe i wasn't hungry, maybe i was tired of the juice already.  wrong move, i felt a bit weak and lethargic.  i made up for it in the afternoon and guzzled down glasses of it and regained my energy.  note to self:  drink up every so often, do not wait till you get hungry, it will be too late.

Day 8 [today]

i'm up to here *grabs hold of the throat and pushes out tongue in disgust* with the juice.  since yesterday, i've had difficulty trying to finish the minimum amount of 60 oz. per day.  i normally had to have 90 oz to keep from feeling hungry.  and now, no hunger pangs, not much juice.  i have no idea if this is okay or not.

i can't add much as i said at the start, today is busy.  i'm still busy. even at 11 in the evening!  see ya tomorrow, Day 9!!!

Mastercleanse Day 6

Today was easy in the sense that i didn't do much of anything that was work-related.  i attended my daughter's family day activity in school and then came home with them early afternoon;  cooked my thankfully-not-over-cured-ham, which i was supposed to cook two days ago; and set the table for a dinner of take-out roast chicken [Chooks-to-go, the kiddos' favorite!]

It was also easy food-wise.  until now i marvel at my ability to say no to every food item that came into my path today.  For example, the lunch buffet, which i had to get for Ate Kat and my son and daughter, was: steaming hot rice, chicken cordon bleu, baked macaroni, pork barbecue, and an array of other dishes i opted not to get.  Oh and did i mention there was lechon also?  i sat with them, fed my daughter, Guela while Ate Kat tried to feed my son, Maxie.  I watched as all the other families partook of the delicious fare.  I sipped my juice contentedly amazed at how my mouth kept from bubbling over with envy.  =P

Didn't i want to eat?  of course i did.  Did i not find the sight and aroma of food tempting?  of course i did.  so what gives?  i had not eaten for 6 whole days!  i must be starving! but i wasn't.

as i try to reflect on my self-control, i am reminded of moments in the past when i see skinny women naturally pass up all the delicious food in front of them and contentedly nibble on greens or sip on hot tea.  and i think to myself, so this must be how easy it is for them.  so this must be how they feel when turning down food being offered to them. without batting an eyelash.  a friend told me this afternoon, as i was telling her about my disbelief at my own self-control, that i was simply determined.

maybe i am.  just that.  determined.  maybe i really am really sick of a bulging belly.  maybe i am really already tired of having to drag around my heavy body.  and maybe i also am sick and tired of looking at the mirror and hating what i see.

i wonder now if i can carry this through.  i actually dread when day 10 comes.  when i have to start eating again.  i honestly never thought i would come this far.  but probably the shame of giving up and failing again [for the nth time] was as much of a motivation to push on.

i know when i started this Mastercleanse i said i was doing it to detoxify my body of all the toxins i've accumulated over the years.  but one strong factor was that it promised weight loss.  and that it was a very good jump start to finally lose some serious excess weight.  i chose this among other ways because i found that everything else i did: exercise, no-rice diet, no sodas just did not work out the way they did when i was much younger.  so i needed a big change, a sort of major-start-over strategy.  hence this.

i still have much to lose in terms of weight.  and i know that one wrong move will mean regaining everything i lost so far in no time, and put me back to square one.  but i do not want to go back there anymore. ever.  right now i feel strong and in control.  what if after this cleanse i will lose all will power and just surrender to my weakness - after all, i am actually one of those people who LIVE TO EAT.  Food is the highlight of my day.

i guess only time will tell.  Day 7, bring it on.

Mastercleanse day 5

Hello Day 6!  it feels great to see you!  =D

Again, i wasn't able to update about Day 5 last night because i came home really late and was too tired to even start up the pc.  It was a day that started at 6am and i had accomplished quite a lot, thank you very much!

So let me start this post with a summary of my weight stats!

Day 1 - November 28 - 165.8 lbs.
       2 - November 29 - 162.4 lbs.
       3 - November 30 - 160.4 lbs.
       4 - December 1   - 161.2 lbs.
       5 - December 2   - 159.8 lbs.

and today, Day 6, i weighed in at 158.4 lbs.  Congratulations self!  Welcome to the 150's! [again!]  The lowest i've been since being on this journey, if i remember right was 157 lbs.  i squandered all the effort i gave to it on the vacation that followed last summer. food trip galore! =P

well i plan to not be as idiotic this time and finally find the perfect balance for myself. [crossing my fingers and  pleading with the scale gods, ha ha]

So, even if i've not been doing a good job of my supposedly day-to-day account of the mastercleanse experience, i really have to say that it is something that changes how you look at food, the act of eating, and your ability to control the urge to eat.  it's difficult to put it into words but i find what i go through, during the process of opting to pick up my jug and drink the juice instead of eating every plate of food i come across with or is presented to me, amusing, enlightening, and purifying all at the same time.

many times during the day, i want to stop for a moment and write down my realizations and discoveries, but the problem is i don't have the time to sit down and write.  anyhoo, i will have to content myself with what comes to mind when i do have the time.

till then...  Day 6, i'm ready for you! =D

Mastercleanse Day 4

today was a very busy day.  cleanse-wise i had no trouble at all.  but i'm too tired to write a long one today so i'll just make up for it tomorrow, okay.

 i was able to take something other than the juice, it was a nice break. =D i had caffeine-free mint tea.

all in all, contrary to popular belief [basing on blogs i have read] day 4 was a breeze compared to the first 3 days. =)

ooh, and i did the salt water flush last night.  it deserves a whole other post, he he.

i also gained 0.8 lbs. when i weighed in this morning.  i find it strange.  what makes it interesting is i lost 1 inch on the belly measurement... i wonder what tomorrow's reading will be.  Day 5, here i come!

Mastercleanse Day 1

So, yesterday i started the 10-Day Detoxification process called the Mastercleanse.

If you read my last post i said i tried to do it for 2 days just to see if i could stand not eating anything solid and still be able to go about my normal routine.  i said it was a breeze and that i felt energized the whole time.

yesterday was not as easy as the first time.  i actually felt hungry often and at times almost forgot i was on the cleanse and thought about where to take my lunch... Good thing i did not totally forget and was able to continue the day successfully.  The drink solved the hunger problem.  Running out of it while away from home made me feel weak.  and what i forgot when i did it the first time was that i had to pee a million times.  It was like i was purging out all the excess water in my body!  it was annoying to have to go to the bathroom so many times but i knew it was doing my body good.  and , warninng: TMI... my pee was aplenty and as clear as water. =D [you were warned. =P]

i weighed myself as soon as i woke up yesterday and found that i was on my heavier side. =P  a whopping 165.4lbs.  what i forgot to do was measure my waist so i did that this morning.  i made 2 measurements:

• the narrowest part of the waist : [brace yourselves] 36 inches
• 1 inch above the belly button: [hold on to your seats] 38 inches

aargh.  i did not want to share that.  but i have to, for record purposes, as i am sure to have forgotten the numbers in 10 days time. =P

i also weighed myself this morning and my scale said: 162.4lbs. Tadaaa!  that's 3 pounds of water or pee, ewww, gross!  i wonder how many liters that means.. can you convert pounds to liters? ;)

i am well aware that whatever i lose during the 10 days can come back a hundredfold.  but i am hoping that the cleansing part of this diet will help me clean up my act and really start eating healthy, read: stay off processed food and drinks!

so i am arming myself with more of the juice today and hope that today will be better than yesterday.  =D

back where i started =D

apparently, i've come full circle, ha ha.  i really missed this blog.  to be honest, trying to be cool over there with the cool kids at tumblr just didn't work out for me.  ha ha.  well, when you are 40, trying to be cool is totally uncool.  =P

anyhoo, just a quick update.  i'm stuck at 163 lbs, yo-yo-ing between 160 and 165 but mostly at 163.  been here for about too long than i should be [since June 2011, aarghh!] .  so i'm gonna change all that, yep, for the nth time, but i pray to God, with the i-hope-it's-really-gonna-workout-better-this-time-on-bended-knees kind of pleading.

my latest strategy, is not just aimed at weight loss but over-all detoxification. because skipping rice, sugar, softdrinks, for 2 weeks did not work like magic as it used to when i was half my age.  and  i think i need it.  40 years of eating all the crap that tasted oh so good but now feels oh so heavy [mainly on the belly] need to be purged off my system. i'm talking about doing the mastercleanse.  all of the recommended 10 days of it.

but before i talk about it, just to make sure i get this blogging thing straight for whoever is reading, since there are SOME people [i couldn't believe it myself but sitemeter does not lie, right? right?] who still visited this blog even when i stopped and moved over to where the cool kids are at.

why on earth i wanted to join them kids, i cannot think for the life of me now. =P but hey, don't get me wrong.  it's great over there too, and i met really nice people, learned a lot from them and got motivated with their successes and the support and push they gave me.  it's just me, of course.  i decided, i should come back here and finish this thing once and for all. =D

Soooooo, my last post was here where i said i was moving back to here.  but i never did. So, i'm back here. [whew, that was way too many heres.  but i hope you follow. [pun, super intended] =p

and yes, i missed writing long posts and i'm just the kind of girl who likes to round things up, and finish whatever i started.  and i MISS blogger.  because this is where the REALLY COOL ONES are at.  ha ha!

so back to my new strategy.  i first heard about it [yes believe me, i just learned about it, even if it has been existing for longer than i have, more than 50 years they say] from my mom, who gave me not one but 2 newspaper clippings of 2 different women who tried out the mastercleanse aka the lemonade diet.  Gina gave a day by day account of her experience and Lucy wrote about the struggle with food temptations and the beautiful effects of finishing the detox process.

honestly, it took a few days for me to even consider seriously reading about it.  10 days without anything solid seemed an impossible hurdle, especially for a person like me who lives to eat.  it's my most favorite thing to do.  ha ha!

but when my mom urged me to try it, i began researching on it and the more i learned about it, the more i wanted to see if it was really possible.

So last week, 2 days before the hubby arrived, i decided to try it out.  i said i will do it for 2 days, just to see if i can really go on my day normally sans solid food.  and i was amazed with my experience.  i actually went through those 2 days without food --> feeling great!  here's what happened:

• i drank a minimum of 60 oz. of the juice per day.  i used calamansi instead of lemon since they are much cheaper and much easier to squeeze [i do not have any kind of lemon squeezer contraption].  i had nothing but the drink and alkaline water.
• whenever i'd feel hungry, i would drink a glass or 2 of the juice and i was good to go.
• it was not difficult at all.  i even had to supervise a baking class, got presented with irresistible baked goods, but, i had no desire to eat even one morsel.
• the best part? i felt energized through out, i felt light on m my feet, and the first night, i got sleepy early [i'm a night owl] and i woke up early, REFRESHED [something that does not happen at all! i usually wake up and get up from bed reluctantly, with a heavy heart and butt =P]

i know, i know.  2 days are not 10 days, and it well could have been the usual first-day-high.  and maybe being busy with a gazillion things to do got my mind off food.

and Lucy and and a bunch of others say the 4th day is the hardest.  i realize 10 days are not a joke but if the first 2 days were a breeze, maybe i have hope.

so tomorrow, i start on the detox for the long haul - 10 days.  i expect to lose a bit of weight, which i might just gain back when i finish with the 10 days  but i'm more after that great, energized feeling of being healthy.  knowing you're doing something right for your body.  i think it is high time!

i also read that the mastercleanse is a good way to start a healthier eating lifestyle, which i think is what i really need to be doing the most.  i'm never going to lose the remaining 30 lbs. if i do not change my eating habits for the better.  yes, i'm aiming for 130 lbs.  125 seems too far away [read: unrealistic] at this point in time. =D

and i'm afraid to go to the doctor because i think diabetes, hypertension, and a worser case of asthma is just around the corner so i think this is the next best thing to do right now.  maybe i'll  have the courage to get a health check when i've taken better care of my body.  whatever.  i'm just so going to do this.

tomorrow is Day 1.

couscous in my tummy

so i cleaned out my ref, and unearthed some ingredients which have been hybernating in it since more than just a couple of years.  one of this was a half a packet of couscous which i refused to throwaway even if it was beyond the best before date, why?  because they were sooo expensive when i bought them and my nose didn't smell anyting funny when i did the sniff test.

so now, these ingredients are now waiting in line on the kitchen counter, either to die or be transformed into something palatable [if i make it to them before they die.]

i checked her out today, she's one of my faves in a new blogroll, and her post made me remember the couscous on my kitchen counter line-up.
wanting to experience the same healthy and cleansing properties of eating a meat-free meal, i stir-fried whatever i had in the ref and in the pantry  which i thought would be great with the couscous.  and i came up with an instant hit, even my kasambahay who are not a bit adventurous and are fearful of unfamiliar food couldn't get enough of it.  the finished product was practically gone in no time.

here's what i did.

and here's how i did it.

updates and lotsa links in between! =D

i had a haircut! or was it just a trim... i found her and fell in love with her hair and since i've been meaning to change my hairstyle i went and had my newly found hairstylist, Jules try and make me look like her.  of course i know i don't look a bit like her, even now, when my hair kinda looks like hers.  but i'm lovin' the look of my locks.  i can't won't show you a pic because my face is still fat and pudgy. =P

and i bought my second issue of Women's Health magazine to help boost my growing enthusiasm to move my butt.  i remember, when i was still active, i practically hoarded Muscle and Fitness Hers magazines in the effort to learn how to lift weights the correct way and in proper form.  i was so obsessed with weight-lifting  that i felt the need to read up and learn. Nooo, I never aspired to become muscular nor did i want to look like a she-man, i just wanted to do IT right.  i learned a lot by reading and i even was able to design my own work-out to achieve the muscle definition i wanted, which wasn't really much compared to the women in the magazines. [you can go pick up your dropped jaws now, that story, though true, belongs to my past life]

so, here i am reading up again, a bit sad that i must start from the 'aspiring' level.  but i must start somewhere, and in keeping with my 'new' life as a mother and the fact that i am rushing into the big 4-O, i must have a plan.  I WILL BE FIT AND FABULOUS AT FORTY.

it's not all words you know, the brown rice i've been eating must be something really good because despite the lack of effort at getting more physical in the past few weeks; despite the food binges; and despite the lack of artificial help [read:weight-loss pills], i have not gained weight and quite a few people have noticed the itty bit of weight i have somehow managed to still lose despite all of the above.

so, here's the first part of the plan:

• i continue my twice a week pilates sessions
• i start my thrice a week 30-minute cardio exercises tomorrow; my options being: walking around the subdivision when i wake up early enough; walking on the track at the gym if my free time falls on hot early afternoon hours; walking on the park oval if it falls at dusk. if all else fails, i do my old DVD work-out routine in the living room area.

if it wasn't almost midnight now, and if i did not have a really late dinner, i'd have switched on the DVD and started RIGHT NOW.

i will do this for 2 weeks and  up the ante every two weeks.  i'm loosely basing my plan on the Ultimate Fitness Plan 2010 plan i found on one of the issues of Women's Health magazine.  i say loosely because i do not have all the paraphernalia they require and i don't intend to spend on extras just yet when i know fully well that i can do other routines that do not require buying anything.

i'm writing this down here because this is Ben's number 1 advice.

So help me God.

running is probably a really good idea

so, i know i said i'll see you next week, but this temporary[?] obstacle of not being able to even attend my second pilates schedule sort of made me think study the possibility of starting a form of exercise that i kinda shunned since i grew mammary glands.

i've been letting it stew in my brain for days now, and i've even read up a bit on the possibility.  yes, i'm talking about running.  and finding the right sports bra wouldn't be a problem anymore, i think.

i remember loving the adrenalin rush after a good run when i was a kid.  i loved the wind on my face, the loud beating of my heart, and the pride i felt whenever i finished first or was ahead of every other kid i raced with.  and i'm not even talking about formal runs nor anything involving race tracks.  we just loved running when we were kids, so it was a huge part of play time: from taga-taga-anay or Tag to sprinting towards imaginary finish lines.  i don't have a childhood play date memory that did not involve running around.

during my active days [read: younger years, my 20's to be exact], i used to be a gym rat. i loved pumping up with weights, but for cardio exercises, the most i would do was walk on the treadmill, speed walk was something i would do rarely.  running hurt too much and the fear of sagging breasts instantly made me cross off any work out which involved running.  plus, the right 'protective' wear was beyond what my measly salary could afford.  but now that going back to the gym is becoming an unattractive option as the days [weeks] pass on, i'm thinking of taking up an altogether new thing.  and running just came to mind.

i don't need coordinated sports wear, i already have a pair of cross-trainers which i think will do for a beginner like me.  and the thought of cool air rushing at me is so much more pleasing compared to sweating it out in any old [or sparkling new] gym.  i know i am asthmatic, but it hasn't stopped runners from winning races.  of course i don't intend to race at all, well, just probably with myself for now.  i don't intend to land in the hospital ever again due to over exertion [yes, believe it or not i had to be admitted due to exercise-induced-severe-asthma attack which in turn ended my unhealthy love affair with the gym, but that's a whole other story.]

so,

does anyone know of a local [davao city] runners group who welcome asthmatic and overweight but REALLY interested beginners like me?  i would love to join YOU please. =D

today's horrific schedule

7:15am - wake up, take a shower, dress up, leave for the gasoline station
8:09am -proceed to my mom's house to fetch her and leave for digos city
9:18am- arrive in digos city for meet-up with camp sabros staff, leave digos city and go back to davao city right after
10ish am - arrive in davao and fetch daddy from the house to go downtown
10:40 am - arrive in the bank, transact
11:45 am -leave bank, drop off parents at the school, go home to fetch miguela [while driving, call the nanny to prepare 2 packs skyflakes and a bottle of apple flavored fit n right]
12:19am - pick up guela, start munching on skyflakes
12:26am- drop off guela and the nanny at school, continue munching on skyflakes, proceed to the Pilates center for 1pm appointment, finish fit n right in 2 gulps.
12:51am- arrive at the center,make a client call before getting off the car
1:00pm - 1 hour Pilates session
2:00pm - trudge back to the car and defer picking up laundry as it started drizzling, dang!, go straight home instead
2:30pm - arrive home, play with maxie for a while, open a can of tuna paella [a review on this later] zap it for 20 seconds in the micro, drizzle squeezed lemon over it and down it in 15 minutes
2:45pm - ask the nanny to wake me up in 15 minutes, and take a much needed nap
3:00pm - wake up, take a shower, dress up, play again with maxie for a while
3:30pm - leave the house to fetch miguela, park far away from the school gate [still drizzling and miguela loves to walk under her little umbrella in the rain]
4:30pm - leave the school when miguela finally said yes after i told her that we needed to go to the supermarket [she wanted to stay with her classmate and play some more]
5ish pm - arrive at the mall and proceed to the supermarket, buy groceries
6:10 pm - leave the mall and go home, traffic!!!
6:40 pm - arrive home wash hands, greet maxie, prepare dinner of tortang nylon
7:20 pm - eat dinner [tortang nylon with ketchup and a cup of brown rice] with maxie carefully watching him for signs of an allergy attack [he got red lumps all around his mouth while sipping seafood chowder at my brother's wedding]
7:50 pm - force feed miguela [yes, when it comes to eating, maxie is the voracious one]
8:20 pm - finally sit down to relax and make this post

if it weren't raining by the time i fetched guela i would have squeezed in maxie's immunization appointment with the pedia before going to the supermarket!

tsk, tsk, tsk

two things which are disturbing me right now:
 
Number 1
i'm not liking this new routine of mine.  i starve myself in the morning and have my first meal at 1pm at the earliest.  this happened twice last week, and now, a monday at that, i'm at it again.

it's not by choice ok.  i just have to leave for work much too early, i'd rather sleep some more than prepare and eat breakfast at 6 or 7 am.  and once i'm at the school, more often than not, there's work piled up waiting for me that i forget to eat.

so you can imagine that by afternoon i'm famished.  i have to bring guela to school at noontime so it's either i eat before or after that.  i gotta fix this or else i'll end up either with ulcers or an even worse metabolism.

and Number 2
i gotta get rid of all the junk [food] we have.  i also wanna start seriously feeding my kids veggies.  how do i find a way to make it attractive for them?  i've tried mashing them up to unrecognizable goop, but even when they still had no teeth, they spit it out before they even got to really taste it.  and now that they love soup, and meat, and rice, they cunningly remove whatever green thing is hidden in every spoonful.  the only reason i'm not THAT scared of them being undernourished is because of the enormous amount of milk they drink [pediasure and gain].

any of you got any advice out there?  i've tried them all, from being a good example to cutting the veggies up into cute shapes.  and don't tell me to smother them in cheese or cream as i can not do that each and every meal, it's gonna defeat the purpose, too much cream and cheese cannot be healthy.

or am  i just making such a big fuss?  i hated veggies when i was a kid and i love them now.  should i do something about it or just let them be?

tsk, tsk, tsk.... what do i do?

p.s. i made spaghetti alla carbonara yesterday, you might wanna check it out, i can't believe that even in a recipe blog, i managed to let my o.-c.ness get the better of me.

eating healthy, food diaries, and updates

for the longest time i've stayed out of diets and special meal plans.  i've tried most if not all during my younger days and i was sure to revert to my regular way of eating.  i knew what i needed was a change in the way i ate, and not necessarily what i ate.

the only time i was really happy with my weight was when i wrote down everything i ate and the calorie equivalent of each item. i'm o-c so i had to be that particular for it to be effective.  the thing now is, i don't have the time to look the equivalency up nor the patience to compute everything so i'll try what many of you are doing out there.  i will try to write down or more appropriately post everything that goes into my mouth.  nevermind if there is no calorie equivalent in most items. =P

i've been proud of my self-control lately.  maybe, because i had a grand time eating in my 1-week stay in manila [the reason why i've been lazy at posting], i decided to really be conscious of what and how much i ate since i got back.

so here goes today so far:

breakfast: 9:30am

• 1cup brown rice - 218 calories
• 2 small tortang talong with giniling with 2 ketchup packets
• water

lunch 12:45pm

• 3 pcs Montaño Spanish Style Sardines - approx. 125 calories
• 3/4 cup brown rice - 164 calories
• Nature's harvest FAB apple juice drink 80 calories

 --------------------------------------------------

other updates:

i'm back to zytrim, took it while in manila to compensate for all the dining and drinking with friends and relatives [mostly relatives =D] and am now pairing it with L-Carnitine.  Here's the tip i recently got.  Sibutramine [generic name of zytrim] is more effective when taken with L-Carnitine.  and L-Carnitine is most effective when taken just before exercise, so you can sweat lots.

re the corn husk tea i posted about, i finished the whole box but did not get any lighter so i guess it is only effective with korean new mommies, he he.

i'm trying out MX3 Tea.  someone gave me packet some time ago and when i ran out of corn husk tea, i took it.  i liked the taste and got a pleasant surprise the following morning: an easy time doing number 2.  so i bought a few more packets today to see if it will be my liberation from constipation, i'm so gross, i know. =P

so here's to finally getting off this stagnant rut of not losing anymore pounds.  i seriously need to re-check with the weighing scale as my pictures of late are getting more and more disgusting to look at. blecch!

delicious brown rice

the secret?  follow the instructions that come with it.  no instructions?  here's how to make that once-is-enough-coarse-and-bland-tasting but oh-so-much healthier version of that thing you can't live without:

1. rice to water ratio - 1:2, that means if you cook 4 cups of rice, you will need 8 cups of water [yes, its that much]
2. add a bit of salt to taste [optional, i don't feel the need though]
3. soak it in the water for an hour before you hit the cooker switch.

i promise you soft but firm morsels akin to the arborio variety we adore.

savor every spoonful. =D

p.s. you can mix it with wild black rice like i did as you see in the picture, that is if you like a hint of  nuttiness.

what i need to age well, gracefully - notes taken while watching OPRAH

Antioxidants [5 servings [ fistfuls] a day]
examples:
steel cut oatmeal with apple juice
whole wheat grains and pasta
100% whole grain or whole wheat bread
blueberries
red beans
brocolli
concord grape juice
red wine - 1 glass daily
flaxseed - grind and sprinkle on oatmeal or cerals, or whatever
walnuts
spirulina algae - sea weed
olive oil 1-2 tablespoons a day [use to coat food before cooking]
tomatoes
4 cups green or white tea

daily supplements:
25 grams of fiber [psyllium husks]
omega 3 DHA - 600mg
vitamin D 1000 iu
calcium with magnesium [take together or as a combination]
a multivitamin withno more than 5000 iu of Vitamin A and iron - split it in half, first half morning, 2nd half at night

herbs and spices to load up on:
rosemary
cayenne
paprika
curry

exercise:
cardio to keep heart rate up - at least 20 minutes, 3 times a week [ formula: 122- age x .80 = heart rate up
strength training at least 30 minutes a week
flexibility exercise
meditation

sleep: 7 to 8 hours per night
sex: 2 to 3 times a week