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.

Day 7

of my 30 day challenge.

i wasn't able to update last night because i got home really late.  after watching eat, pray, love.  alone. on last full show.  ha ha ha.  i had a silly grin on my face from when i got up from my seat as the credits rolled, all the way to the almost empty parking lot.  but that story belongs to another blog.  so, on with my 1-day-late report.

so yesterday being a sunday was my cheat day.  but because i had my pilates the day before, it didn't really feel like cheat day.  i don't think i made a huge dent on my diet.

i'm feeling good about my self-discipline when it comes to eating lately  so i think it's time to tighten the belt  so to speak [pun super-intended], so i am going to up the ante on this challenge in a while.

but first,

• at 8 am i had the breakfast of champions and my morning coffee
• lunch at noon was a serving of my left over creamy squash soup over a half cup of corn grits and an egg
• i was famished by 3pm, so i ordered myself a heavy mid-afternoon snack of a big cervelat and a small siding of warm potato salad.  i dredged each yummy bite of sausage with their really good mustard [edmond fallot].  and i had another mug of coffee, this time brewed.
• we had a dinner meeting at a filipino restaurant and i am proud to say that it was not difficult to NOT eat rice.  i had salad greens with mango salsa, a small cup of molo soup, mixed veggies, and a few slices of pata tim. i mopped up the sauce with a slice and a half of the bread that came with it.  the bread was heavenly and i suspected calorific so i stopped myself from reaching for more.

what i learned this week:

1.  that it is INDEED good to write down what you eat.  it helps a lot because it makes you aware of what you put into your mouth.  doing it in a blog makes you feel more accountable even if you know not many people read you.  i did not know that saving-face can be a good weight-loss tool.
2. that you can control how much you eat by pacing yourself.  it is very dangerous to let myself get really hungry because i WILL eat calorie-dense food.  my brain will not function when i am that hungry so i will end up wasting all that effort.  and the self-loathing that comes immediately after sucks big time.  i'm glad i had that occasional banana and cereal bar to tide miyself over to dinner time.
3. that if you have a really light dinner, you have to accept that you should drink something hot before going to bed because you will wake-up in the middle of the night with a rumbly stomach.  by the way, i forgot to write this,  that night i slept hungry, i think the other day, the one where i had salad greens for dinner, i downed a handful of peanuts and a glass of water at 2am, or i wouldn't have been able to go back to sleep.
4. that discipline grows on you.  i said no to dessert so many times this week, i lost count.  i wanted to go for seconds many times but i didn't.  i unintentionally ended up with something sweet [i ordered a cold raspberry green tea, requesting the staff not to add sugar/sweetener] to drink with my salad that other night.  i only drank half of it because they forgot my request, and the i found it too sweet.
5. that it's okay to tweak this challenge if it will make it a better challenge. the tweaks i will post later just because. =P

Day 5

of my 30-day challenge.

so this is a late post.  i've been waking up so early for the past week or so that my eyelids shut down on me even before i finished reading my blog roll last night.  so i was too sleepy to stay up and recall yesterday's food report.  here goes:

yesterday i had:
a mug of coffee and 2 cold chinese lumpia for breakfast [it was yummy, and it felt strangely okay even if the insides were kinda frozen, it gave it a bit of an extra crunch, lol]

i had a late lunch at around 2pm and had a hot roast chicken on bread which was smothered with gravy and a scoop of potato salad at Pancake house, while waiting for my car to finish being washed.

in the afternoon i had guests from cebu city [my college classmate and her hubby], i brought them to my house to see my bebes and for some durian treat.  i had 3 pcs downed with coke light. [i had to show them how to eat it okay, =P]

for dinner we went to a chinese resto, AHFAT III, and i had Hototay soup, kinilaw, french beans in garlic sauce, a few pieces of spicy pork ribs, and 1 steamed garlic and chili prawn.  take note, NO RICE!  and i drank hot chinese tea in the hopes of melting the fried pork ribs i had. =P

i'm going to meet up with another friend from cebu tonight and because i was too busy to exercise again yesterday, i will have to skip the sweets again,  and go without rice again, today.

self-analysis:
this is becoming more of a food diary than a challenge-to-exercise blog.  i admit defeat in the exercise department but i'm finding the "writing down everything i eat" habit really helpful on being mindful of what i eat and how much of the tempting but really bad for me food i allow myself.

i really tried the gym thing but it is just not for me right now.  i end up getting more stressed trying to fit it in into my already full life.  and if i pressure myself more i end up miserable and harassed, so for now i guess its not just worth it.

i'm sticking with my twice a week pilates though and i might embark on a new physical activity after i finish this book i am in the middle of reading.  it is health-related and timely for me, and am actually excited to start the program it is recommending.  i'll write about it tomorrow.

i am also reducing my intake of fried food and trying my darnedest best to drink nothing but water. err, morning coffee not included in the beverage ban, okay.

Day 3

of my 30 - day challenge.

this is going to be quick cause i'm sleepy already.  today started really early.  and no i did not exercise.

6am - coffee, 1 cup corn grits, corned beef hash, lemonade

10:30am - a banana

12noon - 3/4 cup corn grits, an invented salad [i don't know what to call it but it was yummy], broiled fish, dessert: a banana with nut nougat spread, orange juice

2pm a cup of cofffee

5pm - 2 chinese lumpia, orange juice

7:30pm 2 servings of pork meatball soup with patola and bihon [rice noodles], orange juice

and i also had the following somewhere in between the above times: 2 jellybeans, 1/5 of a chocochip cookie, a handful of milo cereals. THESE WERE FORCE-FED TO ME BY MY BEBES

note to self:

• stop drinking juice, go by water instead.
• i can always spit the junk into the trash bin when the bebes aren't looking.
• i meant to experiment on a german potato salad recipe i just received but the hubby wanted soup for dinner, so soup it was.

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.

look what i found

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Calculator

This calculator will calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). Your BMR, is the energy (measured in calories) expended by the body at rest to maintain normal bodily functions. If your are going for a diet to lose weight then you can start here.

when i calculated mine, at my current weight [169lbs], i'm supposed to consume only 1579 calories/day if i want to lose 1 pound per week.  neat!

why don't you give it a try and find out your BMR?

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!

overcoming plateaus

should be easier than scaling a mountain, right?  instead it is one of the most difficult things to win.  for many, it's the last 5 or 10 pounds to lose.  for me, it is the stoppage of progress.  the part when you stop losing weight even if you continue doing what made you lose [or should i say win?] in the first place.

so i guess i went with it and stopped trying for a while.  now i'm back on track.  i finally drove myself to the pilates center first thing after leaving the house.  i renewed my 'contract' and my next session starts at 2pm on wednesday.

he he, there's nothing like shame to get me going again.  i gotta save face. =P

a jumpstart of sorts

Since a regular work-out schedule is not possible just yet, i decided to take the plunge and try the weightloss pill which was recommended to me. I've been taking it for a month now and i'm happy to say that i am seeing some positive results, albeit slowly. i've lost 2 inches on the waist and i do feel lighter. i have no idea if i finally lost some weight as i have no scale in the house [i weigh myself when i go to the doctor for check-ups] but the inches satisfy me for now.

this pill has changed my appetite, the amount of food i need to satisfy my hunger and it has even changed the way i eat sweets. i no longer need to have huge mounds of rice on my plate and i can't even finish a slice of chocolate cake by myself. i also easily feel full. of course, there are side effects: my mouth feels constantly dry so i try to chug a lot of water. some types of food and drinks also taste different. and until recently i felt a bit light-headed towards the end of the day [ i'm not sure if this last one is a side effect or is due to the terrible heatwaves we constantly have].

i don't intend to take this pill for a long period though as i don't want to become dependent and besides, i really want to start an exercise regimen soon. a friend and i started to do some walking in a nearby park, after work but we've been successfully doing it only once every week. it's not enough. there are two diet programs i also want to try out: the south beach diet and the carbohydrate addict's diet. i've read both books and i find the programs doable and quite possible to maintain for life.

i'm giving this pill another month. if the weight doesn't budge by the end of the next month, it will be time for me to up the ante and move on to my next plan of attack.

p.s. in case you're wondering why i'm not naming the pill, i didn't because i don't want to influence anyone to try it out. it might not have the same effect on others.

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

looking back at the not so distant past

this, i first posted in my friendster blog. i'm reviving it here as i need all the tools i can get to help me. as of the present, i'm still inclined to take the 'diet pill' road. i feel so pathetic, there is not one ounce of will power left in me. and i am doubly discouraged to read that back in December 2006, i only needed to lose 25 lbs. that means i doubled my weight gain. i must look horrible. i can't even look in the mirror without saying 'yuck!' why isn't the mirror enough motivation?

December 18, 2006 - 5:40 pm.

Dr. Phil's Goal Getters

I used to be reed-thin. "Used to be" was when I was a child. I would eat anything I wanted without gaining an ounce. When I turned 14 I suddenly "bloomed" into a chubby teenager. It was as if everything I ate since childhood manifested itself in my still growing body. Since then I’ve had an on and off affair with all the diets you can imagine. Name it, I’ve tried it. From not eating rice for months to the healthier calorie-counting, I would lose most of the weight but as expected, gain it all back and more when I stopped dieting. I also became a gym freak. I think it became an obsession because I once landed in the hospital due to severe asthma attack caused by over fatigue (2 hours of work-out, twice a day, everyday).

Of course after all that, I realized that the key to a great-looking body is really simple. It means living a healthy lifestyle, which in turn means: healthy food intake + regular and proper exercise. But, then simple, in this case doesn't mean easy. No matter how many magazine articles I read about fitness and health, no matter how many silent resolutions I make to start working on it, and how many frequent unpleasant jolts I get when I see my reflection, nothing seems to work. I still have not found that "kick" i need in order to really convert.

So here I am again for the nth time trying to change my lifestyle so I can get to that elusive goal. This time I want it more than just to have a praise-worthy body. I want to slim down for better reasons, so I can feel better about myself and live long enough to take care of my family well. I hope this plan from Dr. Phil will work, because if it won't, I don't know anymore what will.

Mapping out the Plan (August 7, 2006, Monday)

Describe your measurable goal(s)

I want to lose 25 pounds and help encourage and inspire my husband to eat healthy so we both will live (as I hope it is in God's plan) to see our baby grow up, have a successful, fulfilling, and happy life, and give us grandkids whom we will shamelessly spoil.

Express your goal in terms of specific behaviors and feelings

I want to lose 25 pounds because I want to feel good about my body again. I want to be able to wear the kind of clothes I like. I want to feel more alive and energetic so that I can keep up with my growing daughter and be able to play with her without getting tired easily.

Describe what you will do

1. I will eat slower than I usually do to give my body the chance to recognize that I’ve had enough before its too late.
2. I will control my cravings for sweets by eating only two servings on any given day.
3. I will consume at most, 1/2 cup of rice or two slices of bread every time I eat.
4. I will eat a maximum of 6 times a day: 3 smaller main meals and 3 snacks.
5. I will not drink sodas that are not of the lite, diet, or sugar-free variety.
6. I will spin (ride our stationary bike) everyday starting with 5 minutes a day, increasing the time period till I reach 30 minutes without feeling that I’m about to die of exhaustion.
7. When spinning becomes easy for me, I will start lifting weights.

Describe how you want to feel when you reach your goal

I want to feel happy and proud of myself for reaching my goal. I want to feel that I will be able to control my eating and exercise habits so asto be able to maintain being healthy for life.

Assign a timeline

I want to reach my goal at the latest by my daughter’s first birthday which means...

Break your goals into manageable steps

... I must lose a minimum of 5 pounds a month.

Create accountability

I will ask my mother to tell me if I look better and healthier at least once every two weeks, and to be my "food police" when necessary. I will check my progress by regularly weighing myself.

Work on them until you have what you want

I will review this plan everyday until it becomes second nature to me to follow it and I will jump start this plan by spinning now.

a new beginning

since eating is a major part of my happiness, i have had to try all kinds of diets back when having a great body mattered. from the three day diet, to the cabbage soup diet, to the no rice diet. all these diets had one common thing in particular. they all drove me to such anger, i was ready to kill anybody who crossed me. so i decided to count calories one day and wrote everything i ate in a notebook. i managed to fill up 3 notebooks [i think] but it was the best thing i ever did for my body. i finally achieved a dream: look fit and trim and wear the clothes i wanted to wear.

after my first baby, i did not try to get back to the pre-baby body. nothing motivated me, not even the sight of all those women who so have-it-together. you know, the ones who have toddlers in tow but still look like they came right out of a fashion magazine page. i saw one such 'hot momma' in my little girl's school today, i wanted to rip her head right off. =P

anyway, a few days ago, while i was reading a blog i happened to click on, it was about grungy mommies [ this one got my radar blinking on overdrive], i came accross a link about tracking your calories. and since then i was hooked. it's precisely the reason why i have not been blogging.

fitday.com, i was happy to discover did not only automatically compute my calorie intake but it showed me graphs of my nutrition or the lack of it, activity level and calories burned, and more. call me weird but i finally found something to motivate me to lose all the weight and get moving.

so i'm on my 5th day today, and so far, i am happy with what i've been posting. i'm taking it slow but with direction. and i'm being realistic. there is a downside though, it takes a while for each entry to be uploaded. and not all the food i eat is in its database. but tonight i found redemption. i was able to finish with my inputs faster by opening multiple tabs and working on the different pages one after the other. and checking out calorie equivalents is a breeze if i just google the ones they don't have.

so if you are like me, a person who finds satisfaction and motivation in a planned, methodical, and detailed weight-loss regimen, fitday.com is for you. i'm sure the simple, clean and straightforward interface will excite you. do i hear "obsessive-compulsive" just yet? =P

here's to finally finding my motivation! bottoms-up the diet cola!