I Lost 20 lbs. in 80 Days

I lost 20 lbs. in 80 days. I'm almost back to my figure when Jay and I got married 5 years ago.

O di ba parang spiel sa commercial.(",)




Relate na relate ako sa commercial na nagtatakip ng bag pag nagpapa-picture. Here look, this was me when we went to the US last June.



Kahit na tinatago, may sumisilip pa rin na taba eh...hehe!



Teka alisin na nga ang bag...



Yikes!

When my big boss (itago natin sa initials na RGL hehe!) nominated me to join a wellness program last August, i thought, "teka mataba na ba ko?" Di ko alam kung maiinsulto ako eh, hehe! But I have a lot to thank him for.

Akala ko wellness program lang, yung seminar-type. Para ma-enlighten lang kami to healthy living. Aba weight-reduction contest pala. And our company was competing with other sister companies.

We had to lose weight in 80 days. This was me during the first weigh-in.



If not for the contest, I would have not known that my cholesterol level is 3-4 times higher than the normal range. Scary di ba! I'm just 32! Maliliit pa ang mga anak ko!

Our company was very supportive to the participants. We were provided free access to the gym, we had subsidized food, we had trainors and a nutritionist. Nakakahiyang hindi mag-lose, hehe!

The talks during the opening of the contest were very enlightening. I learned that conscious and healthy eating combined with exercise and physical activities would really make you lose weight. Healthy losing is 1 to 2 lbs a week. More than that is bad.

I also perfectly understood the concept of caloric deficit. It's the main reason why we lose weight. All the food and drinks (except water) we take have calories. When we buy packed food or bottled drinks, may nutrition facts kung ilang calories, kung ilan ang percentage ng sodium, fat, cholesterol etc. I learned to take note of that. Syempre, the lesser calories the better. Our body needs a certain number of calories to maintain its current weight. Pag binawasan natin ang calorie intake natin, our bodies will convert our stored fat into energy and use the fat instead, that's the time we'll lose weight. So counting calories is a key. I learned to count calories when I was pregnant with Matt. I was bordering kasi on gestational diabetes.

In order to lose 1 lb, we have to burn 3,500 calories. Ang dami di ba? Kaya dapat aside from we reduce the food we eat, exercise talaga. Pero masama ang nagpapagutom. It slows down our metabolism. At mahirap mag-workout pag gutom. Baka mahimatay ka, haha! Saka di ba pag gutom tayo at di na natin nakayanan, pag kumain tayo ulit, mapaparami din, e ganun din yun.

This picture was taken during the second weigh-in. I lost 10 lbs here.



Eto naman was 3 weeks after. 3rd weigh-in. Lost 15 lbs here.



Eto na ang final weigh-in last Nov 5.



Here are some things i did. A lot of my friends were asking how did i do it.

1. I set a target weight ideal to my height. Right now, I'm 3-4 lbs away from it.

2. I cut down on rice. From 1 cup to a half cup every meal. That's cutting down 200 calories of 1 cup rice to 100 calories of half cup rice. Note ha, I cut down NOT avoided it. Nga pala, may panukat ako ng rice, mahirap magtantiya. Rice (especially brown rice) potatoes, beans, oatmeal, whole wheat and whole grains are slow carbs. They are preferred over other fast carbs like white bread, pasta, noodles because slow carbs are not digested easily.

3. Aside from going to the gym 3x a week (actually nag 5 times ako nung latter part ng contest), I walk and walk and walk whenever possible.Walking burns 9 calories a minute. I don't use the elevators na for 3 floors below. Stairs na lang.

4. I avoided foods high in sugar, sodium and fat. Naku, I have sweet tooth pa naman. Dapat last taste ko matamis. I did not deprive myself naman. Kakain ako, pero konti lang. 1-2 bites lang. During the opening of the contest, sabi naman nung speakers do not deprive ourselves daw. Pwede naman, pero konti lang talaga. Kasi pag you feel deprived and you really want to eat na, mapapaparami naman ang kain mo.

Too much sodium should be avoided because it retains water in the body.

Fat, i totally avoided. I did not eat chicken skin. Nung una mahirap. Favorite ko pa naman wing part na ma-skin. Kaya ngayon, magkakalasa na sa kin ang chicken ng KFC, Shakeys at Kenny. Kasi laman lang naman ang kinakain ko eh, hehe. Eat lean mean, tanggalin ang taba!

Chicken and fish are good sources of protein with less calories pa.

The calories of regular fries is equivalent to 4 corns on the cob. E di ka naman mabubusog sa regular fries lang so tendency is kakain pa. Isang corncob lang busog na ko.

So it's really choosing healthier food with less calories.

When i found out about my high cholesterol level, I was asked by the doctor to avoid fried foods. Steamed na lang or grilled or boiled. Actually, ganito ang diet namin that the company provided. Syempre para iwas mantika. Iwas fat.

For my family naman, i changed our cooking oil. Aside from olive oil na mahal, pure coconut oil is ok daw sabi nung nutritionist namin nung opening day ng contest.

4. Do not starve ourselves. Dapat ang eating is 3-4 hours interval pero small meals lang. As i said, starvation slows down our metabolism.

5. I take healthy snacks. Veggie salads, fruits like banana and apple in between meals. Junkfood? I avoided. Pero pag natutukso dahil kumakain ang iba at nag-aalok, 3-5 pieces lang haha!

6. All drinks except water have calories. So water na lang talaga, kahit gano karami, pwede. Minsan I take water before meal para mabusog na nang konti, hehe.

7. It helps to have a support group who will understand and be one with you in your choice of food and activities. Syempre pag nagkayayaan na sa fastfood, mahirap nang tumanggi. It's good the contest was a team competition. I have teammates na nagpapaalala sa akin on what to eat at teka, bumaba tayo sa 3rd floor at lakarin na lang pababa.

I think the important learning is it's all about discipline and commitment. Kasi kung wala yun, baka di naman ako pumayat. I set a goal and I was determined to achieve it.

This whole experience is not just life-changing for me but for my family too. As the homemaker, I dictate what's to be served on the table. I was enlightened a lot on healthy eating. Pag pinakuluan ang beef para sa nilaga, alisin ang sebo. Kung pwede steamed na lang ang hotdog na favorite ni Matt, steamed na lang para iwas mantika. Wag nang kainin ang taba ng pork or better, alisin na pag lulutuin pa lang.

Ang dami kong dapat pasalamatan dahil sa wellness contest na to. Salamat, Sir RGL. Salamat sa suporta ng company namin. And of course, this is all by God's grace.

Bukod sa ang tawag sa akin ng husband ko ay Sexy (haha), I know i'm healthy na.

The challenge now is to maintain it. Naku, Christmas pa naman, hehe! Pero titignan ko na lang yung pictures ko na nagtatakip ng bag para di na ko bumalik sa dati, haha! Right now, i'm still enrolled sa gym and I intend to do so for as long as a I can. I even have a personal trainor and availed of her services nung last 3 weeks ng contest.

For more info, this site is helpful at may calorie counter pa.

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/weight-loss.php#section1