i'm back (:

i'm not really into blogging so it isn't a surprise that i have neglected this. 

two trips to the ER and bouts of dizziness and chest pains the last two months forced me to see a cardiologist and have blood tests as well as 2D Echo and stress test done. thank God for "second chances", there were no serious problems found. my blood sugar is in the upper limit and there's a thickening on the wall of my heart but there is still no need for medication. there is, however, a need for lifestyle change. 

i signed up for a one-year gym membership at Fitness First. i actually don't like a gym in the mall but a friend goes there and i know she will make an excellent gym buddy. :) since i enrolled last month, i have only been there for at least 5 times but as soon as the kids will go on their Christmas break on the 16th, i will be exercising at least 4 times a week. 

i wish i could soon write about eating healthy. :)

i'm back...

...but only to record here my most recent lab test figures :) i plan to do the bloodworks thing every 3 months.

glucose: 95
creatinine: .6
uric acid: 6.9
sodium: 139
cholesterol: 165
triglycerides: 73
HDL: 47
LDL: 104
SGPT: 48             

M I A

i will be 'missing-in-action' for the next several days or weeks. although i am feeling a little better now (i should because i've already lost a total of 7 pounds although it's not that noticeable), i still haven't gotten the 'appetite' back to write here my updates.

my NSV (non-scale victory) for the week's the pair of pants i wore to my son's culminating program the other day. it used to be soooo tight i'd get scared the button will pop out when i sit but now, it's a little loose. when i wore it that morning, i was happily surprised that it felt like i lost 1.5 inches off my waist! :)

that's all folks. =)

calorie counting :)

since i drink free Starbucks fraps at least once a month (courtesy of HSBC), i really made an effort to ask the local barista if they have nutritional info of their products. was so glad when she gave me their 'nutrition by the cup' brochure! at least i now know what not to order. ;) i also wanted to get those information so i can confirm what's written on the MFP database.


if i write all the Starbucks drinks here with their corresponding caloric value, this will be a 3-page post so let me just mention what they call 'delicious choices under 200 calories'. here they go:

HOT BEVERAGES (TALL)


* brewed coffee: 4 calories


* brewed tea: 0 calories


* nonfat cappuccino: 64 calories


* nonfat caffe latte: 102 calories


* nonfat caramel macchiato: 142 calories


* soy chai tea latte: 162 calories


* nonfat caffe mocha (no whipped cream): 166 calories


* caffe americano: 11 calories

COLD BEVERAGES (TALL)


* caramel frap light blended coffee: 129 calories


* coffee frappuccino blended coffee: 184 calories


* shaken iced tea (unsweetened): 0 calories


* nonfat iced vanilla latte: 121 calories


* nonfat iced caramel macchiato: 139 calories


* iced coffee (with classic syrup): 60 calories


* iced soy chai tea latte: 162 calories


* mango frappuccino blended juice drink: 157 calories

iced cocoa cappuccino, their featured offering this month

 ** images from the Starbucks site
 

too much too soon?

i remember i wrote here a few posts back that i want to take it slow this time so that my body will not get shocked and i will not get overwhelmed and quit again.

i haven't been feeling so good lately (over the weekend). i am not tired. i guess i am getting impatient. or i don't really know how i feel exactly! 

my fitness buddy, Chiara, called me up on Saturday night to listen to my woes. :-) she mentioned that based on my food and exercise diary at MFP where she gets to view, it could be that i am experiencing a burnout. you see, i exercise at the gym for at least 30 minutes five times a day. she may be right that from my being sedentary, (suddenly) working out that often in a week could be too much. yes, i know (through fitness and health articles) that our body and muscles also need rest --- that cardio and weight-training may be done alternately. but i guess i was too giddy to lose all this excess weight i have been carrying around for more than half a decade.

so, i am 'revising' my exercise plan. i will exercise (the structured type) only three or four times a week and will do it every other day. and i will not be so obsessed with my weight loss!

slowly but consistently :)

i got my base weight on March 9th and i made it a goal to weigh myself every week on the same day at the same time (as soon as i wake up but after i've gone to the bathroom).

i just wanna share my little progress here. as of yesterday (March 16th) morning, i have already lost 2 kilos. i know this isn't much but i'm still celebrating because when you are in a journey like mine, every tiny loss counts. and i guess it's just a healthy loss, i started exercising (gym) February 21st.

can't wait to be at the 170-pound level! ;) just keep going, self. slowly but surely.

happy 1st, self!

exactly a month ago yesterday, i got the motivation (again) to take on my weight-loss journey. that day, i wrote in my journal my very first 3-week goal (of not having rice at dinner) which i am faithfully sticking to except for a few special instances (like the dinner with girlfriends last night at Casa Verde because ABS was in town).

for my second 3-week goal, i have also been sticking to it. so far, so good. :) and i have been going to the gym and doing cardio exercises for almost a month (on the 21st) now. to date, i have lost 2 kilos (4.4 lbs)! the loss is almost negligible as it is not yet noticeable but i'm just happy at the thought that i am losing.

before the 2-kg loss, taken on 03.11.2011 after Marti's culminating program

as i celebrate my first month, i just want to tell myself to just keep going! and i want to thank all my friends for the support and motivation :)