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. =)

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 :)

back to zero

Chiara, my fitness buddy, told me that when i do my weekly weigh-in, it should be on the same weighing scale at the same time on the same day as the previous one. i have also read the same thing in most fitness and health sites and books. 

the last two times i weighed myself, they were on different days and not at the same time. for a more-or-less "accurate" result, i decided to start all over again getting my 'base' weight. so, yesterday morning after my toilet routine, i weighed myself on our bathroom weighing scale.

here are my base figures:

weight = 85 kilos
waist = 38 inches

a diff'rent kind of day

as usual, i went to the gym yesterday (i see to it that i go there 5X a week because i have so much to lose) after i picked up the little girl from school in the afternoon.


for a change, i did not just do cardio and weights but tried the sauna as well! i didn't stay long in the sauna, though. just 10 minutes for this first-timer. for the first time too, i did 1 hour of cardio exercise broken down as follows:

30 minutes (cardio setting) treadmill exercise 
weight-training (arms and abs)
30 minutes (manual setting, incline of 3 and speed of 6) treadmill exercise


i plan to do the post-weights cardio exercise from now on.


i spoke to the gym's senior trainer about feeling sad that after 2 weeks in the gym i only lost 2 pounds. she told me not to worry about it because sometimes, the loss could only really be 2 pounds in one month. she "pacified" me by telling me to just exercise CONSISTENTLY without also having to be too hard on myself that exercise becomes a burden. 


yesterday was also a different kind of day because i had 2 servings of broccoli for lunch! if you know me so well, this is something! an achievement! :-) i resolve to have at least 2 servings of veggies everyday.

don't quit, self!

this phase is so familiar. i get quite impatient when i feel i have made so much effort but i am still not getting the desired result. this is how i feel again right now! 

i wrote in my journal (notebook) that i will do a weekly weigh-in. yes, i lost 2 pounds (182 lbs. as of Feb 28) after 12 days of my no-rice-for-dinner action plan and after 5 days of exercising at the gym. yesterday, i was due for my second weekly weigh-in and was sad that i'm still at 182. 


i know there are many factors that affect the rate at which one loses weight. in yesterday's case, it could be the siomai and banana cues and peanuts i ate an hour before i went to the gym. =) it couldn't also be that i'm already building muscles because since i signed up on February 21, i've  only been lifting the lightest dumbbells at least 4 times. whatever it is, i'm praying that i will persevere. that i won't do what i did in the past, get impatient and quit!


it's funny because there are actually moments when i tell myself that of course, it will take long for me to lose weight because i am this fat, obese even (per the BMI calculators online)!


here is something to 'cheer me up' and motivate me to just keep going. :)

Sofia Beatriz, my youngest sister's 5-month old sunshine :)

2 and more to go

i went to the gym today after fetching the little girl from school and buying some stuff I promised to give her. based on the program the trainer made for me, i did the required exercises for the day:

* 30 minutes treadmill (on cardio setting, elevation of 15-12-5, speed of 5-6.5)

* abdominal extension (4 sets of 20)

* back extension (4 sets of 20)

* 15 minutes cross-trainer (manual setting, level 2)

i know the 'calories burned' part of the cardio machines are not really that accurate but still, they made me smile --- 353 for the treadmill and 182 for the cross-trainer. i noticed that one really burns more using the cross-trainer but for now, i still could not make it to more than 15 minutes. maybe i should aim for it in my next 21-day goal.

in other news and i am proud and happy about it, i lost 2 pounds (i know, i know, it isn't much) after 12 days of not having rice at dinner and 5 days of doing cardio exercises. this loss is not at all noticeable but it motivates me to 'just keep going'. so, let me record it here: i am now 182 pounds today. :)

plan B

i may sound so obssessed with all this weight-loss thing and i guess i really am! :-) but when you have so much excess weight like i do and you have been forever trying to lose every single pound and you've paid for the membership, you really wouldn't want to miss going to the gym.

yesterday, we got home late (almost 6 PM) from our pre-summer family getaway. not only that, we were also tired. although i don't know how to swim, i had to be in the pool and beach to look after one of the kids! i didn't want to force my aching body to still hit the gym and work out. i was thinking that a day's absence wouldn't be that bad.

while i was giving the kids a bath to prepare them for bed, i kept thinking that i should at least do something as an alternative to exercising in the gym and so, i put on my walking shoes and brisk-walked in our compound for 25 minutes. it may not be much but at least i "moved" my body.

i may have to do the same thing today because the little girl won't let me leave home without her. we just finished reviewing for her periodical test this week.

keep going, self!

yesterday was the first day of the kids' 4-day weekend. it would have meant having so much time to go to the gym but on the same day, our trusted yaya had to go home to attend to her sick mother. since my new resolve is to never miss a day at the gym, i asked the hubby if he could come home straight from work and be with the daughter. you see, she has this new habit of always wanting to have a parent or yaya around. but lo and behold! when the hub arrived home, our little girl would not want me to leave. i was the preferred company! :) 

i initially thought of going to the gym as soon as she sleeps. after all, my gym never sleeps. but no, she was awake til past 10:00 PM that i just told myself to just stay home and not dwell on it and sulk. 

today, i was hoping to really hit the gym before we head off to our pre-summer family getaway. but no! the hub had to work until 12 PM and we had to leave for Mactan at 1:00 PM.  i was really sad that i missed going to the gym for 2 consecutive days, afraid that like before, i'd lose momentum and quit altogether.


thank God for this new-found determination and/or dedication, i really went to the resort's health club at 930 PM when the kids were already asleep. i just did cardio exercises (treadmill and stationary bike). i feel good. i'm happy.

congrats, self!

when you have been on a never-ending journey to weight loss and you finally decide to do it for real and right this time, every little thing is something. 

last wednesday was a very busy day for me that when it ended, i was too exhausted. i was supposed to go to the gym around 1:00 PM right after driving the girl to school but Mama asked me to accompany her for some business transactions and pampering. :) when we got home at 6 PM, i felt sad that i'd possibly be missing one gym session and i couldn't take it because i just started! it also didn't help that the hubby had his regular basketball game. i had to stay home with the kids! 


BUT i didn't give up! knowing that my gym never sleeps, i went there at 9:30 PM when hubby was already home. since the weight-training was to be done every other day, i just did a 30-minute treadmill exercise and 15 minutes on the stationary bike. i felt good. and happy that i really went. was so amazed that a lot of people actually go to the gym after 9 PM. the gym has a cheaper membership rate for 'night owls' (10 PM-5AM). i might consider it when i sign up for a long-term membership.

first day high :)

i officially started going to Citigym yesterday. as with any first-days, i was giddy. signing up was already some sort of accomplishment for me because it means i've taken the first step to reaching my fitness goals. going there and actually exercising made me feel good and proud about myself. i know that i still have a long way to go but i resolve that this time, i will not quit and start over and over again.

i was quite surprised that for my first day, the fitness trainer already made me do a whole-body workout! and 4 sets of 20 for each exercise. i thought that for someone like me who hasn't been exercising for more than a year, we will have to take it slow. i was told that it's fine because we're just using the lightest weights/dumbbells. i did 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill before the weight training. 

fitness community

i may sound corny or boring but i'm getting all the support, motivation and inspiration that i can in this journey to fitness that i have been doing forever. it's been years that i've signed up at Sparkpeople.com but i only get to read their emails, i was never actively signing in and joining the forum. i eventually forgot my username and password there.


my davao-based friend, chiara has kindly volunteered to be my fitness buddy (albeit virtually). when i read her post today, i also followed suit and created my own account at MFP. i also downloaded their app in my phone so i can input my food and exercise info anytime. i have yet to explore their other features but one of the things i instantly liked is the fact that their food list includes Filipino food (e.g., ensaymada). it wasn't like that with my brother's fitness phone app, loseit.


i am really looking forward to writing my own success story. and forgive me if my succeeding blogs will just be all about boring updates about what i did and what i ate.

impulsive

i've been meaning to do some exercise again. i used to go to the gym more than a year ago and after that, i used to walk around IT Park with my cousin, L and friend, K. i stopped sometime last year.

when a big amount of motivation hit me last week, i immediately wrote down the things i want to do to help me reach my goal of losing weight, getting fit and fab. i told myself i should do it right this time doing one action plan at a time so as not to overwhelm myself (as in the past) and quit. i've also read here and there that for goals to be achievable, they should be specific and be done one at a time. but yesterday, i just thought that adding another plan of action maybe won't do harm. 

i thought of just visiting fitness centers/gym and inquire about their membership rates.  when i walked into Waterfront's Citigym (they used to be Tina Juan's Fitness Advantage gym where I used to work out half a decade ago) yesterday (after driving my daughter to school), i was so tempted to hop into the treadmill! i went over their rates and impulsively signed up for membership. this is, i think, the only (best) impulsive decision i've ever made. :) i wanted to get at least a 3-month membership for a "longer perspective" but i had to be practical. we are spending the whole month of april in the province and we will have no yaya and helper in may. i know gym time could only be an hour but there's really no one i can leave the kids with. i'm thinking that i'll get the 6-month membership when classes start again in june. that way, i'll be sweating it out while M and Z are in school.


as i always say, i hope this will not be another case of ningas cogon. consistency is the key!

tempted

i know it's only been 5 days since i started my 21-day goal of not eating rice at dinner but i have been giving myself small pats on the back for sticking to that goal until yesterday.

we celebrated my youngest sister and her hubby's wedding anniversary at Max's after the 530 PM Sunday mass. i was determined to only eat chicken and pinakbet but my daughter couldn't finish her rice. this is such a lame excuse, i know! i gave in to temptation, i ate 3/4 cup of rice and told myself that it's an exception because we are celebrating. and i didn't have dessert or softsrinks or juice. i just had water. and i resolved right after that i'd do something to compensate for the 'lapse'. 

i brisk-walked in the mall (near my son's school) this morning while waiting for him. it's not much i know but i'm glad i did 'something'.

revised 3-week plan =)

i came across this in my friend and (new) fitness buddy, Chiara's blog. i was quite amazed that it talked about something similar to what i made over the weekend. i wanna try what it says, that a goal should be specific and we should make only one goal at a time. similar to my original new 'motto'. 

and so, in line with the principle of chasing one rabbit at a time, i am changing my 3-week plan to just one goal and that is to have no rice for dinner for 21 days. i guess this way, i will also really be able to tell if there is any weight loss, it is due to such action and not the walking.

the 3-week 'experiment'

wow! it's been almost a month since i last wrote here. well, there is still nothing new. not much. but i'm quite pleased to say that i'm motivated again to actively take this journey.

over the weekend, i decided to try out a plan of action for my weight-loss goal. it's nothing big but for someone like me who can't live without rice in every meal, it's something.

starting February 15th and until March 8th, I will have no rice for dinner. that's a pretty simple thing but that's a big sacrifice for me. we have been told that dinner should be one's lightest meal because the body's no longer active at night blah blah. however, ever since i started eating solid food, it was always the reverse for me. i ate little in the morning and binged at night. and so i thought of making this no-rice dinner my first 'major' goal. i just want to see if it makes a difference in my weight. i succeeded last night and i'm hoping that i'll be too disciplined and determined to succeed in the coming days and weeks.

my new 'motto' is one goal at a time. but along with the no-rice-for-dinner plan, i also wrote in my journal (a separate notebook) that i will (and should) walk at least 30 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week. this part has yet to happen this week. :-)