My weight lose journey

     A lot of people have been asking me about the secret of my weight loss so I thought it was a good idea to blog about it. You see, over the last six months I've lost about 20 pounds and some people are wondering about what I did. One even said I might have been doing drugs. It wasn't funny. Some friends, after seeing me, started to lose weight as well and ask for advice from time to time. I actually feel proud of my accomplishment and how, at some point, I inspire people to do the same.

June 2011, November 2011

     My body image has been an issue with me all my life, and though I wasn't really "fat", I wasn't happy about what I looked like. I was a chubby kid with a round face and big thighs, I had normal BMI and was always busy with school work it wasn't that big of a deal just yet. College kicked in and there was all these malls and parties and birthdays and people were dressing up pretty for some reason. Back in high school, it was just loose jeans and sneakers but in the 'big city' where I attended college it was different. People were fashionable and wore trendy clothes so I started doing the same but it didn't suit well with me. I started to get insecure and hated myself for being 'fat' so I tried cutting down on food. It didn't work well, though, one week after I'll be back to my habits again. It was a cycle of 'im ok with my body' - 'i'm so fat' - crash diet - then back again over the past 4 years.

     After graduation I went back home and since there wasn't much to do anymore I started gaining weight. My lowest of lows was in April when I was 58 kgs. It was at that point that I knew I should do something and I had to do it soon. Since I had a history of crash dieting, I knew that this time it should be real. I love food and cutting down on is a very big deal for me so I thought maybe those products advertised on TV might help. Luckily I saw a friend who lost a lot of weight and introduced me to a slimming coffee that helped curb the appetite. I tried it for 2 days and then stopped after I developed soar throat because I tend to be thirsty all the time and didn't drink enough water. Then I gave up.

     Come June I decided to give the coffee another shot but this time only used half the amount and drank a ton of water. I was so happy when I felt it was working. My appetite decreased and I stopped eating rice. For a week I cut down on food and saw the results almost instantly - I had a flatter stomach. (I drank the coffee for 16 days, recommended was 18) Week 2 I started working out with Hip Hop Abs DVD that I bought every morning. Week 3 I discovered Pop Pilates on Youtube and followed her blog Blogilates which gave me more insight about health and fitness. I did Hip Hop Abs in the morning and Pop Pilates in the afternoon.

This was my favorite along with part 2 :)

     By July I started cooking and became more aware about health and fitness through Blogilates. I started counting calories and making healthy food choices. Replaced peanut butter sandwich with banana bread, rice with veggies, pork with chicken breast, snacked on fruits and drank a ton of water. What I'm most happy about is that I let my family join in it as well. My dad love to snack in between meals and used to eat a lot of sandwiches, instant noodles and biscuits. Now I replaced them with my baked good, boiled plantains, sweet potatoes or yam, I even stopped buying biscuits and bread and bought more fruits. I stopped the Hip hop abs workout and started jogging. I felt stronger and healthier.

     I never weighed myself the entire time. I knew I was 58 kgs when I was in the hospital but I didn't weigh myself until November from just plain curiosity. For me weight is just a number and what mattered more is what I see and how I feel. My jeans were looser and I felt good, that was all that mattered.

     November I was 48 kgs, now I'm still at 48 kgs. Maintaining it is harder than loosing it itself. Diet is not a program but a lifestyle and I learned that from Blogilates. Right now I'm doing morning and/or afternoon walks for an hour or more, eating clean and ceased rice entirely. I owe it all to Cassey Ho, she changed my life and I'm grateful for it. Indeed, loosing (and maintaining) weight is only 10% exercise and 80% diet, 10% genetics. Cheers! :)

Note: I do not recommend or endorse the use of slimming coffees or other weight loss drugs. It was just my own preference to use it and it worked well with me.