What's for Lunch?

Tempura Shrimp

Lumpia (spring rolls)

Apples and oranges are not the only fruits in the planet

     Come new year and every Filipino home had a big bowl of fruits on their table for good luck. For some, it might be the only time of the year that they had fruits on their house at all. Not for me. I love fruits, and as much as I can I try to make sure that there should always be fruits on the table, be it the staple lakatan bananas or the seasonal guyabano or langka.


      Most of us live in the suburbs now, and we don't get much access to fresh fruits. We find it easier to buy them from the supermarket, handpicked for us, packed and ready to go. Some are even already peeled and sliced. Others prefer it in cans, juiced or in a milkshake. But I believe those varieties have already been treated with chemicals and the processed ones contain tons of preservatives. So for me, nothing beats fresh organic fruits from the local market.

     Our Filipino culture refer to fruits as dessert, so most likely a lot of us eat them after a meal. However, fruits are best absorbed by the body on an empty stomach, so it's best to have them for breakfast or before every meal. Having them before a meal will make you feel full as well, so you would tend to eat less.

     Here are my top fave fruits:

     1. Calamansi (Philippine lemon) - my early morning habit. I drink hot and fresh calamansi juice every morning without sugar. I got this tip from Bo Sanchez on his 52 Healing Habits. He claims that he never had a sick day for 25 years from drinking pure calamansi juice every morning from 28 calamansi which he considered as his 'power drink'. Now that may sound really bitter and acidic, but I can say from experience that it doesn't upset the stomach at all. However after drinking it pure a few months ago, I settled with just 8 calamansi in a glass of hot water because I personally find it more relaxing for the stomach in a cold early morning. Just like lemon water, it's great for digestion, for the skin and gives the liver an early morning flush as well.

     2. Bananas - a staple in every Filipino table. It's rich in potassium which is great for the muscles and nerves. It's a bulk-forming food that helps with digestion. Personally, it's my to-go food whenever I'm hungry coz it's just always there.

     3. Papaya - I mentioned before that papaya is my superfood and my ultimate fave fruit. It has a lot of enzymes which is great for digestion because it helps break down food more easily. It's also very good for the skin. Most people, especially those living in the suburbs, find it hard to consume papayas in their fresh form because they are big and bulky. So for me, what I do is I buy a semi-ripe papaya (ripe already but not yet soft) and cut it in half. I'll keep the first half and the other half I'll peel and chop into little pieces. What's great about it being semi-ripe is that it's sweet and juicy in the inside but crunchy on the outside so it won't easily spoil. You can just pop it in a small Tupperware and have it in your bag to eat throughout the day. They're great, I love em.

We had papayas today

     4. Guava - again, one of my superfoods. Guava is very rich in Vitamin C, more than oranges or lemons. Vitamin C is essential in the synthesis of collagen, which aids in the formation and restoration of muscles, tendons and of the skin. More Vitamin C means youthful skin and delays the aging process. Research also suggests that Vitamin C boosts weight loss.

     5. Pineapple - I have one word in mind whenever I think of pineapple - fiber. Yes it's sweet and juicy, but what I love about them is what most people don't even eat - the core. Have you ever wondered whenever you buy a can of pineapple, why it's a ring? What is it in the center? It's the pineapple core. It's edible, but it's tougher than the pineapple meat itself, and contains a lot of fiber. I find that it tastes the same like pineapple, despite what other people say.

     6. Apples - as the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, apple is a kid's favorite fruit. For me it's the most accessible fruit as it's sold almost everywhere. But what I love about apples is when I cook them, my family loves apple pie :). Also, whenever I try to cook fat free, I use applesauce.

     7. Coconut - the tree of life, as we call them. Young coconut meat may be high in saturated fat, but what I love most about coconut is the coconut water. It contains a lot of essential electrolytes which is a great after-workout drink. It's also helps in flushing out toxins and kidney stones. 

add some milk, sugar and ice, yummmmmm!

     8. Watermelon - I like to refer to watermelon as juice in a solid form. It's very juicy and contains a lot of electrolytes. It's a great refreshment on a hot summer day. And again, most suburbs people don't like buying it as it's bulky, and eating it is even messy. My mama had a solution. She would buy a big juicy watermelon, remove the seeds, chop them into little pieces and put it in a large Tupperware. Then she would pour fresh calamansi juice over them, pop them in the fridge and viola! Watermelon punch. Yummy and very refreshing. My version I would add some pineapple and apple bits.

     So that's all I can think about right now. Cheers! :)

     

     

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.

Photo of the day: Pizza Pig

Oink Oink :D