Let me share a piece of my story

LEFT: March 2011 / 249 lbs / 46 inch waist
RIGHT: July 2011 / 168 lbs / 33 inch waist

I have been very busy so it has been more than a year already that I have been loosing weight. I actually started March 2011. Let me share a piece of my story:

When I was in third year high school, I used to weigh 135 lbs as a varsity in taekwondo. When I was in college I stopped training and I gained a lot of weight. Losing weight never came into my mind until a year after college when I was working already. I was 21 when I lost a staggering 55 lbs. I exercised of course but the diet I was having is called starvation diet, which, apparently is not good. It's good I lost a huge amount of weight but after a year whenever, I gained back what I lost and I have no control over it, even if I eat a few the weighing scale just keep on reading unfavorable result. 

When I started working for like 3 years straight in the night shift, it became worst. I gained back what I lost plus another 20 lbs. Stress and unhealthy lifestyle are the culprit (I drink beer every weekend, eat comfort foods, then sleep).

It was a frustrating and depressing moment, when I actually have to go back to my starvation diet, and I lost a couple of pounds anew.

It wasnt a good practice because my flesh is as watery as watery bed, and my man boobs is very visible if I wear thin shirts. 

I get into sports, but the results are still unfavorable. I became active but ate a lot in return. I tried jogging with high hopes of getting in shape and losing weight consistently without gaining a lot back. For 3 years I have been inconsistent with my diet and exercise but all hopes have gone until I finally gave up.

After all the frustrations, I was courageous enough resign on my call center job, went to Singapore and tried my luck working. I enrolled again in the gym last March 2011, because my health was already compromised. I am in my late 20s now and I am not getting any younger. Our blood-line is 90% likely to have diabetes and high-blood pressure.

So from 250 lbs, I am now 168 lbs for my 5ft 7 inches height. I am still a little bit overweight and I am near the finish line of 150 lbs. I did it from March 2011 to date  (July 2011) without worrying of gaining it back. You may wonder how I did that. First, it was gruelling and seemingly impossible despite the busy schedule.

1. Motivation: Yes the first key is motivation. You need to have a goal. Buy shirt that doesnt fit you until such time you will able to wear it.

2. Change of Lifestyle: If you drink beer a lot or party a lot, I didnt ask you to stop, but to moderate. Moderation is always the key. I never stop eating pork, but moderately eating comfort foods on my so-called cheat days. However, the more you think about depriving yourself, the more you got stuck to the idea that you are pressured to lose weight which brings me to my third point.

3. Do not think you have a deadline for your goals. This is waht I always think whenever I started gaining weight and losing weight anew. The gain-loss seesaw will make you feel depressed. Change of mindset, can be one of the key. As point number 2, change of lifestyle, think that you are going to do this for the rest of your life. It is like having a car, and doing a regular maintenance, your body responds as to how you are maintaining it. A V-Power gasoline is more expensive but better than the regular gas. But the body doesnt require expensive food to be fit, it is the contrary, so take it as an advantage. Consistency, and balance. 

4. Exercise regularly, and harder. I bet it is true that if you do not feel pain, you are not doing it right. 

5. Make your friends understand that you are temporarily on a hiatus of drinking, food tripping while you are in your firs 2 crucial months. I guess we all share the same apprehensions, what would our friends think/react if you do not go out with them for a regular lechon or red-horse session. Trust me, they too would want to follow your lifestyle, only that they lack the motivation to do it and ends up being bitter about by making you stick to the status quo. I got reactions from friends regarding that, sometimes favorable, most of the time unfavorable. They would tease you all the way down from being vain or the often misused "OA" term (which they actually mean exaggerating refusal). Trust me, my friends, they all swallowed their pride and asked me where I go gym after they saw the results. At least you are in the forefront and you are ahead of them. (Which will give you another motivation, would you want them to get ahead of you? hehehe).

6. How could I survive without eating a full-meal dinner? I survived with apples, bananas, whole wheat meal bread, onions, tomato, cucumber, ginger and lettuce, so can you. Mindset.

7. Regular exercise and weightlifting is not just the key, you need to do it RIGHT. If you need to hire a gym trainer, make sure he teaches you right, otherwise, the damage brought in you will be permanent. Having a gym buddy is one, but I would strongly suggest to get a trainer to guide you all the way until you know how to use the equipment right. Make sure they are there to mointor your progress and not just demonstrate then leave you while he/she is busy chit-chatting with his/her colleagues.

8. Water therapy. If you feel hungry, drink. If you still feel hungry, eat. Once youre diet is consistent, you will lose your cravings. Unless the aromatic lechon is just a few feet away, then grab a liter of water then eat, and think about the 30 minutes jog. Would you give in to lechon in exchange of an hour jog? Think again. 

9. Sleep at least 6-8 hours.

These are just the routine I have. It is not boring. You will just have to learn how to live with it. I am still trying to burn my beer belly, but the man boobs, which had been my problem part for years, is now defined

I think I've written enough. 

Oh wait, calorie counting for the 10th item. Yes, arduous, but worth it. Imagine eating more calories than you burn.

Blog gets resurrected after 7 months of hibernation

click to view larger image

I have been very busy lately with my work and weight loss. I forgot to update this blog for more than seven months. I think it's time for me to update this blog.

Dec. 22, 2011.
last gym workout for 2011

So let's start off with my weight loss progress last December 2011. My walking weight is between 87-89 kilos and during this period I have difficulty in losing weight. I am hitting the plateau so I decided to minimize going to the gym and lifting weights. What I did is I concentrated more on my road work - running. Everyday at 7 am, I would run 6.25 km between 35-40 minutes from my house to the office. By the time I arrive at the office I will take a hot shower, dress up with my formal attire and eat a light breakfast, work from 8am to 6pm. After all in a day's work I change clothes back to my running gear and run another 6.25 km from office to house. This is my routine from Monday to Friday except during those times that it would rain then I have no choice but to take to bus or train.

size 46 pants - December 30, 2011

I lost 2 kg during this month but I gained it back during the first week of January because I took a one week vacation in the Philippines and of course I ate a lot of food with just a 3km jog every morning. But I'm still happy though that I have maintained my weight at 87kg during my vacation. I now have a size 36in waistline from size 46in. Most of my clothes are loose that I don't really look good wearing them. I remembered donating those over-sized clothes to the victims of Typhoon Sendong that hit Cagayan De Oro and Iligan a few days before Christmas.

The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition (yeah I admitt I was a fan of this reality show)

The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition is a reality show that centers on overweight contestants accomplishing the same goal of losing the highest percentage of weight to become the Biggest Loser.


The contestants came from across the country (Philippines) and faced temptations and challenges, weigh-ins and eliminations until one contestant remained to claim the title of "Philippines Biggest Loser."

The contestants had an amazing journey of transforming their bodies, health and ultimately, their lives and was aired over sixteen weeks in ABS-CBN. I was a fan of that reality show, even if I'm living and working here in Singapore, I tried my best to watch each episode in TFC (The Filipino Channel) or video streaming over the internet. 


Each contestant works out under the supervision and guidance of professional trainers Jim Saet and Chinggay Andrada. A nutritionist, Nadine Tengco and psychologist Randy Dellosa also monitored the progress in the camp.


The season starts with a weight-in to determine the contestants' starting weights, which serve as the baseline for determining the overall winner. 


The contestants are separated into two teams of six contestants, each wearing separate colored t-shirts. The trainers are responsible (in conjunction with medical personnel retained by the show) for designing comprehensive workout and nutrition plans and teaching them to the contestants. However, the contestants are individually responsible for implementing the principles taught.

During an episode, various challenges and temptations are featured. Those who win a particular challenge are given special privileges, such as a weight advantage for the next weigh-in or even full immunity from being voted off the show. Each week culminates in another weigh-in to determine which team has lost the most weight for that week, in percentage of total weight lost. The team that has lost the least percentage during that week (known as "falling below the yellow line", which refers to a line featured on a video screen showing the cutoff between safety and being at-risk) will have one member voted off (unless the team consists of only one remaining member, in which case there is no vote). The vote is usually made by the other teams, though some episodes feature one team making the decision alone. Some episodes feature a second, "red line"; if a contestant falls below the red line the contestant is automatically off the show with no vote. Other episodes allow for the contestants, if successfully meeting a goal at the weigh-in, to all receive immunity for the week.


When the number of contestants has shrunk to a predetermined smaller number (unknown to the contestants), the teams are dissolved and the contestants compete one-on-one against each other.

The camp in which the contestants stayed during the duration of their game is located at the previous Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in General Trias, Cavite. It was renovated for the production of the series. The gym of the camp is courtesy of Fitness First, while the emergency health rooms are courtesy of St. Luke's Medical Center.


Larry Martin was the grand winner of the Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition. Martin, a policeman from Camarines Sur, was declared the first grand winner of the Biggest Loser Philippine franchise. As the grand winner, Martin took home the grand prize which includes P1 million, a condo unit from DMCI Homes, a Vespa scooter, a lifetime membership at Fitness First, a 40” Sony Bravia Internet TV and Whirlpool appliances.


Going into the final weigh-in, Art Mendoza was the heavy favorite to win the Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition. However, Larry Martin had the best percentage weight loss among all the finalists. Art Mendoza ended up finishing first runner-up, taking home P500,000, a Vespa scooter, Whirlpool appliances and one year Fitness First membership. Finishing third was Raffy Tan while Angela Lupangco and Hazel Chua ended up fourth and fifth, respectively.




If you want to see the before / after pictures of the Fab Five Finalists please visit the blog of Randy Dellosa. 

MYTH: Sweat Suits, The Diet Pill and Fad Diets

2007 drastic weight loss (not recommended)

A lot of people have been asking me if it is possible to lose weight specifically 20 pounds in 2 weeks. Is that even possible?


Well I had done that before in 2007. 40 days to be exact. I also lost 48 pounds. But that was a drastic weight lose and I don't even recommend it. I ended up starving myself for 40days. I don't eat breakfast and dinner. I am only eating Skyflakes or Magic Flakes during lunch. So I'm just eating once a day and only three slices of crackers during lunch. Can you do that? I ended up losing a lot of weight that my skin sagged (specifically on my arms and stomach). Turns out that most of the weight that I lost are muscles that have been eaten away by my body due to starvation and that is not really healthy.

First of all, a healthy amount of weight loss is 2 - 3 lbs a week or 1 - 1.5 kg. Some health professionals such as my personal trainers at the gym lean more towards 1-2 lbs a week as a healthy amount of sustainable weight loss. So no, 10 lbs a week is not possible to do it in a healthy manner (unless you are going starve yourself like what I did last 2007). Sure you could do it, but it is all water weight. I remembered just this month I went on a 21 km run from Hougang to Buona Vista, I lost 3-4 kilos in less than two hours (see picture on the right). But I gained it all back as soon as I started eating and re-hydrating (drinking).

SWEAT SUITS


For decades, many people have used sweat suits, garbage bags ir saunas in order to lose weight quickly. I'm also using one as posted on my previous blog. You will lose weight in the form of sweat, which is water and electrolytes, but you will gain it back as soon as you eat again or drink water. This myth seems to have spread through sports like boxing where guys need to lose a few pounds in order to make a weight class. But sweating exessively has no useful purpose in healthy weight loss. The dangers of sweating to lose weight are severe - they may include heatstrike, extreme loss of electrolytes (kidney damage or death) and dehydration. 








THE DIET PILL


The only way to lose weight is to burn fat by reducing caloric intake, exercising more, or a combination of both moderate eating and exercise. There is no pill that can help you burn fat or increase your metabolism while sitting on the couch eating chips and drinking soda. Sure, there are pills than can reduce your appetite, but if you want a healthier version of a natural hunger suppressant, just drink more water.


In fact, your body needs water in order to burn fat. Sweat too much water out and your body will first have to make adjustments for its dehydration by retaining water and fat. 

FAD DIETS


Fad diets are popular because they promise rapid weight loss. However, fad diets or crash diets do not allow the body to burn fat calories as you would think, they actually produce a net loss of lean muscle mass, water and stored energy. Just like I mentioned on the second paragraph of this blog. As a result, most people on such diets become tired and have a hard time finding the energy they need to exercise.


You have to burn calories through cardiovascular activity such as walking, running, biking, swimming or even doing household chores. Lifting weights or doing calisthenics burns calories and spikes your metabolism to build lean muscle and stronger bones. You may not see a weight loss immediately, but you will see inches lost, because muscles takes up less space than fat and weigh more. But, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. 

Sauna Suit ordered from ebay (Korea)

Every time I'm doing my workout at the gym, I always wear my sauna suit. You may have noticed that already on some of the pictures I posted (on previous blogs) that I am wearing a sauna suit while doing exercises at the gym. For those who does not have any idea what I'm taking about, a sauna suit is a garment made from waterproof fabric designed to make me sweat profusely. It may be called sometimes a "thermal jacket". Sauna suits today are typically made of PVC or coated nylon cloth. The construction is typically in the style of a waterproof sweat suit, consisting of a pullover jacket and drawstring pants. The closures at waist, neck, wrists and ankles are all elasticated to help retain body heat and moisture within the garment. Some sauna suits includes a hood (on the jacket part) to provide additional retention of body heat.

I got two of these Kingston sauna suits from ebay. The product is made in Korea. I commonly wear this during physical exercise at the gym as an aid to weight loss. I also wear this if I'm doing outdoor running during early morning and evening. This helps a lot as an aid to my weight loss. By wearing this suit, this can cause a rapid loss in my body weight by loss of water. Even though the gym is airconditioned, my body temperature is high and I would sweat profusely. 

Just a disclaimer though, please do not wear this when running outdoors under the direct sunlight. The body temperature is multiplied several times when you are directly under the sun doing outdoor running and can lead to the possibility of heat stroke and dehydration. I suggest wear this only during early morning jog when the sun is not yet up or during evening runs. Thus, a sauna suit should not be worn while doing extreme exercise or in hot conditions. 


Some people said that the use of a sauna suit accelerates weight loss in exervise by an increase in metabolic rate and calorie burning. Others disagree, and that the only significant effect is temporary water loss that can be immediately reversed by drinking water. 

Well, for me I had positive effects wearing a sauna suit. It provides me the encouragement to do physical exercise. The increase in my body heat from wearing a sauna suit gives me the impression of getting a good workout. 

If you want to order a sauna suit then just go to Wushushop-Hyem ebay store. They only accept Paypal as payment and uses Korea post. It takes 10-15 days delivery to all countries.

More pictures of the sauna suit from it's original packaging below. 

6 common exercise mistakes

This is an article that I have read from www.maxworkouts.com discussing the 6 common exercise mistakes.


Mistake #1: Doing isolated exercises


Doing isolated exercises like bicep curls and tricep kick-backs will not get you any significant results. These one-muscle-at-a-time moves simply don't stimulate enough muscle fibers to build lean muscle or expend enough energy to maximize your calorie burn.


If you want to build lean muscle while burning fat so you can get serious definition, you need to perform compound exercises that stimulate as many muscles and expend as much energy as possible at the same time. Using these types of exercises will dramatically accelerate your results.




Mistake #2: Working out with machines


Fancy machines may make the gym look high-end, but truthfully, about the only thing they're good for is for sitting down while you tie your shoes or catch your breath! The problem is this: Machines alter the way your body naturally moves and restrict your range of motion. This severely limits your ability to fully activate all of your muscles fibers -- that means less fat burning and less muscle definition. Worse yet, machines can cause excessive strain on your joints, leading to nagging injuries down the road.


If you want fast results, it's critical that you incorporate exercises that allow your body to move naturally with full range of motion so you can skyrocket your metabolism and tone your entire physique. 




Mistake #3: Doing long bouts of cardio


Look, you need to do cardio if you want to lose weight and burn fat...BUT there's a right way and a wrong way to do your cardio workouts. If you've been pounding the pavement or the treadmill with nothing to show for it (except sore joints and a pair of stinky worn out sneakers), you already know it takes a lot of effort to get minimal results.




Mistake #4: Doing crunches and sit-ups to get 6-pack abs


If you want washboard abs, doing traditional ab exercises like crunches and sit-ups WILL NOT get you a six pack. In fact, doing any exercises that target your abs won't get you a six pack either! These so-called "ab" exercises are a complete waste of time. They don't make your abs get any more defined and they definitely don't burn any fat.


The key to getting sculpted abs is to burn off that stubborn layer of belly fat that's hiding them! In the next few minutes, I'll show you how to burn away the "ab flab" while stimulating all 6 of your abdominal muscles at the same time so you can finally carve out your six pack abs.




Mistake #5: Repeating the same workout routines over and over


Repeating the same workouts over and over is a surefire way to STOP getting results. We're creatures of habit and we tend to stick to things we're familiar with and good at. But when it comes to your workouts, if you want to keep making progress and keep seeing changes in your body, you've got to start switching things up.


You see, your body has an amazingly ability to adapt quickly and when it does, that's when you hit the dreaded plateau and you stop making progress. You need to change up your workout routine so you can keep your body guessing to accelerate the results process.



Mistake #6: Doing long workouts


Longer workouts do NOT equal better or faster results. If you've been slaving away at the gym and your body isn't visibly changing, you can't do more of the same thing and expect a different result. When it comes to getting lean and fit, your body responds to quality over quantity.

The key attitude is the WILL to do it

I started at 108.65 kg in March 13, 2011 when I realized that I was a fat slob and being fat would make achievin my dreams harder. My most important goal is to be happy. 


In the following 8 months (as of this writing) I got down to 87 kg. I am still working on losing weight until 70 kg, which is my ideal weight. 


The key attitude is the will to do it. This enables you to do everything else, it is a very powerful instrument.


I became very disciplined when I imagined that now exactly this second was the most important time of my life, it literally was. I imagined my life in 20 years without losing weight - a fat single loser with social anxiety - and if I accepted the challenge I would be happy and enjoy life. 


I am not the same person as 8 months ago, my life turned 180 degrees. Other key behaviors where, of course, eating habits and my gym membership. 


I'm doing it slowly right now. I didn't jump into it all like many or most do. I took 1-2 months doing cardio exercises and the gym and slowly tweaked my diet over time. Towards end of the two months, I simply started outdoor running. Around the third month, I started doing free weight exercises and during the fifth month I got serious in the gym researching more variety of exercises. 


I guess what I am saying is that I believe lots of people that fail, fail because they try doing everything at once. When I talk to people and help then I have the, spend the first month logging their foods and work on eating better slowly. For example, stop late night snacking one week, then the following week no eating fast food. Slowly work on small things. Adopting new healthy habits or dropping unhealthy habits, in a common sense has played a big role in my transformation. 


Well, I guess not following your diet for a day or even a week does NOT mean you failed. Just pick yourself up, dust off and get back to healthy living. Also see the previous question what my game plan was.


We will all hit hurdles in life where it will be very difficult to follow through on diet and exercise. If someone feels the need to go out and eat a good fattening meal, it is ok to do now and then. 


As a matter of fact if you can be strict with your diet Mondays to Fridays. I have always had a cheat meal on Saturday and one on Sunday and sometimes binged pretty badly, but overall month after month I was losing weight. Of course if weight loss is stalling you need to work on taking out or reducing these cheat meals. 


So I guess don't give up just because you will blow up one day. See what you did, work on fixing it and move along.