A week ago, I blogged about my weight loss journey - how I was of almost beauty pageant proportions to how I gained and lost and gained some more. Let me close that topic with this blog on tips and criticisms.
Just a few minutes ago, I made the mistake of sharing to a friend that I gained 3 lbs over the last 2+ days. Her first comment was an "oh". Since I learned overtime to expect reactions of such from her and since I also had already psyched myself for like reactions, I told her to not be disappointed with a smiley face (I mean that smiley face this time!). Thanks to a pep talk from my husband earlier, I was so positive that since I've already proven how easy it is [now] for me to lose weight, I would lose it in two or three days.
But now I'm sure you're asking yourselves, what happened?
On Wednesday at 8 PM, an hour before my usual time at the gym, I realized that I was unprepared for the following day's medical exam at St. Luke's Extension Clinic in Ermita for my US Immigrant Visa requirement. I needed four more pictures and Megamall on weekdays (except Fridays) closes at 9! It was raining really hard and the traffic on Shaw Boulevard was horrible. I was doing complicated mathematics in my mind: I knew I had to be at St. Luke's before 6 AM and it's a must to not delay the medicals any further. I even had to push it from my preferred schedule of June 15 to June 10 because of my monthly visitor (can't have my medicals with a period and waiting for four days for it to end and waiting for a week more before I can undergo any exam would endanger my ability to comply with this requirement before my July 5 interview).
To make the long story short, for the first time in 10 days, I did not go to the gym.
It's hard to forgive myself but I managed to shake it off in anticipation of the following day's activity. Complying with this requirement was more important than sulking over something I failed to do, that of which I trust I could do again and immediately at that!
Upon going home, I tried but failed to sleep immediately. I must have dozed off between 12:30 AM and 2:30 AM only to be awoken by my alarm clock at 3:45 AM. So much for amping up my metabolism with complete eight hours' worth of sleep. I did not bother having breakfast at home. I just grabbed an apple, Bearbrand sterilized milk and bottled water. In the cab, I was munching on the apple I took with me, trying to convince myself that it's okay to have a heavy breakfast (rice) with milk since 1) we can't take food with us to St. Luke's; and 2) it's advisable to have one as there's no fasting requirement and that there's going to be a looooong series of waiting, waiting and more waiting (St. Luke's does medicals for four embassies thus the "before 6 AM" statement of mine earlier!).
One huge mistake: I assumed there were good restaurants near St. Luke's. Since my stomach was grumbling and the clinic's about to open in less than 30 minutes, I just bought what the only carinderia there has to offer: one piece longganisa, 1/2 piece of meat loaf & one cup of rice. Pork. Great. Just great.
After the waiting, sitting, waiting, sitting routine ended at 11 AM, and when I finally managed, at almost 12, to go somewhere else where decent meals are served , I was already so hungry. Five hours between meals with not enough "burning" in between! Medical experts and dietitians say that in order to manage a healthy weight and increase one's metabolism, one must eat five small meals a day or at least "frequently" in small proportions. I know a former training colleague who gets hungry every two hours - she's still of nice proportions even with such.
Going home was not, in any way, easier. I took a beating from myself that I had a heavy breakfast and a heavy lunch that I resolved not to have dinner anymore. I was also sick of paranoia because at St. Luke's, I sat beside a woman whose x-ray scan two months ago delayed her US trip. It was only on the following day that I'd get my results (Yes! I needed to return!) so the paranoia left me exhausted with only a few hours of sleep.
The following day, I already resolved to eating at home. It was still a heavy breakfast as there's another round of waiting at St. Luke's. True enough, when I arrived before 8 AM, I had to wait until past 10 AM for my immunization. When I got my FOUR vaccinations, I had two more wait periods to face, each no less than 30 minutes long: one for the signing of the results and another for the release of my vaccination and x-ray documents. But at least my lungs are clear! No more two-month delay because of health concerns!
At 12 noon, I took a cab from Ermita to Ali Mall in Cubao. My mother-in-law invited me to attend mass and have lunch with her for her birthday. The lack of sleep was starting to kick in and I tried to fight a number of times the urge to doze off. The cab driver was quite creepy and my left arm was starting to hurt. It was painful that I could not move it up. Luckily, I still managed to catch the priest's sermon and gleefully made my way to lunch with her, her sister and my brother-in-law.
When I got home at 4 PM, I went straight to bed and caught two hours' worth of zzzz's. I woke up determined to go back to the gym and to go back to my usual dinner of oatmeal. The last one I managed to do and with gusto! The first though? Well, I chose not to. I wanted a combination of weight/strength training and cardios but my hurting arm said no. Doing cardios alone was not okay as I prefer moving my arms rigorously both on the treadmill during brisk/power walking and on the ellipticals and/or crossramp. Besides, hubby was confident I could lose the additional poundage fast. :)
And then came the "you-burst-my-bubble" in today's episode of my weight loss journey. Yes, it's back to this friend of mine. Her "oh" was followed by "I just could not believe that you'd gain weight that fast". It was softened by her "Could it be your metabolism?". Then it was jabbed by a "That lifestyle ruins your diet. I hope your stomach can soon get used to eating a smaller meal so that it won't get hungry all the time."
Huh? HUH?!!!!
She practically said "matakaw ako", probably without really thinking about it. Wisecracks like that, whether said in jest or meant well, rub me off the wrong way. I even once argued (not "fought", just to be clear) with hubby that though I don't deny succumbing to eating a lot in the US, I am generally not "matakaw". A certain uncle's wife used to be the head dietitian of Medical City in Ortigas. She, along with a number of dietitians I know and medical journals I read, said that having three cups of rice a day (one per meal) is just "right". There's the option to cut the serving to lose weight fast but that the option to cut all the carbs (Atkin's Diet) can lead immediately to an exhausted-looking pin thin frame. This is the reason why I switched to my diet of oatmeal with chicken or fish twice a day and at least one cup of rice during lunch just to cut the cravings. I know it works for me because it appeals to my taste. I also know, however, that there's no fool-proof way to lose weight: what works for one may not work on another.
Going to the word "diet". I notice, when most Filipinos say "diet", they immediately mean cutting food intake to lose weight. This thinking, however, places an ill connotation on the word especially for those battling weight problems. It's like a villain pretending to be an ally or worse, a means of torture. Technically, it takes a lot of people away from the real meaning of the word. Wikipedia defines it as "...the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism." Merriam Webster, on the other hand, puts it as "habitual nourishment". For me, it's simply "what we regularly/normally eat".
That being said, when I say my "diet" is oatmeal twice a day and rice for lunch, I am talking about what I regularly or normally eat and not what I do - or cut - to lose weight. This is the language trainer in me despising that a certain word is taken to mean another. This is the person in me who has weight problems, the woman in me who's always thought of as already a mom (so much for me wanting to have a baby already) just because her boobs are big, loathing statements like "mag-diet ka" (go on a diet).
Tyra Banks - who was once a size 10, a size considered "too much" by the modelling industry for her 5'10 frame - spoke that in whatever size she is, she believes she's still beautiful. She lost the weight but she's not afraid to indulge with "cheaties" every now and then to reward one's self (America's Next Top Model Cycle 16). I love what she said because it's basically similar to allowing one's self to let loose and let go, to go on a "vacation" if and when needed and then to go back to "real life" that's full of strict schedules and disciplined routines. Plus, it doesn't hurt that Tyra never judged anyone with weight issues on her show. She was always careful in providing constructive feedback.
My jewelry design mentor and model, Cielo Fronteras once posted a Facebook status saying that before we judge one person badly because of his/her weight, we have to consider a number of factors (body frame, bone structure, thyroid issues, illnesses, culture, etc.) why this person is such. Our comments and criticisms may even do more harm than good.
Let me end this blog by saying that I'll lose the 3+ lbs in four-five days. WATCH ME.
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