MY PHYSICAL PROMPTED SOME CHANGES..

I started Blog Oct 24 at 196 lbs, I am now realizing that my body was telling me something,  Since then I have lost 6  lbs when weand had some blood test done.

As it turns out my results were not very good. well an 18 lbs gain inevitably will have an ILL effect. You see I was diabetic before I lost some 40 lbs when I hit 178-175  my diabetes went away and I stopped all medication. An 18 pound gain puts me in a vulnerable state as my blood will show.

HDL cholesterol high!! GOOD
LDL cholesterol- high !! BAD

And my Diabetes has come back, my most unwelcome guest, yes because I can make it go away if i will it so and I will.

BAD BAD BAD, I knew my body was telling me something. I don't get a rested sleep, sluggish, tired during the day.. Having lost the 6 lbs has improved my sleep and energy A BIT.!! but still nothing compared to how I felt at 175.

The results of my physical prompted me to make changes and adjustments to my diet in my efforts to eliminate 12 more lbs off me body. That should bring me down to an average weight  suited to my  height and frame. I need to do this in a month's time to improve my health  and energy. My Doctor has suggested lots of fiber and protein- lean like chicken and fish. Wild. Farm  Farm raised fish is still a very controversial topic and lab test have shown to contain dioxins that can cause cancer later on in life.

From here on I shall share with thee, my new overhauled menu and diet plan. Hi fiber - low fat-  hi protein, , This will be a challenge but it will happen Till the next meal..

10/31/2001 HALLOWEEN NIGHTMARE!!!!

Oh, don;t even ask me about last night, make that 3 bust days. Halloween is a very "FRIGHTFUL NIGHT"  for me. I was doing so well after a 2 day lapse but when I realized that I didn't even one candy to hand out to the "trick or treaters" in the house,  (another tip: Keep your household free of food , snacks, sweets  that are BAD for you), I stopped by the super and of course I picked out my favorites, 1st bad decision, Reese's cupcakes, kit-kat and crunch  well, we do that all the time  most of the time unconsciously even gift giving, right?  As they are tolerable calorie wise 180 for 3 pcs of the small ones, but as one addicted to sugar would agree to or know so well, one equals 9 at times even more until you feel sick.

So after a rather hectic day and was actually doing so well at almost 700 + - at 5 pm  , with a fruit Peach fruit - approx 80 cal for breakfast, ham egg and Swiss cheese on toasted buttered wheat bread, restaurant , approx 550-650 calories. for lunch , I thought I was home safe UNTIL I opened ONE Nestle crunch!!! Next thing I knew I  was on the sofa asleep form all the sugar. so bad.....

As it turns out, after calculating and inputting on my livestrong app, I was right on track at 2162 cal a day..

What is regrettable is the SUGAR!!!
 FYI, before you attack those tiny little devilish pcs  of sweetness ( see how they can confuse you and your brain perception during that split second decision making GIVE THEM AWAY or just simply rid of them give them to charitable institutions, something. here are the caloric values of these little rascals:

REESE'S CUPCAKES

NESTLE CRUNCH

KIK-KAT

10/30/2011 ANOTHER "BUST" DAY, A FEW COOL LINKS

BUST -  " Bad Undisciplined, So Tomorrow"-? but to be more precise this word can denote "collapse from the effort"., and that was exactly what happened to me yesterday and the day before. 2 slip up days where I had indulged a little more than I should. Not that I had eaten a whole cake or finished a whole gallon of ice cream but I know I had lost count and had eaten close to a thousand calories more of  my daily allowance to achieve my goal and I feel it.

Obviously , this is not an easy undertaking for me and I know very many can relate. But this is real life and I would like to be as honest and bare to hopefully gain credibility in sharing my story. .I know that there will be slip ups like this, the thing is not to get disheartened and give up but get back on track, start over with renewed vigor!!

As I await for tomorrow's challenge, (it is a daily struggle) I went online in the hope that I could educate myself more on ways in pursuing this in a healthier manner, focusing on caloric value but not just entirely.Adding another angle to this journey.

Reading my earlier posts, I said, not to be afraid of Carbs even sugar .. WRONG , especially refined sugar, please allow me to  correct  myself.  Starting over, I will try and avoid refined sugar, (bye bye ,peach rings and gummy bears)  and alcohol,  bye for now , cranberry vodka martini. bacon and meatballs as well.instead replace my protein with chicken and fish..

Alcohol is definitely my trigger when I get happy after two martinis, I get loose and care-free , inhibitions, will, go out the window then I begin to attack the refrigerator. WHO else does this. I will bet a  finger I am not alone on this one.

So, again avoid : a) Alcohol  b) Processed food ,  i will limit it to once week , then two , three then a month till I get use to not having them at all. FRESH is always good. c) Simple carbs, like refined sugar, OMG... but it's okay. For now that should be good as I don't want to take on so much and set myself up again for failure.

My friend had introduced me to "COSWAY"  a membership retail Establishment and found this product , Wholefood Nutrition that replaces the "protein drink" with 'supreme blend of raw "living whole foods according to the saeng shik philisophy, an ancient korean diet that promotes longevity.

 145 calorie per serving- 1 packet

Below are some  links I have visited and learned from I feel is worthy of sharing .few may be a bit extreme but read it keep the info you feel is practical and sensible to you.

Food additives you should know and avoid

Color food additives codes and diseases and their potential danger

Simple and Complex carbs


Well I hope this helps, in the meantime, I shall regroup and start over. good night , wish me well,


"Thank you.. Same to you too" :-)

10/27/2011 - TODAY 191 LBS but a slight slip up. Link to Raleys' soup recipe/cal value

Went to my Doctor for a check up and weighted in at 191 lbs. without shoes no breakfast.. I probably lost 2- 3 lbs since I weighted myself at 196 with shoes and at night after dinner.It's a good sign and motivation that what I'm doing and cut backs on intake is really working not to mention the exercise regime I started.

Today I W/R (walk/run) twice because I knew I was going to dinner by las Gemelas (Marian and Annmarie) to welcome the very charming Maria Tuason. and I know that there will  be yumminess  served. Annmarie the white sauce was a stand out.

By 6 pm I had consumed  gross calorie 1135 ( with my wheat thins and Raley  (recipes for all their soups, a great site ).minus cal burned with  my two runs net 920 meaning I can had 827 cal more for a goal of 2 lbs a week weight lost, 1279 with a goal of 1 lb/week weight lost so that;s a handful. BUT I got a bit carried away

had three martini's, 600  2 small bowl of plate of with two diff sauces, a small bite of choc decadence and almond cake . so I consider this day a BUST. but I think not too much, still kept my small serving of this and that.

but today getting back on the wagon , will not let this slip break me down ...

10/26/2011 LEARNING TO APPROX CAL VALUE OF MEALS CAN BE SO MUCH FUN AND GUILT FREE

Waking up this morning I knew that I would be going to HILLER Museum  mobile food truck event for lunch with my sister, Carmen Rojas, Kathy V. Yulo and Gina T. Romy R and my nephew, Stevie. so I started the day with just a cup of coffee, giving me at least 300 more calories I can add on an average meal calorie intake of 500-550 therefore I had approx 800 cal to consume  giving me room to be probably have more choices even dessert..ahhh no, i can dream can't I?

The day couldn't be more perfect, weather wise, just like a beautiful spring day in October very "peninsula"

After viewing different trucks, I opted for SENOR SISIG. as SISIG  (recipe) has become one of my latest fave. Senor sisig burrito. Oh my. I am approximating 700 plus cal, well its just pico de gallo, garlic rice and pork sisig. and the tortilla. no cheese  nor guacamole or cream.

My nephew waiting for the sisig BURRITOS

                Pork sisig burrito= 756 cal (a bit of an indulgence) I feel but then again no breakfast.

For din din, Had a cup of RALEY'S soup of "SANTA CRUIZIN"-Chicken Tortilla soup= 100 Cal

A CUP OF SANTA CRUZIN RALEY SOUP= 100 CAL

HALF CUP OF QUINOA = approx 150-165

(my staple)

INDULGENCES:

2 COCKTAILS OF DIET CRANBERRY

VODKA MARTINI = 200 CAL EACH

ICE

 A SHOT OF VODKA

A SHOT OF DIET CRANBERRY

WATER DOWN WITH WATER AND ICE

PUT IN A SHAKER AND SERVE

                                           NET CALORIE CONSUMED TODAY - 1797 CAL

BTW ,i GOT MYSELF A DIET WEIGHING FOOD SCALE HAHAHA, GETTING SERIOUS HERE HHMMMMM?

10/25/2011 CALORIE 411 FRIENDLY STABLISHEMENTS

I do believe that if a bill were to be passed that requires ALL Establishments that sell or serve food will be required to declare the caloric value of their meals or products, America will be a healthier nation.

At a time when young adults -early teens, even children, are being diagnosed with ADULT onset type 2 diabetes , this has to happen. I salute Starbucks, and Peets for having a list of caloric values of the products they offer while McDonald's  (I have not step put into this place for decades) do not readily declare theirs, here is a site that does McDonald's caloric/nutritional value ( just to show you why our  children ,the future of America , is afflicted with the obesity epidemic.) But recently, I hear that McDonald's are starting to offer  healthier meals. People! bottom line for these corporations is you know is the mighty dollar (well, don't know how valid that statement is now) and they cater to what  YOU ask for and WHAT YOU BUY and to seemingly WANT. Let your voices count  be informed and involved , Email your, counselors, mayors, congressmen, Senators, everyone and ask them to make this change. Knowledge is power, that guide us to make it easier to make  healthy decision whether you're on a drive thru- or a fancy enoteca.. Wouldn't you want to know how long you have to walk off a slice of combination pizza with pepperoni, sausages, mozzarella, Parmesan etc etc etc before you shove it down your face? ;-)

This morning I had an early meet at Starbucks. after the meeting, I grabbed their 'spincah wrap" after viewing all their muffins with matching calorie value....I meant average muffin calorie from 390-450 for me I would have to W/R 4.5 miles to burn that off. One Freakin Muffin!! think about it. so you see how that can work if all food were labeled? Anyway just a thought

I hear that some of the cafe/restaurants in San Francisco have their offerings with corresponding values. I don;t think this will discourage diners. I mean NOT everyone is on  a diet!!!
BREAKFAST
Starbucks
spinach and wrap= 280 cal

LUNCH

had a cup of quinoa tabouli salad ( may staple and a chicken thigh (rotisserie)
Tip: glamorize (presentation honey) the meal you will partake in,  it makes it so worth while and mentally filling, think  Nouvelle cuisine)

and for din din had 2 cups of quinoa and rotisserie chicken drumstick. 2 pcs OMG!! might be a bit much. but not really. NO I am not turning into  an anorexic!!!

but then again I W/R  (walk/run) 1.5 niles for 30 minutes and burned  127 cal .ONLY?????????

OMG this is hard.. BUT keeping the faith so will YOU!!!

CONVERSION SITES that could be very helpful

When you decide to take on "awareness eating" (calorie counting). You have to be verse on conversions and equivalence of tablespoons to cups and ounces to tablespoons etc. here are a few sites I find very helpful you might want to print these conversions and equivalence until one gets use to it. I know I am learning these things for the second time around.

 Tablespoons to cup

1 us tablespoon = 0.0625 us cup

Ounces to Grams

1 ounce = 28.3495231 grams

Basic cooking conversion calculator


conversion  calculator site

Hope this helps

10/24/2011 WHAT'S FOR DINNER WILL DETERMINE THIS DAY-SUCCESS OR :-(

Okay I have been actually very good, didn't even  have a martini last night and BTW I forgot to log that I w/r (walk/run) 1.5 miles and burned off 127 calories, not much but something . Just to show you that calories once in your body can be very hard to get rid of.

So far at 5 PM I have consumed 1,096 calories. According to my app. a goal to lose 2 lbs a week at 5'9", 196 lbs my  caloric intake should only be 1,747 a day.and a goal of 1.5 lb a week=  1997 cal a day. and 1 lb a week = 2247 cal. so long as I do not go over 2247. I am still on the loosing weight level. but I always start targetting the higher goal of loosing 2 lbs a week. therefore I only have 57 6 calories from now till sleepy time.

so far here are the food I have consumed:

Breakfast-
2 cups coffee

Lunch 400 calories
2.5   Cups of "tuscan style chicken with whitebean soup"= 120 CAL/CUP
1 oro wheat sandwich thins wheat 100 cal

Afternoon Snack

2 hard boile eggs- 140 cal
3 pairs orowheat mini whole wheat bread 150
1.25 mayonnaise= 125 cal
jalapeno slices-
 ( made mini hardboiled s/w's)

1 peach fruit- 66 cal

Indulgences
4 gummy worms = 130 cal
2 peach rings 60 cal

DINNER =TBD

10/23/2011 SUNDAY DINNER - TODAY 196 LBS

My sister, her husband and youngest son are here from Manila, They are all bona fide meat lovers, I mean they bring back to manila, luggage space permitting 2 to 3 pieces of those 4-5 pounder chunks of rib eyes from Costco each time they visit, which is twice a year.  Last night, they invited me to dinner and true enough they were having steaks, she said it was easiest to prepare since her house help wasn't able to get a visa,  yeah sure, Not that I hate steaks, matter of fact there was a time when I would look forward to a good piece of meat (oh.. that didn't sound right did it?) medium rare to well for me with a side of corn, peas and mashed potato. I can't even look at mashed potato now. So in keeping with my self imposed weight challenge, I politely said no thank you to the steaks and instead opted  for a cup of  "Tuscan style chicken and white bean soup" (120) cal/cup) from Nob Hill- delish!! and a plate of salad of corn. lettuce, artichoke and tomato with 2 tbsp (one serving)of Lighthouse's  "bacon bleu cheese dressing) 150 cal/serving. For the salad maybe add 50 cal

                                               I mean, HELLO, how can you not ENJOY this?

For my afternoon snack I had 2 mini wheat thin 100 cal for 2 pairs, turkey meatball sandwiches with jalapeno slices, avocado,  approx 15 cal a slice  tomato , greens and one turkey meatball 54 cal each

BEFORE I WENT TO BED I WEIGHTED MYSELF AND AS OF TODAY OCTOBER 23, 2011 I ACTUALLY GAINED  18 LBS FROM MY 178 LBS WEIGHING AT 196 LBS, REACHING THAT DREADED NUMBER -200 LBS . JUST GREAT TIMING TO DO THIS...

10/23/2011 BREAKFAST/LUNCH OF Quinoa Tabouli

Basically I will post recipes that will have their caloric values based on livestrong's list and other sources and I hope you guys can share and post some of your recipes with caloric values as well.

                                           This is what I had for breakfast , a cup and and egg- 
                                                                   TOTAL 370 CAL

and for lunch a cup of Quinoa-Tabouli Sala (300 CAL ) a chicken thigh baked ( 240 CAL)
                                                            TOTAL 540 CAL


                                                       "QUINOA-TABOULI SALAD"

 "Quinoa-Tabouli Salad

2 CUPS QUINOA- 626 cal/cup UNcooked) X 2 = 1252 AKES 10 CUPS SO= 125CAL A CUP OF COOKED QUINOA
7-8 TBSP OF  EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL 1 TBSP = 120 CAL  X 8 = 960 CAL
3 TBSP OF FRESH LEMON JUICE
2-3 CLOVES OF MINCED GARLIC- 1 CLOVE - 4 CAL X 3=12 CAL
1/2 BUNCH CHOPPED PARSLEY = 22 -+ CAL
1/2 BUNCH  CHOPPED CILANTRO = 16 -+ CAL 
1/2 CUP CRANBERRIES (DRIED) - 1.4 CUP = 293  CAL X 2  = 585
1/4 CUP ALMONDS -1/4 CUP= 98 CAL - X 2 = 98 CAL
2 CUPS CUCUMBER (GOOD FOR BULKING)=1 CUP -16 CAL X 2=32 CAL
SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

ABOVE MAKES 10 CUPS
TOTAL CALORIES=  2,977  DIVIDE BY TEN CUPS = 297-300/ CAL CUP.
TIP TO LOWER CAL PER CUP ADD ONE MORE CUCUMBER TO BULK IT  EVEN MORE.

PREPARATION

1. COOK QUINOA LIKE YOU WOULD RICE,.1 QUINOA TO 1.25 H2O RATIO.  DO NOT OVERCOOK
2 IN A BOWL WHEN QUINOA COOLED DOWN, ADD  PARSLEY, CILANTRO, CRANBERRIES AND SLICED ALMONDS
3. ON A SEPARATE BOWL,PREPARE DRESSING BY MIXING WITH A SLIGHT WISK  OLIVE OIL, LEMON JUICE. ADD SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE.
4. POUR DRESSING UNTO NO. 2 AND MIX GENTLY.

I SPENT THE WHOLE  MORNING MEASURING AND COMPUTING CALORIES BASED ON AN ALREADY ESTABLISHED VALUES AS I AM NOT A NUTRITIONIST

LET'S MAKE THAT CLEAR BUT HAVE BASED THIS NUMBER ON LIVESTRONG.COM APP ON MY IPHONE.

10-22-2011 Breakfast

Today I start with my "Awareness Eating" for those who are afraid of these two words "calorie counting.". To help me through this process, I purchased an app by "livestrong.com" on my iPhone and Nike+GPS .

Livestrong app has a wide variety of food list and their caloric value and tracks your daily consumption. you set your goals and it tells you how much more you may and can consume each day. Fantastic app.
Nike+gps tracks your exercise and gives you an estimate of how much calories you burned of course based on your height weight and type of exercise. You can then input this into your "Livestrong app"

That's basically how I do it and how I intend to go about loosing the approx 15-20 lbs I had gained back during some very stressful times.

BREAKFAST

Mini Thin wheat- 2 servings = 50 cal each= 100 cal
2 slices of bacon (microwaved then paper toweled the remaining fat) 129 cal each
2 teaspoon of Mayonnaise (yes mayonnaise) 15 each= 30 cal
2 Teaspoon del Monte sweet pickle relish approx 6.5 cal each= 13 cal
Greens, tomato and onion - negligible- like2 cal each

BREAKFAST TOTAL = 272 Cal and I'm full . Abnove made two mini sandwiches, like a bacon slider

All these can be calculated for you by your Livestrong app or any calorie counter you would prefer

I had two of this , very filling especially with lots of "filler fibers greens.

FYI'S

PREMIUN SLICED BACON- RALEY'S

SANDWICH THINS (50 CALORIE A PAIR) - OROWHEAT

MAYONNAISE - BEST FOOD

SWEET PICKLE RELISH - DEL MONTE

JALAPENO SLICES- MT- OLIVE

FINDING YOUR PRODUCTS THAT SUIT YOUR TASTE BUDS IS A KEY TO ENJOYING THIS EATING HABITS.

BE CREATIVE

(I try to spice it up a little with either sliced jalapeno peppers or with a dsah of cayenne pepper)

BEFORE AND NOW

This blog is dedicated to my journey from size 44" waistline at 237 lbs to 34 at 178 lbs. me standing at 5'9" tall.

My first memory of wanting to loose weight was in high school 2nd year specifically. Probably that was when I started to notice the difference between my body and the other boys in school ( I went to an all boys High School) and since then I had began the never ending diet's short successes and pound adding failures.

Buh - live me I have tried EVERYTHING. I lost a total of 60 lbs with Hi protein diet, but gained it all back, plus a few more as rapidly as I lost it, starvation, drugs, (the time when diet drugs were legal and available over the counter.  I mean, I remember my brother-in-law Frank V giving me a whole  sample flat of different bi-phetamines capsules,  but then again same bad bad results to sum it up see-saw..lost gain.. The story of my life for the next 35 years with the on-off  of the hi-protien diets.

2 years back, at an age when it is harder to loose weight as I did back in high school, I have come to be not afraid of carbohydrates ,even sugars, have elimninated completely Cola's diet and regular, but  rather more believing in a healthy well balanced diet, exercise and lots of water, 8 - 10 glasses or more (depends on your dialy activities) a day. Whatever you eat and do not  use/burn you store in your body as FAT. Simple as that. You really have to understand and believe this process and bodily funciton...

As much as you may complain and listen to what  commercially motivated, easy no exercise, faddish  diet gurus, gadgets pushers would say that this particular  method is cumbersome and hard to follow (which I believed for the longest time) CALORIE COUNTING is not that bad.  One can be an expert or get use to it quite easily, It really does make you aware of what you put in your mouth. the saying  "YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT " couldn't  be more true.After I started my calorie counting I realized how I gained and became so obese before. And there are gadgets to assist you with this process.

So here I am , I recently lost 50 lbs achieved through watching my food intake and exercise which  I have maintained for  almost a year and a half. But, as it is not a perfect world, I  have gained 15 -20 lbs back, but not feeling defeated when you do then you will be.

I decided to start this blog so that I may share (loosing the 15-20 lbs) with others with the hope that by sharing, could motivate me to be serious and focus as I MAY have an audience that I will have answer to.

In this blog I will share what I eat with photos , sources and recipes , my exercise regime. my failures (hope not) and my successes (cross fingers)  kidding but yes, I will (as Gloria G would  say it, i guess that's a little dated ) "I will survive "and succeed!!.


Here are a few photos I found of my before and After through the years...

1998 at 239 lbs

2005 at 225 lbs

                                                                
                                                                   2007 at almost 240 lbs

                                                                         2008 at 2010 lbs

                                                                        2011 at 178 lbs

                                                                     2011 at 280

2010 - 175 lbs