My fitness Journey (How I lose 8Kg)

If you have been following me here since forever, you’ll see and understand my struggles and joy about my weight loss journey. I have been trying so hard to lose weight since 2016 – but it was just a futile attempt because I wasn’t doing it right. I had a bad practice, a wrong pattern and I lack discipline!

My sister's wedding 2016

I was on my biggest and heaviest on my sister’s wedding – 2016!  And I couldn’t even post a picture of me during the wedding coz I feel so bad about myself. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to offend the plus size people, my point here is how I see myself back then and how it was affecting my being.

April 2017
(Look how big I was back then. I guess I was at 65kg or so?) 

May 2017

August 2017

August 2017

My weight loss journey is a trial and error slash a yoyo journey. I mean, I will lose a kilo but will gain double! It’s kinda frustrating and depressing and it’s affecting me bigtime – it’s affecting my health and the way I see myself. I hate it when people will greet me with “Oi, ang taba mo na!” or ”Parang tumataba ka, friend!” . I tried to smile and answer them back with “Kasi may pangkain na ko” or “ok lang, pretty pa rin kahit chubby”.  But honestly, these words hurt – a lot! But, can I blame them? No. That’s how they see me however, it would be nice if they will just say hi and hello and how are you doing, don’t you agree?

I think I have already hit the rock bottom and I don’t want to stay that way. I need to do my part. And the 2 most important steps to reach my goals are self love and self discipline. I know, this sounds cliché, but believe me, those two, plays a huge role in my fitness journey + of course, the things I tried - like food and exercises to achieve this. 

March 2018

June 2018

I lose a few kilo - from 63kg++ (138.89 lbs)  to 55kg (121.25lbs), that’s a huge leap, right? But losing 8kg isn’t  an overnight success. I had to wait and watch my eating habits to see the result. Before we continue, please remember that I am writing this down not to brag how much weight I’ve lost, but to encourage you how to meet your target weight without forcing yourself too much.

Self Love – Know and believe that you are beautiful. You’re not defined by your weight. You are beautiful because you are fearfully and wonderfully made and that’s a fact. If you know and you believe that you are beautiful, then you’ll start to appreciate yourself more and you’ll definitely take good care of your body and your health.  

Self Discipline – This one’s hard. It’s a tug-of-war. I didn’t reach my goal several times, because I lack self disciple. By nature, we are easily tempted – to eat, to slack off, to procrastinate, and it takes a lot of courage not to be tempted, especially when you see food. You may also be tempted not to exercise and just spend your time watching the TV while munching on some chips! (confession: I still do this, sometimes. Hush!) Get up, girl. You can do it. Once you’ve practice self discipline or self control, your choices will no longer be dictated by impulses or feelings. You can easily say no to cravings and laziness. 

Now, here are some tips that I want to share with you:

1.     Start small and set your own goal – Since we have different body type, habits and preferences, you need to set your own goal and make it realistic. Before starting my fitness journey, I read some articles about weight loss, checked and used some tools to measure my ideal body weight. I tried healthy pinoy to know my ideal body weight and daily calorie requirements. I started at 63kg or more, my goal is to lose at least a kilo in 2 months – yes, this isn’t much, but that target is doable. And because I hit the target, I got more inspired to take it seriously. Then my office mates started to see the changes, not me. And hearing this magic word “Uy, pumapayat ka” is one of the best encouragements! Thank you, friends!

2.     Be active – Bob inspired me to run every Sunday night – like a couple of hours or so, for 3 months! Then, I tried running along Ayala Triangle after work (for an hr.), twice a week. I attended few Zumba classes + running clinic – courtesy of CWT, few badminton sesh and instead of taking a cab or riding a jeepney, I sometimes opt to walk from the office going home. You don’t really need to do that, but mind you, brisk walking also helps!  These activities majorly pushed me out of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed immensely! If you’re comfy to join a gym class, go ahead. Just make sure that you’re not doing it for IG purposes only. You can run or walk at the park, you’ll free your mind while shaking that flabs out! I stopped running by the way, but I still walk if I have a chance to do so. You can also take note of your steps per day.

3.     Eat right – I really don’t have a specific diet plan, but I see to it that I am eating right. Alright, I started eating nilagang saging and egg and crackers and lemon-infused water + chia seeds. But, I found it boring and dull. I mean who wants to eat banana and egg for a long time? And honestly, I don’t think that I am getting enough nutrients. So I started shifting to another plan – less rice or no rice on weekdays. And it works for me - I had the same meal plan as of this post. I still eat rice, but half a cup will do. Yes, I still eat meat, but more on chicken meat, less pork. I also learned that you will truly lose weight if you stop eating processed foods, prepackaged foods, and fast food!

Let me share with you few of the things I've tried. **Disclaimer: This isnt a paid post**

1. Herbalife - I tried their aloe drink (mango flavor), shake and tea. I would say that this really works esp the aloe shot. Tried this for a month or so, but I am not being consistent, I know and I'm sorry. 😊😅

2. Green Tea - Thanks, CWT for the freshly brewed tea every morning. Instead of drinking coffee, I switch to drinking green tea. It's free and healthy, why not? 

3. Diet Meal from The Good Food Manila - Bob ordered me a week of healthy meal with 1500Kcal. He paid Php2,296.80 for a Plant Based + Fish meal for a week. It's kinda expensive but worth it. 

See sample meal below: 

Brown Rice with Tofu and Spinach

Sweet Potato with Mushroom &Yogurt + few chunks of fish

4. Lots of water! 

Annnnnd, because I dont want to spend that much in food (sorry, my frugal spirit kicks in!) I started making my own food – like this overnight oats (rolled oats, chia seeds, yogurt, fresh milk and mango). This is yum and easy to prepare. 

I still eat donuts and cookies coz I so love them, but of course I am now well aware and conscious about my health. I just don’t deprive myself from eating these guilty pleasures.

My Very Own Chia-Mango-Oats Pudding

I stopped drinking soda and replaced it with water (lemon water, chia water, lemon-cucumber, plain water). I found out that drinking enough water will really help you lose weight and it flushes the toxins out. I still drink coffee but not as much as I do before. yay! 😇

Whilst doing these simple steps, I then noticed that I am no longer forcing myself to go through motions. I learned that it’s about making good choices, be it on movements and nutrition. I am not a slave to counting calories or depriving myself from eating what I want. But, I noticed that my cravings has changed too – French fries vs. Salmon! Hahaha J

August 2018

I may not have the best weight loss story, but still, I want to share my journey to remind you that weight loss is indeed a journey – it’s a long process. There may be short cuts, but there might be consequences too.

Today, I’m 8kg lighter than I was when I started my weight loss journey. No diet pill or fad diet, but more of a DIY program. I was a hopeless girl with low self-esteem, trapped beneath large t-shirt and leggings and desperate to lose weight to just be normal. I had no idea that it would turn into a journey of self love, discipline, freedom, and finding joy.

Just remember: Starvation ≠ weight loss.  Don’t starve yourself. Never! 

This year, my goal is to tone my body - because as we lose weight, the skin under our arms,neck and chin becomes loose and sag. I am happy with my body now and I want to take good care of it - not just to look good, but to ensure that I have a healthy body + sound mind and a confident spirit. 

December2018

You can do this! Start right now! Then share your story with us. 😙😍😙

Ash 🖤🖤🖤