the biggest loser 12:52 AM

Yesterday morning, my first Monday back at the office after my Bangkok training, I stepped on the weighing scale--and encountered the biggest surprise so far this week. My weight is now down to 90 lbs!

Before I left for Bangkok, I was at 94 lbs. Still within my ideal weight range and relatively healthy, in spite of the lack of exercise I've had the past couple of weeks. I managed to do an hour of boxing and 500 crunches the day before I left for Thailand, but I don't think that's the real reason I lost so much weight.

It must have been all that walking around the city of Bangkok and the healthy Thai food that I ate most of the time. No wonder Thai women are so skinny. They hardly put on weight even if they're fond of Swensen's ice-cream cakes. The spice in their food probably does wonders to their bodies. This is one of the reasons I love Thailand!

Anyway. While munching on salad greens over lunch on Monday, the girls in our fundraising and sales teams have made this blood compact of sorts to shed off 10 pounds within a month's time--in the form of a contest. The biggest "loser" every end of the week is considered to be the person who has lost the most weight in terms of percentage loss (e.g. 5 lbs lost out of the expected overall goal of 10 lbs for example would results in a 50% weight loss) and exempted from giving a weekly Php 50 penalty. By the end of one month, the overall winner will receive the whole pot of money. It was an exciting challenge and opportunity for everyone in our team to lose weight.

Can I join??? I asked excitedly.

And all six teammates turned to give me their most withering stares.

"You are exempted from joining! And Reggie too!" Tintin declared vehemently. Apparently, they have made the collective decision to ban Reggie and me because us two were considered to be stick thin already. Daaa-yum. I would have loved the challenge, but then come to think of it, I didn't need to lose weight.

Tricia is currently on a fruit diet, so she set her weight loss goal at 8 lbs while the other five decided on losing 10 lbs. Pam announced that she wasn't joining, as dieting wasn't her thing--and I had to agree with her on that. I mean, for the life of me, I could never imagine myself going on a fruit diet. I had a big bowl of hot and spicy Mongolian food that Monday lunch, plus my 290-calorie Starbucks Caffe Mocha, and I wasn't about to give that all up. Besides, I needed the carbs to burn for boxing and running.

Because I was banned from the, er, Biggest Loser competition, I was appointed judge. Today, Tuesday morning, would be the start of the contest, and just like in a pre-boxing match, I had to weigh in all six participants and note down all their respective stats. And then I would have to weigh them every Friday, for the next 4 weeks. The weighing scale to be used would be, of course, the one located right in my work area.

I am seriously psyched for my teammates. Who's going to be the biggest loser, I wonder??

the vain post 11:43 AM

There are just some things I'm grateful for.

Like the fact that even if I've had zero exercise this week, I haven't gained any pounds. I was a little hesitant to step on the scale this afternoon because I knew I had been eating, with total abandon, the following food for the past few days:

two big helpings of Ado's pancit (the best pancit ever!)
two chunks of puto with red egg
three big helpings of Amber's pancit Malabon
countless Belgian chocolate biscuits
a huge slice of rhum cake
McDonald's Double Cheeseburger meal with twister fries and Coke Light float
1/4 of a McDonald's BigMac (while I was eating my Double Cheeseburger)
one big single bowl of Mongolian food
Hungarian sausage with egg and cheese sandwich
more pancit guisado with kakanin (our office had a slew of birthday celebrations this week)
another Hungarian sausage with egg and cheese sandwich + grande cup of cold milk from Starbucks
ground beef burrito with extra sidings of nachos and salsa from Mexicali
Cheetos!
beef siomai
Korean beef with rice
countless helpings of Ruffles potato chips, that sinful Oishi chocolate sponge snack, more potato chips and some chocolate chip cookies during poker with friends

Was surprised to find out that I'm still at 92 to 93 pounds, which is acceptable for my built. Hooray!

I really love to eat and go on zero diets, but the eating should be countered by exercise--which I haven't done at all this week. Can't be too complacent, so I'm heading to the boxing gym in two hours.

weighty matters 11:51 AM

I haven't done any practice running since last Sunday's Condura race. My body still feels slightly beaten up, and it's funny how the simple act of climbing up and down the stairs can be such a Herculean struggle for me. My sore legs have been silently screaming in pain.

But I miss running already--and it's only been three whole days! Hopefully I can start again this weekend. Just some maintenance runs, as I'm not joining any race soon.

And speaking of maintenance, I've been checking my weight regularly, as I am wont to do. In fact, I weigh myself everyday. There's a weighing scale in my cubicle area, and everyday, I insist on stepping onto that scale and facing the truth head-on. And much to their chagrin, my teammates find themselves following my obsessive- compulsive daily habit and doing some weight monitoring as well. The scale has become slightly dirty already because it's now becoming the "timbangan ng bayan", with colleagues from the other sections/departments stopping by my area to check their weight (and some don't even bother to remove their shoes).

Anyway. I'm now at 96 lbs. Normally, I would have been worried going over my self-imposed 95-lb. mark. But people have been telling me these days that I look too thin for my own good, and I have to say that I quite agree with them. My face looks way thinner now, like I've taken a fistful of Bangkok pills or something.

It's not my fault, people! I don't even starve myself. I'm just thin. Not bombshell-with-killer-abs thin. More of stick thin. Or waifish thin--which sounds like a prettier term. I don't like dieting or depriving myself of the good stuff--although I know how to nip unreasonable cravings in the bud (like lechon in the middle of the night, for example).

But because I look unhealthily thin lately (probably because of the regular running and the work-related stress), I've been allowing myself some nice treats after the Condura Run. Here's a run-down:

SUNDAY AFTERNOON
two doughnuts
McDonald's Monster Coke Light Float (the best thing ever)
stolen piece of Stuffins from my younger sister's stash
sizzling pork sisig from Aling Lucing

MONDAY
Starbucks coffee
McDonald's cheeseburger meal with a Monster Coke Light Float

TUESDAY
a few snack-size chocolates
Starbucks coffee
Hershey's Chillz Shake from Mini Stop

WEDNESDAY
2 Reese's peanut butter cups (at 10 am!!)
my lunch at Mexicali: jalapeno & cheese quesadilla, cup of shrimp bisque soup, and a side order of nachos & salsa (All of that was mine, and mine alone. Okay, so maybe Randy took like 4 nacho chips, tops.)
Starbucks coffee
cream cheese on choco-chip bagel w/ peach & lychee fruit shake


All those carbs and an entire food group called chocolate. And I'm still at 96! And, my face isn't getting any fatter. I know I shouldn't complain, because I have what most people would call a happy problem. But I hate looking like I'm on a 5-crackers-a-day diet when I've been stuffing myself silly all this time.

Maybe I should go on a pork binge. Hmmmmm.

Into each life, a little coffee must fall 2:02 PM

After boxing this morning, I treated myself to a nice cup of Starbucks coffee.

I cannot survive without coffee. Anyone who knows me can pretty much say that coffee is in my bloodstream. I have it everyday after lunch. My body literally slumps when I go without caffeine--but this happens only on exceptional occasions (like when I'm traveling for hours or when my hyperacidity is really acting up).

Most of the time, Starbucks is the coffee of my choice, but on days when I'm making tipid, I am content to buy a large cup of cappuccino from the nearest 7-Eleven (which costs an amazing 55 bucks only and came highly recommended by officemates).

Every day during the Christmas season, I get my favorite: grande hot Toffee Nut Latte, nonfat, still with whip. While the presence of whipped cream may negate the effects of choosing the healthier option that is nonfat milk, I can at least enjoy my coffee with less guilt. Besides, I've tried a nonfat, no whip version of Toffee Nut Latte, and it wasn't that great.

But because Toffee Nut Latte is a seasonal drink, this is what I usually have for the rest of the year:


Isn't this chart thing-y cool? (Of course it won't be so cool for some people to discover the actual calorie content of their grande mocha frappuccino with whole milk and whipped cream.)

I go to Starbucks' website to check out the nutrional info of the beverages whenever I'm in the mood to try something new. Depending on the supplies used to create the beverages, the calorie count may differ slightly from country to country--but at least you have a general idea how many calories you're packing in for every drink of Starbucks coffee you take. This nifty little calculation tool helps eliminate the guesswork while you're customizing your beverage.

And it also helps that Starbucks baristas are willing to supply you with the nutrional information of the in-store food they serve. I guess some people might think I'm being anal for calorie counting, but, well, that's my thing.

Just to put a little variety in my coffee drinking, I trade the usual Caffe Mocha for either of these two:


Interestingly enough, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's vanilla latte concoction is really yummy and--I have to say--much better than Starbucks' version. (Aside: So when you're in Coffee Bean, try the vanilla latte with the chocolate muffin. Oh. My. God. Heaven.)

I can't imagine life before espresso coffee. Of course, in my younger years, before Starbucks and other cafe stores took the country by storm, people drank 3-in-1 if there wasn't brewed coffee available. Never liked 3-in-1 even back then--I think my taste buds were developed at an early stage to savor only real coffee. Hahaha.

Just so you know, I have a gag reflex when it comes to 3-in-1. So if anyone wants to torture me, just tie me up and force 3-in-1 coffee down my throat. It'll work! I'll confess to anything!

The benefits of getting sick?

I get to lose weight. I am now at 93 pounds.

Which means I can binge more than the usual and have Yellow Cab pizza (with its oily, garlicky, buttery sauce) and chocolate this week. Because it's relatively easy for me to lose and gain a few pounds, I can afford to binge. I'm burning those extra calories anyway in my next workout. Don't think I'll ever have killer abs in the near future, but at least I get to have my precious snacks.

The downside to getting sick? (Aside from, well, getting sick.)

I am forced to stay home, chewing my nails in agitation, because of the haunting certainty that there's a ton of work to be done. I've been like this since Wednesday. Even checked my office mail while in bed with fever. Heck, I even wrote on this blog.

When I had to go on a forced one-month leave in 2007 for my ovarian cyst operation, I couldn't stop calling the office a week after the surgery, checking on the progress of my direct mail campaign.

So what if I'm a workaholic?

Just found out this morning that my site visit to Camarines Norte is pushing through this Monday to Thursday. Being the obsessive-compulsive, guilt-ridden person that I am, I couldn't simply stay at home (in spite of my weakened state) and let my officemate Tintin do all the travel arrangements in my behalf. So when I felt somewhat better, I ran out of the house at 5 pm and was in UNICEF in fifteen minutes. Worked--happily, I must say--until 10:30 pm.

I am a complete failure in the work-life balance department.

boxing vs. running 11:56 PM

I checked my weight this morning and was deliriously happy to see that I've gone down from 96 pounds to 94. Yes! (two punches in the air)

Before the inevitable food binge last Christmas, I was at 93/94. Then Christmas came, and I totally forgot there was such a thing as exercise. I started snacking on a lot of chocolate every day during the break. Well, the chocolate didn't mercifully disappear, and instead, decidedly announced its presence through a weight gain of 2 pounds.

I should be grateful. Other people put in more pounds than that during the holiday season. But after two 5K races and Pilates now and then, those crummy 2 pounds simply didn't want to go away, damnit.

But after a dry spell in running for the past few weeks, I decided to put my energy into boxing once more--and lost the 2 pounds.


Boxing

I have this theory. My weight loss isn't as dramatic and effortless as it used to be because for medical, post cyst-removal reasons, I've been advised by my ob gyne to cut down on boxing (and even reduce my 10K running back to 5K). *sob* It must be the scar tissue. I exercised way too soon after the operation, and the scar didn't heal as quickly as it should have.

Anyway, my theory is that running doesn't give me that much-needed weight loss as compared to boxing. Don't get me wrong. I love running, but boxing lets me sweat buckets and lose pounds faster. It's useless to prettify yourself before stepping out into the ring or training floor because you end up looking like a heavily sweating Coke bottle under the noonday sun afterwards. Or like a human condom, to be more exact. Nobody can sweat and still manage to look passably attractive inside a boxing gym that has only one ceiling fan and open windows for ventilation. A person has better chances of hooking up with someone in uber slick, uber air-conditioned Fitness First.

After several rounds of struggling to deliver the dizzying number of punch combinations I am required to make (with my trainer Kuya Mong in angry-face mode, screaming out the combos and throwing a soft punch to my rib now and then as a warning for me to keep up), I am usually made to position myself on a mat to begin the cool-down exercises.

Which is a ridiculous term, really.

There's nothing so 'cool-down' about 100-150 crunches after a hard boxing session. Boxing is so old school: the trainer works you up into a sweat in the ring, and then tells you to get down on the floor and counts matter-of-factly as you deliver--humbly and minion-like--all those crunches. And that's that. None of those extra fancy Pilates movements which Mong dismisses with a snort.

By the time I'm done with my morning boxing workout, I am ready to hit the sack. While I'm allowed to eat anything I like after boxing (Kuya Mong even recommends, in a very businesslike tone, the inclusion of both rice and beans in my post-workout meal), I usually don't have the energy to eat. I just stagger home, grunt a hello to my mom, shower, and collapse onto my bed. When I wake up several hours later, I am happy to have a light-to-medium sized meal and my afternoon cup of coffee.

This twice-a-week exercise routine can certainly explain the loss of 16 pounds and shrinking of my tummy. Boxing really works, and I'd encourage anyone to try it. At the risk of sounding like an infomercial for slimming products, I can pretty much attest that in a few months' time, you'll get the results you want, and you won't gain back easily the weight you worked so hard to lose. I've been boxing for more than a year now, and I have the freedom to eat whatever I want without worrying about gaining 5 or more pounds. Gaining 2 or 3 pounds, in my case (without being smug or boastful), is as extreme as it can get.


Running

While boxing lets you expel energy in, er, spurts, as you punch, running is just one continuous stretch of torture. Which makes it exciting and terrifying at the same time.

I don't box to compete because the vain part of me doesn't want to get all bloody and beaten up (a bruised rib for two weeks was enough to convince me that I had no career as a boxing athlete). But in running, well, one is forced to compete--whether it's against one's last personal record, or PR (your best time at a given distance) or against the rest of the crowd in an organized race.

Personally, running is a pride thing. I certainly don't want to end up last in a race. And the scary possibility of being the last is enough to push me to continue running--lungs bursting and all--and finish decently. I got hooked into running, thanks to my officemate Cecil, just last October and I've joined a couple of fun runs (5K and 10K) since then. I wouldn't consider myself fast because, well, I currently run at a trailblazing speed of 7:26 per km--harhar. Obviously, I'm a beginner at this sport, and I just need to work on improving my pace. If I could attain a sub 7 pace this February, I'd be really, really pleased.

Like boxing, running is a humbling exercise. There is a great pride in finishing the race, certainly, but it's the feeling of humility that's dominant within me during a run. As I go through that agonizing stretch of road and forcing, ALWAYS forcing myself not to stop running--I can really feel how utterly human I am: the pools of sweat rolling down my back and arms, each expelled breath coming out as a measured gasp, the constant physical upper body ache (never the legs, strangely enough), and worst of all, the uncomfortable slight throbbing of my scar in the pelvic area (how very Harry Potter-like but not as glorious).

With nothing but the road before you and the playlist on your iPod to keep you going, you spend a good 30 minutes to an hour (depending on your race distance) keenly undergoing a masochistic immersion into physical pain. But the bad feeling disappears when you see the finish line in sight, and you hear people cheering, and then you suddenly obtain that extra rush of adrenalin that gets you to the end of the race. And it's all natural euphoria after that.

No wonder some people liken running to a love-hate relationship.

There are bad running days sometimes--days when I honestly can't reach the finish line without stopping to walk in some parts (and I curse myself vehemently for stopping). Everyone has days like those. But there are also blissful race days when I just run and run--mentally willing myself to ignore the side stitches, the dry throat, the perennial throbbing of the scar--and keep on running until I cross the finish line. Some people talk to their injured knees or shins while they run; I talk to my scar and ask it to let me finish the race without stopping to walk.

It's an insane sport in that sense, luring stubborn people like me to run even when the doctors advise against it. The scar pain IS troublesome, I admit, and as a means of meeting my ob gyne halfway and appeasing her wrath, I've demoted myself back to 5K. Which I'm perfectly happy to do, because 10K is simply grueling and I honestly think I'm not good enough for that race distance. Yet.

You would think, after my description of the pain and sweat encountered in running, that one 5K race would at least make you lose, like, 5 pounds immediately. Sadly, this isn't the case (unless you have incredible superhuman metabolism), and just like boxing, there are no shortcuts. One has to run regularly to eventually lose pounds and achieve toned muscles.

But in my case, I've noticed that I don't lose as much weight in running as compared to boxing. Oops.

I'm pretty sure it's because of the delicious meal that awaits me after each and every race. You can't help it; you NEED to eat after all that continuous running. I'm not a breakfast person at all, but after every race, that plate of garlic rice with beef tapa and/or fish that the waiter places in front of me is wiped clean in 7 minutes.

So in order to offset all that carbo loading, I gotta run more regularly. If my work schedule would have allowed me, I'd attend proper (and free!) running lessons at Coach Rio's Nike Running Training Clinic in ULTRA every night. Unfortunately, ULTRA's too far and I always do overtime at the office. Sigh. My newfound friend and fellow race runner Lara (who's a runner since high school) is a participant in that clinic though, and the training is totally boosting her running performance these days. I'm sure she'll place in the top three in a 5K run this 2009.

As I have no ambitions in winning a medal for running, recreational running is just fine with me, thank you. It's a great complementary training activity to my boxing and Pilates, and an excellent sport for increasing endurance and mental willpower.

But being the restless creature that I am, I'm not going to stick to just three sports activities. I want to take up--very soon, I hope--spinning. Spinning! Whee! I haven't even started, and I'm excited already.


PS. After reading through what I've just written, I just thought, mehn, this blog entry's long. Hope I didn't bore anyone who happened to chance upon this blog with my lengthy descriptions of pain. Whoever you may be, kind reader, feel free to stop reading whenever you see the words "sweat" or "throbbing scar" in this little blog.

Legaspi Park 8:34 PM

A picked me up from work earlier this evening (yes, we still see each other regularly), and invited me at the last minute to run tonight.

Drat. I've been wanting to run for the past few days, but work has kept me busy. Now that I'm able to get out of the office early (8 pm is already early by my standards), my body isn't conditioned to run. Woke up this morning with aching bones and a generally unwell feeling. Oh no. Hope i don't come down with the flu or something.

So here I am, sitting inside A's parked car, typing this entry while he does a 25-minute jog/run around Legaspi Park. I haven't run in this place before, and to my surprise, it's full of people at this hour. I suppose it's a convenient park for running and walking after office hours since it's situated in the middle of office buildings.

Legaspi Park is bigger compared to Salcedo Park (where I do practice runs at night during weekdays), with the former having a nice little uphill path for a bit of running challenge. But the path in Legaspi Park is narrow, and one has to overtake and weave his way through the little groups of people leisurely walking so as not to break the running momentum. But I'll definitely give the place a try one of these days.

While I'm currently doing weight maintenance and improving my pace, A is trying to lose weight in a major way. He intends to lose 20 pounds, and I'm helping him with his diet (Actually, it's not a diet, as I honestly, honestly don't believe in crash diets. It's simply all about proper eating habits and nutrition. I'm not a nutrition expert, and all I'm saying is that if people researched more about good dieting, they'd be able to slim down AND learn how to eat properly without feeling deprived. But I should stop ranting now.)

My next planned run is on February 15 at SM Mall of Asia, by the bay (if I manage to register on time). The route consists of a fairly even path--unlike Fort Bonifacio's gently sloping terrain--so it should be a relaxing run. Here's hoping my PR gets better!

So what's your resolution? 9:04 PM

Sent this in an email to my officemates last January 13. Hopefully, I'll stick to completing this list by the end of the year. I swear, there's something so satisfying about having a list of goals to accomplish.

What can I say? I'm a list freak.

Dear Friends,

Before leaving the office tonight, I decided to take out my little Moleskine notebook and finally put into writing that much-abused, much-dreaded, and ignored-as-much-as-possible list.

THE. LIST.

In other words, my list of New Year's Resolutions. It's a bit corny and trite, but I think writing down my resolutions for 2009 helps put things in perspective and gets me excited (at least for now). And I realize, if one is going to accomplish a list of New Year's resolutions, these things have to have the following characteristics:
1. must be very exact (read: not as vague as "lose weight")
2. must be realistic (para naman may wonderful sense of accomplishment)
3. must be fun to accomplish!

As you can see, I've had too much coffee, and I'm very much awake, but the caffeine is keeping me all shiny and happy and positive. O diba, para na rin ako nagsulat ng blog entry (which I haven't done in years, and my blog is sadly abandoned and floating somewhere in cyberspace)

I'm sharing my list---and hopefully, one of these days, you can share me yours as well (so that we can check on each other during the year??? harhar)


GINA'S LIST OF 2009 RESOLUTIONS

1. Clean office desk and work area. (This is something I'm really excited about. If I can get my hands on the office paper shredder, this task gets even better.)
2. Maintain weight of at least 95 pounds and below. (O diba, something exact and realistic and fun to accomplish!)
3. Complete my audio French 1 lessons ("Poo-voh-noo noo-sahsz-swa doo-wah?"). So that I can finally move on to Intermediate French after all these years of learning to speak basic French during sporadic fits of diligence. Good God, nakakahiya.
4. Shorten my reading backlog!!!!
5. Buy any or all of the following this year:
- simpler mobile phone unit
- portable external hard drive for my Mac
- point-and-shoot (Maybe a Canon Ixus? At some point in my life, I have to start toting my own little camera instead of asking for copies of those Kodak moments from other people. Basta ganun.)
- keyboard protector for my Mac (to avoid crying over spilt coffee--er, milk--in the future)
6. Regular check-ups with the ob gyne and dentist. For a healthier new me. Anlupeht.
7. Do not sweat the small stuff. I will not kill myself over the things that are not worth worrying about. The Lord will always provide.
8. Get the latest edition of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. And then, from that list of 1001 books, do the following:
- count how many I've read
- identify and enumerate the books I haven't read and REALLY NEED to read before I die
9. Be guided by the Donor Communication Plan--even if it's a running plan.


I didn't put "fall in love" or "be nicer to the people I don't like" in this list. Because unlike getting an A in a history test, you can't force these things to happen. Hahaha. =P


Gina
1:33 am
Time remaining for Rakrakan DVD burning process to be completed: 4 hours & 21 minutes (I will not sweat the small stuff, I will not sweat the small stuff)

Well, as of today, I've managed to complete Resolution #1. Meet my shiny, newly-cleaned desk:

I am SO proud. A few months' back, that desk looked like a rat hole. And the way the books used to be piled up on the table was such a deplorable sight.

For someone who works at her desk 10-12 hours a weekday, that table has to contain all the creature comforts that will make the job more enjoyable. In my case, it's a tiny corner of books, a 1997 Manuel Baldemor painting, my Mac and Moleskine notebook which are with me everywhere I go, my daily after-lunch grande cup of Starbucks Coffee, and a nice bottle of wine (which is currently the recipient of many greedy looks from my male officemates).

I have big plans for that bottle of wine. There's this scenario in my head: in case of a major earthquake, and I happen to be stuck in the office, that bottle of wine will keep me alive for days--and weeks perhaps--while I wait to be extracted from the rubble.

Provided that the bottle doesn't shatter of course when the earthquake occurs.

Resolution #2: Working on this. I currently weigh 96 pounds and I need to bring it down to 95 or less. Of course, I get the usual withering looks and rolling-of-eyes from friends and officemates who think I'm being anorexic because of such "unnecessary" weight obsession--but if you have reached 110 pounds (and I DID look fat at 110 pounds, I SWEAR), you would NEVER want to return to that kind of weight status again. Just to let you know, my height is 5'0", so 110 pounds isn't exactly proportional to that height.

Resolution #8: I bought a copy of the book, but I haven't gotten around to identifying which books to read.

Resolution #5b: The geek in me is so excited to buy a portable HD for Carlos (that's the name of my Mac; I named him after the guy in Senco Link who does an excellent job in repairing and upgrading my Mac). Senco has really good service, by the way. Highly recommended Mac service provider.

So anyway, back to the thrilling notion of purchasing a portable back-up drive: upon the recommendation of the IT guys in my office, I have decided to get a Western Digital My Passport Studio 320GB Portable Hard Drive.

My God, doesn't it absolutely make you pant in desire?

Alas, the price of a 500GB model of WD My Passport Studio is too steep for me, so I will just settle for the 320GB option (approximately Php 7,600--not altogether bad!). I prefer this to the Seagate Free Agent Go 500GB, which doesn't have a FireWire port. Yup, WD My Passport Studio is the way to go.