First Four Days of January

*** another photo-studded post ***

Recapping the first four days of my 2012...



Day 93
01 January 2012

As early as 11:30pm of 31 December 2011, us siblings were already out of the house to check out the fireworks put off by some of the people in the neighborhood. We don't really spend on firecrackers / fireworks, so we just got contented seeing the wonderful display up in the sky.

By midnight, neighbors came out to join the celebration - jumping, shouting, making all the noises one could possibly do. Our Canadian visitor Siegy was culture shocked to say the least, but he did enjoy taking videos of the fireworks and us going crazy.

Around 1am, it was time for Siegy and his fiancee to return to their hotel, and since it was my cousin's husband whose driving the car and he would return the car here at our place, most of them decided to come and go on a road trip. It was just us siblings and our cousin Jayson left at home - something we all laughed about; our parents were out at the wee hours, while us kids were at home. Times have turned upside down all of a sudden. :) Anyway, Mr. Pipoy and I had a nice talk - we just had an argument that afternoon 'til early night time - it was great to resolve issues and welcome the new year on a clean slate.


Come afternoon til dinner time, us close neighbors did our annual holiday party. Though we've been doing this since 2007, this year's party was sort of hazy to the point that all of us were wondering if this would push through or not. Well, since the neighborhood kids wanted to have a party, we just brought out certain dishes and played parlor games. The kids had a great time playing the games, but I guess it was us adults who enjoyed it more - taking pleasure on the feelings of being a child again. Us family participated in certain games... and all of us won! Mom got the biggest price - p100 (a little over 2USD), while us siblings got p20 (a little less than 0.50USD) each. It was my first money for 2012, along with the five p1 coins I got when our neighbor tossed some coins in the air.


I still wasn't able to update my food journal (the little notebook), so like what I did on my last recap, will just talk about the food image I shared.

Today, I had this little blueberry cheesecake and brownies for breakfast (around 9-ish in the morning). My overall food intake today included certain food items I am not supposed to eat - including a lick of Hershey's Reeses ice cream (which is good, I tell you), but considering the amount of food I ate, I think I did good today.



Day 94
02 January 2012

I met up with Mr. Pipoy today!

The last time we met was a few days before Christmas... I miss him so much, so I was over the top happy to be able to see him again. We exchanged gifts - I gave him a book and a little container of Oryspa Meditation Balm (the same one I used for my swollen ankle a few days back), and he gave me a jumping rope and a yoga mat. His gifts were totally unexpected, but I was really touched. He really wanted me to be fit and healthy and have a good quality of life, so he is doing his best to help me achieve my goals.

We also had a talk about re-assessing the fitness plans and goals. Our word was "commitment."

For lunch, we had another Italian food trip - this time eating at Sbarro (Ali Mall). He let me choose my own food, I went for the Penne Carbonara, but I didn't eat the ham slices. We also shared 1/2 slice of the pizza (the big pizza was cut into two; she shared one smaller cut). The other half he let me take home for my sister.

My family now knows about our relationship and my mom was happy about it, even gave me a hug when I told her Mr. Pipoy and I are already in a relationship. Mom was thankful that Mr. Pipoy cares about my welfare and he wishes for us to be together long enough to help and inspire each other.



Day 95
03 January 2012

I decided to go out and walk this morning... I still can't do any of my video workouts because our living room is still full of clutter and that Aunt Bing's family (well just her and her two daughters) are still here. Given the situation, walking is the only thing I could do and today I was happy to cross paths with Andre at Colinas Verdes. She and I are batchmates at the Singles for Christ CLP and we were part of the same household. I am not active in the church org anymore, so it's been so long since I last saw her. It's great to walk with someone and catch up on the old times!




When I got home, I was faced with a question: should I or should I not travel with Aunt Bing, her family, some relatives, as well as Siegy and his fiancee. Looking at the "fitness perspective," it will take out one day of morning walks, but looking at the "living life to the fullest perspective," this trip will allow me to see a new place and spend time with family. I did choose to travel with them, and I was happy with my decision.

I did consult Mr. Pipoy about it and he did allow me to decide. At first I didn't want to travel and just take the time to re-start the video workouts, something he supported. When I told him I will be traveling, he did supported my decision as well. I love his ways of letting me decide and support my decision as well as give his words of wisdom.


Our destination was the Hundred Islands in Alaminos, Pangasinan. This trip has been planned (even before Siegy arrived from Canada), but even if we talked about this trip already, it seemed as is this was an impromptu plan. My Aunt couldn't decide what to do - making us run in circles until we decide on something. At first, they wanted us to stay at a hotel in Lingayen (another town) and just go to Hundred Islands early next morning, but when we were already in Pangasinan, they made the quick decision to just go straight to Hundred Islands and find a hotel to stay at.

While they were roaming around looking for an inn or a transient home, Alfon (the driver) and I were at the car tailgating at them. I told him I have a cousin (dad side; my companions for this trip are my relatives from mom's side) who's working at a hotel there, but I didn't bother sending him a message about this trip. What an awesome, awesome blessing that they entered a good looking building, which seemed to be a good choice of place to stay at, and when Alfon and I went down the car and join them, I was so surprised to see my cousin at the front desk! Talk about universe conspiring to my advantage!

Since he's my cousin and employees have the privilege to give discounts to certain guests), he gave us a wonderful discount that made us grab the deal. Siegy and his fiancee stayed in one room, us 7 relatives (Alfon is the husband of one of my cousins) stayed in one room. The place was more than what we expected it to be.


For dinner, we went at a nearby carinderia (road side restaurant serving already cooked dishes), and they ordered a lot of food! I went to eat one cut of fried chicken (drumstick), two squid rings (adobo), one small beef bistek cut, some milkfish belly, and a sip of my cousin's pinapaitan (a bitter soup made from beef's innards and bile). I also had a can of pineapple juice.




Day 96
04 January 2012

We brought a lot of cooked food at the lodge yesterday, which we didn't eat that dinner because Siegy wanted to eat at a restaurant, so instead of getting the free breakfast included at the room package, I just asked my cousin to serve us coffee because we will just be eating the food we brought. I didn't eat a lot as I know we will be out on an island hopping trip - my tummy might not react well.

Okay... so we went on an island hopping trip. The place is called Hundred Islands, but there were only a few developed islands for tourists to explore - most were little islands. I did enjoy the trip, but I felt time was so short for us to enjoy the experience. Well, I do understand that our Canadian companion was so used to cool / cold weather and being in a tropical country was melting him to say the least, but part of me was hoping he should've at least embraced the new world he's in.


A little over lunch and we're back at the lodge. Honestly, I didn't like the idea of staying inside the "air-conditioned" room during a trip instead of enjoying the outdoors, but like I said, I did understand how Siegy was feeling. Around 4pm, it was time for us to leave, but we did pass by the town of Binmaley to drop off Aunt Bing's husband and two daughters (they live there). I also had the chance to enter the church - first and the last time I was there was when Aunt Bing and Uncle Juaning got married in 1988; I was way too young to appreciate it. Entering the church - saying a little prayer of gratitude as well as taking snapshots made me love my decision of going on this trip more. I thank the heavens for allowing me to make a great decision.


Since our lunch was basically the same as our breakfast (way too many left over food), I didn't eat that much (again). While on the road back to Manila, I remember eating two barbecued chicken feet, which didn't give me much meat to eat... and Siegy did share his pack of cashew nuts, of which I had a few of. We weren't able to make a stop over to eat dinner, and since we dropped off Siegy and his fiancee at their hotel, it was around 10-ish in the evening when we (Alfon, Aunt Bing, cousin Rommel, and I) had dinner: at McDonald's. I went for the Fillet-O-Fish, my first time to try it. It was so delicious and I loved the tartar sauce and the cheese! Although I don't get to eat that often at MickeyD's, having this wonderful option to eat "healthier" was a ray of light.

We got home past 11pm, but I didn't sleep yet; got way too many pictures to transfer!

January Weigh-In

My last post was on January 1; I hoped to update the weight change that day, too, but sharing Internet juice with one desktop, 1 laptop (my Aunt's) and 1 WiFi enabled phone (my sister's), blogging has been one of the things I was having difficulty with, plus the fact that life is sort of getting in the way (not complaining, though... I love my busy life).

It's 05 January now, got 4 days of recap on the way, but let me update my weight first.


* I was so busy I wasn't really able to have a decent solo picture, so I am using this picture with my sister, taken on New Year's Day *

Truth be told, I dread this month's weigh in. I weigh myself twice every month - every 1st and 15th of the month - but after Christmas day, I found myself checking my weight every morning (Dr. Beck said on her book that this is okay) to help me stay on track even if I am slightly slipping off of it.

Since the family didn't have any visitors and we didn't cook that much for Christmas, cake was the only temptation I had (which I grabbed), and one stellar moment happened on 27 December - I saw my weight go down at 199lbs., but after that weigh-in, Aunt Bing and her family arrived, and I just found myself eating more than the usual... and I got a little lazy to exercise.

With that, my weight come January first was:


I was so sleepy and not in the mood that day, that I used my cell phone (didn't bother to check if it was blurry or not). The image wasn't accurate, and I would like to claim that it reads 201lbs. because the red ticker isn't really at the center of 202lbs., but since it's slightly above 91 kilos, my sister suggested I read that as 202lbs., because claiming 201lbs., would make a liar. Mmmmkay then.

From last month's 207lbs., I am down to 202lbs.
A loss of 5 lbs. this month.

Since I saw the scale at 199lbs. a few days before, seeing 202 made me feel bittersweet. Of course, I am super happy with 5lbs., but part of me was thinking - "What if I didn't allow myself to binge?" Truly, the most painful of questions starts with "What If."

I claim 5lbs. as a big victory. Why?

• I still haven't had a drop of soda and juice / iced tea. I do drink Yakult now, but other than that, water and coffee were the only beverages I had.
• I didn't allow myself to drink any alcoholic beverages. Friends and family called me KJ (Kill Joy), but this is my body and my health. I still was able to mingle and party with them on New Year's Day with a glass of water.
• I have had several injuries this month - I had blisters on both of my Achilles' Heels, then I got hit by a motorcycle... putting further delay on my morning walks and video workouts.
• I was too darn lazy and way too emotional this month.

During my first month, I lost 6lbs. and I was very strict on my fitness routines. Despite the dark cloud of December, I managed to lose 5lbs., so I was very happy with it.

02 January, I meet up with Mr. Pipoy and we had a very intimate talk about goals and plan of action. This month, I am targeting to lose 5lbs at least - but of course if I lose more it will be better, if I lose less, then I have to accept it. One thing Mr. Pipoy made clear was the term "commitment." I do recognize how committed he is to me and our partnership as far as weight-loss is concerned, and yes, I do have to be as committed as he is to this. He has given me everything I needed (and more) - motivation, support, love, even fitness materials. I admit December made me feel slightly half-hearted to it, so he just reminded me and sort of gave me a wake up call to help me get back into the zone.

I am currently on "extended vacation" until this weekend because Aunt Bing is still here in our house and I still couldn't do any of my video workouts. Since it's now Thursday and I still have so many things to do (laundry is one of them), I will just let myself do the extra-curricular activities first before I totally immerse myself into the fitness zone.

For the three weeks of January, my goals are:

• To lose at least 5lbs.
• Morning walk / jog every weekday.
  
• Give more focus in toning the arms and thighs.
• Start with the Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred Program"
• Learn how to use the jumping rope.
• Be strict on food intake.
• Cakes / juice / indulging dishes are only allowed when I attend blog events and food trips with friends (but won't truly indulge - a little of each is enough)
  

I have to be strict on myself because I tend to lax if I am not. In November, I was so strict on myself that I lost 13lbs., I want to be as committed as that again.

5 lbs. in three weeks?
I can do this!

I will list my weekly goal on Sunday.

The Last Few Days of 2011

*** picture heavy post ***

Day 89
28 December 2011


Even if my ankle is much, much better now, I still wasn't able to go out and walk in the morning because it rained. Not that heavy, but enough to make one stay home. I still couldn't do any of my video workouts because it would require me to dance / bounce; I might re-injure my ankle.

I decided to just clean my closet and then walk around the market come afternoon.


Unfortunately, I was so lazy to jot down my food, so this whole post wouldn't contain the itemized list of food I ate. For this day's dinner, I had 1/2 cup of rice, 1/3 cup of Ginisang Kangkong and Daing na Bangus.


Day 90
29 December 2011


It was around 1 or 2am when Aunt Bing and her daughters arrived from Pangasinan. Her Candian friend Siegy will be arriving from Canada later tonight, and since they needed to fetch him at the airport, they had to be here early to give them time to rest before going to the airport.

My sleep was interrupted, but I still was able to go out and walk. It felt good to walk again, and seeing the wonderful sights made me thank the heavens for healing my ankle quite quick.


My food wasn't so good today - I remember not eating lunch because our dining area was already full (whenever we have relatives here, us siblings either eat earlier or later than them). I remember eating late lunch / early dinner at around 4:30pm - and I had 1/2 cup of rice and 1/2 cup of Dinengdeng (mostly yard long beans and a few squash slices).


Day 91
30 December 2011




No need to be lazy today; weigh-in is coming in a few days and I had to be in tip-top shape come first day of next month. I walked for 1 hour and 45 minutes today, and I really felt good!

More walking today: brother and I went to the supermarket to buy goods for the New Year's countdown party. Mom and Aunt Bing finally settled the dishes to be served, so to stay away from the hectic check-out lines at the grocery, brother and I had to go early.


When we got home, I immediately prepared to go out again - meeting up with my friend Riveria and another blue board member, Samantha Jones. However, while combing my hair, my mom came to me and talked to me with "Puss in Boots" eyes asking me to cancel my meet-up with pals and just come with Aunt Bing and her family because they wanted to take Siegy and his girlfriend to SM Mall of Asia. Mom told me none of my siblings wanted to come with them (sister left early for the Pizza Hut event - where we were both invited, actually) and I was mom's only hope to tour them around. I couldn't say no to my mom, so I went with them.

It seemed to be a good idea as I was able to see two places related to my past: the Delos Santos Hospital - where I was born and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines - where I studied college.


After picking up Siegy and his girlfriend at the hotel (G Hotel along Roxas Blvd.), we quickly went to SM Mall of Asia. Nothing much to do, really.... Siegy was a little worried about his cash situation and my Aunt wasn't in the mood to roam much (kinda like my mom, really), so after seeing some views, we quickly eat early dinner.


After dinner, Siegy still wanted to roam around - asking us if we wanted to watch a movie or maybe do something else, but my aunt was giving him lotsa reasons not to do so. I did mention about fireworks every weekend nights, so we went to check it first before heading home.

I honestly hoped I just met up with Rivs and Sam then attend the Pizza Hut event, but something good came up from this trip - I became closer to my cousins (we also picked up cousin Rommel on our way to MOA), and I think that was a nice gift; I wasn't close to much of my maternal relatives, at least now I made the first step.


I had quite a heavy breakfast with sis, but I wasn't able to eat lunch because brother and I came home late and I had to fix myself quick for the next trip. For early dinner, we at at Fish & Co. in SM Mall of Asia, and this picture was part of my dinner. Aside from that, I also had another prawn and a cut of chicken (as big as the fish on the left side of the picture) from the second platter we had.

It wasn't enough of food for me. Traveling home, I asked Alfon (the driver - husband of my cousin Roselle) to enter a drive thru so I could buy something to eat. I had the Jollibee hotdog meal - but I didn't eat all of the fries and I gave Alfon my softdrinks cup.


Day 92
31 December 2011


Wasn't able to walk today, and this was such a hectic day for the family. We cleaned the house, re-arranged furniture and decorated the house for tonight's party. We all helped cutting the ingredients and prepare the dishes, and as early as noon time, the star of the table arrived: the lechon. In my 31 years of existence, this was the first time we've had one whole roasted pig on our table, and as much as I wanted to attack it and indulge, I just couldn't. This picture above was just for posing... I didn't really give it a taste; all just for fun.


For dinner, we have a few more relatives over, and while I wasn't the super-friendly / sociable relative, I did give myself the chance to socialize with the other members of the family. My outfit didn't give me much justice, but most of them commend the weight loss. They all said it was noticeable that I already lost weight.


Our other relatives left around 10pm so they could welcome the new year in their own homes, so us left at home just prepared to welcome 2012. I wasn't that good - part of me was sad / depressed / hurt / jealous, but sister coming over my room and lied next to me, hugging me made me feel much, much better.

By 11:30pm, we all went out of the house to wait for the skies to light up - we don't have fireworks / firecrackers, so we just watched the show along our street.


While I didn't eat the shiny lechon, my food choices today wasn't at all good either. I ate a lot of the breaded cream dory fish sister and I cooked, and I found myself scooping more and more of the spaghetti as well as munch on the grapes and the "surprise bread" Aunt Bing prepared (it had a mix of cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise). Around 7pm, my siblings and my cousins realized the cooler was already empty, so we made a quick trip (us siblings with cousin Jayze and Alfon) to Lagro to buy drinks. They bought 8 cans of San Mig Light, 2 cans of Red Horse, 8 bottles of Tanduay Ice. I made a vow never to drink alcoholic beverage for this celebration, so I just asked brother to buy me an ice cream at 7-11. It was way too much for my tummy to handle, but I allowed myself to be such a glutton today.