To Exercise or Not To Exercise?

Before Cohen (BC), this is how my weekly workout schedule looked:

Monday:  Tennis(drills)
Tuesday:  Jog
Wednesday:  rest
Thursday:  Jog
Friday:  Tennis (doubles)
Saturday:  Yoga
Sunday:  Jog

I tired the South Beach Diet when I was still playing tennis regularly.  On the diet, I noticed that I simply did not have the energy to do sports.  I didn't even have energy to jog.  My friend, Sharon, did the South Beach Diet too and also lacked the energy to play tennis.  I just knew this wasn't the diet for me.


Obviously, there are people who simply do not exercise.  They never have and they do not intend to.  I remember when my cousin-in-law, Nikki, first told me about the Cohen Diet.  She said it was the best diet because it did not require her to exercise at all.

But I don't exercise just to lose weight.  Ok, let me rephrase that, 75% of the reason I used to exercise was because I wanted to lose weight but the 25% was because I wanted to be limber and to feel young.  For those who do exercise, I'm sure you know what I mean.  It's that great feeling you get after exercise.  It's an endorphin rush!

Before I began my Eating Plan (EP), I was scheduled for a colonoscopy.  As I was laying in the operating table waiting for the anesthesia to set in, the doctor put his stethoscope on my chest and listen to my heartbeat.  Then looked up and said, "are you an athlete?".  Wow, what a complement!  I almost did not proceed with the Cohen diet (hahahaha)!

So when the consultant told me that I may continue exercising during the EP provided I  do it in moderation, I struggled with the question on whether or not to exercise.  It was such a difficult decision because whenever I stopped playing for just a week, my game always suffered.  On the other hand, I was intent on losing weight.  I feared that if I continued exercising, I might feel hunger pangs and get tempted to deviate from my EP.  So I sacrificed my game and resolved not to exercise until I reached my goal weight.

For four whole months, I did not exercise.  I replaced my exercise time with food preparation time.  I simply concentrated on my EP.  It was amazing!  I was losing weight faster than when I used to exercise.  In a month, my clothes started to fit better.  The buttons of my blouse weren't popping.  And as the months went by, my pants were starting to loosen.  Eventually, I had to put on a belt just to keep my pants up!

Eventually I had to get rid of my old workout clothes and buy new ones.  I now buy my clothes from the Small and X-Small racks.  When I shop for clothes now, I love hearing myself say, "Miss, masyadong malaki, paki check naman kung may Small":)

Part 2: Planning a Road Trip

This must have been what Baguio looked like before diesel fumes replaced the cool pine scent!  It's my first time here but I can imagine I've arrived in the last few months before progress desecrates this serene paradise.  I've noticed that the rough, dusty roads that have prevented mainstream tourists from visiting this Eden have now been paved.  Watch out, Sagada!

We were fortunate to discover a private 2-storey home surrounded by pine trees located in a quiet part of town.  The house had a full kitchen complete with cooking implements, perfect for the strict Cohenite.  The moment we entered this house I immediately put my ice-packed meals in the refrigerator.

All my meals survived the 12-hour journey with no problems at all!

One serving of plain yogurt

After settling down, we headed for the center of town which I discovered consisted of just one main street.  This made it so easy to find all the restaurants recommended by friends and bloggers.  First on our list was Yogurt House.  This is where I picked up my breakfast every single day.  Their plain yogurt was delicious.  If you are a Rizal Dairy Greek Yogurt fan, then this will not disappoint.  But I suspect that their yogurt is not low-fat (maybe that's why I loved it so much --- hehehe).  An order of plain yogurt is P80.00.  I noticed that many restaurants in Sagada have their own yogurt recipes but I found the one at Yogurt House the most delicious.

Majoritiy of the restaurants in Sagada offer simple "lutong bahay" meals.  One restaurant that served delicious local food, according to my friends, is Homestay Inn.  I did not get to try the main dishes but I got to taste their tuna salad.  I must admit that I tried my best to stick to my baon but when you're on holiday, you gotta loosen up.  So I ordered a dish that, in my mind, would be most Cohen-compliant.  









Another restaurant we tried is Log Cabin.  This restaurant is popular because a Frenchman used to serve buffet dinners on Saturdays.  As the story goes, this Frenchman biked his way to Sagada from Baguio.  Upon reaching Sagada, he arrived with nothing but his cooking skills and the rest is history.  He has since moved to another venue but the restaurant has remained popular.  Reservations a day before are needed to ensure a table.  We were able to get a table for our second dinner in Sagada.  I brought my Breaded Chicken and ordered a Sagada Green Salad to complete my meal.

And after all that eating...  let me share with you the real Sagada.  Sagada is about appreciating nature.  It's hiking hours to discover the genius of our ancestors and the beautiful sculptures of our Creator.  Yes, that's what we did.  We hiked for hours and marveled at how the early Filipinos thought of cutting through the mountain to make level ground to plant rice.  We walked another hour to discover a beautiful waterfall with water so cold and clean, perfect to cool our bodies after the long trek.  That's what Sagada was about.

I always say that just because you're trying to lose weight, you shouldn't dwell too much on your food restrictions.  Make the best of your situation and find ways to enjoy your Cohen journey.  Go out an explore life.  There's more to life than just food :)

And with a slight deviation from the EP but with 90% compliance, how did I do?  I came back weighing 114 lbs.  That's 2 pounds over my upper limit and 6 pounds below my all time high A. C. (After Cohen).  All-in-all, this trip was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Planning for a Road Trip

Oh what great timing!  I'm in the middle of my Cohen diet and I'm leaving for Sagada tomorrow.  What to do, what to do?  I've never been to Sagada so I don't really know what to expect.  Fortunately, my dear friend Bubut has made arrangements to rent a private home for our 5 day stay.  He says I'll be able to cook my meals there, but do I pack raw chicken, fish and beef?  Can I just purchase fresh produce up there?  On my, what to do?

Option 1:  Bring raw proteins
I'll be taking a bus up to Sagada.  It'll be a 12 hour trip so I think this is risky.  Raw protein can just spoil along the way.

Option 2:  Do marketing in Sagada
I've never been there and I won't have a car (do they have car rentals up there?  hehehe- hellur!) so this isn't a good idea.

Option 3:  Cook my meals and make baon
This seems to be the best option so far but this will entail a lot of work.  First I'll have to plan my menu for 5 days and then I'll have to do major measuring and cooking ALL DAY TODAY!!!

The Battle Plan

1.  Simplify the menu
I heard there is a place that sells yogurt in Sagada.  That should take care of breakfast.  But just in case my intel is a dud, I'll pack 3 boiled eggs.  That should give me 3 days to worry about not finding any yogurt.

For lunch and dinner, I thought I'd just bring Adobo and have that for the next 5 days.  But isn't that just miserable?  I always say, dieting should not be miserable.

I'll prepare chicken and beef dishes for the entire trip.  I'll measure my chicken allowance for Meal 2 and then my beef allowance for Meal 3.   This way, I can have some variety.  I can have Meal 3 for lunch and Meal 2 for dinner on Day 1; and then Meal 2 for lunch and Meal 3 for dinner for Day 2 and then switch again.

So here's my Meal Plan for 5 days

I chose Chili Con Carne because it's a complete meal in itself.  It already has the vegetable allowance and I just need to pair it with Jacob's Crackers to complete the meal.

I then decided on Breaded Chicken because it's a dry dish and when we eat in a restaurant, I can just order my allowance of vegetables to complete the meal.  This is a dilemma I always face when I bring my baon to a restaurant.  Not all restaurants welcome "food from outside".  So sometimes, I order vegetables or my diet 7Up (which most times they don't have) just so the waitresses don't frown when I pull out my plastic container.  Maybe Cohenites should band together and explain to these restaurants that we're really on a medical diet, we've got Fat Disease!

 2.  Cooking marathon

Cooking 5 servings of Chilli Con Carne

I don't want to have to measure and cook 10 separate times so I will just do batch cooking.  I'll add up all the chicken, beef and vegetables I'll be consuming for 5 days, cook the 2 dishes (Breaded Chicken and  Chilli con Carne), then divide into 10 small containers.

Here are my total quantities

Chicken  575 grams
Beef  600 grams

3.  Packing the meals

I discovered that the EZ Lock plastic containers are a perfect size for 1 Cohen meal.  These containers are also stackable, making it fairly easy to pack.  If you're doing a lot of travelling this Summer, I suggest you purchase a medium sized cooler and some ice packs.  If you don't know where to get ice packs, check out Japan Home Stores (the P88.00 stores).  I like the collapsible coolers just because it's easy to store and it's light weight.

 All packed:  5 servings of Chili Con Carne

Since this is a 12-hour trip, I'll line my cooler with newspapers for additional insulation.   What I remember from Grade School science is that cold air travels down so I'm stacking my ice packs at the top of the cooler.

Now I'm all packed and ready to go!  Sagada, here I come...

Trying To Get Back on the Wagon

I've tasted size 0 and it felt good!  I've shocked family and friends with my new look. I've been described as "payat" or "too thin", adjectives I never thought would be spoken of me.  That lasted for a good 9 months.  Only 9 months because December came  ---  Christmas parties, family reunions, meet ups with old friends, Noche Buena, Christmas Lunch, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, family trip abroad.  Oh boy!!!  There was just no way I wasn't going to gain weight!

That's my tummy trying to peek out of my blouse this afternoon

I've been trying to get back on the diet since January.  It's been very difficult.  I've been to lazy to weigh my food and to lazy to plan my meals.  Well, for all that laziness, I gained back 23% of the total weight I lost when I graduated from the Refeeding Plan.  My blazers are starting to get tight at the arms, my tummy has come back and my hips are starting to show.  Worst of all, the scale just told me this morning that I'm 120.6 lbs.  Yikes!!!!  Now this was a shocker and this woke me up.   So now I'm ready to get back on the diet.  I'm declaring to the world that I will be back at 110 lbs. by May 20, 2013.  I'm going to lose that tummy and maybe I'll even get my abs to show again.  So watch me, I'm coming back!!!

My Horror Story

117.4 lbs.!!!!  That's this morning's horror story!  I never thought I'd weigh this much AC (after cohen).  My ideal weight range is 105 to 112 lbs.  My super, duper, absolute upper limit is 114 lbs.  I am 3.4 lbs over my upper limit.

The last time I was within my ideal weight range was around the first week of September, some two months ago.  After that, my weight has been slowly creeping upward.  I have been generally following the Cohen guidelines but I think I've been too complacent because people have been congratulating me on my weight loss and I've started eating out again.  Also, it's been difficult to resist dessert.

I'm really scared right now.  This is Halloween for me.  Imagine gaining back all the weight I have lost?  No way!  It cannot happen!  I'll have to reverse this starting with breakfast this morning!  But first, I'll have to analyze what I'm doing wrong and then re-program myself to get back into the Eating Plan (EP).

Eating Out

What have I been doing wrong?  First of all, I've been eating out a lot.  Manila is a food haven.  Anytime I have to entertain or whenever I set a meeting, I always think about where we should eat.  My default restaurant was Myron's in Greenbelt 5 because this restaurant understands Cohen meals.  I used to just give the waitress my meal allowances and they knew what to do (Disclaimer:  Please note that I don't know the owner of this restaurant personally and I don't get any special perks from this restaurant).  But the past couple of months, I've been exploring new restaurants or revisiting the old ones.  This is dangerous because I lose track of my food intake whenever I'm sharing a great meal with family and friends.  The chit-chat gets so animated that I forget I'm at a dining table and my hand can't stop reaching out for second, third and fourth servings!!!

When setting meetings, I have re-discovered the Makati Sports Club Dining Room.  The food isn't great but it is near my office and they serve a lunch buffet which is a great time saver.  When I dine here, I help myself to a generous serving of fresh salad greens.  I head back to my table and wait for my colleagues before I start eating.  After the usual exchange of pleasantries and after they're done with their first course, I invite them to get their main dish.  I lead them back to the buffet table and to encourage them to get food and not be shy, I end up setting the pace by helping myself generously!!!  Oh the travails of being a good host!

Dessert

When I began the Refeeding Plan (RF), I was in the US.  It was a great place and time to start RF because I had access to the fruits that were not readily available or too expensive in Manila such as blueberries, nectarines, strawberries.  To celebrate my graduation from RF, I bought myself a small bar of Godiva dark chocolate.  I knew I would be allowed to eat dark chocolate after RF and this was my reward for reaching the finish line.  Eighteen days later, I graduated with flying colors at 106 lbs!  I held my prized chocolate bar, looked hard and thought to myself, "should I?".  It  only took a few seconds.  I put the chocolate bar back in the pantry, ran to the refrigerator and pulled out a nectarine.  I had just lost 34 lbs after 3 months of controlled, measured eating and I wasn't going to blow away all that hard work!  That was then.  Just yesterday, after lunch at the Mall of Asia, I headed straight to Sebastian's and had a serving of their delicious Blue Cheese Ice Cream with Honey and Walnuts!  And since it was a long weekend and I was spending the afternoon with my parents, I felt like celebrating some more so I split a Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Dive Bar with my brother, Tonyboy.

Over Indulgence

When I dine out,  I veer away from too much carbohydrates.  I usually don't touch the bread basket and I never order rice.  I just order protein with vegetables.

One time, I wanted to dine in Yabu, Megamall.  My foodie friends, Bubut and Mike, were with me.  Yabu is known for their panko-coated Pork Kurobota Tonkatsu.  My friends were quick to order this dish.  I, however, was determined to stick to the Cohen guidelines so I ordered the less sinful version of this great dish.  I ordered the Chicken Katsu.  It came as a set meal with rice and unlimited cabbage salad.  I totally did not touch the rice but I must have had 6 refills of the cabbage salad.  That couldn't have been a Cohen veggie allowance even on RF!  But it just went perfectly well with the panko-crusted chicken!

Battle Plan

Since I pleasurably sinned the past two months, I will now do my penance as follows:

1.  I'll stick to my EP for the next week or two until I can bring my weight back to within my ideal weight range.

2.  I will limit my dining out to twice a week.

3.  Dessert will be limited to weekends.

It's good I have this blog which I can share with my friends.  If they happen to read this, I won't have a hard time explaining to them why I'm carrying my baon again and why I'm hibernating at home.

Choose Not To Have a Big Tummy

After shedding 34 lbs. life definitely cannot be the same.  Before Cohen (BC), I never enjoyed getting dressed or shopping for clothes.  I dreaded parties that had a dress code.  Especially if the invite was a formal occassion!

Ready-to-wear clothes simply didn't look good on me.  One-size-fits-all was a lie!  I'd ask for the largest size available and it still didn't fit well.  I always had a big tummy.  I thought it was hereditary because my grandmother had a big tummy, and my mother has a big tummy.  Well, I just found out... it's all a lie!  I CAN CHOOSE not to have a BIG TUMMY!!!

I was hoping a black tshirt would hide my tummy.  This photo was taken October 2010

And then here I am 1MoAC (one month after cohen), June 2012

Don't believe when people tell you you're stuck with your big body because it's in the genes.  It ain't true!!!  You just need the determination to lose the weight.

Now, I love getting dressed!  I always find reason to get dressed.  I've purged my closet and got rid of most of my "fat clothes".  Some pieces I've had altered.  My pants and tops as well as my belts got "smallered".  Did you know that you can have your belts altered?  I brought mine to Shoecare, Pasong Tamo, Makati (tel. 8424646-8404040-8446211).

So shed the pounds and look great!

Six Months AC (After Cohen)

Hello, hello.  It's been so long!  I've passed the 6-month mark after Refeeding!!!  You must be wondering if I've gained back all the weight I lost and if I've started breaking all the Cohen rules.  Here's how life has been.

Exercise

Pre-Cohen I was exercising 5-6 times a week.  I would play tennis twice or thrice a week and jog or do yoga on the off days.  I was so fit (not slim) that I even won 2nd place the very first time I joined a fun run!!!  I remember that all that exercising did not help bring my weight down.  Here I am at 135 lbs.

When I enrolled in the Cohen program, I immediately asked my consultant if it was alright for me to continue exercising.  She told me that if I had already been exercising then it was fine to continue doing so but she suggested that I reduce the intensity of my routine until such time that I reach my goal weight.  So just to play safe, I decided not to exercise at all during the Eating Plan (EP) for fear that I might go hungry and start cheating.  This decision might have been correct because I started getting hungry only in the last 2 weeks of EP.

I have started exercising again.  This time I'm exercising to keep fit and not to lose weight.  My exercise routine is less strenuous.  I jog twice a week and plan to add Krav Maga  or yoga once a week.  I do wish I had my morning tennis buddies (Joel, Mike and Sharon).  Working out with friends is not work at all!  I miss you guys!!!

Eating Out

I've also rejoined the foodspotting crowd, but this time with Cohen rules.  When I go out to dinner, I still don't touch the breadbasket.  I also avoid rice or noodles unless I know I'm having dessert (which is most of the time), then I have a spoon or so of rice.  I also end up drinking water because most restaurants don't carry diet 7-Up.  Restaurants usually carry Coke Zero or Diet Coke, but I'm the un-cola type!

Weight Monitoring

I weigh myself every single day for monitoring.  My weight peaks during the weekend and then tapers back during the week.  I feel I don't want to be too harsh on myself so I tend to loosen up a bit during the weekends.  I still stay as close as possible to EP rules but I will try a bit of bagnet or a San Mig Light on weekends.

Eating at Home

Before Cohen (BC), I used to eat most meals in restaurants.  I did not care to learn how to cook so I just ate out for lunch and dinner.  After Cohen (AC), I try to eat at home as much as possible.  I noticed that whenever I eat at home, I am able to lose 3 lbs in a day or two without much effort.

When having my meals at home, I stay as close to the Eating Plan as possible.  I still cut up my proteins (chicken, beef, fish) and put them in small containers following my EP weights.  But when I cook, I'm not too strict with the spice and vegetable allowances.  I kinda eyeball these items.

So how has it been?  Quite good!  December 2011, I weighed 140 lbs.  After Refeeding, I brought it down to 106 lbs.  My ideal weight is between 105 to 112 lbs.  On the average, it's been swinging between 112 to 114 lbs.  That means I've been bad the past couple of months.  But this very morning, it has been the highest since AC (After Cohen) at 116.4 lbs.  I feel bad I'm starting to gain weight but the wonderful thing is that my XS clothes still fit!!!  So really, it's been quite good!

Food log?

On the day I broke the weight barrier, I was so upset.  I spent all day agonizing until J told me that this shouldn't depress me because all I need to remember is how easy it was for me to lose the weight.  That's right!!!  I have the tools and the know-how to lose the weight.  Been there, done that!  All I have to do is get back on the Eating Plan (EP).

I read an article about the 3 habits we must adopt to lose weight:

1.  Maintain a food journal
2.  Don't skip meals
3.  Avoid eating out

These habits are very much in sync with the golden rules of Cohen.  Number 2 is easy to do.  Number 3 will be a bit of a challenge especially if you have a life partner who truly enjoys eating out.  Number 1 I can start doing.

A food journal?  J asked, "why does keeping a log make more of an impact than me telling you 'you're eating too much na.  You're eating like you used to eat'"?  The simple answer is because by writing down what I eat I have hard evidence that shows exactly how much I have consumed.  Also, there is effort involved in jotting down your food intake.  Hopefully, the need to list it down might dissuade me from putting it in my mouth.



To help me with this task, I discovered an iOS app called LifeTopix by lightArrow.  I will not so much discuss the many features of this app.  Rather, I will show you how I have tailor-fitted this app to the Cohen lifestyle.

Below is the Health+Activity tab where I keep tabs on my weight and food intake.  Every morning, before breakfast, I log in my weight.  See how my weight has been fluctuating.  I've been bad!  LifeTopix then prepares a line graph showing the daily ups and downs of my weight.

I also tweaked the Nutrition log so that I can keep track of the various food I take in every day.  I adjusted the food groups to the Cohen plan.  I have a tab to track my water intake as well as my yogurt intake.  To conform to Cohen, all the food intake is measured in grams instead of calories.  Water is measured in milliliters instead of cups.  Below is my cake intake.  It keeps tabs on how many servings of cake I have in a day.

The charts are very telling.  I've been misbehaving.  Gotta take back control!!!

Keeping tabs on weight and food in-take is a task.  But with the help of technology, it's easier and a little more fun :)

What I've Been Dreading Most

My greatest fear just happened.  I broke the weight barrier, the one number I'd never ever want to see on a weighing scale --- 114!

This is the SECOND TIME it's happened since being born-again into my new body.  The first time I broke the barrier, I did not punish myself because I was in Boracay with some very good friends visiting from New York.  AND the weight immediately disappeared after a trip to the toilet.  But this morning is all about losing discipline.  I have lost control of my cravings and I've been eating like I used to pre-Cohen.

What do I mean?  Ever since going on Maintenance, I have been indulging myself with dessert after every meal (lunch and dinner).  I would always have a slice (or slices) of cake and/or some chocolate after each meal.  It doesn't help that our refrigerator/freezer is well stocked with these yummies.

This cheesecake went on sale at S&R

A mix of the good (dark chocolate) and bad (peanut butter) chocolate

When eating out, I always ask for the dessert menu.  Two days ago, I helped myself to the Double Decker Cheesecake at the Village Tavern.  Then last night, I had some of the Red Velvet cake and Cookie Dough at Rocket Room.  

Double Decker Cheesecake

I'm sure I can't blame the weight gain on just my dessert intake because right after I finished the Refeeding Program, I was cautiously eating dessert and noticed that my weight was still maintained in spite of the indulgence.  What I'm pointing out is the loss of control.  After realizing the minimal effect on my weight from having dessert, I became daring and began increasing my sweet intake until it went out of control.  It's pretty much like drugs and alcohol, isn't it?  You start with just taking a little bit and before you know it, you're having a lot of it and can no longer control yourself.

I now admit, "I am a chocoholic."  I resolve to mend my ways beginning today!

I am officially at war with my Chocoholism.  I resolve to limit my cake and sweets to just 3 times a week.  Pretty much like to rule on cheese.  I also resolve that beginning today, I will maintain a food blog.

A food blog?  Yes!  This morning I read a weight loss article.  It said that there are 3 habits we must adopt to lose weight:


1.  Keep track of your food intake in a journal
2.  Don't skip meals
3.  Avoid eating out

I've found an iOS app to help me with step number 1 called LifeTopix by lightArrow.  This app has practically ruled/organized my life. 

With this app I not only keep track of my appointments and tasks, I log my daily weight and can even keep tabs on my food intake.  This is one app to manage the many facets of my life.


I've been using this app for a week now to keep track of my weight but starting this day, everything I eat, I will also log.  Checkout my weight log and the graph

What a roller coaster!  Hopefully with my new resolve, this graph will reverse and plateau at a more manageble 107 to 109 lbs.  Fingers crossed :)

No Way, I Can't Be Pregnant!

I think that title caught your attention, didn't it?!  Tsismosa!  Actually, this would make my mom ecstatic!  Hahaha.

I've been hearing about Cohenites complaining about the side effects of this weight-loss wonder diet.  My cousin experienced headaches.  I think this usually happens in the first couple of days into the program.  I'm guessing these headaches are just the same as those regular hunger headaches.  Not much to be concerned about because your body will adjust to the food portions in a couple of days.

Many experience hair loss.  At the clinic, the consultants recommend a daily intake of Biotin.  This should solve the problem but it takes a while for the effects of Biotin to manifest.

I experienced dry skin.  So I simply applied lotion in the morning after a shower and at night before bedtime.  This seemed to work quite well.  The dry skin spell lasted a couple of days and is now gone.

The most concerning side effect was losing my period.  Since the age of 12 I've gotten my period every single month, no fail.  Then on my Refeeding month, I missed my period.  This was really worrisome especially since I can guarantee that I am not pregnant.

Having been delayed for 3 weeks, I visited the doctor last Monday morning.  I told her my concern and also mentioned that I had lost a drastic amount of weight in the last 3 months.  She asked how I did it and I told her about Cohen.  I told her that I started at 141 lbs last January and I'm now 107 lbs.  She was amazed and said that she's about 141 lbs too.  I won' be surprised if she'd be calling the Cohen clinic anytime soon :).

Back to my period... The Og-Gyn said that kind of weight loss would surely cause some hormonal imbalance just like exercise and stress.  It was not unusual.  She gave me a prescription for some pills to take for 5 days.  She said that in 2 weeks, I should get my period; and if not, I'd have to see her again.  I meant to buy those pill right after my doctor's visit but because of the traffic, I decided to do it in the afternoon instead.  Well, that was a pretty good decision because when I got home that same day, I got my period.  I guess my ovaries just needed a little scare from the doctor :).

I think we shouldn't be too concerned about the side effects of this diet.  I've had worse side effects with the other diets.  Have you tried the Atkins Diet?  That diet gave you bad breath.  How about Xenical?  That pill's effect was filthy!  Imagine men buying sanitary napkins because they're taking Xenical. Bangkok Pills?  There were some packs that did wonders for me.  I actually didn't mind the palpitations and the increased energy but there was this final batch that gave me headaches.  That was the end of those pills for me!  I'd say Cohen is the healthiest, most sustainable eating lifestyle thus far.  Their motto is simple:  "Let food be your medicine".  And this diet has given me the best side effect:  a 25-inch waistline!

Weekend Challenge

Weekends are the best.  This is the time when I can walk around in my pajamas all day.  But best of all, this is the time I can hang with my good friends.

My weekend starts on Friday night.  Usually my good friend Bubut would send this text message in the late afternoon:  "Let me know if you have dinner plans later".  Most times J and I don't really have dinner plans but when this message arrives in my phone, we get all excited and we make plans for dinner.

All Cohenites must agree that eating out is always a challenge.  For those on the Eating Plan or Refeeding, the challenge is explaining to the restaurant your food allowances and method of cooking.  Most times you don't want to deal with this hassle so you just BYOB (bring your own baon).  For those on Maintenance, like me, the challenge lies in choosing the right food from the array of deep fried, sugar-rich, cream-laden dishes on offer.  For me, I will always order a salad and then a steak or some seafood.  I try to veer from dishes that I know are swimming in rich sauce.  I noticed that this ordering method jacks up my food bill but I realized that ever since Cohen, I have been eating out less often and thus justifies ordering a premium dish whenever I'm out.  When my credit bill arrives, I still notice the big savings I've had since I've began cooking at home.  Thank you again, Dr. Cohen for teaching me to cook :).

Now the scary part.  Since we're all excited catching up on kwentos about the past week, dessert becomes the justification to extend the night.  Immediately, we decide to drive to Slice, that deadly delicious cake shop that just opened at the Bonifacio High Street.  Like a true Cohenite, ever since Maintenance, I always order the cheesecake.  (Maybe I can start comparing cheesecakes in my next post).  Anyway, Slice has one of the best cheesecakes in Manila.

Ever since we've discovered this cake shop, we've been here every single week.  It's like going to mass on Sundays.  We go to Slice on Fridays.

Of course by the end of the night, my tummy feels really full.  This is a feeling I used to get ALL THE TIME during my pre-Cohen days.  Now it just happens on weekends :).

Come Saturday morning, the previous night's delights register 0.80 lbs!  Ok lang, I tell myself.  That was worth it.  I just have to cut down today.

And then comes Sunday lunch.  My Sunday lunches are always at my Mom's place.  Mom is a great cook but given her age, she only likes to cook on Sundays.  And she cooks a feast.  Since I go to her place after Sunday Mass, I usually arrive at around 1 pm for lunch.


Mom knows that I have replaced rice with vegetables so she makes sure to prepare a vegetable dish.  She even knows which vegetables are Cohen approved so she will have asparagus, broccoli, zucchini.

I have cousins and friends who arrive for lunch at 2 pm.  So I get to sit in the dining table munching with every new kwento until about 3 pm. Imagine extending your munching to two hours.  So obviously, I'd have to help myself with dessert.  So as the Cohen plan says, I must eat carbohydrates before dessert.  So I eye-ball about 50 grams of rice, a tiny serving of vegetable and protein; and then get a serving of cake :).  Yes, there is always some cake during Sunday lunch.  This is usually brought by my Tita Patsie because her kids and grand kids love dessert.  Maybe I should tell Tita Patsie to bring some cheesecake next time :).

And just as I'm done with lunch, the dishes are replaced with merienda:  suman, ginataan, bibingka, tsokolate, cheese platter.  Again, I subscribe to the Cohen plan so I choose the cheese platter.  My brother, Popit, is always in charge of this platter.  He sits by the table with his sharp knife and a block of cheese and just slices away.  Ang sarap!  So Sunday lunch is actually an eating marathon that stretches from 1 pm to 5 pm.  Four hours of munching.  We only realize it's time to end the meal when "The Buzz" comes on air because Mom immediately tunes us out and concentrates on the latest show biz gossip.  This is our signal that the eating marathon has ended.

I've learned to mitigate the effects of this fat-inducing marathon by consciously making "smart" choices but it's really difficult to resist good food when there is good conversation!!!

For that entire weekend of feasting, this is what greets me on a Monday morning

 
 5 lbs. for a typical weekend!  Imagine how much I'd gain if this were a long weekend?  Oh well, thank God for weekdays!
 
 

Before and After

When I started on this new eating lifestyle I was 141 pounds with a 29-30" waistline wearing size 10 tops.  I played tennis once or twice a week and jogged on the off days.  Getting dressed was such a chore.  You'd know I overate the night before when it took me longer to get dressed the following morning.  I did not feel good about how I looked. 

At 141 lbs., January 12, 2012

I thought that maybe a change of wardrobe would solve the problem so I called a friend, Ram de Vera, to help me update my wardrobe.  We went shopping for new clothes and for a while, I felt good.  Ram knew exactly what clothes I needed to hide my bulge and to elongate my appearance.  I asked him to make me thin and he said that he was a stylist, not a cosmetic surgeon! Ram did a great job.  He went from store to store, rack to rack, picking Large/Medium clothes that were the right proportions for my body.

January 19, 2012

Then one day, I decided to take the plunge.  On the advice of my cousin-in-law, Nikki, I called the Cohen Lifestyle Clinic, made an appointment and attended their 1-day orientation seminar and from there, my new life began.

In a matter of 3 months, I shrunk to a 25-inch waist, size 2 or 0 tops; I can now wear skinny jeans and a tank top!!!  This was the biggest surprise!  Pre-Cohen, I could only wish my thighs would fit into skinny jeans.  Today, I always wear my shirts tucked into my jeans and I think I walk a little taller.   A friend, Kara, just said the other day, "ang nag-Co-Cohen nagiging mayabang".  Hindi naman, Kara, sometimes you just can't help feeling good about yourself.

107 lbs., April 18, 2012

Thank you, Dr. Cohen.  You're not a cosmetic surgeon but this is exactly what I was looking for!!!

It's Not The Calories, Stupid!

Indeed, indeed, it's not the calories!  When I graduated from the Refeeding Program I was extremely scared.  Scared I'd overeat and lose control then gain back all the weight.  I read and re-read the Management Program to make sure I understood what I had to do to maintain my new found lifestyle.  There was one very, very important phrase in that entire manual that I pretty much ignored: 

"Do not count calorie or kilojoules.  Your body is trained during the Refeeding Program and WILL HANDLE normal qualities and combinations of food as set out on your last day of your Refeeding Program."

It was simply ignored because all my life I've been told that weight management was all about calorie counting.  And this made sense, right?  Hindi pala!!!  So all that fear was for naught!  Let me tell you what I mean.

Yesterday was a special day.  It was my dad's 81st birthday.  My brothers and I decided to take the day off from work and drive out to Lipa, Batangas to celebrate dad's birthday.  Dad recently discovered this good Italian restaurant in Lipa:  Casa Marikit. If you do drive by Lipa this summer, like when you visit the Carmelite convent, I highly recommend a stop over at this restaurant (just so you know, I am not in any way connected with this restaurant.  I'm just proud of Batangas!).

Anyway, my brothers and I arrived at the restaurant ahead of our parents, so we ordered some starters.  I ordered the Rucola Salad (Arugula with walnuts, drizzled with balsamic vinegar --- very much Cohen-approved!!!).  When my parents arrived, we went ahead and ordered our main dishes.  My brothers and I decided to indulge ourselves with the best that this restaurant could offer.  After all, how often does one turn 81 years old!!!  So my carnivore brothers ordered Osso Bucco and Rack of Lamb

Osso Bucco with Rissotto

Rack of Lamb

Not to be outdone, I ordered the Angus Tenderloin (again, Cohen-approved!!!).

And then Mom wanted to have a round of drinks so each of us except for Popit, got a  bottle of beer to drown our meat.

After enjoying my steak, I ordered a Tiramisu.  Sarap!  I ate it all BY MYSELF!!!  After that hefty lunch, we drove to Mom's house to relax and enjoy the rest of the day.

This is the thing about my Mom's house.  The moment you enter her house, everyone gravitates toward the dining table.  As soon as we settled in, a parade of trays started coming out: Ginataan, Suman, Buco, Puto, Dinuguan.  It was like that scene on Disney's Beauty & the Beast (Be my guest, be my guest, la la la la la la la).  There were just five of us and she had all this food waiting for us!  So again, while chit-chatting about the latest current events and tsismis, I helped myself with a bit of Ginataan.  As the tsismis got more intense, I helped myself with some Fresh Buco Juice with its soft, white, sweet flesh.

I must admit, I felt quite guilty about all the food I ate.  Ok, to be precise, I was worried again about all that food intake.  When I got back to Manila, I still felt quite full so I just had Yogurt with fresh pineapples for dinner.

This morning, worried about yesterday's indulgence, I weight myself, sure that I'd have to rein in on my food intake for today. I was surprised to see that I DID NOT GAIN A SINGLE BIT from yesterday's binge!!!  So it's true, trust Dr. Cohen.  It's not the calories, stupid!

The Source: Cartimar Market

Where is the best place to buy fruits and vegetables?  Some will say Salcedo Weekend Market; others, Landmark Supermarket or Rustan's Supermarket.  Well I say, the Cartimar Market.

Many vendors in Cartimar supply the supermarkets and many of the restaurants in the city.  So, it's best to just go directly to the source.  Best time to go is early in the morning to get the freshest produce. What time in the morning?  About 6:30 to 7:00 a.m.  It's not only cheaper than the supermarkets, you can even haggle, it you want.  All the vegetables you'll need for the Eating Plan are available. 

Asparagus

Pechay

Broccoli

Oyster Mushrooms

And more mushrooms

Since many Korean nationals shop in this market, you will always find shitake and enoki mushrooms here.  The last time I bought a bag of enochi mushrooms, it was selling for Php 65.00/bag.

There is also a constant supply of Cohen-approved fruits.  This morning I found plums selling for Php 280.00/kilo.

I have been avoiding eating too much red meat because I get aches and pains the next day every single time I eat red meat.  Instead I now buy a lot of seafood.  I have my favorite fish mongers who have the freshest produce

Prawns and Salmon

Squid

Sole fish

Whatever fish head you want

If you want fresh native chicken, you can't get it any fresher than at Cartimar.  They'll get you a live one and dress it for you if you want.  In my case, Magnolia is fine with me :)

This morning my mom wanted a 1.5-kilo chicken to steam for lunch today.  The vendor's biggest available dressed chicken was about 1.3 kilos.  I shrieked when my mom said to find one from the cage.  Good thing she opted to just get a Magnolia bagged chicken from the adjacent store.

I wonder what these caged chickens are thinking

Across the Wet Market there is a Tofu store that sells all soya products including soya milk.  Pre-Cohen, my brother and I would have flavored taho with sago for breakfast after our marketing.  I think I can do that again since taho is protein, right?

Beside the taho store, you'll also find a couple of Japanese and Korean grocery stores.  Here you can find an array of green teas. 

For those on Maintenance, on your diet-free days, you should try the Korean ice-cream with monggo that is shaped like a fish.  Ang sarap!