DISCLAIMER: This is my story. My techniques may not work for you.
PART 1 – THE LOW SUGAR PHASE
“You have fatty liver.”
“What should I do, Doctor?”
“It’s simple. You need to lose weight, 5 kilos to be exact.”
This pronouncement was given to me by my doctor back in September 2011. And I thought, “Right. This is what I needed to hear. It’s my call to action. ” I was all of 58 kilos and I had fatty liver. What the?!
For years, I knew I needed to keep fit. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t heavy. I was just a few kilos above my ideal weight. In the back of my mind, I wanted to lose the extra baggage but I just cannot be bothered to carry it through. I knew what I needed to do but there was no driver. I was too lazy and too busy. There was no concrete goal. My doctor’s words, therefore, served as my much needed push.
In order to achieve my personal goals, I always needed a motivation. Take running for instance. I signed up with City2Surf‘s 14km funrun for the first time in 2010. Then I ran it again in 2011. Because I kept signing up, I kept up with my weekly training. If City2Surf was not there, I don’t think you can get me out of the door to run in cold winter nights nor in warm summer days.
Did I lose weight with all the jogging I’ve been doing in the two years of City2Surf? No, disappointingly N-O. I felt really fit. I achieved a different zen-like zone in my head. Running is a form of mediation. But the kilos stayed.
DECIDE. COMMIT. SUCCEED.
In early 2012, I started “seeing and reading” things about losing weight around me. Have you noticed that when you decide that it’s time to get a new car, you suddenly start seeing all the Volkswagens around you. Of course, the VWs have always been there, but up to that point before the car-buying resolve, you were oblivious to them. This is the same with anything. Your foremost thought becomes your GPS and slowly takes form.
Some of you may know, I follow Sarah Wilson‘s blog closely. At that time, she released an e-book called “I Quit Sugar”. (Aside: This book is now in print and has become so successful that Sarah decided it deserved it’s own website.) I devoured that book. Here are some of the things she said that really opened my eyes.
- Change gently
- The fructose in sugar is a killer
- Fats are good for you
Some of her ideas go against the grain of what I know. But I kept an open mind.
Sarah is neither a doctor nor a dietitian. She is just someone who reads a lot, and uses her knowledge to make common sense conclusions. To me, all of her writings made sense. Quite frankly, I love her mind. She practices what she preaches on… herself!
I tried following her tips in the IQS book. But I just could not give up sugar, completely. My life is just too dull without it. So I decided to take what I could from that book instead. Modified it to suit me. Here are the small changes I did.
– No sugar on my cappuccino. The absence of sugar makes coffee taste awful, I therefore replaced skim milk with full cream milk. Yes, this was a better deal. It’s the sugar, not the full fat milk which makes us gain weight.
– I started drinking tea instead of coffee on most days. I also drank 2 liters of water daily.
– I ate cheese slices instead of sweet desserts including chocolates.
– Fruits are loaded with fructose including fruit juices. Berries are a better option – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc.
– Low fat yogurt are laden with sugar to make it taste better. Look for a no-sugar yogurt rather than a no-fat one.
As a rule of thumb, Sarah says that sugar content of any food must be below 10g per 100g. I became a sugar label nazi. I started replacing our favourite brands with low-sugar options. When you look at fruit and nut bars (which are handy for lunchboxes), you wouldn’t believe the amount of sugar in them. Choose food that is as close to its raw state as possible. If the ingredients are unpronounceable or reads like a chemistry lab, don’t touch it. This means picking whole foods as much as possible.
Did I lose weight after going low on sugar? No, not really. Not enough to make me jump for joy. So what did I do next? READ ON.
Chiqui Pineda-Azimi says
Hello, hello! Thanks for this post, Charina. 😉 You and I are on the same frame of mind. And what’s with the no-weight-loss bit?!? Same here! ARG to the nth power talaga only because I thought it was a given. I’ve been health-conscious (never been this aware in my entire life!) for the past five months with the almost daily routines at the gym and the greens! Yet, not a single pound lost! Sabi ni Mr. J, muscle’s heavier hun. Don’t worry about the losing or lack of it. I agree, deep down. I feel the change. Oh, night and day, like we said in our IG chats…the crappy to happy is so REAL.
admin says
Hey Chiqui, do you want to lose a few pounds tho? You definitely need to cut out the carbs and sugar. You can still eat the carbs (so you don’t feel deprived), just not after 1pm. LOL! I know I know. It’s a hard ask. But hey, there is no miracle weight loss. I personally eat my husband’s dinner dishes in the morning, for breakfast. Like seriously. Sarap kasing magluto eh. He is more of the kitchen god. Me? I am a bedroom goddess. Oopsies. Gotta stop right here! Baka kung ano pang masabi ko.
Re gym. I workout at home. 5-6 days a week. I just started on Tony Horton’s Power 90 (am on Day 2). I want abs, arms and legs to die for! That’ll give me more stuff to write about too. Ohdiva?