Monday, December 27, 2010

Of Getting Thin and Diets

I was born 6 pounds but 26 years later now weigh 63 kilos.


Like majority of women in the world who are more happy loosing weight than gaining money (no pun intended), I am one of those who look at the mirror and see the flabby thighs and the muffin top oozing out of my hips.

A Kid's Dilemma

Since I was young, I had this hate and love relationship with food.

When I was five and forced to do those little beauty pageants parents love entering their kids into, I was asked just one question during the final round, "What is your favorite food?" . I looked around and saw the audience smiling, thought it was best to answer what I know and answered with confidence "anything as long as it is edible". Then the audience burst into laughter and I cried on stage thinking I got it all wrong.

3 years later at school, I saw a fat kid with a double chin. Upon going home, I barely touched my food and told my mom the food on the table would make me loose my neck. It was then and there that I promised to strain my neck every morning and check it daily on the mirror just in case the food I ate made it disappear...phew!

Teenage Angst
During adolescence, the fat disappeared and some curves began to show. But still, my legs were not shapely like everybody else's and I had a waistline of 27cm. At that time, the only ideal waistline was a 23 or a 24. Bigger than that, you're a walking flabby girl.

Now 26 years later, after countless diets of varied types, I have outlined which have worked for me and which didn't. Some were easy to stick to, some were a little bit more daunting.

1. The Oatmeal Diet
date tested: Feb 2005 in preparation for a College Ball
reason: needed to fit into that dress
plan: 1 week of nothing but oatmeal and brown bread with tuna.
result: lost 2 cm off my waist
sustainability: only good for instant and short term weight loss
and might lead to vitamin or nutrient deficiency if continued



2. The Muffin Top Diet
date tested: September 2010
reason: get rid of the muffin top and save on medication for allergies
plan: not to eat anything that can be a potential allergen for 1 week
result: 1 cm off my waist, 2kg off the scales
sustainability: unless you can thrive on water then do this
didn't help much with my chronic hives either (now I developed new allergies on new food I wasn't allergic to before)

3. The Water Therapy Diet
date tested: January 2008
reason: loose weight and pass my urinalysis exam
plan: not to eat anything with MSG or preservatives, drink up on the coconut water and plain water
result: white urine, a passed urinalysis exam, and some dark circles underneath my eyes, 2kg in one week, 2cm off the waist
sustainability: just good for medical check-ups...hehe

4. The Vegan Diet
date tested: May 2005
reason: detox, cleansing, loose weight
plan: no meat, dairy or seafood for 1 month , big heavy breakfast, fiber packed lunch, no dinner
result: frequent bathroom trips, lesser pimple breakouts, pinkish glow on the cheeks, 4cm off the waist, 5kg in one month
sustainability: high budget (imagine oil has to be olive oil and not plain vegetable oil) , everything has to be organic, can lead
to late night sneaking on the fridge for something to eat

5. The Pink Pill Diet / Hokkaido Diet
date tested: December 2010 to present
reason: loose out the weight I gained after going to Dubai
plan: 2 tablets before breakfast daily
result: less puffier face in 1 week, lost some fat in the abdomen and leg areas, still under observation
sustainability: depends on the result after finishing one bottle
fears: side-effects?

6. The Badminton Work-out
date tested: August 2010
reason: loose weight
plan: 2-3h badminton every night
result: 2kg in 3 days with controlled diet and lots of water
sustainability: due to muscle strain and my face drying out at the Dubai humidity, I kept at it for only a week
note: felt good afterwards but you wake up to pain on your arms or legs if you do not have a proper work-out.

7. The French Diet
date tested: July 2007
reason: loose weight but still eat what I want
plan: eat smaller portions, smell and savor the food before swallowing it
result: 3kg in 2 weeks
sustainability: good but can be destroyed once you go out with friends or family
note: without exercise, I lost weight and did not feel guilty even though I nibbled on my favorites every now and then

That may not be much of a diet list but I do hope I have altered your perceptions on things. There are quick fixes, like what I am doing right now. But you can also choose those which your lifestyle would complement. In the end, it would come back to why you want to loose weight. Me, it makes me feel good. I am not hoping to be like those Victoria Secret Models or those ramping it up on the runway, I just want to feel healthy and good about myself.

If I achieve my ideal weight and stick to it, I feel light and I feel less sickly.
It's not just about fearing I'd loose my neck. It's now more of me wanting to live longer and take control.



Now, can we eat a slice of cake? (wink)

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Back in 2006 my sister and 1 tried the 3 day diet...search '3 day diet' and you see it (here's one that resembles the one we did: http://www.everydiet.org/diet/3-day-diet)...The first day we thought we were going to die of hunger. The second day my sister bit her finger eating a carrot. The only part I enjoyed was the vanilla ice cream (my favorite)...To make a long story short, I was hungry/bitchy all the time and I hated it but I did lose 5 pounds. These days I get dizzy and major headaches if I go more than 3 hours without eating SOMETHING!!!

rose_colored_thoughts said...

@marielle: lol. the 3-day diet is a dangerous one to try, i think its good only for people with high tolerance for hunger. for us who love food, its either you isolate yourself or try this one out. :)
thanks for dropping by marielle!

A. B. said...

haha.. hahz, ito ang target ko this new year. ang magbawas ng timbang at magbawas ng flabs and waistline. kaso mas madami pa yata akong kinakain ngayon. feeling ko tuloy tuloy ang aking paglaki. i gained 10kg here in dubai. waaaa!!!!!!!!!! ",)