BUT "WEIGHT," THERE'S MORE
Written by my hubby J as a Facebook note
Posted on March 28, 2011
I was at my fattest at 190 lbs. I had beer belly. And I was up by two sizes.
But in five months, I lost 25 lbs., 4 inches on my waist, and scaled down from an XL to an M.
So how did I do it? There are no short cuts to weight loss. There are no secret diets. There are no wonder drugs. It's just good old "right diet and proper exercise."
Here's a simple list, My Five Top Fives. This worked for me. It may not necessarily work for you.
My Top 5 Weightloss Workouts
- Walking – The first step to getting active. It takes 10,000 steps a day to begin losing weight. This is how I started to get back into shape, walking with my dorky Sketchers Shape Ups while malling.
- Running – Aside from continuing to strengthen my aerobic capacity, I had to build my mileage base. So I hit the treadmill every morning for 30 minutes. Then slowly increased my mileage, from about 2K, to 5K, to 10K. Then I joined road races. Every race motivated me to improve my personal record. My first 5K run was in October of 2010. I clocked in at a slow 40 minutes. But my PR improved by 3 minutes in my next 5K run the following month. Now, I can comfortably run 5K in about 30 minutes. That's still slow compared to my 20 minute-5K pace in the '90s. Last month, I joined a 10K run and clocked in a decent 67”.
- Boxing – This is a knockout workout. The intensity and interval training you get from boxing is just incredible. The usual routine at Elorde's goes something like this: 4-6 rounds, mitts; 2 rounds, speed ball; 2 rounds, swing ball; 2 rounds, heavy bag; 2 rounds, jump rope. Each round is 3 minutes long, with 1 minute rest periods between rounds.
- Weight Training – While walking, jogging, running, and boxing, are all primarily aerobic workouts, weight training is, what else, but anaerobic. Now that I've built a good cardio base, I needed to strengthen my muscles. Cutting weight with aerobic exercises only, coupled with a weight-loss diet, may lead to some muscle loss. So I hit the gym to lift weights, at least once-a-week, or as much as three times a week.
- MMA Conditioning Exercises – Not only did I want to get back into shape, I wanted to get back into fighting form. And the obvious inspirations are the modern gladiators in the octagon. The MMA exercises that I do are basically a combination of body weight exercises, plyometrics, kettlebell exercises, and medicine ball exercises. I always try to sneak in a few sets during my boxing workouts, or after a 5K run, or within my gym program.
My Top 5 Diet Dos and Don'ts
- Don't eat fake food. No to fast food, processed food, and canned goods. Go natural, go organic, go whole!
- Don't eat bad food. No to fatty, oily, saucy food. Go lean, go clean, go clear!
- Don't eat too much. Or don't bite more than you can chew. No to overeating. Go ration!
- Don't eat too little. No to starvation diets. Go balanced!
- Don't eat too fast. No to eating on the go. Go chew!
My Top 5 Weightloss Food
- White meat – such as chicken breast and fish have fewer calories than its red meat counterpart, and less caloric intake is one of the first steps to weight loss.
- Eggs – are protein rich and pack only 85 calories.
- Ampalaya – lowers sugar and blood pressure levels
- Brown Rice – is a healthy fiber with medically proven weight loss benefits.
- Pepper – Whether it's red hot chili peppers or black pepper corns or bell peppers, it not only spices up food, it also has a thermogenic effect. Simply put, it just means it heats up your metabolism.
My Top 5 Weightloss Drinks
- Water – Drinking half a liter of water before meals has been proven to accelerate weight loss.
- Flavored Water with L-Carnitine – provides a sweet spin in the flat taste of water. On the other hand, L-Carnitine helps break down calories, and prevents fat build-up in the heart and liver.
- Alkaline Water – not only restores the acid balance in the body, but also cleanses the major organs, particularly the colon.
- Fresh Buko Juice – is also an alkalizing agent that aids digestion.
- Pineapple Juice – contains the enzyme bromelain, which helps in the digestion of protein.
My Top 5 Weightloss Accessories
- Sketchers Shape Ups
- iPod Nano
- Silva Stopwatch and Interval Timer
- Nordic Track Weighted Jump Ropes
- Nordic Track Sauna Suit
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Why am I posting hubby's note? Because over the summer, all throughout April and May, we turned the 'vacation mode' on. Whatever we lost from October to March, I'm afraid we've gained back. Uh-oh. Well, summer's over. WE MUST GET BACK TO THE PROGRAM. Yes, I say "we." It helps *me* that we do it together. He's disciplined enough to do it on his own, can't say the same for me, hehe.
My Top 5 Benefits of having a Workout / Weight Loss Buddy
- Motivation
- Safety
- Stronger bond
- Healthy competition
- Greater chances of making it a habit
