How I Lost 12 Kilos in Four Months

Tweet

Yes, you read it right... I lost 12 kilos in a little over four months. I didn't get it with crash diets or subjecting myself to a hunger strike. I simply did it one step at a time... deciding to live a more active lifestyle and eating more healthy food. I got myself enrolled in a fitness studio. You can of course choose to jog by yourself around parks but I guess it didn't work for me. I wanted more than just jogging. The exercise and/or dance classes offered by fitness studios are more motivating for me as I enjoy being in a group. It really depends on you. Plus you get to use the gym equipment to help you tone and build your muscles.

Me during my masters graduation ceremony in November 2012.

Then I changed my diet. You know how it is with Filipino diet.. rice and meat and anything salty always goes with it. So I cut down on that especially on the salty and on the rice. No more rice during dinner. Vegetable salad and fruits take up most of my diet. No more sodas for me... even the diet ones are crushed out. I drink freshly prepared fruit juice. There's also one slimming juice that I take even until now called the summer slimmer, which I think is really effective. It is a concoction of apple, celery, cucumber, lime and ginger juice. It looks gooey but really, it tastes better than it looks. Just don't forget to add a few ice cubes into it. Definitely refreshing!

I spent a lot of time in the fitness studio: at least 3 hours if you are really up to it. I do exercises at least three - five times a week consisting of a warm-up exercise on the threadmill, 30 minutes jogging, one or two hours group exercise such as zumba, step, power board, cardio kickboxing or latin aero depending on the day's schedule, strength training and toning and then sauna afterwards. It has helped a lot in burning the fats and in improving the blood circulation. And because you sweat a lot, you really feel good and refreshed afterwards.

I still have some 7 more kilos to shed... and I am almost there. With this change in my lifestyle, I now feel more comfortable about my body and myself and I have more energy to do things. People notice it too and say that they like the change that they see and I am happy about it. I can now even wear dresses with confidence. :)

The present me... my face is not so round anymore.. Hehe! :D

So there! I hope you are inspired with my story. Go break some sweat. Losing weight and getting in shape does not happen overnight. You have to have the willpower and the determination to do it! And don't forget to have FUN while doing it! Enjoy!

 

Vitamin D: The Key Vitamin You're Probably Lacking

Tweet

 According to a demographic study, 

over 70% of Americans have insufficient blood levels of Vitamin D*.

Vitamin D3, popularly known as the "sunshine vitamin", is essential for strong bones and teeth. Why is it so important? Because it maintains your calcium balance, aids cellular differentiation in the body, boosts the immune system, play a role in the secretion of insulin, and regulates blood pressure.

Unfortunately, the active form Vitamin D3 does not naturally occur in foods so that getting enough of it can be a challenge. How to boost your levels?

Take a daily supplement. While vitamin D comes in two forms, vitamin D2 and vitamin D3, vitamin D3 is the most effective for maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D in the body. The recommended daily vitamin D dosage is 400IU. So be sure that the Vitamin D supplements you are taking contains at least this much Vitamin D3.

Eat foods rich in vitamin D. Very few foods in nature contain Vitamin D. These include fish (specifically salmon, mackerel, sardines, and oysters), vitamin D-fortified cereal and orange juice, spinach, tofu, and dairy products such as vitamin D-fortified milk, cream, and cheese.

Soak up some rays. Try to spend about 5 to 15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen, three times each week, being careful to avoid overexposure. Of course, this might not be practical in cold weather, in which case you should turn to foods and supplements.

* Demographic Differences and Trends of Vitamin D Insufficiency in the US Population, 1988-2004. Adit A. Ginde, MD, MPH; Mark C. Liu, MD; Carlos A. Camargo Jr, MD, DrPH Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(6):626-632. 

Fortify Your Mind and Body

Tweet

We learned at school the importance of vitamins in our body. Perhaps you may still remember what they are, perhaps not. Although I try to eat nutritious food every single day, my daily intake of vitamins just isn't enough. The solution: I take multivitamin supplements to get my daily dose of vitamins. As a mom and wife, I cannot afford to get sick.

Anyway, do you know that there are 13 vitamins that your body absolutely needs? Yes, the dreaded number 13 is not unlucky after all. These 13 vitamins are: vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate).

While these vitamins are essential, one must also remember that our body only needs a certain amount. Too much of something is bad enough, as the song goes... How to detect if you you've had too much of a certain vitamin? Below are some side-effects that are sometimes associated with taking too much of a vitamin:

Fat-soluble Vitamins

• A (retinol, retinal, retinoic acid): Nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, clumsiness, birth defects, liver problems, possible risk of osteoporosis. You may be at greater risk of these effects if you drink high amounts of alcohol or you have liver problems, high cholesterol levels or don't get enough protein.
• D (calciferol): Nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, weakness, weight loss, confusion, heart rhythm problems, deposits of calcium and phosphate in soft tissues.

If you take blood thinners, talk to your doctor before taking vitamin E or vitamin K pills.

Water-soluble Vitamins

• B-3 (niacin): flushing, redness of the skin, upset stomach.
• B-6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine): Nerve damage to the limbs, which may cause numbness, trouble walking, and pain.
• C (ascorbic acid): Upset stomach, kidney stones, increased iron absorption.
• Folic Acid (folate): High levels may, especially in older adults, hide signs of B-12 deficiency, a condition that can cause nerve damage.

Taking too much of a vitamin can also cause problems with some medical tests or interfere with how some drugs work.


Source: USFDA

I wish you all good health. Take care!

Calorie Counting

Tweet

Trying to lose weight? I sure am! But it sure does not happen overnight. It takes a lot of will power, self-discipline and proper diet. I read that in order for your weight loss program to be effective, you must be aware of your calorie intake. That is where calorie counters come in handy. Using calorie charts allows us to track our food intake. It helps to systematize the process of dieting.

One must keep in mind that you have consume less than you burn. Did you know that you have to burn an extra 3500 calories in order to lose 1 pound? For me, that means a lots of hard work and discipline.

I found this basic tips from Barry Danser's Wake Up and Breathe! blog and thought it worth sharing here.

1. Don’t supersize your meals. Okay, McDonalds has technically removed the Super Size designation, but now they want you to order large portions. One of the biggest advantages to calorie counter charts is that you must record just how many calories that large fry has. Perhaps that will make you decide to choose the small size, or go without.

2. Rather than having 3 big meals, eat several small portions each day. Having an egg and an orange when you wake up, an apple and a slice of cheese at 10 or 11 a.m., three ounces of tuna with a green salad at 1, a snack of yogurt at 4 and a small dinner of a steamed chicken breast and broccoli will keep you full all day with fewer calories than a more traditional food plan. You can keep track of all of this on your chart to make sure that you don’t go over.

3. Make sure you stay on top of your calories consumed and also keep track of your calories burned. When you record everything on your chart, you will begin to lose weight.

4. Figure out how many calories you need to maintain your weight, and drop a small amount below that. If you normally need 1800 calories, don’t drop to 1200 just to lose weight quickly as you will slow down your metabolism. A 1500 calorie diet would be about right.

5. You can’t eat what you don’t have on hand. Therefore, you should never shop when you are hungry.

6. Eat slowly. You will consume fewer calories when you take the time to enjoy your meal. In our fast food culture, this might be hard to get used to, but your waist line will appreciate it.

7. Be gentle with yourself. Sometimes a donut will find its way onto your calorie counter charts. If you cheat with a small item once or twice a week, you may actually last longer on the diet.

You may find calorie counters and track your calorie intake online on these sites:
Everyday Health's Food and Fitness Journal
Calorie Count
Calorie King
a Calorie Counter