Lettuce Goes on a Diet and the Biggest Loser Challenge

Lettuce Says,

#LettuceonaDiet Weight Journey
Pre-bout Weigh In: 72 kg
Week 1Weigh In: 69 kg
Week 2 Weigh In: 68 kg
Week 3 Weigh In: 68 kg

So how was I doing in my last two weeks of diet challenge. I was not as depressed as the past weeks. See Lettuce on a Diet Goes on a Food Trip

And how all the #lettuceonadiet hashtags began: Lettuce on A Diet: Week 1

As my work at the office became demanding as the days go by, my stress levels went higher, my food intake increased with negligible workouts led to an inevitable consequence, WEIGHT GAIN. In addition to that were birthday celebrations and food treats that were hard to say no to. Yes, people, during my personal weight loss program, I plateaued and gain 1 kilo, a week before the end of the challenge.

My Usual Brekkies:

Gardenia Whole Wheat Pandesal and PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams

Nescafe Black and Lotus Biscoff Cookies

Lipton Clear Green Tea and Banana

Nescafe Black and Hard Boiled Egg

Gardenia Wheat Pandesal and Nissin Seafood Instant Noodles

My Lunch Baon Buddies and Salads:

Dizon Farms Tropical Salad

Thank goodness for pre-packed salads sold in groceries and supermarkets. 

Mixed Greens with Pineapple, Papaya and Ripe Mangoes with Parmesan and Strawberry Vinaigrette

The greens and the tropical fruits were really fresh and pleasing to the palate.

Yun Lang Hubby Sunrise Sometimes Tortured me Like This

Thank goodness also for fast food joints like Wendys who offer healthier alternatives!

Munggo Soup with Lotsa Kamote Tops

Home Tossed Mixed Greens with Pineapple and Parmesan Cheese

Healthy Cholesterol: Avocado with Cheese in Mixed Greens

No Baon For Today? Good thing there's Fresh Bar offering Fresh Soup made from Scratch
Chicken and Leek Soup: Warm and Filling

Sauteed Pechay with Shrimps Cooked by Papsie One Weekend in Malolos

Andoks Chicken for Protein

The Actual Dinner Meals

One night we found ourselves very hungry in front of Makati Shangrila Hotel with all the smells of glorious food from Cucina Andare.

So what can a woman on a diet eat here? I was then mesmerized by this orange favorite of mine.

What's This? Orange Dough, Veggies, Vigan Longganisa

Flatten the Orange Dough like a Crepe and Form a Ring of Veggies and Longganisa

Just Add One Egg!

Fold and Deep Fry

Delicious Farinas Ilocos Empanada

The crust was definitely too oily for me, but hey, it tasted sooo great especially with their locally made vinegar. Sarap!!!

Meanwhile, Sunrise bought one of these:

Beef and Chicken Kebab

Sunrise's Sad Meal

It was soo sad because it looked way too good but tasted really bland. Even the veggies didn't come out right. The mustard garlic sauce that came with it didn't help the poor quality of the meat. They must have forgotten the salt and seasonings.

We were still hungry after this incident so we crossed the road to Family Mart and bought this.

Fruit Cup from Family Mart

I went back to Family Mart that week to eat this.

Tokyo Ramen and C2 Peach from Family Mart Glorietta

Roast Pork on ramen noodles in jellied ramen broth, pechay, boiled egg, leeks, and sliced narutomaki (fish cake). I was starving alone since it's basketball night of Hubby Sunrise. This dish saved me from having ulcers. The warm broth was soothing and the noodles which were way too soft were very filling indeed. It also satisfied my salty cravings.

Dinner from Food Finds at Rustan's Supermarket Makati.

Salmon and Tuna Sashimi, Mixed Greens, Chianti Parmesan, Yakult

Salmon and Tuna Sashimi

First Meal Cooked by Hubby Sunrise using our new Philips Induction Cooker

With Adobong Kangkong (hard to eat without rice!)

Sauteed Ligo Sardines with Camote Tops

This dish was melancholic, bringing back our humble childhood days in Bulacan, my Lola Munti (who's in heaven already) always prepare this sauteed sardines with talbos ng kamote (camote tops) harvested from our backyard which we ate with gusto.

One night within the challenge period, a friend decided to treat (cheat) us on her birthday and made us eat this heavenly prawns and crabs (without much prodding though hehehe :) )

As you may see the parade of food, I ate the highs and lows of food, which may be bad for the health, guys, please do not commit the same mistakes that I did, so lesson learned. The last week of the challenge though was my most motivated week. I resolved that I will eat almost zero carbs and will concentrate on raw veggies and fresh fruits.

Realizations while on #LettuceonaDiet:

1.) Timing. There is no perfect time to start but NOW! You will not get less busy in the future nor staying at home will distract you from it. So the time you say you will go on a diet, just plain start it now.

2.) Sacrifice. Be ready to sacrifice and let go of your frequently eaten food which is most probably CARBS. Yes, we watched Frozen and sang "Let It Go" to my first love, RICE. Once I said goodbye to rice, my usual cravings for beef, fries, cheeseburgers, and junk food subsided. Then when I started loving fruits and fresh juices, I cut down my coffee intake. I started loving green teas! You will encounter the most difficult times on the first 3 days. After that will just be plain discipline. You will experience a lot of dizzy spells for the duration of your diet.

What's Inside Your Ref?

3.) Discipline. This is the most difficult part for me. It takes a lot of discipline and will power to start and regularly exercise. It will become a chore sometimes to put on your workout gear and run for an hour, or to get on with that elliptical trainer, or swim on a cold pool after hell broke loose in the office. You either wake up very early to do this or make that extra time before or after dinner even if you are bone tired and weary. Or enroll in a gym and religiously go there everyday with an exercise buddy.

4.) Eating Healthy. Eating healthy and nutritious food is both cheap and pricey. If you have the time and creativity to whip up your own salad and white meat meals then do it!

It saved me a lot of money. I spent almost zero pesos everyday during the challenge. But if you can afford to splurge and spend, you will find yourself going to a restaurant (which will bill you extra for service charge) to find some truly low calorie dishes. The good thing when dining out is that your tastebuds will thank you for some new found flavors. Choose a biscuit or fruit that you can munch whenever you feel hungry in between meals. For me, it's Biscoff Cookies!

5.) Power Tools. My Fitness Pal truly helped me jumpstart on calorie counting. Because of my sedentary life, I only need 1200 calories per day in order to fuel my body and to lose 0.5 kilo per week. That is the ideal healthy dieting. Working out for an hour will give me additional 300-500 calories extra that you can eat or to burn some extra fat stored in my body. The only equipment I wish we have is a treadmill.

6.) Family and Peer Support. It was a huge lot better, easier, and happier if you execute your diet together with your colleagues at work and your husband, like what I did. Every time one of us got really hungry or craving some unhealthy food, we joke around and imagine the food trips we've been. We also shared the crazy diet food I always bring at work and the leafy baon which hubby prepares everyday. My Hubby Sunrise also went on a diet with me and constantly supported my goal. I love you Bessy!

I love you Starbucks, but I really can't eat raw celery! Urgh :)

7.) Be Inspired and Be An Inspiration. 

I want to credit  Jana, the wonderful daughter of Mommy Jane of Sugar Spice and Everything Nice. I got inspired with her entry here: Happy Holidays from the UST Daughter Diaries Thank you so much Jana! :)

Also to Erwan Heussaff of The Fat Kid Inside This site of his is full of info from his own personal experiences from workout tips to shopping lists. Thanks Erwan! :)

One thing that also kept me going was this big fat steak, Hubby Sunrise cooked last Valentines! :)

From hereon, I would also like to be an inspiration to even just a few people through this teeny weeny web space we have for My Empty Plates. I am no expert, guys. I just want to share all these with you.

#LettuceonaDiet Weight Journey
Pre-bout Weigh In: 72 kg
Week 1Weigh In: 69 kg
Week 2 Weigh In: 68 kg
Week 3 Weigh In: 68 kg
Week 4 Weigh In: 69 kg
Week 5 Weigh In: 65 kg !!!

YES I WON! I am the biggest loser, 4k richer, and 9.72% lighter. That was 7 kilos or 15 pounds lost in 5 weeks! 

Yey! THANK YOU GOD for these simple BLESSINGS!

Half of my winnings I shared with my colleagues and bosses. Sandwich Breakfast Party!

I heard another group organized a biggest loser challenge for two months with 50k pot prize! Huwwaat?!

Another 7 kilos will bring me to a normal BMI (proportion of age, weight, and height). I am still struggling right now to get to this but I will not stop, that's for sure! As of this time, I am starting to eat rice with my meals, in moderation, and I also started being insane with INSANITY videos, with Zumba in between nights. One day, I'll get there, a fab and fit Lettuce ready to go on a gastronomic adventure, which means more plates to be emptied!

Share your emptyplates now! Hashtag #myemptyplates peeps.

Remember Rule No. 1: NO LEFTOVERS!

February 2014
Lettuce Goes on A Diet

Normal Working Days, Makati City, Philippines

PhP 0-200 per day (tipid diba? :) )

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