You have no idea how overwhelmed i am to write this post that it took me several attempts to finally hit that publish button. I have so many things to say but i also worry  that you (the amazing readers) won’t like it! Oh the dilemma. Anyways, i did what i usually do, took a deep breathe and type. This is a looooong post so get ready.

What i think and what actually is

Before i started taking my weigh loss project seriously, i would look in the mirror and say, “Hey i look okay!”. And i honestly think i do. For me, i look fine! Nothing to worry about. So i would just munch on anything on the table, and think to myself, “No worries, i got good metabolism and my power yoga and handstand practice are gonna cut it for me.”

And that was how it went every single day. You know how anorexic people see themselves fat even when they are way toooo thin! We’ll i kinda was the opposite. Sooooo, i gained a steady amount of weight.  I was in trouble but my head was in the sky. I had zero idea. Until, my dad referred me this book, “4 Hour Body” by Tim Ferris.

I would not call it a diet book, nor an exercise book, it was more of health in general and how our body operates in burning fuel and how it react to food. I learned and realized so much from that book, but the one thing that stuck to my cortex was the phrase “Don’t fly blind. Monitor everything.”

And i thought, well, why don’t i give it a try! So i bought a smart scale as per advice of the book. I just weighed myself every single day for 2 weeks, not dieting, not changing anything, until finally the trend was fucking clear….I WAS GAINING WEIGHT! And if i don’t do shit, am gonna end fucking obese! And no way am gonna let that happen.

KETOGENIC DIET

This is not my original diet, first was the GM diet referred to me by my cousin, the very smart and charming April. She loved me, i guess, and was very concerned of how i looked that she sent me the diet. It was a 7 day diet that focused on carbs and food restrictions. TRUST ME, i almost died!!!! Thank God it was only 7 days! But i did lost 4 kilos but it was just soooooo impossible to keep for life.

It was then that i found out about ketogenic diet. I accepted it’s weird concept because it was in agreement with the information presented in the 4 Hour Body book which says that a high fat low carb diet is the best macro combination for weight loss.

I have to admit, it was nooooooo easy doing keto diet. You got to count every damn thing! Yes, fat covers the bulk of your diet BUT, you got to limit them too! Cause fat contains more calories per gram! And not all fats are equal! So you can’t just fry freaking everything! In fact, frying was the last option! Your fat sources has got to be from healthy sources like fish, nuts, avocado, eggs and dairy and moderately from meat. (I think this is where most people fail at keto diet, thinking all fats are the same, and thinking that they could eat unlimited amounts of it.)

The protein as alright, i would eat the normal amount.

But my carbs  had to be less than 30 grams and that means all i could eat was green leafy grass! The nightmare! I couldn’t even eat fruits! Help!

But it turned out aye okay!

But it turned out aye okay! Thank goodness! I replaced my rice with lettuce and olive oil and red wine vinegar and these babies taste great with anything. Instead of mindlessly eating out, i would shop for my meal twice a week. It saved me loooots of cash and I felt grateful. Like i was finally doing muyselfyself good.

My groceries comprised of eggs (lots of it), butter (because this is soooo much better than cooking oil), chicken breast, mushrooms, cabbage, lettuce, lemon, olive oil (1 bottle in 1 month), petchay, red wine vinegar (my bottle is still alive until now), apple cider, peanut butter, whole milk and bacon, tomatoes and pumpkin/squash seeds.

The best part was that food tastes great and my appetite for sweets disappeared. And i was so happy.

I did have keto flu! It was nasty, but i drank bone broth and it was gone in an instant.

After a month, i dropped 5 kilos and it continued dropping until from 66.7 kilos (August 9) i dropped to 54.1 kilos, my current weight today.

The best part was…

My body fat dropped too! From 33% to 25.6%current. My visceral fat (the dangerous fat around the internal organs) dropped from 6 to 3! Amazing! And my mom says i look younger! I AM SO HAPPY.

WEIGHT TRAINING

In October, i found the love of my life, weight training, a great addition to my most treasured yoga practice. I loooove weight training and the pain and the accomplishment it fills me with every end of the session.

I have an amazing coach too! Mike Supremo.

Personal advice, if you want to try weight training, best to get a gym coach first. Weight training is about pushing yourself to the limits and man oh meeeeeen, you won’t be able to do that yourself! At least at first. So don’t be shy and ask for a coach.

It’s so much worth it. I promise you.

I train just 3x a week. Mike asked me what i plan to accomplish. I told him, “Great shoulder caps, firm abs and a huge butt.” So my routine revolved around these goals.

In the first week i almost died. I felt so sore, i had cramps at night and cried! But, i showed up on the second week, my sores were still there but i managed to survive Monday, then Wednesday and Friday and i felt sooo amazing! I can do this! I remembered, whispering to myself walking slowly down the flight of stairs at the gym.

AAANNNNDDD YOU CAN TOO!

I mean, everybody can. It just needs some honesty, i guess. The smart scale showed me the facts in black and white, “I WAS OVERWEIGHT”. And whenever i did aced that week, it told me that i was doing great. It was my personal feedback loop.

Face the hard facts, swallow the truth and work on it. You are gonna get there. As bright as daylight, you’re gonna get that weight ideal for you. Yes supplements help, GREEN COFFEE is extremely helpful (I drink a cup every single day. It enhance fat burning)  but, they won’t work unless you do too! So, fix yourself baby, and always remember, you got this! You always do!

Love lots,

Joannie