Pounds Gained, Pounds Lost

The latest ebook to pass through my hands was 344 Pounds: How I Lost 125 Pounds by Counting Calories, by Shawn Weeks. It struck close to home, this book.

For the better part of the last decade I had a (losing) seesaw battle with the bulge. Gaining several pounds here, losing some a few months later, only for the weight to come back on with additional poundage in tow. Although I would consider it a wee bit depressing at times, I didn't really make a huge effort to stick to the changes I embarked on in a consistent fashion, namely dieting and exercising. Maybe because it seemed to smack too much of... sacrifice.

At the time I wasn't willing enough to "suffer" to lose weight, so I went back to my sedentary lifestyle, munched on my junk foods of choice, and pretended that everything was A-ok.

Then came the rude (and quite painful) awakening.

After enduring stomachaches that couldn't be alleviated by pain meds, I found out I had numerous gallstones and had to have my gallbladder removed. After the successful operation, I was actually given an all-clear to eat what I wanted, but "in moderation."

In moderation. Those two words seemed to be the key. It didn't mean I had to deprive myself of what I enjoyed eating, but I had to do so in reasonable, moderate quantities. And I definitely wasn't doing that in the past.

A previous blog post tackles this theme as well. At the time I wrote it in June 2011, I had lost 10 kg already. By the end of 2011, I had shed 25 kg, through a combination of brisk walking and running, as well as mindful eating (for the most part, at least).

People I know would actually be skeptical when I negated their assumption that I was taking something (pills, supplements and whatnot) in addition to my routine. I guess it's because as a society, we have been programmed to believe that we need pricey solutions to our problems, when in fact the fuse to light that spark to action actually lies within us.

The book's author chronicles his own journey from 344 pounds to losing 125 of them, without giving up his favorite snacks. The key was increased physical activity, and counting calories; in other dieting parlance, "portion control." Which is actually rooted in science anyway. Put in more than what your body needs, and you gain weight. Use up more energy than what you put in, and see the pounds fade away.

Throughout 2012, I managed to keep the weight off, give or take a few pounds during holidays, which I would try to lose once more after all the festivities had died down. This is also something that the author touched on: it's ok to fall off the proverbial wagon occasionally. That's cool, don't knock yourself over the head too much. As long as you come back the next day to make up for it.

It has not always been easy, but thinking of growing old as a healthy person is more than enough to keep the motivation alive.

Now that the holiday season has just concluded, it is time to walk those pounds away once more.

Kicking Off Another Year in Books

Six days into 2013. Seven books. And that's already interspersed with forays into Divisoria and Tagaytay. Not bad at all.

The Kindle has turned out to be one gadget that has worked waaay overtime for me. Out of the seven, six are electronic versions. The sheer convenience of carrying hundreds, even thousands, of books with you really ups the ante in favor of the Kindle.

That still doesn't diminish the allure of the printed book though -- at least for me. It's just made my physical book purchases more... streamlined, I guess, in that I only buy from the bookstores those volumes I would like as part of my bookshelves. There's no hard-and-fast rhyme nor reason, but in general, hardback reference tomes, recipe books, Filipiniana, and those volumes not readily available in electronic form -- these are the ones I physically go for nowadays.

Well, it reduces the impulse buys and the might-be-a-good-buy-but-not-sure-if-will-actually-be-a-good-read books.

On to what I've read so far this year:

1. The Christmas Cookie Club, by Ann Pearlman. I was searching for a light read, one that didn't require a lot of cerebral, philosophical musings. I wanted a feel-good book. I found it in this one. It was quite refreshing, showcasing vignettes in the lives of a dozen women who gather around Christmastime each year for their annual cookie fest, where each bakes thirteen dozen cookies to give to one another, plus an extra dozen for a charity of their choice. In this case, a hospice. Perfect for the holiday season, as it celebrates the warmth of female friendships. Oh, and the cookie recipes are a big bonus too!
2. The End of Your Life Book Club, by Will Schwalbe. It was the title that beckoned to me, at first glance. After reading a synopsis, my interest was piqued. This is a real-life account of one man's relationship with his mother who was suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer. A lot of their times together was spent dissecting books one or both had read, leading them to understand better what went on in each other's minds, and inadvertently forming a book club of two. As one who has lost a mother to breast cancer, this struck a bit close to home, albeit my mother and I didn't really have the book-based interactions that were the focus of the book.
3. I Wear the Shorts in this Family, by Charles Dowdy. The title hinted at a humorous view on family life. It was quite hilarious, really, with anecdotes that makes one think "Hmm, that one's verrrry familiar." It's like holding a mirror to one's family, seeing the quirks and sometimes-embarrassing eccentricities, and ultimately just accepting and enjoying it all.
4. Evergreen: A Christmas Tale, by Richard Taylor. Still in keeping with the just-finished holiday season, this was another take on the meaning of Christmas, of how to appreciate our blessings in the midst of difficulties. Told from the viewpoint of a man who recalled his grandfather's story of the very first Christmas tree. Short, but sweet.
5. Goodbye, Pert Breasts: The Diary of a Newborn Dad, by Ben Wakeling. Another funny title that caught my eye. However, this wasn't really an all-out laugh-fest as much as a roadmap for soon-to-be dads, like a "What to Expect When Your Wife is Expecting". Couched in humorous language, it actually is chock-full of facts, esp. for those living in the UK.
6. Why Me? by Sarah Burleton.  This was definitely not a feel-good book. It details the life of one girl at the hands of her violent mother and stepfather. While the author eventually was able to escape from her dangerous environment, the scars have remained. As a parent, it makes me ache to read the extent of her experiences with her physically abusive and emotionally distant mother who even encourages her husband (the stepdad) to take part in the punishments meted out to her. A sad story, but it eventually also celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.
7. The Children that Time Forgot, by Peter Harrison and Mary Harrison. A book about children, mostly under the age of ten, who surprise family and friends with facts about having lived before, citing specific times, places people. The authors have chronicled these accounts of reincarnation and have reportedly verified the stories of people not really being gone, but just going through a cycle of birth and death. I have to admit that after going through about a third of the book I then just skimmed through the remaining chapters. Maybe it was one too many stories of rebirth, or maybe I was just not in the mood for this at the moment.

Now excuse me while I try to make a dent at my to-read pile for the year. :)

Chortles from the Morning Rush

I couldn't help chortling by myself while leafing through the latest Morning Rush book by Chico, Delamar and Gino. Although not a regular listener of their radio show on RX 93.1, I found the first compilation of the Top 10 Morning Rush quite a hoot!

While browsing through the stacks in one of my favorite bookstores, I chanced upon book 2. Knowing the laugh trip that is sure to ensue, I grabbed one immediately and headed for the cashier.

It didn't disappoint.

From the "Messages for Haters" list:

"This Christmas, I'm going to put a mistletoe in my back pocket so all the haters can kiss my ass!"

Haha, a bitchy comment indeefd, but quite witty, if I may say so.

From the "Things You'd Tell Your Parents if They Were Your Kids" list:

"Kapag naglagay ka ng pera sa money basket 'pag offertory, huwag ka nang kumuha ng sukli, kasi mukha kang nagnanakaw ng pera."

I really burst out laughing at this one, never mind that I was alone at the time. Although I've never seen anybody actually do this, it just seems so easy to picture someone doing this -- quintessentially Filipino in its practicality and frugality. Why drop a thousand-peso bill if a hundred peso is all you were planning to give, right?

A lot of the lists are given to double entendres and are meant for more mature audiences, but here and there are little nuggets of caustic, tongue-in-cheek wisdom(?) that makes one pause to think "Oo nga naman, may point sya dun. In fairness."

Will be waiting eagerly for book three.

 

A Bangus Belly Anecdote

January 1 2013: New Year's Day lunch included oven-baked whole bangus (milkfish) stuffed with onions and tomatoes. Now, I am known in our family as one who, in the past, would fight tooth and nail for that delectable part of the fish -- the belly, with its succulent layer of dark fat that just melts in your mouth.

In Ilocano, we call the belly "buksit". So I guess my moniker could be "Buksit Monster". My younger sister also shares this appetite for this most-coveted part of the bangus' anatomy. You can then just imagine how mealtimes would be when we had bangus -- fried, inihaw, sinigang, paksiw. My sister and I would jostle each other to get to the buksit. Fortunately our parents knew the drill and, the selfless folks they were, proceeded to equally apportion their share of the belly to their two little girls.

Mmmm, those were good times.

Thank goodness for the convenience of boneless bangus belly portions nowadays.

My older daughter finds the belly too "nakakasawa", so she prefers the meaty part of the fish. My younger one though is more than happy to get her Atchi's share -- she loves buksit just as much as Mama! Her chubby little face just lights up when she sees bangus belly on her plate.

And so I have gotten used to giving up some (take note: not always all) of my buksit for the little one.

Back to New Year's Day. I was spooning some of the fish to put on someone's plate (I forget now whose that was, we had a lot of family members in the house that time). I then turned to get something else, and when I looked back, I had a big chunk of prime buksit on my plate, courtesy of my loving hubby!

He knows me so well.