Remember when I posted before about my weightloss journey from 150 lbs. to 103 lbs. ? My story was also published in Women's Health September 2010 issue:

After this interview, I reached 102 lbs., but I gained muscle weight after trying to continue my strength training plan, making me reach 115 lbs. 

I have never gotten back to my old weight of 150 lbs.-- which is good. I'm around 125 lbs. right now. When I was in the Philippines last January, I reached 130 lbs. My goal is to at least be at 115 lbs. by May 2013. If possible, I want to be at 110 lbs. (without muscle weight), and once I start gaining muscles, I am fine to be at around 120 lbs. I want go back to my athletic self, and I just can't wait to get there! 

I am not perfect. I was not able to maintain my old weight. But that's normal! Even celebrities are having some struggles with losing and gaining weight every now and then. It is easy to criticise people, but look, even in other aspects of life, we have highs and lows. It's part of the learning process. Like in my case, I have learned a lot with my past weightloss journey, so now I know how to correct my habits, helping me get what I want.

So here's my tip to my fellow "weightlosers"-- ANNOUNCE YOUR WEIGHTLOSS PLAN. It gives you the support from your friends, and you get motivated to surprise people that YOU CAN DO IT. You do not want to disappoint them by not living out your announced commitment. That's the trick. This worked well with me before, and I hope this will help you too!

Stay tuned for my other weightloss tips and helpful apps that can get you going with your weightloss journey! Meanwhile, check out my WEIGHTLOSS POSTS here. 

My new workout buddy is MR. BRETT HOEBEL!

So far, I've worked out with Shaun T (Hip Hop Abs and INSANITY), Chalene Johnson (Turbo Jam), and Jillian Michaels (30-Day Shred).

The reason why I chose this is because I want to focus on toning my muscles more, especially my core. I know that people will tell me that I should try P90X,  but I'm saving that for later as I would like to try this one out first.

REV ABS aims to shed off fat while sculpting the whole body with extra attention to the core. It's much easier than SHAUN T's INSANITY, but you can feel the burn in this workout series. Actually, it's still up to you if you want to make it harder because you will be relying on dumbbells (and of course, you'll be choosing the weight which you can handle.) In the videos, I think they're using a pair of 15 lbs. Well, you can start off with a pair of 5 lbs. until you can handle the weight they're using. If you don't have dumbbells, they have a modified version of the workouts wherein the modifier's using resistance bands or none at all.

The whole program is longer compared to the other workouts I have tried. Usually, it only takes 1 month for one to finish a workout program, but this one will take you 90 days. Now, I might not be able to follow the whole program, but I'll try.

The package comes with a Nutrition Plan that will help in giving you optimal results. It has a 14-day Jump Start Menu and a 90-Day Menu. I tried following the 14-day Jump Start Plan, but due to certain events, I was only able to finish 1 week of it. The result? I lost 5 lbs. within 8 days, but of course I did the diet with the workouts and all. The jump start plan's actually focused on getting more protein into your body. In other words: low carbs-high protein! NO starvation involved so you'll be fine.

Just a quick overview regarding this program :

REV ABS attacks the abs from all angles. People who have used this really felt sore in the core area, which means that everything has been targeted well. I am already doing week 2 of Phase 1 and let me tell you, the BODY PAIN during WEEK 1 was worth it! It makes me feel victorious now because this means I have been doing the workout well! And guess what? I took photos last week and awhile ago to compare and see my progress. My abs had been more prominent! I am extremely happy because I've never seen them that way before! How motivating is that??? Seriously, I was about to give up working out awhile ago, but then I saw the pics and I was like "Woah. The results are so fast!" I did get cuts and fast results in the 30-Day Shred, but I need to change my workout and I want to focus more on my abs this time, so I'm with Brett right now.

 You can order this via amazon.com. =)

There are no shortcuts, only serious dedication for long-term results. I'm totally excited! =D

"You seem so disciplined and we admire your self-control but I must admit we feel so ashamed whenever we fail during our weightloss journey... Will we even have a chance to make it like you?" - A Fellow Blogger


It is because of this message that I'm making this post because I want to clear things out regarding the journey I went through to lose weight. I'm happy that I've been motivating a lot of you but some of my followers told me that they tend to feel bad whenever they fail because they believe that I never failed during the whole process. Well, this post's for you guys. This is to prove that I have failed many times but I still made it because I learned new things. I hope this one will motivate you more. :)

 I am proud to admit that I also fall down and give in to food temptations since a lot  of you think I'm too strict when it comes to food intake, making me look like a kill-joy FOODBUSTER (*starts singing* "When the sweets are there, and you're being tempted... Who ya gonna call? FOODBUSTER!). Guys, trust me, I still eat everything. I don't treat foods as if they're evil--only the yucky ones haha! However, I am ashamed to admit what I've been doing lately to compensate and remove all the guilt feelings I experience after eating more than my daily calorie intake goal-- I workout 4x the usual which is obviously too much (and yes my dear friends, I am aware of this problem). I'm not a perfect person and please don't even try to follow the things I do to cope up with my "fall downs".

 The last time I ate Keeblers Oatmeal Cookies was 3 years ago and my mom has some of these cookies left (since she bought this for our trip last May but she forgot to bring it haha!). Before I even started typing this, I ate one cookie and mom tried to stop me because she knows what I'm gonna do after eating a lot of those cookies. Yes, I'm gonna workout 2-3x just to burn them. I am aware that this isn't proper (and it's too much!!!) because I'm just torturing my body.We all know that our body needs rest (usually in-between workout days). This whole week, I've been eating  3-6 cookies  per day (making me have an additional 1,000 calories to my usual 1,200-calorie daily intake so I've been having 2,200 calories per day!) and the whole time, I've been working out as well. I've never done this back then, just now, and I'm telling you this not to make you guys follow my example but for you to learn something.

1. It's not evil to give in to food cravings. Nobody's perfect and sometimes you do have to give in (a small serving is enough to finish those cravings so you still get satisfied both in your weightloss journey and your cravings problem) because you're gonna crave more and once those suppressed cravings get the best of you, you tend to eat more and this will not make you feel good at all. You might even give up the whole weightloss process thing.

2. So you ate a lot, are you going to give up now? Don't. You  can still go on and eat normally after a "fall down" day. Don't eat less than 1,000 calories because that will just make your metabolism slower. Stay within your normal daily calorie intake goal and gradually compensate through your workouts but...

3. Never exhaust yourself by working out over your limits! Working out too much was my mistake because it was my way of removing the guilt feelings. I learned my lesson and I'm back on track by controlling myself again. We all know that working out is really healthy for you but if you do too much, you're just putting injuries to your body. You overwork your heart and muscles and nothing beneficial shall be gained--only pain, exhaustion, and possible injuries. We really need rest.

 So you see, I also fall down. I give in to cravings and eat over my daily calorie intake goal. I even had another fall down which was working out too much. That's totally unhealthy. The best thing is do the usual: eat within the daily calorie intake goal and workout between 30-60 minutes or if you want more, put rests in-between. It may take time because instead of burning the past calories, you're gradually burning those new unwanted calories and you might even get tempted to give up --but please DON'T. All of us fail but we learn and we have each other for support. My self-control became stronger because of the things that have happened and everything even became better. Never give up. You may have gone out of the track but you'll realize upon getting back that you're on a better road!  =) 

UPDATE: I DID ANOTHER ROUND THIS JUNE-JULY 2010, here's the link to my final results with pictures! :
30-DAY SHRED ROUND 2 (JUNE-JULY 2010)

1) 30-DAY SHRED ROUND 1 (JAN-FEB)

2)30-DAY SHRED ROUND 2 (JUN-JULY)

I've stopped heading to the gym since last November because I had to be gone for a month and then when I came back, ta dahhh Christmas eating wonders welcomed me. But wait, what's this? There's another thing that welcomed me. It's Jillian Michaels herself!!! In DVD FORM. Before I left the gym, I ordered her dvd called 30-DAY SHRED. It's supposed to make you lose UP TO 20lbs in 30 days if your body allows you to. Take note "UP TO" because obviously, everything depends on your body's adaptation and metabolism. Right now, I only need to lose 4lbs. to finally reach my ideal weight of 110 lbs. so for those who tried guessing my original weight, here's the result: 150lbs. In fairness, 2 of you got it right. So despite the fact that JM's claim of losing 20lbs in 30 days may not be exact, I'm still up for the challenge and see how much I can lose within 30 days.

I started the shred this December but I haven't been doing it everyday since my body got shocked by her routine. Yes my dear friends, despite me being in intermediate-advanced level, I still got kicked right out of it by Jillian in LEVEL 1--for only 20minutes. Apparently, I've read somewhere that you're supposed to do it everyday. So far, with the every other day routine, I only lost 1lb. in 2 weeks. Don't conclude that it's not effective because it is... I noticed I was more toned than before so maybe I've been gaining pounds from the muscles and have been losing some fat and when you total everything it only comes out as a 1pound loss. Plus, I'm down to the stubborn last-few-pounds-to-lose and I'm basically on a plateau so if you probably do the shred during the first week of your weightloss process, I bet you're gonna lose a lot like the others who lost up to 4lbs. in just 1 week.

I'm going to start the everyday routine today but I'm supplementing it with another total body workout and I decided to use Hip Hop Abs Total Body Burn Level 2 and Turbo Jam Fat Blaster. The supplements are only going to be used every other day but JM's shred is staying with me everyday. I have to do this because I'm on a plateau and I really need to double the stress because my body got used to my routine already. I'm currently following DVDs because I tend to get bored whenever I'm doing my strength and cardio training on my own. Lol. Just a quick info regarding the shred. It has 3 levels and basically the workouts are jampacked in 20minutes so it really is high in intensity. She's using circuit training wherein there are 3 circuits composed of: 3minutes of strength training, 2minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs.

DAY 1
She definitely killed me there. She said that she wants you to feel like you're gonna die and she really made me feel that way. IT was HARD. I had to follow the modified steps for 1 workout. Boom. I'm drenched with sweat. I'm not trying to discourage you because with Jillian Michaels, even though it's hard, you're definitely going to be motivated and not want to disappoint this tough trainer. You'll be challenged, not discouraged. I'm definitely motivated to get that 1 workout done in the advanced level and I hope I can follow after 2 days. =\

Current weight: 114lbs.
Original weight: 150lbs. (last July 2009)
Goal weight: 110lbs.
JM Shred Level: 2 (20mins)
Supplements: Turbo Jam Fat Blaster (30mins)
Materials: 1 yoga mat, pair of 5lbs of weights (but she recommends 2-3lbs)



I would still like to say sorry to those who had been expecting the travel photos to be up by now but I've been really busy plus I took a lot of photos and choosing the best among them is a tough job. Shoutout to my friend Russ who already saw some of the photos. Lol.

"I'm tired of the cycle of gaining all those compliments then losing them after gaining back some weight then gaining compliments again after losing weight then losing them after gaining weight--AGAIN."

Yes, I know that I am a nurse and before becoming one, a nursing student must be able to master the normal body processes and how different diseases can alter these everyday events that are going on inside us (aka PATHOPHYSIOLOGY) to be able to choose the correct nursing interventions when dealing with patients of certain diseases. Honestly, knowing all these things helped me with regards to planning and carrying out my patient care but little did I even apply the knowledge that I have acquired from my course to myself. Aside from these things, NUTRITION was part of our curriculum (during 2nd year) and I enjoyed it actually but I was only able to apply it to my patients--forgetting myself again. I think that you can only recognize your own body's needs when something undesirable really happens to it. In my case, it's the weight.

When I was a child, I've always been thin. I even got thinner when I was diagnosed with pneumonia (and how lovely is this disease that when I became a student nurse, all of my patients have this disease and for my Oral Revalida, this was the case that I defended) when I was 6 years old (and I got confined where? at my former college's own hospital where I spent my duty days as a student nurse!). My parents were worried by my state that they did everything for me to gain the ideal weight for my age. Too bad... I started enjoying the act of eating that when I reached the 4th grade, I was, well, swelling up. It didn't stop there. As a preteen, you just can't get THAT conscious yet so it was nothing for me. The weight went on and on and the problem only hit me when I finally reached highschool and a teacher was choosing some big girls for something. I was picked and I was like--what? I wasn't expecting that or maybe I overlooked my weight too much that I just needed a wake up call from the outside. Ever since that incident, I would dance for 2 hours at home to shed off weight. It did help but my weight was very unstable. It went up and down a lot of times during the 4 years spent in highschool. When I finally went to college, I was SUPER DUPER conscious already. I mean, come on, after 11 years of staying at an exclusive girls school? Boys are around now and you know boys love to tease girls who have some extra pounds! Girls don't do that to each other (only in rare occasions when playful) because we are very sensitive when weight is the topic. But boys--majority of the boys have this thing for teasing girls who are chubby. Though I know that most of them don't really mean it and have no intention in making a girl depressed, some girls do have this super sensitive attitude when weight is being made fun of. What guys don't understand is when you make fun of girls with their weight, some may just breakdown because of getting teased a lot especially with weight. The sad thing is I can see girls who are thinner than me but still get teased for having extra inches of fat (like probably only 2 inches of fat?). I do get teased by my guy friends but it is rare like probably once every 2 months (haha) for having some extra weight. During my 4 years in college, a lot would see me lose weight then gain it back again then lose it again. So I get compliments then the teasing (of my favorite guy friends ever... hahaha you know who you are! :P ) comes back again then the compliments then--okay we get it. The ups and downs of my weight during my college life had been really tiring. I'm tired of gaining all those compliments then losing them again after gaining back some weight. It all comes down to the WRONG BELIEFS I HAD WITH REGARDS TO WEIGHTLOSS.

My unstable weight is basically due to my wrong choices of methods in losing weight. I hated exercise and was inconsistent with it. I would exercise for 2 hours during schoolbreak so basically, everyone would always notice the weightloss BUT only during the first few months of school. By the time mid-schoolyear comes, I would've already gained back the weight I've lost plus some extra pounds added to my original weight. I've tried a lot of those short-term weightloss methods (I know they are bad but because they were quick, I was up for them) and my reward was a short-term experience of confidence. I've tried the South Beach diet, diet (liar) pills, metabolism boosters, food replacements, starvation, super crash diets, and the depression diet for not even having the weight I want. After the board exams review, I was surprised that I finally reached the weight that I've never ever reached before. I was overweight by 20lbs.!!! I've had enough of those past failed weightloss experiences using all those new weightloss methods. I finally decided to lose weight using a classic method (aka THE SLOWLY BUT SURELY method) and something that I know would be healthier. I decided to hit the gym and eat right. I also started reading the book that was given to me as a gift by my dad. He has always been concerned about my health. Well people might probably say "Duh, because he is a doctor." but I would just reply "Duh, probably because I am his daughter." The book is about having a healthy heart. I loved the book and it made me more motivated while I was at the gym. Before opening that book, all I can think of was "I must lose weight to gain my confidence back." but after reading that book, all I can think of was "I must lose weight to have a healthier body." The book had a section for weightloss and although I already know how it goes, it was only that time that I was finally able to think of myself as a patient, badly needing some help for a healthier life. I was only starting my weightloss journey when I read that book and as I went on with my mission of losing some weight, I decided to study books with regards to FITNESS AND NUTRITION. I learned a lot and I'm more motivated compared before. Why did I hate dieting before? I did not get satisfied--at all! I can't eat what everyone else was eating. Now, I learned how to alter the quantity and quality of the foods I am eating. I can make better choices. I can eat whatever I want with control. I even learned how to cook and bake because I really want to eat low-calorie versions of my favorite foods.

My weightloss journey had been a really meaningful one. I do wanna thank my failures because it is due to them that I have changed my outlook on weight. By seeing how these failures turned to disasters, I finally realized that the healthier way of losing weight is still the best one because there is an assurance of a healthier body with no risks involved (duh? I know right? hehe). Our body is to be taken care of and by introducing sudden weightloss ways to it, it just suffers more because the body needs gradual adjustments for it to work properly. Just think of a child you're teaching to talk. You can't just teach him/her advanced words right away. A child needs to get used to small words first before he/she can start learning bigger words. Like a child, a body needs some training as well. For it to have a successful weightloss, you need to give small changes to it first. Giving big changes right away to the body will just break it down. The normal processes in the body get altered and you become less healthy. That is why if you're planning to lose weight by decreasing your calorie intake, don't just starve right away. Decrease it slowly. Plus, like a learning talking child, there are limitations. A child can only take a certain number of words at a time. If you go beyond the child's limitation, it is totally pointless. In the example given awhile ago regarding decreasing the calorie intake, there is a limitation. You can't decrease it beyond the minimum amount of calorie intake or else the body will be in trouble. That is why all those short-term weightloss methods fail! You lose weight fast but you gain it faster afterwards. The body is not used to the sudden weightloss and it will only compensate after you're done with the short-term method. Unlike when you're gradually losing weight, you're giving time for your body to adjust and when it gets adjusted, it will not gain back the weight you're trying to lose because the body thinks that what's going on is normal. Our body is very defensive. ;) When it knows it is being attacked by all those bad methods, it attacks back by compensating. Take starvation for example. When the body is not getting enough calories, it thinks you're starving therefore storing fat more. Clever body, huh?

Weightloss totally helped me go WITH MY BODY and not AGAINST MY BODY. If you do just that, you'll be healthier. This is what I basically learned from my weightloss journey... It definitely changed my outlook on weight as something that is to be taken care of for the sake of health (and not merely just for physical appearance) and one can do that just by being a friend to one's own body. :)