Battle of the Bulge – Another Update (this time its Legen…)

…DARY! It’s a legendary update!

After 10 million years, at sobrang pangangalawang na ng blogsite na ito, isa na naman update on my Battle of the Bulge. This time, para mas malupit, isang epic before and after pic muna…

An almost two year journey, struggle, at kung anik-anik pa, has led me to this picture, that I, and my wife, are extremely proud of. Sabi nga ni misis, it’s still a work-in-progress, and I agree, I think I can still push it to high school era.

Left: Nov 2011, at a friend’s wedding in KL (Weight: 113kgs.)

Right: Sep 2013, at a friend’s wedding in PH (Weight: 88kgs.)

Total Weight Loss: 25 kgs, or a 22% reduction, o diba, pang Biggest Loser lang ang dating!

I can say all the cliches about hardwork, determination and discipline, pero this is my blog, and I don’t like BS, kaya I’ll be very candid about my journey.

1.) You should have a sense of being afraid. Fear is/was a great motivator for me, in this case. Mine was medical, terrifying and bad medical findings.

2.) Compliments are addicting. Ang sarap ng feeling ng masabihan na you look younger, you look fitter, ang payat mo na, mas lalo ka gumuwapo. (last comment courtesy of the mrs!)

3.) Mas madali if may kapartner or katulong ka. The keyword in any lifestyle change is PREPARATION. Someone to help map out meal and exercise plans, someone to cook and prepare the food, and to ensure that you eat the baon.

4.) Frustration. I was frustrated about a number of things. Ang hirap humanap ng damit, ang hirap ng magbasketball, ang hirap tumakbo. Pero ang pinakamasakit nito, e nahirapan akong sumabay sa anak ko. So frustation built up, kaya mas nagkaroon ako ng motivation.

5.) Thinking of an epic before and after picture really helps. Visualization. It also goes back to feeling good after receiving compliments, and to see the result of hard work.

It’s not yet done. Addicting ang feeling ng pagiging healthy; it’s a masarap na addiction naman e. Gusto ko pa din maramdaman un. I saw the improvements, not just medically, but also physically, and psychologically. Nakakamura na ako sa damit, dahil I can fit into Uniqlo stuff, mura and maayos naman.

I want my weight to be where I was in high school, roughly around 78kgs. That would be really awesome. Once that’s achieved, I’ll have my long overdue knee surgery, and probably start putting some serious definition, hehehe!

Pero for now, enjoy na muna. Magpapasko, I have allotted time for this. I mean during the holidays, ok lang muna na medyo magbreak ng diet routine. Come January, beast mode uli tayo.

O siya, sana may sense. Nakakatamad na mag-work. Bakasyon mode na utak ko e.

Paalam! Salamat!

Battle of the Bulge – Another Update

Three months down the road, after my last update…(at least this time, nakakapag-update na ako diba?!)

4 kgs lost since April. From 106 kgs in February, I am down to 96 kgs today, a year-to-date weight loss of 10 kgs! Ang saya-saya ko, and sa wakas napapansin na din ang aking pagpayat! Hahaha!

Sabi nga ng isang nabasa ko:

• 4 weeks, to feel better about yourself (check!)
• 8 weeks, before loved ones and friends see the difference (check!)
• 12 weeks, before other people see the change (isang malaking check!!)

Ang sarap lang ng feeling na sasabihan ako na pumayat na ako, lagi na lang kasing sinasabihan ako na ang laki-laki ko! Kaya masaya ako na nakakarinig ng mga ganitong comments once in a while. I haven’t had the chance to re-do my blood work kaya hindi ko alam if medically e may improvement na ako. That would be another update to be shared soon!

Hindi ko pa ma-share ang isang epic at legendary na before and after na pic, kasi hindi pa obvious e, saka na lang siguro kapag tumungtong na ako sa 90kgs (that’s a total of 16 kgs lost), baka that time, kita na ang difference hehehe!

Ano na bang nangyari since:

• frequency and duration of cycling increased (trying to make it at least 4 times a week, and at LEAST 25 kms covered!)
• every weekend, I do a long ride, covering around 60kms
• diet maintained, less rice talaga, alternative source of carbs (like pasta and potato before long rides) – baka manghina kapag wala
• involved more friends in my exercise, para mas masaya at masustain ang motivation!

What’s going to happen from this point:

• additional exercise is required: I will go back to swimming, kahit na once a week; and at least once a week na brisk walking/jogging
• maniwala ka’t sa hindi, pero hindi ko kaya magpush-up, kaya starting this week sisimulan ko magpush-up, increasing frequency per week – start muna ako 10 reps every morning
• I signed-up/will sign-up sa mga events, like the Standard Chartered Marathon (1o km lang muna!), OCBC Cycling 2013 (for the 40km event!), atbp.
• mag-isip ng ways para sa diet, pero mukhang ok na ako sa diet e, mahirap naman na walang food intake e

The last 4 kgs lost was quite difficult, ang tagal bago nabawas; 3 months for 4 kgs. I aim sana 1.5 – 2 kgs lost per month, pero I think I need to do something different para ma-achieve ko iyon.

O yun lang, salamat at nagtiyaga ka basahin ito. Sana naramdaman mo ang ligaya at excitement ko. Sana naramadaman mo din ang renewed passion ko for a healtheir living.

Wakanasusha!

by the way, ito pala ang photo-folio ko, dalawin mo naman kung may oras ka: Larawan

Battle of the Bulge – Update (after 10 million years!)

After almost two years, may update na din ako sa aking Battle of the Bulge post…WAKANASUSHA…after two years dun lang nag-update! Anyway, eto na ang nangyari pagkatapos kong isulat ang post na un two years ago…WALA!!!

Tamad na kung tamad, hindi naman sa humilata lang ako maghapon, magdamag. Nagtangka din naman ako mag-jogging, hindi kaya, naging brisk walking…umaray ang shin area, nauwi sa swimming…nawalan ng oras dahil sa dami ng trabaho, nauwi sa wala at panaka-nakang basketball with friends. OK na papawis, pero hindi consistent.

Ang resulta, I ballooned to 106 kgs, dumalas ang atake ng gout, I felt weak and sluggish, at kung anu-ano pa. And to confirm my fears, ayon sa aking medical result taken last March 17, mataas lahat ng aking marka, kung report card ko ito, Valedictorian; e kaso nga that’s not the case!

To name a few:

• very high triglycerides (hi-risk of pancreatitis)
• high uric acid – dati pa naman (gout)
• high cholesterol (hi-risk for heart ailments)
• non-alcoholic fatty liver

Kung sa tama at tama lang, madaming tama! I mean hits!

So anong ginawa ko? Drastic, pero I think lahat nasa utak talaga.

• weight loss from diet management – I’m eating 6 times a day, small portions (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, siesta snack, 5 pm snack, dinner) tapos low carb intake (goodbye rice!)
• exercise (cycling) – nakahanap din ako ng gusto ko at kaya kong i-maintain. Before the diet, I do 4 times a week, average of an hour per ride. Dahil sa low-carb, bawas ang energy, nabawasan din ang intensity, 3-4 times a week, average of 30 mins per ride
• mas maging positive – I keep on tracking numbers/results and salamat sa runkeeper at nai-sha-share ko ang activities at developments ko. I thrive on feedback, kaya ang simpleng pag-like nila ang isa sa nagco-contribute sa aking positivism. Sana lang huwag sila magsawa diba?

Ang resulta, I am now at 100kgs, 6 kgs lost in a month’s time!! WAKANASUSHA!!! Hindi pa masyado halata sa itsura ko, pero I can definitely feel na lumuluwag ang belt, pants at long sleeves ko. I am starting to look good in my non-loose shirts (hindi din naman kasi muscle shirt, kaya hindi ko alam ang tawag!).

At least may maipagmamalaki na akong results. Next milestone for me is to reach 90kgs, and I’m giving myself 5 more months to achieve it. That’s roughly 2kgs to lose every month. Siguro this time, maganda na may side by side photo ako para ma-compare ang aking before and after body! Yeah! Ako na ang fit! Wakanasusha!

Masaya lang ako sa achievements ko. Pero more than losing weight and looking/feeling good, I need to see the development in my medical tests in the next three months. Magpapa check up uli ako and I’m expecting na bumaba na sana ang mga dapat bumaba na measurements.

Mahal ko ang pamilya ko, bata pa ang anak ko, kaya ko ginagawa ang lahat ng ito para tumagal pa ako sa earth na kapiling nila. So tara journey with me friends and followers (uy followers, ang dami!!!)

Salamat at nagtiyaga ka basahin ito. Sana naramdaman mo ang ligaya at excitement ko. Sana naramadaman mo din ang renewed sense of energy ko.

Wakanasusha!

by the way, ito pala ang photo-folio ko, dalawin mo naman kung may oras ka: Larawan

Battle of the Bulge – I Need Your Help (Day 0)

Mataba ako, matagal na…pero wala akong ginagawang consistent about this. May pagkatamad ako e…bumili ako ng basketball shoes, pero nung nalipat kami ng bahay at natapos ang liga ko, hindi ko na nagamit uli. Bumili ako ng running shoes, pero after two months of jogging/walking, tumigil na din ako dahil sa injury sa tuhod ko. Nagsimula ako ng diet, pero hinid ko masustain…So in short, tamad lang talaga i-sustain.

Ngayon, hindi ko alam kung tama itong gagawin ko, pero I think I need to document my activity towards a healthier me.

Una, bakit ko ginagawa ito? Hindi na issue sa akin ang magpapayat at magpaganda ng katawan (although bonus na ito). Ang mas mahalaga sa akin is I have to be healthy for my lil boy. I want to grow with my son, and not just watch him grow. I want to live long enough to see him finish school, have his own family and be a hit in his chosen career path.

Second, ang dami kong nararamdaman sa katawan ko, and my latest executive check-up was not encouraging. I am obese by BMI standard, with a BMI of 30+. Body fat ratio of 30%+, high triglycerides, high count of bad cholesterol, at ang pinaka-regular kong sakit, high uric acid count. Simple lang ang doctor’s advice, reduce your weight by at least 20kgs and you will see all of this gone. FYI, I am now at 103 kgs. My challenge is to bring this down to at least 80kgs (176 lbs), which was my college weight. Would be nice if I can bring this down to 70 kgs (154 lbs), my high school weight.

Third, almost everything is difficult when you’re fat. Mahirap maglakad, dahil madaling mapagod. Mahirap maghagdan, dahil sumasakit ang tuhod. Mahirap makipaghabulan sa anak, dahil kinakapos ng hininga…at marami pang iba, na hindi na dapat i-share na sa blog, hahahaha!

Fourth, sayang ang mga damit ko na maayos pa, pero hindi na kasya. At saka mahirap humanap ng size ko dito sa Singapura, dahil karamihan ng tao dito e payat. Kung may malaki man, meaning Western sizes, e masyado naman mahaba sa akin, dahil iyon ay designed para sa mga puti, hehehehe! I end up na nagpapatahi, which is freakingly expensive here in Singapore.

What are the steps that I’m taking?

First, I’ll be treating this blog as a journal of my progress towards a healthier lifestyle. What I did, what I ate, if I slipped up, anything relevant to my journey. In a way, I can review my progress/decline towards my goal.

Second, I’m adjusting my schedule. Sabi nga ni Capt Witwicky sa Transformers, No Sacrifice, No Glory…hehhee, kaya I have to give up most of my late-night viewing schedule to give way to exercise. I’m also updating my work calendar para I spend at least three nights in a week doing some serious exercise, like swimming, basketball or briskwalking.

Third, and this is where YOU can help me…I thrive on feedback and motivation, and I’m calling on all help and support that I can muster para samahan, i-push at i-boost towards a healthier me. So sa inyo, (naks, ang dami!!!) na makakabasa nito, I need your help for this battle.

Tara let’s…Game na! Lesgow!

Here comes the Black Mamba!

My Lakers are back in the finals for the 3rd straight year! Yebah!

I hope this time around they get to exact revenge from the Celtics. I have a serious bet with my boss, kaya Wakanasusha, my Lakers better win! I don’t care if they do it in 5 or 6 or pwede ring sweep, basta dapat manalo sila!

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Damnit! The man who fashions himself as a King, is one big selfish SOB!

Stealing away the spotlight from the history-rich rivalry between the Lakers and the C’s! Ganun yata talaga kapag talunan at wala pang napapatunayan, dinadaan lahat sa daldal!

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Work from home ako bukas para makapanood ng game 1 Live! Bwahahaha! Ano kayang madahilan?!?!?!

Currently: anxious, excited, reflective

Demmit!

Sports rant – Pasensiya na sa hindi makakaunawa…

My Lakers lost today to the 8th seed Oklahoma Thunders!

DEMMIT!

Less than 30% shooting from Kobe…sa sampung tira, pito sablay! Ang nakakainis at nakakapagtaka, Durant gets 13 free throw attempts at wala kay Kobe. Mas nakakapagtaka, Durant made 12 FT’s, Lakers ATTEMPTED 12 FT’s. Ang galing namang tumawag ng referree. Pero mas magaling siguro ung nagbantay kay Kobe, biruin ni hindi man lang na-foul si Kobe, gayung aggressive siya the entire game! Magaling magaling magaling!

Less than 10 seconds, and Jordan Farmar takes a 3-pt shot, wakanasusha! Magaling din ang nag-design ng play! Magaling magaling magaling!

At isa pang magaling, Ron Artest takes the next 3-pt shot?!?!?! Wakanasusha! They should’ve gone for a very quick and aggressive 2-pt shot, tapos foul kaagad. Ang galing, nakakapang-init ng laman! Ang init pa naman ngayon! Wakanasusha!

Di bale, Lakers in 5, I’m sure!

Lagi na lang kami…

guwapong-guwapong anak na manang-mana sa pinagmanahan!

Ang tagal ko ding hindi nakapag-blog: out of ideas, out of time, but mostly, tamad. Pero gusto kong magpalabas ng idea/rant ko ngayon, dahil sa isang article na nabasa ko kanina.

 

History: Bakit ako bothered?
Isa ako sa mga milyun-milyong OFW’s dito sa bayan ni Lee Kuan Yew, dalawang taon na din ako dito, at masasabi kong masaya ako sa buhay ko dito, kapiling ang aking pamilya. Nagtatrabaho ako sa isang bangko, 18months sa Accounting, at ngayon ay nasa Learning & Development space (this is for another blog, kapag sinipag! hehe!). Si misis din ay nakahanap ng trabaho bilang isang clinic manager sa isang maliit (pero malakas rumaket) na dental clinic. Two-income family, kaya ok kami, kahit na paminsan-minsan e medyo tagilig ng kaunti. May isang guwapong-guwapong-manang-mana-sa-pinagmanahang anak, na nagsisilbing inspirasyon sa laban ng buhay.

Mabalik tayo sa aking nagiinit na saloobin ko sa nasabing artikulo. Ang dami kong nakakwentuhan dito tungkol sa isyu ng mga lokal laban sa mga foreign workers. Andiyan na sinasabi nila na kami (as foreigners) ang dahilan kung bakit sila nauubusan ng trabaho; na kami ang dahilan kung bakit mas siksikan sa mga bus at train; na kami ang dahilan kung bakit pahirapan pumasok sa mga pampublikong paaralan; na kami ang dahilan kung bakit ang hirap bumili at naging mataas ang presyo ng mga HDBs (high-rise govt housing); etc etc etc.

Sa mga nagrereklamo, etong sa inyo: WAKANASUSHA KAYO!

Puro na lang sila reklamo, pero potah, hindi naman nila iniintinding maigi ang mga behind-the-scenes ng mga buhay namin sa bansa nila bilang mga foreigner! Why do you hate us, when you clearly don’t have the rights; let me count that ways:

• we pay taxes; through our purchases and our income. At dahil taga-ibang bansa kami, iba ang aming tax scheme at maraming tax reliefs ang hindi available sa amin. Madaling sabi, mas malaking buwis ang binabayaran namin!
• hindi makakapasok ng basta basta ang mga anak namin sa mga schools dito, dahil sa estado namin, nasa hulihan kami ng bunutan (balloting) para makapasok sa schools dito! Prayoridad pa din ang mga locals, that’s fair, wala akong problema dun, pero huwag nilang isisi sa mga foreigner kung bakit mahirap sa mga schools, gayung priority sila!
• sa pagbili ng bahay, kapag foreigner ka, selected condo lang ang pwede mong bilhin. Kung HDB ang trip mong bilhin, at least kayong mag-asawa ay dapat Permanent Residents (PRs), kung hindi, dehins ka pwede bumili!
• sa trabaho: hindi mapili ang mga foreigners. Payag kami sa mas mababang sweldo at mas maraming oras, dahil alam namin na hindi kami priority sa trabaho, kaya kami tanggap lang ng tanggap! TRUE STORY: Isang restaurant owner at kung bakit gusto niya ang mga foreigners: locals lack the personal skills (meaning pleasant ang attitude ng mga foreigners) to handle client-facing roles; at isa pa, kapag local ang inalok mo ng trabaho, ang unang tanong nila e “Can we have weekends off?”; samantalang kapag foreigner naman “Can we work overtime?” Napuna niyo ba ang kaibahan ng ugali pagdating sa trabaho?
• on hygiene: teka lang, baka maakusahan na naman akong racist nito e, i would just want to defend the Pinoys, I don’t speak for other foreigners this time. The Pinoys are noted for being very particular with cleanliness; from personal hygiene, to food and most especially surroundings. Enough said na ito siguro

Madami pa akong pwedeng idagdag, pero ito ang mga unang lumabas ng sinimulan ko ang entry na ito. Ewan ko talaga, I like this country, the system and its government. I just don’t like the fact that those people to whom much is given, sila pa ung putak ng putak! Wakanasusha! Siguro para sa Pinoy, we came from a very hard working, but poor country, kaya ganito na lang ang level ng pagsusumikap at pagtitiis natin.

O well, nailabas ko na ang gusto kong sabihin:

On a different note: my sporting bets did great yesterday. Pacquiao outclassed the Ghanian punching bag named Clottey, and Ferrari finished 1-2 in the inaugural race of the F1 season! Woohoo!

Para sa Magandang Panimula ng 20-oTEN!

Galing sa e-mail sa akin, sana ma-enjoy niyo, at sana mai-apply niyo din sa mga buhay-buhay niyo ngayong taon ng metallic TIGER! Happy new year intarweb people! Miss ko na kayo sobra! Hahahaha!

HANDBOOK 2010

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants…

4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

5. Make time to pray.

6. Play more games. [Huwag lang maglalaro ng APOY!]

7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily; and while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don’t over do. Keep your limits. [But still, don’t forget to challenge yourself, once in a while!]

14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

18.. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful. If you think these/they haven’t been useful, beautiful or joyful for the past year, chances are, these/they still won’t be this year!

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come.

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Para sa iyo Chubby Feet

ABC

Noong October 23, nagone-year old na ang anak ko, WAKANASUSHA, ang bilis ng panahon, kinakabahan baka bukas e naghihingi na ng pang-gimik sa akin ito, hahahaha! Umuwi kami ng PI para i-celebrate ang knayang birthday with family and friends. I’ll post the pictures soon.

I came across this prayer in one of the FB status update, and it was really touching. I will forever remember this prayer and I hope that my son will also live with it.

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A Prayer For My Son

This is one of my favorite things ever written. Gen. Douglas MacArthur wrote this prayer for his son.

A Prayer For My Son

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee — and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goals will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, give him, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”

Bagong Buhay

Kahapon ang unang araw na sumali ako sa bago kong work. I’m still staying with the same bank, pero this time I’m doing something REALLY REALLY new for me!

Accountant ako by profession kaya ever since na nag-work ako…it’s always been related to finance…business consultant, cost analyst, financial analyst & recently payroll accountant.

Wakanasusha, masyado pa-suspense, o eto na! This time I’m going to do Learning & Development, full time. Kahapon sobrang kapa pa talaga ako, wakanasusha, hindi ko maintindihan ang pinagsasabi nila. Kaya sabi ko sa sarili ko, full immersion for one month para maka-relate ako sa kanila. Panalangin ko na sana eto nga ung niche ko, alam sobrang off sa career ko, pero baka dito ako maging successful at dito ako maka-build ng pangalan ko sa bank at sa industriya. Kaya mahal kong readers, please wish me luck! 🙂
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11 months na ang aking chubby feet sa wednesday! picture to follow soon! Ang bilis ng panahon grabe! Active na nga e sobra, nakikipag-wrestling na, hehehe! Kaya ngayon pa lang ako kailangan ko ng magipon ng todo para sa magandang kinabukasan ng anak ko. Mahirap na masarap… Kaya sanang lumaking matino ang anak ko!
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o yun lang muna, gusto ko lang subukan uli itong wireless blogging na hindi micro-blogging, hehehehe!