A HUGE Bump Ahead

I have been on a blogging hiatus for more than two months now. I've got a very valid reason -- there's a big bump ahead, a HUGE one. I'm expecting my second baby. I found out that I was pregnant at about 6 weeks. I am now on my 14th week.

One of the last posts I made was about being stuck at 155 pounds. Now it's clear why I wasn't losing any weight that time. I had my suspicions when I found it a little too hard to control my food intake. I noticed that I was taking in larger portions and my cheat days were becoming more frequent. Then, I missed my period for two weeks. That never happened since I started working out.

So, on a Saturday in August, before I attended my step moves class at the gym, I decided to take a home pregnancy test. I was so shocked to see two lines. It's not that I didn't like this new blessing, I just didn't expect it to come this early. I was planning to get pregnant early next year. I was thinking that by then, I would have met my 50-pound weight loss goal. But fate had other plans for me.

When I went to my OB, the first thing that she told me was, "you cannot diet, you have to gain at least 1 pound per week." Perfect, I thought. Then, the first thing that I asked her was, "Can I still go to the gym?". My OB said yes, but I have to veer away from high-impact exercises. That means, no more running on the treadmill, no more body jam. Good news is, I can still dance retro and lift light weights.

Before I got pregnant, I would go to the gym 5 times a week. When I found out I was pregnant, I vowed to go at least 4 times a week. I wanted to be fit pregnant woman, but as fate would have it, this pregnancy is not a walk in the park. While my first pregnancy was very easy, this time I was experiencing all the bad pregnancy symptoms. Vomiting, nausea etc. What's even worse is, the only thing that stops me from vomiting is eating, so, yeah, I've been eating a lot too.

I wanted to blog about having a fit pregnancy. However, I don't think I could do that now. I've gained at least 10 pounds since I found out I was pregnant. And I'm expecting about 15-20 pounds more for the entire pregnancy.

I have to take care of myself but more than that, I have to take care of my baby. But as I promised when I started this blog, I wanted to make fitness a lifestyle. All I could promise is to start cutting down on the sweets, my only refuge from my vomiting spells and I would still go to the gym 2-3 times a week. For the past 8 weeks, I have been going to the gym once a week, and I definitely plan to do better than that.

My expected due date is on April 16, 2010. I will be breastfeeding my baby exclusively for as long as I can. But I would like to make another promise. I want to promise to start losing weight again, 3 months after I gave birth. I'd still want to meet my target weight of 130 pounds before the end of 2010. I want to be one hot, sexy momma! Watch me!

Lifting Weights: Why Women Should Do It

Many women refuse to lift weights with the fear to gain large muscles. Contrary to this, women have very different body composition from men and no matter how often we lift weights, we will never grow as big as those bulky bodies we see at the gym.

The importance of strength training cannot be stressed enough. Here are some reasons to convince you to start working those muscles:

* Strength training makes us stronger. Lifting weights trains our strength and enables us to do more extensive physical activities.

* Lifting weights improve our bone health. When we lift weights, we increase our bone density and our tendons and ligaments are strengthened.

* Strength training increases muscle mass. It slows down or reverses the muscle loss that we experience as we age.

* Increased muscle mass through strength training enables us to burn more calories even at rest.

* Improving muscle strength increases our flexibility and balance. Thus, chances of injuries during physical activities are decreased.

These are just some of the many benefits we get from lifting weights. And based from my own experience, I can say that I wouldn't have lost this much weight so quickly if I haven't been lifting weights and doing strength training 2-3 times a week.

So, even after I've used up all my sessions with my Personal Trainer, I pursued my stength training and continued losing those unwanted fats and gaining more muscles.

Eyes on the Prize

I don't know but it seems soooo hard to lose that 1 last pound to reach my 30-pound weight loss. That's why today, I'm setting a new prize to motivate me in the days to come.

I used to reward myself for every 10 pounds that I lost. It seems so long since my last reward and it's time I set my eyes on the prize once more.

So, what will it be this time? Recently, my hair iron broke and I need a replacement. Hair irons, especially branded ones don't come cheap. But, it doesn't matter. I need some HUGE motivation to get me on my feet again.

I just came back from Crossings department store and I saw this Revlon Hair Iron which I tried and LOVED. It's worth a little over 3k, but who cares? That will be my next prize and I need to have that soon!

29 Pounds Ago...

I lost interest in trying to look my best 'coz I knew that my best wouldn't even get close to how I would really want to look like.

I was afraid of cameras and dreaded looking at pictures of myself.

I would go straight to the plus size section of department stores to buy clothes. I wasn't too choosy, as long as the clothes fit.

I had a hard time wearing heels. It was hard enough to carry my own weight on flat sandals.

I stopped measuring myself. It was just too depressing.

I couldn't cross my legs.

I couldn't cross my arms.

I couldn't bring my knees to my chest while seated.

My husband could barely hug me. I was too big for his arms.

Events made me nervous 'coz I wouldn't know what to wear that would at least look "presentable" with my body type.

I ate anything I wanted because I wasn't worried about how much I would weigh the next day. I wasn't weighing myself anyway.

Mirrors are just for checking my hair and my face, not my body.

Shopping was not fun. It was simply a reminder of how bad my body shape was.

I kept on wishing I could go back to the gym, but I never did.

Stranded

Whenever I stop losing weight for 3 or more weeks, I feel stuck in that weight. I initially wanted to call this plateau-blog, "Stuck at 155". But, I just realized that the word "stuck" has a very negative connotation, especially for someone who's only halfway to his or her goal.

I have been 155 pounds for 3 weeks. Today, I hope that changes. I hope my total weight loss totals more than 29 pounds this week. I really do hope that happens today. But if it won't happen today, I will not say I'm stuck. I'm just "stranded".

Checking My Progress: Weeks 21 to 25

Slowly but surely... That's what I keep telling myself to avoid feeling frustrated. I've reached my plateau stage and my last progress check was not as good as I would want it to be. This time, it's a bit better. I've lost a few pounds and managed to avoid gaining any. It's getting tougher every week.

Here’s my weekly progress from weeks 21 to 25:

Week 20: 160 pounds (Reference)
Week 21: 158 pounds = lost 2 pounds
Week 22: 156 pounds = lost 2 pounds
Week 23: 156 pounds = lost 0 pound
Week 24: 155 pounds = lost 1 pound
Week 25: 155 pounds = lost 0 pound

Total pounds lost from weeks 16 to 20: 5 pounds

Total pounds lost in 25 weeks: 29 pounds

Vital stats reference (week 1): 39.5 - 39 - 42
Vital statistics from week 20: 37.5 – 35 – 39
Vital statistics at week 25: 37 – 34.5 – 38

Total inches lost from day 1: 11 inches

I would have wanted the total weight loss to be 30 pounds at this point. I don't see how it's sooooo hard to lose that last pound.

Anyway, I'm happy I lost 5 pounds for the past 5 weeks. Not bad for someone who's been on a plateau. And yes, I'm really happy I'm losing inches too!

Plus Size No More

It's been a while since I have been in the plus size section of a department store. I used to go straight to the plus size section of any department store to buy my clothes.

Losing a lot of weight gave me the courage to explore other parts of the clothing section. I just found out one day that I could already buy normal-sized clothes. Then, slowly, I stopped going to the plus size section.

However, having a "gifted" behind left me with second thoughts about non-plus sized pants. So, I would go to the normal-sized section for blouses and to the plus size section for pants.

But, the other day, they had this great Levi's and Dockers sale. The biggest size they had was 32 inches for ladies' pants. I was 34 inches the last time I checked. Hubby told me to try the pants on. He said, who know's? It might fit. So I tried on the pants and... it DID fit! So, even if I had no plans of buying the pair, hubby convinced me to. I now own my first ever pair of Levi's.






And then, yesterday, I tried on another pair of branded jeans and it was on sale at 20% off. Lee jeans are not as expensive as Levi's but it's quite a quality product as well. And then, it happened again, it fits well! I now own my second pair of non-plus-sized pants.

So, I guess it's official. I'm completely saying goodbye to the plus size section.

The New Me

Nope, this has nothing to do with Fitness First's "New Me" contest.

It's been more than a decade since I sported a short hairstyle. I was always afraid my face was too round for it.

But since I lost 28 pounds, people are starting to notice how slim my face looks now. So, last weekend, I decided to bite the bullet and got a short haircut.

So far, I'm getting nothing but positive feedbacks for my new look. What do you think?



I'm loving my hairstyle now and I love the fact that my face looks better on pictures. Losing weight can change one's life in sooooo many ways.

First Love Never Dies

I LOOOVVVEE the retro dance class of Fitness First. I'm a self-confessed retro fanatic. I love dancing and attending the retro dance class gives me the chance to dance to my heart's content. It gave me the chance to dance to the beat of Buttercup, The Boss, Single Ladies, and yes, that theme from the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire sung by Pussycat Dolls. (Bear with me, I know the title but I don't know how to spell it.)

But, before I was a member of Fitness First, I became a lifetime member of Slimmers World. Slimmers World did not have retro dance classes, but they had step aerobics classes. And before I became crazy for retro, I was head-over-heels in love with step aero. So in love, in fact, that I would wake up at 7am on a Sunday and travel from our house in Antipolo to SM Megamall, just to catch the 8:30 am step aero class.

For years, I have missed that great love, and the first thing that I asked when I became a member of Fitness First is, "May step aero classes ba kayo?" Luckily, they did have 2 step moves (that's how they call it in Fitness First) classes on Saturday and Sunday. I tried attending those classes a few times and I almost gave up. I couldn't follow the steps and it seemed like I have lost my step grooves.

So, did I give up? Almost. In one of the Saturday classes, the step aero teacher asked me, "Is this your first time?", to which I replied, "No, this is my third time in your class but I never once finished a class". Then, she said, "Try to finish this one". It was hard but I was encouraged by her words. So, with much difficulty and struggle, I did finish the class and promised to go back for more.

Last Saturday, I went to the same class, and for the first time after a loooong time, I was able to finish the class and actually enjoyed it. And just like that, everything came back to me. I fell in love with step aero all over again. For sure, in the next Saturdays to come, I will be at the gym attending back-to-back classes of retro and step moves.

I guess it's true, first love never dies. :-)

Freedom Day

I know it's been more than 3 weeks, but yesterday, I celebrated my own freedom day.

Yesterday, I cleared my closet and removed all my "fat clothes". I went through my wardrobe, piece by piece, to weed out my now oversized pieces of clothing. I haven't been wearing these clothes for a couple of months now since I lost a lot of weight.

Recently, I have been buying new clothes that fit my new body better. I needed room for these new clothes. Thus, a closet clean-up was necessary.

The activity proved to be quite liberating. I felt both sentimental and relieved to see my old double-XLs go out of the closet into a big suitcase that seemed like Pandora's box for me... hoping that I never have to open it again.