Thank You, Vanity!

One of my favorite PhilPop blessings: weight loss.

Knowing that PhilPop would be televised, and knowing that one gains about 10 lbs on TV, I was determined more than ever to lose some weight.  I had made a number of attempts over the past couple of years to exercise in the hopes of losing some weight - extra weight that has come with the slowing down of metabolism with age - and my attempts had only been discouraging.  Working out continuously or brisk walking and semi-jogging for 40-45 minutes and not losing a single pound made me feel it was all a waste of time.  I started buying bigger clothes instead.

But big clothes can't hide face fat, so who was I kidding?  I had to lose some weight and I wanted to.  I searched the internet for options to increase metabolism and came across this page. I had never heard of Shaun Hadsall, but I took the time to watch his videos. A 14-day Rapid Loss Plan sounded like something I needed and could certainly use in time for PhilPop.  It seemed doable and seemed to make sense. The concept of High Intensity Interval Training was new to me, but something I was willing to try.

Here's a photo of me with Mr.C at the presscon of PhilPop in June, and this is how I looked before the exercise and diet program.

After 2 weeks, this is how I looked in time for PhilPop Finals Night, which was when this photo below was taken (by my friend Gino Cruz).

I lost 8-9 lbs in just 2 weeks - and it might not sound like a big number, but I had never lost that many pounds it that span of time ever in my life!   In fact, I had never lost that much weight ever.  I lost about 7% of my starting weight and lost 1-2 inches around my waist and hips.  I fit into my old pants again!  And so far so good... it's been about a month and a half and I haven't gained the weight back.

I've also learned a bit about Tabata, which is good news for people like me who are generally lazy about working out.  Imagine a 4-8 minute workout that's more effective than all those 45-minute exercises I used to do!  So this is what I do now to maintain this weight.  It's very much in line with that 2-week program I followed.  Plus of course I still try to stick to the diet principles the program recommended.

So there you have it: vanity gave me a much needed push, got me reading about these exercise and diet options.  I'll certainly do my very best to keep myself looking and feeling this way.  Thank you for my new look, PhilPop!

TO BE CONTINUED...