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Thursday, December 2, 2010

My Journey Towards Wellness

May, 2010

October, 2010



by Jill Christianae on Friday, June 18, 2010 at 11:33pm
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March, 2010 – I had friends who came over my hometown and we had many chances of going to buffets. You must understand that during this time, I just came from a high-stress environment in school where I beat deadlines for several months. My eating habits were bad. When things got very emotional and stressful, I would go to the nearest McDonald’s and order a meal with a glass of soda, extra rice or a sundae. I remember one particular instance when I ate a McDonald’s meal in just about 5 minutes. I was surprised where all the food went and what happened to my mouth, or my stomach. I went home that day unsatisfied with dinner and concluded that I was a bad eater and mindlessly wondered if I could ever change my eating habits or if such thing was for me. Going back to the vacation with friends, yes, the whole thing created a festive feeling in me that I just munched on anything that was on the table, not to mention that my mom really prepared special food for us.

April ,2010 - Several occasions passed: my uncle’s death anniversary, my aunt’s birthday, my nephew’s birthday, MY birthday, my sister’s and the next thing I knew was I was very close to being overweight. I was 131 lbs. Then I knew I had to shed it off.

I decided to do early morning walks. 5:30 AM. Thanks to the fresh air, it was a delight having to do about 6 Km walk every day. I felt good while doing it, but on my way home, I would think of the breakfast I could have at home and seriously planned it. I was exercising, yes, but I knew I was not doing well in the dieting part. I tried to eat just 1 cup of rice per meal or not eat dinner at all, but I felt hungry and deprived each day. My sister told me I should try doing the South Beach Diet. At first, I thought it is just one of those diet plans that never really work. Yet, seeing my bloated face and stomach every day, I decided to give it a shot. I searched on the South Beach Diet on the net and also prepared myself spiritually and emotionally. I prayed that God would help me become successful and help me not look at food as an “idol” or think of it as a stress-reliever. After each prayer, I would feel peace in my heart that it would go well with me. I made a list of the food and ingredients I would buy. But I decided to start doing it after the city’s fiesta on May 1 when all of us in the family have to go and visit my uncle’s house and eat a lot.

May 1, 2010 – Mom and I bought items I had in my food list for the South Beach Diet menu.

May 2, 2010 – I officially started the South Beach Diet.

May 15, 2010 – I finished South Beach Diet Phase 1 wherein I lost 6 lbs. I now weighed 126 lbs. After Phase 1, I think I started looking at food in a different way. My stomach became friends with lettuce, cucumber and broccoli, while it would send guilt signals to my brain at the sight of doughnuts, chocolates or a lot of rice. Of course, I would get tempted but I learned to be a master of my cravings and not the other way around. I also applied the principle of substitutes. Instead of ice cream, I would opt for frozen yogurt. Instead of doughnut for snack, I would munch on fruit: apple, cantaloupe, orange. Again, I kept the whole thing going by spiritual means. I would pray for my effort and each time got a confirmation that I was doing the right thing. We went to Dad’s Saisaki for lunch one time and I tell you, I had to prepare myself for it. I decided to follow the same principles. Thank God, I was able to do so. I ate less carbs, more on proteins. I ate slowly and tried to savor the taste. Yes, I had a slice of cake, ice cream and small portions of other desserts, but I decided I would not have the same in the following days. I did not have dinner that day.

May 15, 2010 – present (June 18, 2010) – I am still keeping the same principles and to date, I am 120 lbs. I don’t have a very strict food list to follow. I now eat all kinds of vegetables even those that have high glycemic index but I opt to feast on those that have low g.i.. I make sure I eat at least 2 kinds of fruit every day. My favorites are apple, banana and orange. In the morning, I try to do stomach crunches, drink water before having breakfast of oatmeal and a banana or two slices of whole wheat bread with peanut spread or cheese in between. I still eat rice, but only for lunch and try to eat just ½ cup. Whenever I get the chance, I would choose brown instead of white rice. As much as possible, I would order a complete meal. For dinner, I just eat 2 slices of whole wheat bread and a fruit. I drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. Every time I feel the cravings, I drink water. Right now, I am trying to work on eating once every 3 hours because experts say it speeds up metabolism. That makes it a total of 5 meals per day. Between the 3 big meals, I try to eat small portions of low-calorie food. I now choose to walk and move around as much as I can. By doing so, I save up on jeepney and tricycle fare. I decided I would do intense workouts at the gym twice a week and have started doing so last Wednesday. I am excited to go to the gym tomorrow. My goal is 106 lbs., develop some muscles and feel and look, healthy and strong. The best thing about this health revolution is that I know this is God’s will. He is so supporting it. I realized that if I keep a discipline in my eating habits, it is easier to keep a discipline in other things, such as finances and time management. I am not only keeping myself fit, I am able to save money, conserve other energies (I travel more on foot, now) and not to mention, look and feel better.

December 10, 2010 - I am now 110 lbs. I skipped the South Beach diet Phase 2 but followed general healthy eating principles since I finished Phase 1. I still follow the same principles about healthy eating and I am enjoying it. It is not only a physical breakthrough, it is an emotional and spiritual one. I also feel more confident with how I look, not just because I look smaller but because I feel healthy from the inside out. It comes from knowing that I am no longer a slave to my appetite, and that it's the other way around. Because I can now easily divorce my emotions from my eating habits, I am able to deal with my emotions pretty easier now. My goal now is to develop a discipline in my workout routine because I want not only to look fit; I want to have a strong body.

I am also happy because I have inspired 4 people to start a lifestyle of wellness.

To God be the glory!

4 comments:

  1. Hello Jill!

    Looks like i'm ur big fan now,hehehe. I was so encouraged by this article and I thought i'd follow you coz i am gaining more kilos now and i don't know how far it can go if i don't stop. Thank you for this. This is truly a big help. May God empower you more as you continue to encourage and inspire others through writing.

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  2. Hi jill.. actually, your comment surprised me basically because we have the same name. i started thinking if i was the one who posted this comment, having just copy and pasted it from some place else.. but i realized this is you.. Wait, is this Jill Estrella? anyway, let me know if you have decided to go on a diet.. i would want to journey with you through it.. :) God bless my dear..

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  3. Jill, steph here.. help me!!! I wanna follow you. I am preparing for my wedding but im still munching on carbs..

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  4. haha, jill nice article... Jill, so you're following south beach diet however there are many bad feedback about the diet. What can you say about this?

    ReplyDelete