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Thursday, March 10, 2011

What's the Big Fuzz about Wellness


I was shocked today to see 27 hits in one of my blog entries entitled, My Journey towards Wellness. http://jillrendon.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-journey-towards-wellness.html This is so far the highest number of hits I got in a day. I realized then how much people nowadays are interested to hear personal testimonies about losing weight. Preparing for bikini season, perhaps? :)

When people ask how I lost weight (I shed off 21 lbs in 5 months last year), I become willing to share my secret with them. I believe this is good news that have to be shared with others.

So here is an update of how I am doing now. Well, I do not keep a diet list anymore. Maybe because I spent the last months checking health websites, devouring tips and trying them out for myself. I became quite familiar with them that today, the principles come in handy in every situation.

Bottom line: If you want to lose weight, keep yourself informed. Be very familiar with general health principles. Take note: I am emphasizing on "health" because that is what this is all about. Some people do not have to lose weight but they are not healthy.

I will not enumerate the health tips here. I know everyone can google.

Food control is 80 % of weight loss. I believe this so much that's why even if I move around a lot (because of many school work), I don't make it an excuse to eat more. Many fail to lose weight because they tend to bargain a lot, "I will run this bar of chocolate off later.."

Like I said, it is not only about "shedding the pounds," it's the whole "eating lifestyle" that matters more.

Wouldn't you want to eat a bar of chocolate without the guilt?

That is so possible. Once the idea of wellness has become a part of your system (which really takes discipline), eating becomes more enjoyable and guilt-free, even if it means eating a slice of your favorite blueberry cheesecake.

The idea here is frequency, balance and timing. I love chocolates a lot! And I can't imagine myself getting rid of it for the sake of losing/maintaining weight! So what I do is wait for the perfect timing to eat some. In my case (since I am a sociable person), it could be a special dinner with a special friend or group of friends or other occasions when "pigging out" is unavoidable. If I ate one yesterday, I would not eat another one today - would probably do so next week or better yet, the week after next. If I am having cake today then I do away with the soda or go big on the veggies.

Speaking of veggies (and let's include fruit), I know many Filipinos hate them. But as far as I know, they are the healthiest way to lose weight. They will not only work on the fat, they will also work on many other parts of the body (such as the skin and the brain), giving you a holistic natural makeover.

One thing I like about veggies and fruit is the idea of "negative calorie" and this is the reason why most of the time, one can still lose weight even without exercise. When you eat certain vegetables (like broccoli, lettuce, cucumber) and fruit (like mango, apple, orange), the calories that it takes to burn them is greater than the calories you got when you ate them. Result - you lost calories. So the more you eat them, the more you burn calories.

So whenever I am really hungry, I still eat a small portion of rice but I go big on the veggies (and protein source too; protein helps burn fat). I pig out on them. The result? guilt-free, satisfying meal...

I'm also planning to work on a regular work-out routine. As a part of my pursuit of wellness, I am planning to buy a bicycle soon and (God help me) would want to use it as my main means of transport.

So I guess that's it for now. Will keep you updated :)


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