surviving the holidays

the holidays are upon us, and for people on a diet, that can be bad news indeed. but here are some things i learned (after surviving thanksgiving):

• you don't have to completely deprive yourself of all holiday food. you'll just feel bad.
  
• but it doesn't mean you can stuff your face with all the rich calorie-laden food you can get your hands on either. it's ok to get a slice of pecan pie, but it is not ok to eat the whole pie.
  
• get a small portion of everything you want to eat. but don't go back for seconds.
  
• eat some salad before you eat anything else. that way you'll feel slightly full before you face the lasagne, baked stuffing, ham, fondue, cakes, etc.
  
• stay away from alcohol, it only adds unnecessary calories, and it won't fill you up. it'll also make your metabolism sluggish.
• if you can, stick with water. avoid juice and any drink high in sugar.
  
• if you're preparing the food, try to cook healthier versions of your favorite holiday food. you can use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, use butter substitutes and healthier oils, substitute wholemeal bread for white bread, wholewheat pasta instead of semolina. sadly, there is no healthy version of gravy.
  

if all else fails, don't beat yourself up over a night of indulgence. just get back on track the next day. double your exercise routine if it makes you feel less guilty. =)

another size smaller

i went down another dress size this week.

this is how i check - every saturday, when we go out, i go to stores and try on different dresses. i may or may not buy them, but i try them on, checking to see if i can fit into a smaller size. it's fun! i love trying out clothes, and i sometimes take pictures of outfits i love. these are the ones i'll buy when i reach my goal weight. (i'm still holding out for that day.)

i don't trust the scale much anymore. it goes up and down at different times of the day. i've started measuring my waist and hips instead. as long as the numbers keep going down, i'm happy.

the top i'm wearing in this picture is an old one. i've had it since manuel and i were dating. although it wasn't this "filled out" when i last wore it, i'm still happy that i can wear it once more. =D

too little time

december is almost here! and i'm still 20 lbs short of my goal! waaaaaaaaaah!

yes!

i lost 2 more kilos! plateau over!

went back to phase 1 for a few days, and increased my walking pace.

plateau

i've hit one.

a plateau i mean.

no matter how hard i've been working out, how much i'm controlling my eating, i'm not losing weight anymore!!!!

i haven't gained any either, but that's not really much of a consolation. i don't know what else to do!

all pain no gain

two weeks with very little exercise took its toll on my body. not that i haven't been active, i just haven't been doing my regular exercise program. painting the house and taking care of an injured child should count as physical activity right?

anyway, i've been so prone to injury lately. first i twisted my knee while i was going down the ladder (when i painted the living room). it still twitches when i try to go up and down the stairs. i hope the cartilege isn't torn. my knee was bent when i twisted it. then i don't know what happened but just the two days ago my left hip started twitching too! i couldn't even put my left foot down without shouting from the pain.

i swear this is getting creepy. i feel like an old woman with arthritis and gout!

anyway, i went back to my walking regime this week and did some pilates too. the pain in my left hip disappeared, and the pain on my lateral meniscus has lessened. i still can't bend it very well. but pilates seems to help.

dropping shopping

it's so hard to control this addiction to clothes. it should be easier than going on a diet, right? no sooner do i get some cash when the first thing i think of is going on a shopping spree. i don't need new clothes. not yet anyway. i'm saving up all the shopping privileges until i reach my goal weight. but it doesn't mean i'm going to turn my back on tops that cost only $6. *big grin*

(at least i found something i have in common with audrey hepburn!)

the happy list

it hasn't been all bad lately. i've had happy thoughts and joyful heartstrings too. here are some of them:

• hip belts that already fit around my hips and not my waist.
• i got the jeans and trousers that i had altered and they were done perfectly. no more complaints on having nothing to wear! =)
• being told that i look younger by 3 different people.
  
• discovering a new author that i love. =) i'm devouring all of kelley armstrong's books.
  
• making my home look exactly the way i always wanted it.
  
• finding the perfect shade of camel paint. the exact shade of a burberry cashmere coat i found on neiman marcus online.
  
• watching chocolat with manuel while vito was asleep and sipping van houten hot chocolate spiced with pepper.
  
• finishing another painting
• getting orders for the book thongs i made!
  
• getting an early christmas gift from manuel - a crimson patent leather liz claiborne tote that almost matches the wallet T gave me =)
  
• christmas shopping!
• not gaining weight despite the chocolates and brownies i ate last week. =D
  

not so good

it's been a very stressful week for me. vito's many attempts at wall art, his asthma, his vomiting, and now his bloody accident all combined to make this week very challenging. hosting a get together last friday when i had no help didn't make things easier either. and neither did having to paint the living room all by myself. i'm physically and emotionally tired.

i wish i could escape for a few hours and have coffee with any one of my friends. there are some people i miss the most in times like these. i miss marilu, who will always get me out of self-pity and give me renewed energy for what i need to do and will probably even volunteer for it. i miss mimi, who will never fail to make me laugh and who knows how to relate to my moods. i miss chelo, who brings sunshine wherever she goes and knows how to lift anyone's spirits. and i miss my sister, who knows what i think before i even say it.

so i console myself with food. yes, food. i haven't been gorging or overeating. but i have been stealing some of vito's brownies and biscuits. i wasn't prepared for this week, i didn't buy snacks for myself. so whenever i get really tired, i just open the fridge and dig into whatever i find. chocolates and brownies are within easy reach and give me temporary joy. hey, sometimes a girl's just gotta have some chocolates to deal with a bad day.

dressing for destiny

i love this quote by coco chanel!

a lot of people i know think i'm weird for always going out dressed to the nines no matter where i'm going. i wear nice clothes even when i'm just walking vito to and from school. the thing is, i don't see a reason why i shouldn't dress up.

why shouldn't i make the effort to look fab? what if i meet someone who could be a potential client, employer or business contact? what if i see a former classmate? or a former student? or even (horrors!) an ex boyfriend?

growing up, my sister and i had a standard reply whenever mommy would rebuke us for always worrying about how we looked. "but what will my public say?" -- one of us would burst out. (ok so delusions of grandeur run in our family, but you already know that.) but dressing up IS important. it shows that you care, that you have respect for the people or person that you're meeting or for the place you're going to. and most importantly, it shows that you have respect for yourself as well.

dang these hormones!

i never had such uncontrollable cravings while on this diet as i did the past week. what's with all these hormones? i'm supposed to be stronger than this!

first i gorge on fried chicken wings for a week. then saturday night i had a square inch of brownie and one palitaw. yesterday i ate danish cookies and two shots of baileys! aaaargh!

i can't wait for my period to be over so i start behaving normally again. i don't want to erase everything i've worked so hard for. i'm already back to my weight when i was in my first trimester. manuel loves the shape i'm in, and i'm getting a lot of compliments as well.

i cannot give up.
i cannot stop now.
must not stop.