Keto in Manila: A Dieter’s Journey (Plus My Other Weight Loss Secrets Revealed!)

The ketogenic or keto diet is not a new diet. Just a bit of googling will tell you it became popular in the 1920’s as a therapy for epilepsy. Recently, a lot of doctors have been advising parents to put their children afflicted with ADHD, autism, and other neurologic disorders on the keto diet to better manage their condition. Apparently, this high-fat, moderate protein, and low carb diet results in ketosis, a natural metabolic state where the body uses ketones that burn fat for energy, instead of glucose (from the carbs that we eat).

I’ve tried many diets in the past (the one I documented the most on this blog was the GM diet) and although they made me lose weight, it didn’t take long for me to gain them back. That’s why I was initially skeptical about the keto diet. But because I gained 20 unwanted pounds in under six months this year, I sort of got desperate. I wanted to go back to a weight I’m comfortable with and confident of. I don’t have hypertension, diabetes, and other diseases, and if my last blood test results would be the deciding factor, I figured I was in good condition to try the diet. And so I did.

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Weekend Story: Sunday Roadtrip + La Locanda Ristorante Pizzeria + Birthday Lunch + Keto Supplies

Last weekend was epic. It was one of those weekends that we had lots of couple and family time. The hubby and I intentionally extended our weekend by taking a leave from work on Monday. Saya-saya! We stayed overnight in Bacoor on Saturday. We then went on a road trip to the south on Sunday where we passed through Kaybiang Tunnel in Ternate that’s popular among bikers and motorcylists, visited the lovely Saint Francisco Xavier Church and discovered a fantastic Italian restaurant called La Locanda Ristorante Pizzeria in Nasugbu, and experienced a foggy Tagaytay on our way back to Manila. It was pure bliss traveling a total of 187km, definitely worth every minute of our time together.

On Monday, the hubby and I did some errand at GSIS head office in Pasay and spent the rest of the day in Mall of Asia (MOA) because, malling. We also met with my SIL Albie there for a dinner at this new resto called Hawker Chan. Like their original branch in Singapore, they offer the world’s cheapest Michelin star meal that is the soya chicken rice (PhP128). We loved it!

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Weekend Story: TAP Event + Slow Sunday in Bacoor

Last weekend flew by fast. On Saturday, I accompanied the hubby in attending his car club’s 6th anniversary grand eye ball held at Googel restaurant in Mandaluyong City. There we met more than 600 members (most of them with +1’s, too) of Team Accent Philippines (TAP). The event was fun and came complete with production numbers and raffle draws. I think we reached Bacoor just before midnight. Our Sunday started late. We skipped going to church this time and just stayed home to rest until it was time to go back to Manila at night. Oh, I also did some workout in the morning pala because I felt I have gotten so big already.*sigh*

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Some Food and Dieting Thoughts

This year, I’ve been cooking less and less. There are several reasons for that. When at my in-laws’ place, my MIL reigns in the kitchen and because she’s a great cook, I’m more than willing to eat and enjoy whatever magic she whips up with her hands. When in our marital home in Bacoor, I usually stay late in bed and before I know it, it’s past lunch time and the hubby is screaming in hunger already (well, not really screaming but you get the point). On some weekends, also in Bacoor, I just get too lazy to cook that I would resort to take-out/delivery for us to survive a meal time.

When I started the Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet (CAD), I thought I’d be able to cook more. But sooner than later, I realized the diet wasn’t for me. Why? Because it seems I’m more of a moderator than an abstainer. (So yes, no more comprehensive review of CAD on this blog; consider this paragraph a brief review instead.) In fairness to this diet, I was able to lose 8 lbs. (from 144 to 136) in just a month and so far, I’ve been maintaining my new weight. You could say I was successful with the diet and that’s right. I just can’t commit to it for a long time. So, thank you very much CAD for giving me a good start in my weight loss journey but I’m moving on.

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Weight Loss Update: 6 lbs. Lighter

So, from 136 lbs. (heaviest recorded weight last month), I’m now down to 130 lbs. Losing six pounds in one month is no joke. I worked hard for it and I’m glad my efforts paid off. I ate healthier food, moved a lot and did zumba twice a week. I think I’m getting there. My ideal weight of 120 lbs., that is.

Last Friday, I attended a knowledge sharing exercise at work. It was organized by our HR department. They invited Slimmers World people to engage us in a 2-hour health and fitness seminar. The speaker (a health buff guy with strong, big muscles all over his body) taught us a lot about how our body works to get fit: anatomy of the muscles, metabolism, immune system, energy, proper exercise and all. He also shared some exercises that we can easily do in the office, which I think are really easy to perform. All we need to have is discipline to make sure we do it on a regular basis to get fab results. Haha.

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Book Review: The Politics of Stupid by Susan Powter

I got this book from BookSale for a very cheap price of P20 during one of my trips there. Susan Powter is an Australian motivational speaker, nutritionist, personal trainer and best-selling author. In “The Politics of Stupid,” she talks about weight loss and how to do it right.

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Susan Powter herself on the cover of her own book!

In the book, Powter unabashedly claimed that “dieting doesn’t work.” I think I’ll have to agree with her on that but only if we’re talking about the long term effects. You see, my GM Diet worked because I lost a total of 7 lbs. when I finished the 7-day diet plan. Which made me believe that dieting helps especially if you just want to “jumpstart” your weight loss. But I digress.

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