Diet shmiet (part two of two)

Over the years, my weight has yo-yoed about five to seven pounds, which makes a whole lotta diff on a teeny girl like myself. (Eva Longoria, who’s about my height, gained just seven pounds and people already thought she was preggers!) I lost weight unintentionally some years back, when I was dancing five hours a day and eating small, frequent meals because I was too busy to sit down and eat big meals that took up too much precious time. Then I gained it back. Then had to lose it a few months later to—egad—don a bikini at a fashion show. My crash diet of choice: the three-day diet. You’re supposed to lose ten pounds in three days; I probably lost around four to six. Good enough. Although eating all that broccoli was hell.

I never did try the uber-trendy South Beach Diet (A LOT of people I know were whittled down to skin and bones on this diet). Read about the Zone Diet but it just seemed like too much work. When I had to lose weight in a span of two weeks, I tried a modified version of my friend’s Fit for Life diet: fruits for breakfast, no cheese, no milk, then just carbs OR protein—never together—and unlimited fruits and veggies for lunch and dinner. It’s supposed to help your digestion. I believed in this diet because I saw what it did to my friend, and the results were convincing. So I tried it (although I sometimes had oatmeal for breakfast, couldn’t give up milk, and didn't really lay off the sweets), and it did work. I felt so much healthier, primarily because I was making a more conscious effort to eat veggies with every meal. And since I couldn’t mix protein with carbs, I couldn’t indulge in evil, greasy food like sisig (protein) because I couldn’t have ‘em with their perfect complement, rice (carbs). I felt great—no bloating—and I even have a treasured photo of a bikini-clad me with what could be the beginnings of abs. (If you squint while looking at it, you’ll see faint lines...)

Early this year, I vowed to get my goal body by the time the trip rolled around. But the two months I had turned into one, and four weeks turned into two. And here I am, again trying another diet: the General Motors diet (supposedly formulated for GM employees). A former co-worker sent me an article about it, and well, I succumbed. I’m on Day 3, and I’m not a happy camper. I’m thinking of just doing it til Day 4, but whatevs.

I just wanna see if it works. See, I don’t have a blog called “Diary of a Food Lover” for nothing—eventually, I’ll be back to my old ways. I have to dig deep and find the discipline it requires to make a lifestyle change, pronto.

…Or maybe right before the next beach trip.

Diet shmiet (part one of two)

I must say, when my girl friends reminisce about the times when they were "so skinny" and "had no stomach," I totally can't relate. I have never ever ever been skinny (or maybe that's my eating-disorder-prone high school self talking), and couldn't even conjure an image of a skinny me in my head, until I had a dream of a stick-thin me a couple of weeks ago. (Didn't like it.)

I'm feeling a tad pressured though, coz I've got an upcoming trip, and I'll be standing alongside my super svelte teammates. Trust Fate (and her sense of humor) to dump all the skinny girls in PUA into one team--my team. Haha. Hence, the frantic "Marie! How do I lose weight in a month?!" cry for help a few weeks back. My fave beauty/fitness guru's reply: "Stop eating sweets!"

"Never gonna give you up..."

And then I realized, when people ask, "How do I lose weight?" what they're really asking is: "How do I lose weight without making any effort?" We all know what we're supposed to be doing—eating right (meaning, lots of fruits and veggies, good carbs); eating small, frequent meals; drinking lots of water; working out—but we just don't want to be bothered. So we fall into the trap of crash diets. Or, at least, I do, when I have to fit into something (often, a bikini) in a short span of time.

Next: Crashin' and burnin'