Taking control over my weight has always been a problem because I always overdo it—whether losing or gaining. With people knowing how transparent I am about my struggles with self-esteem, mental health, and weight problems, deciding to do this kind of blog post just seemed like a natural choice (of the demands in my Instagram DM as well!).
So before I go directly to how I lost weight in 4 days, let's just backtrack to some basic info about the history of what my body has gone through and to further emphasize that what may have worked for me, may not work for you. Also, I am in no way a professional when it comes to diet and nutrition, but I do educate myself well enough to know what I should, shouldn't do, and why things work the way they do.
A little history:
I have always been teased for being chubby since I was 12 years old. Having heard all of this + the first guy I ever went out with pointing out how much I lack curves, it pushed me towards the extent of suffering from a specific eating disorder classified as EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified), meaning I couldn't totally pass up as Anorexic nor Bulimic, however, I show symptoms from both disorders.
That included horrible forms of diet such as overeating and then purging, or not eating at all. The worst thing was I would take laxatives every night to make sure my body wouldn't retain anything. I also had months where I would just eat half a muffin per meal and exercise 2 hours EVERYDAY. Up until now, I'm still bothered with how I managed to remain alive despite those destructive habits that I put myself through.
When I got into fashion school, my classmates would wonder why I would only drink soy milk and biscuits every meal and as much as I would love to remember when was the exact pivotal moment wherein I realized I have been self-denial about my own suffering, I just can't remember it. The whole problem started in February 2013 and it ended by the middle of 2015 and since then, I was on the road to recovery—well, at least I thought so.
Again, I overdid it. From the beginning of my recovery, which was the middle of 2015, up to January 2018, I lost control of my body weight. I would gain some and I would lose some. I would start working out and then I would stop. This type of phenomena is called the Yo-yo Effect, and it happens to a lot of people, not just me.
That photo above was taken around the last quarter of 2017 as I reached my heaviest weight so far. It was a bad concoction of trying to compensate for almost eating nothing from 2013-2015, and eating with normal serving portions but not burning any significant amount of calories at all. The number one reason why I remained on the yo-yo cycle was because of relapses. One moment I would find myself convinced that I'm doing the diet and workout right, but by the next moment, I would force myself to puke the last meal down the toilet bowl.
I was slowly losing my figure. From having a 32-24-34 type of body, I went up to 34-28-38. I used to weigh around 45kg. but I ballooned up to 56kg., which meant I was already overweight for my BMI. The worst thing? I started lying on social media. I would enhance my body in Photoshop to get rid of body rolls and stomach bulges. I kept on thinking to myself, "Don't worry, nobody will notice," but deep inside I knew I wasn't better than my past self so I figured I had to do something. I had to make a change even if it involves disciplining my stubborn self and fighting off the demons of my past.
So I dropped everything: the relapses, the hypocrisy, and stubbornness so I could reach a goal that I knew was for the best of my physical, emotional, and mental health—I started dieting.
Having gone through dieting for the past 5 years, I already knew the basics without Googling the "mighty secrets" or signing myself up for Herbalife, I just had to get past through my greatest enemy which was myself... and maybe the tempting trips to McDonald's and SnR. LOL
Before we go on to food that you should eat, let me introduce to you the heartbreaking list of what I had to avoid. Trust me... I craaaved so hard for the bad food but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
WHAT I AVOIDED:
rice
Despite being Asian, giving up rice wasn't really an ordeal at all to me since I was raised in a German way, so I am more used to mashed potatoes, delicatessen, eggs, and salads. But I do know a lot of you are frowning by now just by the thought of giving up rice, hahaha!
potatoes
MASHED POTATOES, FRENCH FRIES, LAYS, AND PRINGLES—Yes, you have to say goodbye to our comfort buddies because they're not doing you any good if you want to lose weight as potatoes are packed with carbs. Although you do need carbs especially if you're doing cardio in the gym, but if you're like me who sits all day and only does the routinary 100 squats, then give it up fellas.
processed food
processed food is evil—it's loaded with lots of trans fat and cholesterol, and the only thing that's good about it is the convenience and the deceitful tastiness.
white bread
Sugar and trans fat, basically. Opt for a healthier choice such as a whole wheat bread, the fibers in it will be good for your digestion and it makes you feel fuller.
Spam/bacon/steak
I already feel teary-eyed just by writing this. Spam, bacon, and steak are heavenly meat treats to us humans like bones are to dogs. Then again, these are harder for your body to digest. Let's not even talk about how bacon has so much fat that you don't need oil to cook it, you just fry it with its own fat. LET THAT SINK IN.
fast food
Fast food is synonymous with loads of grease, fat, and emulsifiers. I know y'all Filipinos love Jollibee but that has to go as well. My mom's business is right beside Jollibee so she brings me a meal from it every night—even that I had to give up as midnight snacking is just a horrible idea because your body digests food slower and most of your consumption will just convert into fat.
Starbucks/Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Being coffee-driven, I had to give away my loyalty card to my bestfriend to avoid temptation. Yes, coffee is good for digestion but definitely not a venti-sized Caramel Frappuccino. Each serving cup contains up to 400kcal, taking up almost a quarter of the recommended calorie intake per day.
chips
Yes, snacking feels so good but a moment on your lips is forever on the hips. Therefore, get rid of those bag of Doritos, Lays, Cheetos, Piattos, Nova, and idk what else you have in your stash. These junks have zero significant nutritional value in them.
drinks with artificial sweeteners
I have given up drinking soda and artificial juice for years now because aside from the fact that I come from a Diabetic lineage, those contain craazzyy amounts of sugar as well. Zero sugar isn't zero sugar and all-natural isn't all natural unless you made it so yourself. As an alternative, I pick Oregano leaves from my mom's garden, slice up some lemon, and add honey as a sweetener for a soothing, all-natural tea.
It is also best to take a mental note to avoid drinking alcohol during your dieting period as it is packed with sugar as well. I gained beer belly because of drunken nights so there's that regret.
WHAT I ATE:
oats
Oats are wonderful: it's packed with fiber to ease up your digestion and it's filling too! I either eat it for breakfast or dinner and I just mix in some cocoa powder and a bit of sugar to give it a taste. The serving I consume is equivalent to the size of my fist and it's just enough to make me feel that I have eaten enough but not too much.
bananas
Bananas are good for your stool LOL but seriously, it's also filling and it's great for snacking. If you want an alternative to ice cream, bananas are to the rescue. Just freeze up some, mash it up, and voila! Your own homemade mashed fruit/pretend ice cream. I've done this tons of times before and trust me, it's good.
cucumbers/carrots
When I feel like munching on something, I slice up some cucumbers or peel a carrot and nibble on it like a rabbit—it keeps your mouth busy. We all know how boredom causes us to crave food that we don't really need but we are tricked to think that we do.
salty crackers
Again, this is a nice alternative to munch on. Around 3 hours after eating oats, I nibble on crackers so my stomach keeps digesting on something. I can't do the 3-meal per day diet as I have hyper acidity and I tend to become hungry in between meals, so I just divide my daily diet into 6 snacks and I make sure every serving does not go beyond the size of my fist.
eggs
As per daily recommendation, I only eat a maximum of 2 eggs per day. Aside from giving you energy, eggs are very filling as well. You can incorporate one egg per meal which should be enough to energize you all throughout the day.
home-cooked meals
In line with avoiding processed food and fast food, home-cooked meals are your go-to. You know what's in your food and you can control the ingredients that are incorporated in it. I'm lucky that my mom has been cooking lots of vegetable meals lately so I don't have to worry much about what to whip out for the day. If you want something that's easy to do, just make a sandwich with whole wheat bread, lettuce, eggs, and tomatoes.
coffee
I've been drinking coffee two to three times a day which is not recommended because of my hyperacidic tendencies but it has been helping out a lot in my digestion as I tend to have constipation most of the time. Read up on coffee's effect on your stool!
water
Our body consists mostly of water and it's only right to consume a lot of it. I drink up at least 2 liters per day so I can make sure I'll be digesting well. This should flush out the unwanted toxins out of your body and keep you hydrated.
I know 4 days seem like a stretch but I'm not exaggerating. To further elaborate what I had to go through, here's a breakdown of each day:
BREAKING DOWN THE DAYS:
DAY 1
I was sick of having to manipulate my photos in Photoshop so I started out the diet—willing to give it all up and surrender to dieting. First day was harder as there was so much hunger happening. I felt like the meals were too small, I felt like I was punishing myself, and I was definitely craving for burgers but I knew I had to make a sacrifice for the greater good.
DAY 2
I'm not shitting you when I tell you the hunger became 5x more intense and I was definitely grumpy and irritable. Nevertheless, I kept up with the diet and just remained persistent and consistent.
DAY 3
I was slowly getting used to the diet. I felt fuller each meal despite having small portions. My mood was also better and I was more optimistic about the result despite not seeing anything yet. But alas! I broke my rule not to eat fast food as my mom brought home Jollibee again.
DAY 4
Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, I actually fell asleep while being full from eating fast food. So for breakfast, I made sure to incorporate coffee in my meal and thankfully enough, it eased up my digestion. Surprisingly, my stomach became flatter as well as the stiff constipated bulge faded away. I made sure to eat snacks for the rest of the day including a granola bar and milk at 6PM, 2 pieces of Bruschetta and a piece of chicken at 8:30 PM.
DAY 5
Just as it was stated in my Facebook post, I fell asleep with my make-up on. After further investigation of my after-party appearance, I noticed a significant difference in my body: my rib cages were now visible, no more visible body rolls when I wear bare midriffs, and definitely slimmer arms! I was so ecstatic that I had to take photos to celebrate the success and along with it, the demand from everybody to reveal my diet, hence, the reason for this lengthy blog post.
I hope this has been helpful to you, whatever your purpose may be for losing weight. Let's make 2018 the year to feel better and look better!
Cheers!
