Weighing My Options

Every Saturday, my friend Weng and I make it a point to leave the doldrums and often times downright insanity of our daily existence by engaging in escapism and endless consumerism. Not that we blow our paychecks on anything, our weekend escapades are usually comprised of leisurely window shopping plus the madatory trip to Watsons (Weng would absolutely perish without her weekly staple of soaps, shampoos and cosmetic products.. HEHE). At the moment... the current favorite is the novel shops of "The Mall of Asia", mostly due to lack of other alternatives.

All that walking usually leaves us famished so after debating about calories and trans fats, we trek to the restaurant of choice. Its just funny now how much energy we put into analyzing the evils of carbs when just 5 years ago we never even thought twice about munching on deep fried chicken fingers at Fridays or grabbing a slice of meat pizza oozing with cheese at CPK. Now we are reduced to herb chicken sandwhiches at Olivers... preferring wheat over white bread of course.

Its strange how we've become so caught up on weight issues. Not that I'm grossly overweight but I wouldn't mind shedding off a few bulges from my stomach and thighs. I try to diligently engage in pilates exercises and admittedly it has made some improvement in my mid section as well as my posture. Nevertheless, most of the time I'm just too lazy to drag my exercise mat and pop in the Windsor Pilates DVD to begin my work-out. I always feel like I've much more things to do than lie on my mat stretching my ham strings.

A few days ago, Weng and I were discussing techniques to hasten the weight reduction process. She rold me about a colleague of hers who took up swallowing a few teaspoons of virgin coconut oil to aid in shedding more pounds. Immediately, I was skeptical about the whole idea since coconut oil is very high in saturated fat (the very reason why I use canola oil for cooking at home--low on saturated and polyunsaturated fats but a bit high on monounsaturated fats). Admittedly, the whole debate on oil has also left me confused for some articles on the internet will say canola oil isn't good for the body either. Some say olive oil is the best. Still... logically saturated fat is the main cause of high cholesterol so I wasn't very keen on the idea. It turned out I was right. The friend of hers did lose a few kilos but his cholesterol level shot up prompting him to stop taking the coconut oil altogether. So much for that idea.

I've decided to alter my eating habits a bit. I have now shifted from white rice to red rice (supposedly with more vitamins and minerals as well as fiber), from white sugar to brown sugar and from white bread to wheat bread. Not that it was such a huge adjustment for me since the flavor of the new food stuff didn't really change much.

*Source: Nutrition Action - May 1997


Of course it wasn't exactly the same-- red rice is a lot more grainy and has to be soaked for 30 mins prior to cooking to lock in moisture, plus it has a strong earthy flavor; wheat bread also has grainy chunks with every bite; and brown sugar has some sort of caramelized after taste. But these are just very minor adjustments and for the most part, you won't even notice the difference.

In addition to that, I've also began to drink more green tea & soy milk as well as eat more oatmeal for breakfast. Its really not such a big deal, unlike forcing myself to eat ampalaya. Although I also eat a lot of green leafy veggies, thanks to my mom who trained me while I was still a toddler. I'm just doing as much as I can to improve my diet without turning eating into a chore. Realizing that the earlier I start choosing better alternatives to old unhealthy eating habits the more I will reap its benefits as I age.

As of late my tummy has shrunk a little bit allowing me to fit in my old pair of Levis jeans that I haven't worn in months. However the ultimate test will be the skinny jeans I have had since college. Well, I'm not there yet... hopefully soon I will be.

Don't Forget to read the label. USDA guidelines suggest that fats should be limited: Quick guide to % DV 5% or less is low, 20% or more is high. Choose foodstuff that has less sodium and increase consumption of dietary fiber.