As the years go by, we dread to admit that we’re aging.. why? Even if we’re aging, we can still have the resolve to look young… However, we always make excuses, that old age makes us harder to stay in shape, our waists whittle down, our arms start to sag and those fine lines in our face and eyes became excusable, not to mention the drying of our neck! (and we’re still at 30)!

Come to think of it, why think of age when we can think of the possibilities? yeah, we grow old thats a fact, but with age comes wisdom (coming from me? that's a biggie).

So what does this have to do with title of my blog???

We have to be aware that as we age, our bodies get into sedentary mode if we allow it to be. its sooo easy to just sit on a couch, eat popcorn, buy snickers in dark chocolate, munch on my favorite chips, hang out at wendy’s / jollibee / Mcdonald’s, feast on sisig with beer and calamares, treat your family to a pizza with pops on the side, you and your friends clamoring on a hot fudge sundae on a sunny day, not to mention our very own halo-halo during the summer! (dont these foods just make you drool??)

..so with all the good food out there, why choose to go light (sometimes ;p)? salads, natural fruits, removing that crunchy, juicy, crispy chicken skin, skipping on salt and sugar, saying no to seconds and that activity we dread - EXERCISE..

Here are the main reasons:

1) Too much junk (which I am guilty of) will make you drowsy. It happens to me, specially if, like me, you looove munching on the sweets. I can’t get enough of chocolate, the darker the better, with nuts, the sweeter. Too much food will leave me lethargic and all that processed sugar will come crashing down on me after two hours. Besides, you have to be aware that what you’re munching on are ‘empty’ calories.

2) All those empty calories, aside from making us drowsy and drugged, turns into fat when we’re sedentary.. and yes, we all hope it goes to our butts and boobs but that's not usually the case.. the fat creeps on our arms, thighs, and nightmare of all nightmares - OUR BELLIES AND CELLULITE CELLULITE CELLULITE! the mother of all villains!

3) Having to realize you’re one size larger. I went from small to medium thinking it was normal. yeah, its normal. Aging people get fat in time, its probably just ‘mature’ fat as opposed to ‘baby’ fat when we were young. We have to remember though, not because its the norm doesn't mean its always right. If we find one side of the fence as normal, why can’t we make our own ‘normal’? If at 18 you are a size 6, or small, why can’t we retain it? because its soooooo good to eat?.. yeah that's right… why can’t we eat in moderation? if something is making you sad and you turn to food for comfort, why not try reading a book or window shopping or watching your favorite ep on tv without the munch? & yes try exercising.. just TRY. I just started TRYING.. and now, I'm hooked! AND if you think you were born fat, now is the best time to shrink and see yourself as a new person. Who knows? you might love it.

4) Imagine your disease 10 years from now. You are what you eat. If you eat too much sweets, just think about having high blood sugar level which may aid you having diabetes after another 5. If you like salty, oily foods & guzzling down beer with your peers, imagine yourself having a litho / laparascopy procedure when you're in your early 40s (procedure to have your gall and kidney stones removed). If you dread the taste of wheat and oat, imagine yourself dying of colon cancer when you’re 60. And if you can’t quit smoking.. well, you get the picture…

5) I won’t be coy. I want to be the apple of the eye of my man. For some men, they consider their girlfriends sexy when they’re chubby, some men like em skinny. To each his own-just as we women have our own ‘little’ standards. Who would want her guy checking out other goods when he’s happy with the ‘goods’ he’s got?

Why did I start doing it? Aside from all those mentioned above, I’m lucky to have my own personal cheerleader who supports and encourages me. Without him, I wouldn’t have the fuel to continue doing what I do.

I used to want to have an ideal Body Mass Index of 113 lbs for my height of 5′1. I was at 108 last October. Right now, I am on borderline underweight and I couldnt care less. Body Mass Index checks your body fat which should be ‘in proportion’ to your weight / muscle. In proportion? why not make the fat minimal? We live in a tropical country so we dont need all that fat to make us warm, and 2, yeah there is travel to cooler climates and airconditioning, but that's what coats and jackets are for.

 

So I started losing weight after Christmas, and now Im still 2 pounds away from my ideal weight. I have heard a lot of words thrown at me, The good, the bad and the ugly (as in, literally ‘ugly’). Its hard at first, but well, its my body, and besides, as long as my sweetie likes the way I look, anybody else’s opinion of me doesn’t matter. =)

Now some people tell me that its best to keep my mouth shut when youre dieting. Nobody has to know you’re doing it. I say differently. I am not obsessed with it but I may be able to share my experiences with women going through the same thing, or even the men who never gave it a thought. And to my friends who are pregnant and have children already, I know I am in no liberty to give you advise because, well, I've never had a child and never been pregnant, but eating for two should not give you an excuse to pork out. Probably easier said than done huh. Maybe I need to get pregnant first before i say anything.. hahahaha!! But there are some health mags and exercise videos for pregnant women and mothers who dont have time for themselves. You just need to check with your doctor about a weight maintenance program that's right for you. Just as the old saying goes, ‘If there’s a will, there’s a way’.

AND I’M TELLING YOU, NOTHING TASTES BETTER THAN SKINNY. The feeling of contentment in going to a store and trying on pants and blouse without the excess bulge is priceless! :)- not to mention being adored by my sweetie xoxooooxox!!!