Desperate Measures

The Debauched Week That Was

Sunday, 29 Sept.

I arrived back in Siargao in time for the Awards Night of the surfing competiton.  I must have had about a dozen Red Horses.  Caught up with a lot of guys I hadn't seen in a while and danced with Sue.  Nicolas sat outside one of the barbecue stalls, patiently waiting for me with the dog, so I didn't make too much of a late night out of it.

Monday, 30 Sept.

Breaking Bad's finale.  Some friends cooked chili and I brought over dessert, a chilled bottle of cava,and a bottle of red for good measure.

Tuesday, 1 Oct.

Starting again.  Finally, an attempt to shed the three kilos I gained in Manila.  Green smoothies, a Paleo dinner.  And an earnest attempt at giving up smoking.

• 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• Swimming:  20 laps

Wednesday, 2 Oct.

I invited some friends over for lunch and opened a bottle of white, which I ended up consuming myself.

Was in no condition to be jumping around.

I took a disco nap, then headed to Sagana for a tataki dinner, and drinks at Bones' Sports Bar where, in the course of the evening and more than a few Horses, I had a box of pizza and a whole cake delivered.  I deposited the remains of the cake with friends on my way home.

Thursday, 3 Oct.

Had Sue and the surf comp. judges over for crepes.

Still lazy.  Only did the 30 Day Shred.

No smokes, despite being around smokers in the evening.

Friday, 4 Oct.

Ditto.  30 Day Shred.  Still no swimming.  Had a massage after dinner.

Saturday, 5 Oct.

Big burst of energy today.  This, of course, is in anticipation of Bones' closing party on Sunday and the big hangover on Monday.

Morning:

• 10 km+ bike ride
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings

Afternoon:

• 30 Day Shred
• Swimming:  20 laps

Sunday, 6 Oct.

Gearing up for tonight.  

Morning:

• 10 km+ bike ride
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings

Afternoon:

• 30 Day Shred
• Swimming:  20 laps

I made arrangements to head over to Bones' at 6:30, and then Nicolas and I got invited to dinner over at Dedon.  How could I resist?  Dinner turned out to be just cocktails and I was hammered by the time I left at around 9:30.  Wreaked havoc over at Bones' till sunrise.

Monday, 7 Oct.

As predicted.  I was dead or dying.

I have no idea what time I got home but I was up at 8:30, having breakfast with a very angry Nicolas.  Apparently, I had skipped out on him and the Dedon cocktails with the key to our room and he was locked out for the night and very unhappy with me.

After he left to catch the flight to Cebu, I lay in bed the whole day and night, only getting up to eat and go to the toilet.

Oh, I did manage to walk the dog.  I tossed a toy for him to catch in the water, but he wasn't that into it and, frankly, neither was I.  So we walked along the beack towards Union and then back on the road.  That should count for something.

Checked my weight.  I haven't made a dent.

For breakfast, I had Spam, eggs and fried rice.  For dinner, I had a bowl of bulalo delivered to the house, which I had the maid recook with potatoes and vegetables.  The bulalo lady said that the portion was for three people.  Yeah, right.  Maybe three vegetarians.  I ate it all with a big bowl of rice.  Yes, I had a lot of rice today.  Needed it to soak up the alcohol.

On the plus side, I came back with everything in my bag intact, although my hip flask was yawning wide open and empty.  When I left the night before, it was full of Stolichnaya Blue, which is 100% proof vodka.

<flashbacks of vodka-Red Bulls>

I texted Bones to ask what I owed him and he sent back crazy messages about how I owed him a gazillion pesos.  I checked my money.  I had obviously paid the bar bill because I only had P40 left.

I recall having a drag of a cigarette last night but, from the state my throat is in, I suspect I may have smoked more than that.  Nooooooo!

I am still a non-smoker.  I am a non-smoker, I am a non-smoker, I am a non-smoker...

Some guys rang up in the afternoon.  Bones' Bar wasn't closed yet.  Did I want to join them for a few drinks?  I didn't think I could part with my bed, the air-conditioning and the toilet at that point.

Will start again tomorrow.

Drinking, that is.  (I'm kidding.  But you never know with me, right?)

The Week in Slacking Off

Well, I've rendered myself unable to exercise yet again.  Another injury courtesy of too many Red Horses.

I went to the opening of Tiki last night.  It's a new (Swedish-owned) resort in General Luna, here in Siargao.  And then I hung out at Nine Bar afterwards for acoustic night.

I must have knocked my right knee - very hard - against something after I got home.  What it was, I cannot say because I haven't the foggiest notion.

But jumping jacks and lunges are definitely not happening today.  Hopefully, I can still swim.  Will get into the pool at noon and try to do my laps.

I did discover an excellent place to eat after drinking though.  Apparently, there's a place on the boulevard that serves bulalo.  According to the woman running the joint last night, they only opened a few months ago.  Bulalo is a soup of boiled beef shanks and marrow bones.  There's a lot of tendon and fat action going on.  In other words, I love it!  And the only way to eat it is with a lot of rice.  We had two big steaming bowls last night.  I would love two more big steaming bowls this morning.  Please...

But Sue is coming over for lunch and I got invited to a very early dinner later on this afternoon by my not-so-new neighbor across the river (whom I finally had the pleasure of meeting last night).  It will be a full day of eating.

And not enough exercise.

This is what I did this week.  I have obviously become lazier.

Friday, Sept. 13

• 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• Kettlebell swings
• Swimming:  20 laps

Saturday, Sept 14

• 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• Kettlebell swings
• Swimming:  20 laps

Sunday, Sept 15

• Fuckall.

Monday, Sept 16

• 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• Swimming:  30 laps

Tuesday, Sept 17

• Swimming:  30 laps

Wednesday, Sept 18

• 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• Swimming:  30 laps

Thursday, Sept 19

• Swimming - ???

Will update this later, after my noontime pool attempt.

*** 

I managed 23 laps before the workers started trickling back from their lunch break.  I couldn't do the breast stroke because my knee wasn't too happy doing the frog kicks, so I just did the crawl since all of the leg action on that is from the hips. 

She's Having a Cheat Year

I heard my first Christmas carol whilst sitting at the HMO's waiting room in Cebu last week.

That was creepy.

While it is true that all songs by Jose Marie Chan creep me out, isn't it March?  How can we be half way through September when it was January only a few months ago?  What happened to June and July???

<cue creepy music from "The Twilight Zone">

 

Hmm...  Well, with the realization that the last quarter of the year is nigh upon us (and I haven't given a thought to Christmas, let alone Christmas shopping), comes the added realization that I have successfully strung together a continuous link of Cheat Days to a form a - gasp!  A Cheat Year.  Goodfreakingod.  Surely, there must be a prize for that kind of a fuck-up.

Er... Is there a rewind on this thing?  I kinda missed the middle part of the year.  Wasn't paying attention.  ...  Could I please speak to the manager?  I'd like to do it over again, please.

Of course, I know that had I not feasted like a doped up famine victim let loose on a buffet table the whole year, I might have achieved my fitness (read: vanity) goals by now. Because, even if I have been eating my weight in sugar, I'm actually in better shape now than I was when I was just skinny.  Or so I'd like to think.  Had I behaved even half the time I was messing about...  Ack!  I don't want to think about it.

Because, no, I couldn't possibly be content with just one or two servings of ice cream, could I?  I'll take the whole tub, thankyouverymuch.  Surely, I can do better than half a pizza!  Let's make that a whole large-sized pepperoni thin crust - with extra cheese, please.  Wine?  I only drink by the bottle.  No half measures here.  I only do things to excess.

Since I've been back in Siargao, however, which was only two days ago, I've cut out rice, bread and pasta, but have still had potatoes and sweets (- more on that later); but I finally resumed working out and already lost the two kilos that I gained in Cebu.  (Yes, I went nuts during the four days that I was there, but bear in mind that I also had zero exercise for ten days.)

One of my favorite lines from "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" was spoken by the 36-year old prostitute, Ybón:  When you're sixteen a body like this is free; when you're forty - pffft! - it's a full time occupation!

I credit Jillian Michaels' workout videos for keeping me from turning into a blimp.  Well, that and the swimming.  I'm not too sure if the kettlebell swings help but I like to think that I'm achieving something (even if it is close to nothing) by lifting anything heavier than three-kilos.

Someone sent this message to my Facebook inbox recently regarding Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred:

"She's tough, but you can see results very fast.  I started with her DVD four months after I had my baby, then stopped after two weeks because of my knees and jumping jacks.  Then I started again without the jumping jacks, and I could really see and feel the difference in the stomach area."

I must say that I had my doubts when I started but, now, while I am dreading what Level 3 might be like, I'm more than curious to see what 30 days under Jillian Michaels' tutelage will reap.

Except that I can't seem to get there, can I?  There's always something...  If I'm not traveling somewhere, I'm getting sick.  Or getting sidetracked by beer and hangovers.

I've restarted Level 1 but, since I am leaving for Manila for nine days this Friday, I'm just doing it for the sake of doing something.  But if I can put in a good effort even while I'm away, maybe I can finally level up when I get back to Siargao.  I wouldn't put any money on it, but who knows?

I wish I could tell you that I'm wising up and putting an end to my mad feeding frenzy, but I have several dinners already lined up in Manila that promise to be epic.  I've also ordered stuff from Dial K for Kitchen (- their ultra-buttery polvoron) and Aleth's Kitchen (- I've heard good things about her chocolate chip cookies and ordered an assorted bag for myself), and I must confess that I am currently contemplating calling out for cake here in Siargao.

Maybe when I get back from Manila? 

***

I went to four groceries in Cebu to try to find those dark and white chocolate-dipped dried mangoes by R&M but couldn't find them anywhere but the airport.  What I did find was Philippine Brand's dark chocolate version.  They come in small 65 g. packs, but they're not bad at all.  They're actually quite good.  And if I don't find them in Manila, I'm going to have to get the maid in Cebu to buy me a few packs to send through Nicolas for when I return to Siargao.

Or not.

Har.

Another find, again at District 32 at the Mactan Airport, is  Homemade Sweets' baclava (0917-633-6733).  I was swooning while eating it at the airport.  I just texted that number and it turned out to be attached to somebody already on my contact list.  If the world is small, Cebu is even smaller.  I must congratulate her on her baclavas and order a few tubs.

Or, again, not.

I am such a fake.

Putting the Siargao Plan In Effect (Week 2)

There was no behaving going on this week on the food front.  For some reason, I wanted to have rice.  So I did.  And bread.  And potatoes.  No pasta though, although I would have made some bolognese if there had been any ripe tomatoes at the market.  And no dessert.  Oh, okay, maybe one.  By Wednesday, I had gained a kilo.  Ugh.

And then I wanted to have some monggo guisado (sauteed mung beans) and some vegetable lumpia (spirng rolls), and then this Austrian friend came over for dinner...  Right now, the Frenchies are here and they're having Speculoos crepes after golf.  I hope they're gone by the time I finish swimming because I've been craving those crepes for more than a week now.

Strangely, I'm back down to my regular weight.  Maybe because I eased up on the alcohol.  Yipee!

Monday:

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• 3 sets x 20 reps kettlebell swings
• Swimming
• Beer, wine, smokes

Tuesday

• Biking - 6 km.
• Beer, wine, too many Jager shots that I do not remember, smokes

Evil Twin, Bianca Jager, was out and about that night.

Wednesday - FYI, all this was quite a feat considering how hungover I was.

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• 3 sets x 20 reps kettlebell swings
• Swimming

Thursday

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• 3 sets x 20 reps kettlebell swings
• Swimming

Friday

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• 3 sets x 20 reps kettlebell swings
• Swimming

Saturday

• Too chicken shit to move up to Level 2 so I decided to give myself a break from Jillian Michaels today.
• 3 sets x 20 reps kettlebell swings
• Swimming

Sunday

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 2 - Ohmygod.  One down.  Nine more to go.  I think I'm going to die now.  Some of the things I hate in this workout:  30 seconds of high knees to 30 seconds of squat thrusts (repeat); static lunge to pendulum lunges; chair squats with V-flys, 30 seconds of plank jacks to 30 seconds of double unders (repeat).  <Insert the vilest profanities here.> 
• 3 sets x 20 reps kettlebell swings
• Swimming

Swimming 30 laps is mind-numbingly boring.  And, sometimes, I think I do more than 30 laps because I lose track of my count and have to start over.  While I've broken down the 30 to laps of five laps of breast strokes and five freestyle (rinse and repeat as needed), half way through a lap, my head's been to so many places and had so many conversations that it's hard for me to believe that I haven't done two laps.  I start swimming after 5 PM, when the workers around the house are off for the day and, for the initial ten laps, it's not hard for me to focus.  But when the sun starts going down and I can see less and less underwater (- I wear mirrored goggles so this makes everything darker), my mind starts to wander.

Every time I go into the pool, I tell myself maybe I'll just do 20 today.  But then, once I'm at 20, ten doesn't seem like too much more.

Maybe I should start playing music poolside again.

***

Update, 6:30 PM:  I had the crepes.  Three of them.  Contemplating taking a spoon to that jar of Speculoos Cookie Butter.  Damn, that's good stuff!

Putting the Siargao Plan In Effect (Week 1)

I'm still eating badly (think:  buttered fried rice, bacon and cheese subs, Speculoos crepes, chocolate-covered polvoron...) but I've gotten rid of most of the bad stuff in the fridge (- and stored them in my thighs for extra energy) so, hopefully, I will be better behaved next week.

Except that that damned pizza delivery is just a phone call away, isn't it?

Unfortunately for me, weight loss is still primarily determined by diet more than exercise, isn't it?  As was recently reiterated in the news.  Which will explain why, in spite of all my efforts, I am still .5 kilos above my regular weight, which means that I am .5 kilos heavier than when I started this blog.  Geezoos...

As I said though, strangely, I seem to be more comfortable with my body the way it is now than I have been in a long time.  Could it be that I am just getting lazier (- how is that even possible???) and that I am merely coming to terms with a new normal?

Or maybe I'm really just hotter now?

All I know is that - I really, really want to eat another crepe right now.

Fine.  I'm going swimming.  Here's what I did the past week.

Note:  Wednesday to Sunday (14-18 August):  Swimming - 30 laps

Monday, 19 August:

• Kundalini Yoga (Radiant Boy Kriya and Meditation)
• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred*, Level 1 (two-kilo dumbbells)
• Swimming** - 30 laps

Tuesday, 20 August: (overnight in Surigao)

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1 (1 liter water bottles)
• Lots of junk, two cans Red Horse, lots of smokes

Wednesday, 21 August:

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred (three-kilo dumbbells for rows, curls and flys only, two-kilos for everything else)
• Swimming - 30 laps

Thursday, 22 August:

• Zero exercise
• Approximately half a bottle of rosé, half a bottle of white, 5.5 bottles Pale Pilsen, lots of smokes

Friday, 23 August:

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1 (three-kilo dumbbells for rows, curls and flys only, two-kilos for everything else)

Saturday, 24 August:

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1 (three-kilo dumbbells for rows, curls and flys only, two-kilos for everything else)
• 3 x 20 reps kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming - 30 laps

 Sunday, 25 August:

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1 (three-kilo dumbbells for rows, curls and flys only, two-kilos for everything else)
• 3 x 20 reps kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming - 30 laps

***

*I appreciate the 30 Day Shred's Level 1 more now that I know how difficult Level 2 is, which I am completely dreading, by the way...

However, I am still doing the push-ups at my own pace and I do hand-release push-ups, CrossFit-style.

 

I also still hate the side lunges with arm raises.  By the time I get to these, my shoulders aren't too happy anymore, so I concentrate on doing the side lunges correctly and only lift one arm per raise.  Sometimes, I go with the same-side arm as the lunge or, sometimes, I raise the opposite arm.  Yes, I like to live dangerously.  <winces>

**I should have upped my laps to 30 a long time ago.  Now, my arms and shoulders are finally registering something close to an ache at the end of my sessions.

Recently, I've been researching techniques to improve my crawl, a.k.a. freestyle, and I was already working in the closed-fist drill and the thumb-to-thigh drill into my laps, when I came across a set of videos from Karlyn Pipes (- according to the YouTube info, she is a "Masters Swimming World Record Holder, National Duathlon winner, and [a swim] coach").

In "Technique 5: Exiting the Stroke to Improve Freestyle Swimming Efficiency", Pipes talks about exiting the stroke early, way before the arm is fully stretched backwards, which is a direct contradiction of what the thumb-to-thigh drill is all about.

 

I've been trying to practice Pipes' method but, because I swim alone, I have no idea if I am doing it right.  Sometimes, I get so caught up in the details (stretching the arm forward, keeping the fingers loose, pulling downwards and fanning out early) that I forget to breathe.  But I think I am going faster and I do feel the pull in my lats, which I am not so sure I am happy about.

In another video, "Common Freestyle Mistakes in Swimming" by iSport, they say that it is a must that a swimmer rotate the torso, while Pipes, towards the end of the "Technique 5" video, cautions against the over-rolling of the torso and says that emphasis should be on the reaching or stretching of the arm instead.

 

Since I only watched Pipes' video last Tuesday, when I was in Surigao, and got to try her method three times since then, I'd like to continue with it to see if I become more efficient in doing the crawl.

It's a good thing my internet connection in Siargao is so slow that it is almost impossible for me to look up any more swimming videos on YouTube, sparing myself further potential confusion.

The Siargao Plan

There was a Siargao plan to get back on track which, I swear, went into effect as soon as I arrived back on the island last Wednesday - and was flushed down the toilet as I crawled back home at 5:30 the next morning.  Although the next night was an earlier night, there was still too much beer and too many cigarettes involved.  Oh, and pasta.

So I haven't bothered to make an effort with my diet.

I have been swimming everyday though and have officially upped my laps to 30.  Which isn't enough, I know.

I just read that it takes nine hours of vigorous sex to burn off six Chicken McNuggets.  Not that I eat Chicken McNuggets but I've had much worse and I've certainly consumed more than the equivalent of six of them.  And regarding nine hours of vigorous sex, this is all I have to say:

So I plan to up the activity.  Tomorrow.

Seriously.

I want to restart Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred and complete it on or before September 27.  I want to work in some sort of yoga into my mornings, whether it's the Ashtanga sun salutes or a Kundalini kriya.  And I still think I should do some kettlebell swings.  Hopefully, I'll get to do something every day of the week, but if I can manage only five times a week, that's fine.

I'm still unsure how much effort I want to put into controlling the food and drink.

For now, if I can, I will and, if I can't, I won't.

Siargao: The Third (And Last, For Now) Week

Monday (Nicolas leaves.)

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 2.  Each level in the series should be done for 10 days, with one or two rest days per week.  If Level 1 was a walk in the park, Level 2 is more like a mugging.  Geezoos!  The cardio is insane and I'm now following Anita (the easy level girl) instead of Natalie.  I have to confess that I don't do as many reps as they do, and I reset on the squat with dumbbell rows.  Using the two-kilo dumbbells.

 

• Swimming:  20 laps
• Two non-Paleo meals.  Before Nicolas left to  catch the plane back to Cebu, we indulged in my favorite breakfast of fried rice, fried eggs and spicy Spanish sardines in olive oil.  Yummmmmm!!!  In the evening, I had dinner at Sagana.  While it was mostly seafood, it was non-Paleo because the squid was breaded and I had rice with the meal and a mango-banana crepe for dessert, which made me sick because of the cream.  I wonder why some dairy makes me more sick than others.

Tuesday (Surigao for the day to visit a friend in the hospital.)

• Was too tired from being on a ferry for most of the day and couldn't bear to face Level 2 again so soon so I didn't do it and snacked instead.
• Swimming:  20 laps
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• One non-Paleo meal and one Paleo meal, with snackage.  Last week, I had absolutely zero to eat  when I was in Surigao and had my first meal at dinner, back on the island.  This week, I made up for it by heading straight for McDonald's and devouring two Sausage & Egg McMuffins.  When I got back to Siargao, I had the butter cookies, as I already reported.  Then I had a Paleo dinner of broccoli-tahini soup and pork chop.  Smoked some in Surigao.

Or a Sausage & Egg McMuffin, thanks!

Wednesday

• Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, Level 2.  Still doing shit, although I am now using the three-kilo dumbbells for the static lunges with rows and the pendulum swings.  I HATE THIS WORKOUT!
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming: 20 laps
• One Paleo meal.  Made some chili with hotdogs (which made it non-Paleo), which I scooped into an avocado, and roasted cauliflower with a tahini sauce.

Thursday

• Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, Level 2.  It's still not getting easier.  Seven more to go.  Ugh.  I'm dreading Level 3.
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming: 20 laps
• One Paleo meal and one non-Paleo meal.  Got hungry in the morning so I had a HUGE bacon-potato-onion omelette, which is technically Paleo although I should be avoiding potatoes to lose weight.  Dinner at Sagana was most decidedly non-Paleo because I had garlic rice AND mashed potatoes (with the saltimbocca - yum! - which would have still been non-Paleo because it had some sort of soy sauce on it and some flour).  Then I headed to Kawayan for the chocolate fondant again.  Smoked some.

Friday (Nicolas arrives.)

• Nicolas and the dog were in the room.  Any excuse not to do Shred, Level 2.
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming.  I was going for 30 laps but, for the additional ten laps, I wanted to do just the crawl - so that I could finish faster - but I was counting them out in fives, and then I forgot which five I was on.  So, while it is most likely that I did 30 laps, because I am brain dead, let's just say I did 25.
• One non-Paleo meal, and heavy snackage.  I was going to be good, I really was.  Because Nicolas normally has a big panini sandwich at the Mactan Airport in Cebu, we didn't have to have lunch together and I was only intending to have dinner.  When I got a bit hungry, I asked the maid to make me a raw avocado-chia pudding.  Still good.  And then I had to have the white chocolate-covered Oreos and Reese's peanut butter cups.  And then I brought out the shortbread cookies and the salted caramel spread and the Trader Joe's peanut butter for us to try.  And we still had dinner.  (The leftover chili and hotdogs with avocado, and some raw lasagna.)

Saturday

• Same excuse for not doing Shred, Level 2.

• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming:  30 laps (5 frog kick, 5 crawl, 5 frog kick, 5 crawl, 5 frog kick, 5 crawl)
• Two Paleo meals, but I snacked again.  I have a massive sugar craving that I can't kick!  And it doesn't help that I have all this stuff in my fridge.  I finished the box of Oreos (- I have one left!) and had more of the white choc Reese's cups.

I'm not even putting up a fight anymore.

Sunday

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 2, finally!  Nope, it hasn't gotten any easier.
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming:  30 laps
• Two non-Paleo meals, plus major snackage again.  I tried all of the local treats I bought in Cebu - and it's a good thing that most of them turned out to be shit, except for the rosquillos and ChocNut knock-offs, so I'm giving most of them away.  And then, after my swim, I joined Nicolas and his golf buddies for crepes (with that salted caramel spread).

This Siargao trip was a disaster, wasn't it?  Well, I did lose most of the excess weight.  I'm only one kilo over and, while I'd be happier with two kilos less, I actually look fine.  The boyfriend thinks I look good.  :-D

I'm leaving for Manila later this morning and will be gone for ten days.  I'm not sure that I can continue doing the Shred while I am gone, but I will find something to do.  I'm telling myself I'll behave in the city - food wise, but we all know that isn't going to happen.

The Evil That Lurks Within

The first thing you're supposed to do when you get on the Paleo Diet is to get rid of everything in your pantry that isn't Paleo.  Because if it isn't there, you can't eat it, can you?

Well, on this trip to Siargao, I've restocked the pantry with all things non-Paleo.  For the Cheat Days, she told herself.  Except that she was never one to follow the rules and ever day had turned into a Cheat Day.

Sigh...

So here I am, eating butter cookies when I'm supposed to be jumping up and down, killing myself with Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 2.  (FYI, Level 2 is effin' hard and I've been up since 4 AM and just got back from Surigao and don't have the energy for all of that.) 

Here's a quick rundown of what's lurking in the cupboards:

1. Two cartons of white-chocolate-covered Oreos.  (A third carton was consumed in Cebu.)  From France.
2. Two packs of white-chocolate covered miniature Reese's cups.  (One left.)  From the old Manila Domestic Terminal.
3. One box, R&M white chocolate-covered dried mangoes.  (Gone.)  From the Mactan Domestic Airport.
4. Half a bag of Crunchy Cheetos.  (Gone.)  From the old Manila Domestic Terminal.
5. Two tubs of Chocoron.  (Gone.)  From the Mactan Domestic Airport.
6. One bottle, Banana Macademia Jam.  (Opened.)  From Antonio's.
7. One bottle each, Trader Joe's Fig Butter (- opened), Casa San Luis' Salted Caramel and French Sea Salt (- unopened), Casa San Luis' Bacon Bits Caramel Sauce (- gone).  Ordered from Taste Central.
8. Three bottles each, Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter, Plain and Crunchy.  (One bottle of each gone.)  Ordered from Amazon.
9. One bottle, Trader Joe's Peanut Butter.  (Unopened.)  From Rosan.
10. And an assortment of Philippine popular snacks like Otap, rosquillos, er, butter cookies...  (Untouched except for the butter cookies which are gone.)

FYI, that Bacon Bits Caramel Sauce is a winner.  Spread it on a crepe...  That would explain the five crepes on my first week back.

Okay, I'm going to swim now.  And maybe do some kettlebell swings.  

Siargao: The Second Week

Monday (Nicolas leaves.)

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1 (Started using three-kilo dumbbells for the upright rows and bicep curls.)
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming:  20 laps
• One Paleo meal.

Tuesday

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming:  20 laps
• One Paleo meal.

Wednesday (Went to Surigao for the day to bring Apollo to the vet.)

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1 (Started using three-kilo dumbbells for the chest flys.)
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming:  20 laps
• One non-Paleo meal.  Sushi/sashimi buffet at The Boardwalk, topped off with a chocolate fondant at Kawayan.  Lots of cigarettes.

Thursday

• Zero exercise.
• One Paleo meal and one non-Paleo meal.  Snackage:  Reese's Nutrageous bar and chocolate cake.  Lots of cigarettes.

Friday (Nicolas arrives.)

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming:  20 laps
• Two non-Paleo meals, including a tasting at Nine Bar.  Snackage:  Reese's white-chocolate covered miniature cups (available at the old Manila Domestic Terminal).  Lots of wine, Red Horse, and cigarettes.

And chocolate and cigarettes.

Saturday

• Zero exercise.  Hungover.  Blech.

• One Paleo meal, one non-Paleo meal.  Snackage:  Chocoron (chocolate-covered chicharon).  Don't knock it till you've tried it!

Available at the Mactan Airport in Cebu.

Sunday

• Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, Level 1
• 3 sets of 20 kettlebell swings (16 kilos)
• Swimming:  20 laps
• One non-Paleo meal.  Snackage:  Crunchy Cheetos.

Weight loss:  Half a kilo.  Still above normal weight.  Doh!  Must minimize snackage, she thought to herself as she ordered fried rice, fried eggs and sardines for breakfast...  Gaaaaahhhhhh!!!

Running On Broken Feet

I finally got off my ass and started running again.

I hate running.

I'm all about living in the moment but, when it comes to running, I think it's best that you're as far removed from the moment as possible.  If you could leave your body and go to the moon, you probably should.  You want hard, driving music cranked to the point where you can't hear yourself think or breathe and you've entirely blocked out the sound of your body screaming in pain.

I hate running.  My legs turn into logs and my toes feel shattered.

I think I may have damaged my feet permanently when I was practicing barefoot at Krav Maga.  But I only ever feel it whenever I run.  (In this picture, I had already learned my lesson and donned some shoes for protection.)

Last week, I ran:

• Wednesday (20 March):  4 km, 33:32 + 3 sets, 15 reps kettlebell swings (16 kg), 3 sets, 15 reps (3 kg dumbbells)
• Friday (22 March):  4 km., 33:04 + 3 sets, 15 reps kettlebell swings (16 kg), 3 sets, 15 reps (3 kg dumbbells), 3 sets, 10 reps TRX rows
• Saturday (23 March):  4 km,  32:12,  + 3 sets, 15 reps kettlebell swings (16 kg), 3 sets, 15 reps (3 kg dumbbells), 3 sets, 10 reps TRX rows, 3 sets, 10 reps TRX chest press
• Sunday, Monday:  rest days

Yes, I still do 20 laps in the pool everyday.  Except for yesterday and today, when I am doing absolutely nothing at all.

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