Desperate Measures

Where I'm At

So I'm back in Siargao.  I flew to Cebu last Thursday (March 7) then to Siargao the next day.  I'll be here till April 1.

I've resumed doing my 20 laps (minimum) in the pool everyday.  I've only had one cheat day (which was in Cebu) since resuming Paleo but, for as long as I don't have any wheat, I still consider that a good day.  Although - whoa! - I must confess that I am, once again, back to being extremely sensitive to lactic acid.

I also resumed intermittent fasting last Monday.  Although I've had to revise my schedule.  I now realize that I wasn't really fasting before by taking all those smoothies and juices during my supposed fasting state.  Now my feeding time is from 1 PM to 7 PM so I have six hours to consume all the calories I need in the day (including the smoothies and juices); digestion should be up to 1 AM, and I should be totally food free and consume only water from 1 AM to 1 PM.

I'm struggling a bit with it because I find that, by the time I swim at 5 PM, I'm so full of liquids that I feel like hurling in the pool.  I really prefer working out on an empty stomach.

I know this doesn't have anything to do with anything here.  I just find it funny.  And it kinda goes with the lactose intolerance pic.  ;-)

The great thing about the time though is that I can have lunch at 1 PM and dinner at 6:30 PM, although I must confess that I've only been having one main meal a day, mostly dinner.

Yesterday, I had a big raw food lunch with Susan in the afternoon, then I went biking with her (- I probably did around 6-7 km.; I had to cut my ride short because of the rain) and then I still had my swim at 5 PM.  I only had one smoothie in the afternoon and didn't feel the need for anything else the whole evening.  (I normally try to have two smoothies a day.  One is a green smoothie and the other is that all-natural antioxidant mix* that I get from Cebu.)

I do have a stock of snacks in the refrigerator in case I get hungry.  I have my nuts and berries trail mix.  I have my fried plantains (which are really just unripe cooking bananas, sliced thinly then fried).  I have multiseed crackers.  And, yesterday, there was still some leftover raw pancit.  But I really didn't feel the need to eat anything in the evening.

Now this has absolutely nothing to do with anything in this entire blog.  Although surely you must get the whole "spoiled" and "hog" connection, no?  No?  Whatever, it's funny.  And, no, I'm not smoking anything funny.

What I did feel the need for was a cigarette.  Yes, I'm still social smoking but I was a bit too social in Manila that I was wanting to smoke even when I didn't have any company and, um, may have had a cigarette or two in my bedroom.  (Eek!  Definitely a bad sign!  If I can't be bothered to go outside and don't mind the smell of smoke inside my room and getting on all my clothes and things, then I have problem.)  I was planning on trying to control it here in Siargao - but I brought a whole carton of cigarettes with me anyway.  So far, I've only smoked twice.  At dinner at Kalinaw Resort on Friday (which was when we arrived) and during the soft reopening of Nine Bar last Saturday.  But, today, I'll be in the company of smokers and, well, the reason why I'm typing this now is to keep me from getting started on a pack already.

Why can't I quit you?

Since I've started doing IF properly, which was only last Monday, I've already lost all the weight I wanted to lose.  I started at around 54.75 kilos (according to the scale here) and now I'm at 53.5.  I really should try to maintain that now and not lose any more weight because then I'll look too gaunt, which I don't really want.

Energy levels are fine.  I'm actually thinking of adding kettlebells and TRX to my daily routine but, yeah, so far, I'm just thinking about it.  I don't think there's a cure for laziness yet.

***

*Organic Herbal Tonic, available through Healing Present Nature & Wellness Farm.  Contents:  A blend of organic turmeric, ginger, basil, oregano, lemongrass, guyabano leaves, passion fruit and calamansi.  It's a vile concoction, so I have it blended with fruit.  It comes in a medium-sized jar but a small amount goes a long way, so it's best if you transfer the contents into smaller jars and freeze the ones you're not using.

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Cruel Intentions

I just realized that there are ten days between my last post and the one previous to it.  Damn, I've been lazy.

And I've had reliable, dedicated internet access everywhere I've been.  I've even been successful at coveting our Cebu neighbor's WiFi.

And now that I'm back in the Land Before Time (Siargao), now I decide to write.  Which will explain the overly large photos and shitty formatting.  I'm back to writing and uploading via Qumana because my connection on this part of the island is too slow for Typepad to work properly.  I'll have to reformat my posts once I get to a place with a decent connection.

I returned to Siargao last Friday, exactly two weeks after I left.

In those two weeks, I had eaten everything.  And I mean EVERYTHING.  Please see previous post on new restaurants in Cebu.  Apart from that, I've eaten all sorts of junk (- I totally recommend Goya's dark chocolate Twisters over their white chocolate ones, and eating a big box of Curly Tops may not be advisable when stuck on a slow-moving ferry), as well as a whole range of fast food (- I am about to commit sacrilege by admitting that McDonald's fried chicken just might be superior to Jollibee's Chicken Joy; further studies will have to be conducted), and can now even write a short guide on where to eat in Butuan, which I hope no one will never need.

I've admitted to Nicolas that I've started smoking again and he was very disappointed.  He is now trying to get me to promise to quit - again - and, of course, I won't because I don't think I can keep that promise.  It's bad enough that I made the first one and broke it.  So now he's even more disappointed.  What I'm not telling him is that I will be trying my darndest best not to smoke while I am here in Siargao.  At least that's what I am telling myself now...

Yesterday, I resumed swimming.  If I am not mistaken, the last time I swam was the Friday morning that I left for Manila.  That's exactly two weeks of wanton gluttony with no exercise...

It might as well have been five years.

I don't mind swimming everday, although I must admit that it bores me to death.  I find my mind wandering so much that I end up losing count of my laps and having to do extra ones just to make sure I've done my required 20.

I need to find something else to do.

Cycling is out.  My cycling buddies are out of the country.  Sue is back in Australia and Janette is in France.  Not that I would bike anyway if they were here.  The roads are muddy and haven't been push bike or running-friendly for more than a month now.  Which would explain why I've only been swimming and doing P90X.

The rains have also ruled out taekwondo since the outdoor area we use is now almost always wet.  Dominic is trying to find us an alternative place to practice but, until then, taekwondo is out.

I was planning on carrying on doing random P90X workouts until, in my quest to find free books that I can download off Amazon, I stumbled upon "The 4-Week Bodyweight Home Workout", written by US-based Filipino "fitness expert", Arnel Ricafranca.  I don't know anything about Ricafranca but his workouts are similar to CrossFit WODs, none of them are the same and, best of all, they only require me to work out three times a week.  Sounds good to me! 

I still intend to swim everyday though.  I need the activity since I am pretty much horizontal most of the day...

Regarding the diet, I intend to resume intermittent fasting and eat only at night, from Monday to Friday, starting today.  My IF schedule will be as follows:

7:00 AM - Green smoothie/malunggay juice - blended with the antioxidant mix from Eleanor Rivera

10:00 AM - Coconut water

1:00 PM - Lemon grass water

4:00 PM - Coconut water

6:30 PM - 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice in hot water

7:00 PM - Dinner:  raw vegetables + cooked meat

Since Nicolas is here on weekends, Saturday and Sunday can be my Cheat Days (yes, plural), where I hope I won't actually cheat on my Paleo diet but merely increase my intake of food.  Oh, yes, the Paleo diet.  I had forgotten about that.  (Har.)  I guess I have to get rid of the jar of peanut butter beside my bed...  Damn!  Okay, I take that back.  I need at least one proper Cheat Day where I can eat whatever I want.  (I really would like to have more of those potato tahdigs.)  Whether it's on a regular fasting day or on one of the two Increased Intake Days (otherwise known as Saturdays and Sundays), I should have one proper Cheat Day in a week.  In every sense, a Movable Feast.

I actually don't need to lose any weight and find that I'm comfortable with my body being in the vicinity of 53 kilos which is, more or less, where I've been at for a while now.  But, given that I am less active in Siargao than I am in Manila, I do have to lay down some rules (even if I don't always follow them) and make some effort towards eating right to make sure that I don't put on any more weight.

Especially since I also fully intend to drink.  I really don't need to reiterate that my one and only exception to all of this is alcohol, do I?  Let's just hope that I can stick to the Paleo-approved cheats and lay off the Red Horse.

So that's my Grand Masterplan for my third month Tour of Duty in Siargao.  Let the Hunger Games begin!

Weigh in (26 Nov. 2012, 7AM):  52.5 kilos

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Whatever Works

Being back in Manila, for me, usually means catching up on the latest action on UFC and, recently, UFC took the fight to Macau, with Cung Le going head-to-head with Rich Franklin in the main event.  The fighter I took notice of, however, was Mac Danzig.

(Internet file photo.)

Not only did he give Takanori Gomi a good fight, he's also probably the only mixed martial artist who's vegan.  I immediately googled him.

• Mac Danzig's Diet, UFC News
• Fittest Guys in America, Men's Fitness

Turns out he eats a lot of grains and tofu.  That's where he gets his protein.  Which are out for me - when I am pretending to follow a Paleo lifestyle.

The results of my blood tests are in and, strangely, I'm healthier now (uric acid levels are normal) - with all the beer I've been drinking and shit I've been eating - than I was when I was doing raw.  And I've been having Snickers bars every single day that I've been here in Manila.  I had two of them while I was typing this paragraph.  (I'm on a Paleo break!)

I can't tell you how glad I am to know that I'm not meant to be a raw foodist.  That would have killed me.  I think our bodies instinctively know what's good for it and will seek these things out.  Just as Mac Danzig didn't feel right about eating meat, my body knows that it needs meat.  Although it seems to respond quite well to the raw-veggie-cooked-meat combo that I do in Siargao.  Complemented by a steady stream of alcohol.  And Snickers bars.  And...

I've decided to head back to Siargao after spending the weekend in Cebu.  Sneaking away before light tomorrow morning.  Before any other mishaps occur on C-bloody-5.

"Run away!"

Some Raw Help

I found this photo online (its original source was not cited) and thought I'd share it.  It's a great idea for packing a salad lunch!

The dressing - and anything that is wet - goes in first at the bottom of the jar, followed by whatever you want on top of your salad, whether its croutons or bacon bits or  tomatoes, nuts, carrots, avocado slices, etc.  Pack it up with your favorite greens, and you're good to go!

(Internet file photo.)

The whole thing will empty out perfectly onto a salad bowl.

Another excellent tip I got was where to get a really good blender.  The cheap-ass one I have in Siargao is on its last legs and a Vitamix is just way too expensive.  Even its Taiwanese knock-offs are selling at ridiculous prices.  But my friends found what may just be the cheapest Chinese Vitamix knock-off on the market.  It's called Drink Machine and it only costs P3700.  I got the number off my friends and placed an order last Sunday.  It was delivered to my doorstep almost exactly an hour later.  C.O.D., of course.  Here's that number:  +63-905-243-4176.  (Disclaimer:  My friends got the number from an ad placed in sulit.com.ph.  Neither they nor I know the vendors, nor do we have any ties to them.  Be smart about your own transactions.)

IF Report (Week 4: Fail! - Part2)

Monday - Dinner only.  But watched the entire half-season (eight episodes of season five) of "Breaking Bad" with some friends till the sun came up and, at some point in the evening, ended up drinking a Red Horse and snacking on Chippy.

(Internet file photo.)

Exercise:  Swimming

Tuesday - Dinner only.  With some friends and we ended up consuming the equivalent of one bottle of red wine each.  Doh!

Exercise:  P90X Shoulders & Arms, Swimming

Wednesday - Dinner only.  But went out for drinks.  At Drop Inn and then at Hot Spot, where they were having a Halloween Party.  Had a lot of Red Horses and shots.  Not good.

(Internet file photo.)

Exercise:  P90X Chest & Back, Swimming

Thursday - Hungover with only two hours of sleep, I decided to have a greasy breakfast of bacon and eggs with BFF, Rosan Cruz, when she arrived.  And, although I gave strict instructions to the staff that she would lunch alone, they ended up preparing too much so that I ended up eating the leftovers.  I couldn't let good food go to waste!  It was all still Paleo and partially raw so I didn't beat myself up over it.  Except that, at dinner, which was at Buddha's Surf Resort, since it was both our first time there, we had to try everything:  fried spring rolls, fresh spring rolls, stir-fried mixed vegetables and a red curry chicken that was so spicy that I had to eat it with rice.  Since we had already gone off the deep end, I also ordered some chocolate balls with ice cream for dessert.  Drinks:  Wine, and more beer and shots.

Exercise:  Swimming, Walking (from Buddha to Drop Inn), and WildCrazyDancing for hours!  (That must count for something!)

Friday - I invited visiting friends to join us for lunch and the girls prepared food for me yet again.  It was still Paleo and partially raw, except for the turon (sugared banana spring rolls) that we had for dessert.  Dinner was at Kawayan Resort where I had the veggie bruschetta (again) and their most excellent chicken tagine.  And the chocolate fondant, of course.  Drinks:  A glass of red at dinner, a shot of tequila (courtesy of David, thank you very much!) after dinner, and then a few glasses of sake over at Sagana.

Exercise:  P90X Back & Biceps, Swimming

Saturday - Lunch was Paleo and partially raw.  Dinner was at Sagana, where I didn't even bother pretending anymore:  fried wantons to start with, honey-soy-ginger chicken - with garlic fried rice - for my main, and a mango-banana crepe with pistachio ice cream for dessert.  All non-Paleo.  Drinks:  A bottle of red, shared with Rosan, and a shot of some Austrian blueberry liqueur c/o Susan.

Exercise:  Swimming

Sunday - A friend of mine had gotten into a very bad motorbike accident recently so, this morning, I had a big breakfast with Rosan with the intention of catching the 11 AM ferry to Surigao to visit at the hospital where he is confined, while Rosan made her way back to Manila.  Alas, the ferry was fully booked and departed hours before schedule.  Back at home, I skipped lunch but remembered that I had promised the owner of Skales, the Greek restaurant that opened a few months ago, that I would go to her party.  I had lechon (Paleo), pancit (not Paleo), more lechon and pancit (unreasonable).  And then I ordered a chicken-tomato dish (Paleo) from her menu, which turned out to be quite tasty, if a bit expensive for a plate of fries with a few slices of chicken, but I finished it all anyway.  This week was beyond redemption anyway.  Drinks:  One beer.

Exercise:  P90X Shoulder & Arms, Swimming

Although I am still sortakinda fasting by skipping most breakfasts, the sheer volume of sugar in my food - and drink - would say otherwise.  Will weigh myself tomorrow to gauge the damage.

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New York Times article: "The Island Where People Forget to Die"

Here's an excellent article on the phenomenon of longevity on the Greek Island of Ikaria:  "The Island Where People Forget to Die".

In a study of 673 Ikarians, it was found that:

"... subjects consumed about six times as many beans a day as Americans, ate fish twice a week and meat five times a month, drank on average two to three cups of coffee a day and took in about a quarter as much refined sugar — the elderly did not like soda.  [It was] also discovered they were consuming high levels of olive oil along with two to four glasses of wine a day."

Note that most everything the Ikarians consume is home grown, including the wine and the livestock.  Which supports my recent contention that being healthy doesn't necessitate a raw diet, nor does it require one to be vegetarian.  What it requires is for food to be the way nature intended, not the way man engineered.

Of course, lifestyle and the lack of stress are also key.  The Ikarians live so well that they forget to die.  We should learn from their wisdom.

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BBC Series: "The Truth About Food"

In 2007, the BBC came out with a very interesting six-part series called "The Truth About Food".  I only saw the pilot yesterday and can't wait to watch the rest of it.  It's all on YouTube.  Unfortunately, in less than an hour, I will be catching the ferry back to Siargao Island, where I can barely open my e-mail.

Here's the pilot:  How to be Healthy.  It's only an hour long but it's crammed full of useful information.  Enjoy!

 

Episode 2:  How to be Sexy

Episode 3:  How to Feed Your Kids

Episode 4:  How to be Slim

Episode 5:  How to Stay Young and Beautiful

Episode 6:  How to be the Best

IF Report (Week 2: Fail!)

Last week was a bit of a disaster, exercise and diet-wise.

Let's break it down, shall we?

Monday - Still on track.

Exercise:  Swimming.

Tuesday - I hosted a raw food lunch and ended up partaking.  That's okay.  I still consider it IF if I have my first meal after 12 noon.

Raw lasagna I served at lunch.  (Photo c/o Abe Tolentino.)

Exercise:  Swimming.

Wednesday - My period arrived on schedule, which I took as a good sign that IF hadn't messed up my system.  Yet.

I ended up having lunch again, albeit another raw one, during a boat trip to Caub.

Caub in Siargao.

Lunch, top to bottom:  ceviche c/o Susan Brandstetter, raw adobong kangkong (water spinach) c/o Abe Tolentino and Mika Santos, raw broccoli c/o me.

Sin of the day:  Two cones of "dirty" ice cream at the Dapa market on the way home.

Exercise:  None.

Thursday - Cheat Day.

Second day of my period and I felt like shit.  But I'm not sure if that was because of the period, or the dirty ice cream the day before, or because I sat out in the sun too long and was dehydrated...  All of the above?  I lay in bed, not wanting to do anything.

But it was my Cheat Day and I figured I ought to eat something.  I wracked my brain (of which there is not much to wrack) for something that I might want to eat.  Nothing appealed to me.  Except for... peanut butter sandwiches!  30 minutes later, the habal-habal driver was knocking at my door with a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter.  I consumed half the loaf and half the jar.

A little past 4 PM, the habal-habal driver knocked yet again on my door, this time, with chocolate chip cookies Susan baked especially for me.  I counted 11 pieces.  And then there were seven.

With my head swimming in sugar, I canceled dinner out and had bacon and eggs at home instead.  Not raw but very Paleo-compliant.  But it was my Cheat Day and, later on that evening, I had beer after shot after beer after shot at a friend's birthday party at Drop Inn.

Susan, trying unsuccessfuly to hide the beer in my hand.  At Drop Inn, Siargao.  (Photo c/o Mika Santos.)

I got home after 3 AM and found the rest of the cookies.  And then there were none.

Exercise:  None.

Friday - Having eaten so much during the week, I found myself getting hungrier and hungrier earlier in the day.  Or was that because of my period too?

On Friday, I held off till about 2 PM, after which, I asked the girls to fry up some lechon I had stashed in the freezer, and to scramble some eggs.  Nicolas, who had just arrived from Cebu, eyed my steaming plate of lechon warily.  "I thought you were eating one meal a day."  I assured him I was still fasting.  I don't think he believed me.

Exercise:  Swimming.

Saturday - I had to go to Surigao to take care of some business.  I was accompanied by an assistant.  On the boat ride over, I offered her something to eat.  She asked for potato chips.  While I was buying her chips from the boat's "canteen", I checked out all the other junk food for sale.  I buckled.  I started off with a pack of "eggnog" then ended up with Chiz Curls.  I was milking my period for everything it was worth.

The sins of the day, let me count the ways:

- Lunch (3 PM):  three deep-fried, breaded chicken legs (- I normally only ever eat thighs but the only cuts available, at that time, were legs and breasts), with rice (-- eek!), and soft-serve ice cream with chocolate.

- Dinner (8 PM):  more deep-fried, breaded chicken with mozzarella and more rice.  And a scoop of gelato at Little Italy.

- After dinner:  Too many drinks at J-Spot.

- Much, much later:  The Roma pizza from Calda Pizza.

Exercise:  Mad, frenzied dancing/bouncing around.  And marathon drunk texting.  Does that count?

I think we were drinking... rum?  Or was it brandy?  I'm not even sure.

Sunday - Breakfast:  Yes, I had breakfast.  Well, the breakfast buffet came with the hotel room so I forced myself to eat.  I sat there for the longest time with just fruit.  Then I finally had some fish and scrambled eggs.  With fried battered bananas, rolled in powder sugar.  Dang!  I almost had it.

Lunch:  Pako (fern) salad, crab.  And two squares of dark chocolate.  Not so bad.

Snack:  Four brownies, and one scoop of gelato at Little Italy.  Not so good.

Dinner:  Grilled pork chop, grilled chicken, and a cup of rice.  Gaah!

I'm heading back to Siargao tomorrow morning.  My period is over so I can no longer use that as an excuse.  Will definitely resume my IF schedule and, hopefully, will not succumb to the breakfast buffet tomorrow.

(Must remember to grow a spine.) 

IF Report (Week 1: Strange Things are Afoot!)

Strange Observation #1:  I don't get hungry.

Well, I do.  A little bit.  I'll get a stirring in my belly, especially around two or three in the afternoon, but it doesn't last very long.  This is very unusual for me since I've only ever had two modes when I was eating regularly.  They were (1) "I'm starving!" and (2) "I want to throw up."

If you've hung around me a little bit, you'll know that I am in the habit of announcing the state of my digestive tract to everyone and to no one in particular.  When I started intermittent fasting, I wasn't sure how I'd handle the hunger pangs but, as it turns out, all I need is a few sips of water and then I'm fine.

I'm not militant about my feeding window (7 to 9 every evening), and I have had the odd handful of nuts or fruit or even raw vegetable preparations in the afternoon, but not because I was hungry.  Let's see, I had the nuts because I had a bag of trail mix lying around and I ate them because they were there.  I finished it in two sittings.  And even while I was having the nuts, I was well aware that I wasn't hungry and I was eating them as I would when snacking in front of the telly, except that, in this case, I was snacking in front of the computer.  The fruit I had because, out of habit, I announced that I was hungry while I was biking the other day and Janette heard me.  So, while we were at the market, she got me a banana.  By that time, I was no longer hungry, but I took the banana anyway to be polite.  And, the raw food, I sat with Nicolas once while he was having lunch and he's not really a fan of raw food.  Neither are the staff.  So instead of letting it go to waste, I ate it.  (I stopped serving him raw food after that.  Next weekend, it's all cooked food for both of us.)

But I'm fine with eating some nuts, fruit, or vegetables in the afternoon.  I don't think it harms the fast at all to lengthen the feeding window every now and then, especially since I don't think I consume all the calories I need between 7 to 9 every night.  Which brings us to...

Strange Observation #2:  I don't binge during my feeding window.

I can, but I don't.  Just before dinner, I usually feel a little bit hungry but, as soon as I'm called to dinner, the hunger dissipates and I eat only because I have to.  I finish what's laid out before me, but it has since become a struggle, so I've asked the girls to reduce my portions. 

I've decreed Thursday my Cheat Day but, last week, I fasted the whole day and ate only during my feeding window.  I ate out with my neighbors across the river, Abe Tolentino and Mika Santos, at Kabibo, the restaurant of La Luna Resort.  (On my Cheat Days, I've decided to try out the new restaurants/resorts that have sprouted up on the island during the last two years that I was away.)  While I was waiting for them (- they were driving back from Pacifico where they had been surfing), I heard my stomach rumble so I thought I'd order some starters.  But I got distracted and, by the time they showed up and we opened a bottle of red and got to talking, I was no longer hungry.

The prawn specials were highly recommended by the German couple at the next table so I had the grilled prawns - with veggies instead of rice - and the "Kabibo Monster Burger", because I remembered being obsessed by burgers in Manila but never managed to fulfill that craving.  I ended up discarding most of the bun and, because I was full, skipped dessert.

When I got home, I realized that I had missed the one opportunity that I had that week to have dessert.  What the hell was wrong with me?! I had to declare a Cheat Day Failure, and tried again on Saturday.  At Kawayan Resort, I wolfed down eight pieces of bruschetta, more prawns and vegetables, and one and a half servings of that wonderful chocolate fondant that David makes.  Nicolas watched in awe.  He himself just picked at his salad, but then he also had crepes at home after his golf game.

I suffered for it that night.  I hadn't been that full the entire week and was uncomfortable the whole evening.  I don't think I'll be doing that again.  Especially since I wasn't really hungry when I was binging and didn't even enjoy having Nicolas' leftover chocolate fondant.

Strange Observation #3:  My food cravings are gone.

Did you see what I ordered at Kabibo?!  Prawns and veggies???  Yes, I ordered the burger - as a concession to my craving when I was in Manila - but  I could have had pasta too!  Or some sinigang with rice.  Nooo...  Grilled prawns with vegetables, please.  Hold the mango crepes.  And then I had the same thing at Kawayan.  Doh!

I've been trying to think of food that will whet my appetite.  Bacon and eggs?  I could have that any time, but have never asked for it.  I've looked at my Facebook friends' food porn.  Nothing.  The only thing I think I may be looking forward to is Sue's chocolate chip cookies.

In the meantime, I'm hosting a raw food lunch at my place today, where I am not eating.

What the hell???!!!

Strange Observation #4:  My energy levels are up and I'm, generally, in a good mood.

No, not as opposed to the raging psycho bitch that I normally am.  I meant I'm in a good mood for somebody who doesn't eat.  I did have a slight PMS episode last week, but I quickly nipped it in the bud after a quick check of my calendar confirmed it was hormonal-induced bitchiness.

But did you see what I did last week???  Okay, I know my activity tapered off on the weekend but that was only because Nicolas was here and we had some business to attend to.  But, on one day, I did taekwondo, P90X, and I swam!  And still I keep thinking I should do more, like go walking in the morning...  Because it's strange not having a day that is broken up by meals.  But it's a good thing that I'm really indolent by nature and am easily deterred by things like getting up and the heat.

I do nap regularly now.  For about 30 minutes to an hour every afternoon, but I wake up feeling rested and full of energy.

Strange Observation #5:  I'm not losing weight.

Not an ounce.  Unless the scale is stuck at 53 kilos.  Nicolas thinks I look skinnier but I think it's because I'm just not bloated by food all the time anymore.  I don't mind not losing any more weight.  It's just odd that all this fasting hasn't made a dent on the scale, especially during the very first week.  I expected that would happen at some point, but not so soon.

***

While all of these - except for #5 - sound good, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's not the calm before the storm.

I will have to pay closer attention to my body this week, especially since I'm supposed to get my period and might require a longer feeding window.  Because of this, I have been reading more about IF and women and, while it seems that IF is better suited for men than women, there are women who have done it successfully and men who haven't.

I think diet plays a huge factor in one's success and I'm hoping that my combination of raw food and cooked meat is working for me.  I do get a lot of nutrition during the day in the form of green smoothies and the like, but I wonder if it's enough.

I'll also be dialing down my activity this week.  I don't want to overly stress my body.  With the IF, the exercise, and the added stress of going through a period, I don't want my body to think that it's under attack.

***

Recommended reading on IF and Women:

Paleo For Women - Interesting comments too, but make sure you scroll down to the very end and read the comments of Carmenj (posted September 8, 2012) and Mike OD (posted September 12, 2012).

Mama's Weeds

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Things That Make You Go...???

I guess I can say that I've been on a strict Paleo diet since I started the raw food diet last September 3.  And, in spite of the food orgies I've been going to in Manila this week, I have, more or less, stuck to the Paleo parameters.

Last night, I went to a party at Rose, the Japanese restaurant at the Fort owned by Adam Lieberman, and managed to turn down:

• alcohol
• sushi
• ice cream

I never thought I'd ever have the will power to turn down ice cream, but I did.

This afternoon, after a big lunch at Kainan Augusto at Kapitolyo, Pasig, I thought I had managed to successfully stick to Paleo once again (with the exception of the rice paper on the lumpia but, again, a negligible amount that I won't stress about).

Highly recommended at Kainan Augusto at East Capitol Drive, Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig.

Until we got to Mad Mark's Creamery & Good Eats.  I absolutely lovelovelove cookie dough ice cream and, if it's on offer, I cannot say no.  Mad Mark's had it under the moniker "Half-Baked".  I had to declare today a cheat day.  And cheat I did.  We tried a total of six flavors of ice cream.  (Verdict:  Could be creamier, but not bad.  The over-all winner was  the English Tea Macademia ice cream, but I still really really loved the cookie dough ice cream.  You can give the Madagascar Vanilla Bean and the Roasted Pecan a miss.,)

A mad mess at Mad Mark's, down thee street from Charlie's, also on East Capitol Drive.

Since I was already full of dairy, if I was going to suffer for it, I thought I might as well push it to the limit and get a milkshake at Charlie's.

Thought I'd try something new so I ordered the Salted Caramel Milkshake at Charlie's.  Not my thing.  Found it too sweet.

It's been more than an hour now.  I've sat at home, awaiting the lactic acid to turn my insides into mush.  So far, nothing.  No cramps, no belly rumblings, not even the urge to hurl.  This is very strange.  Anyone who knows me knows how sensitive I am to dairy.  Normally, after just a few minutes of ingesting the stuff, I'll be doubled up in pain and rushing to the bathroom.

Could I have kicked the intolerance???  (Pleasepleaseprettyplease...)  If that's true, then my life would be absolutely perfect.

Of course, then it would call into question everything else I've had since I've gone off raw food.  With everything I've been eating - and drinking - I haven't been sick - at all.  Maybe the negligible amounts of non-Paleo food that I consumed are now completely negligible in any amount.  Could it be that raw food has cured me of all food allergies that I might have had?  Hmmm...  Is that even possible?  If it did, well, fine, I'll take what I can get and, umm... hooray for raw!

Now, I'm kicking myself for giving Adam's ice cream a miss last night.  Stupidstupidstupid!