Desperate Measures

The Week in a Daze

My last five days in Siargao were a complete disaster.

First of all, I spoke too soon and the weather went from perfect to end-of-days pretty quickly.  Also, I got the body pain that I had been craving and couldn't do more than swim on Monday and Tuesday.  And have massages.  On Wednesday, however, I cranked it up again and went running (2km. only since it started to rain), biking (10.3 km.), then I did three sets of 20 two-hand kettlebell swings (16 kg.) and went swimming (20 laps x 32 m.).  I never did get to do taekwondo again as Dominic got busy with holiday guests at Buddha's Surf Resort, where he works part-time.

Food-wise, even my maids didn't even bother to pretend that I was on some diet or fast anymore and stopped bringing me my morning green smoothies, the cheeky bastards.  Well, their excuse was that they knew I wasn't sleeping much and they didn't want to wake me so early, in case I had finally fallen asleep.  Good thinking, ladies.  Gotta love 'em.

On Monday, I gave in to my burger craving and invited some friends over for lunch, to help me partake in what I call "Gai's Dirty Burgers" - bacon-cheese beef burgers, topped with mushrooms, onions, more bacon and melted cheese.

I had two for lunch on Monday and one for lunch on Tuesday.  <groan>

On Wednesday, I invited another set of friends over, for dinner this time, and, while I didn't eat too much (- a whale doesn't eat too much compared to these guys), I more than made up for it in alcohol.  Let's see...  We started off with wine and a shot of Patron XO.  Then we moved to a restaurant where they had more food, the pigs, and I had beer, tequila out of my flask, some drink that some guys donated to our table, more beer...

I was dead the next day.  I felt so sick, I couldn't even eat.  Really!  When I can't eat bacon and eggs, especially when I'm hungover, then I must be seriously ill.  

The weather went from bad to worse and, although I love swimming in the pool in stormy weather, there was just no way I could get in the pool and hope to live.  I didn't bother swimming either the next day, before leaving for Cebu.

In Cebu, I declared myself officially on holiday from my madness, and began my REAL descent to madness.

Since then, it's been unrestrained eating and drinking, with absolutely no exercise apart from hands-in-the-air-woo-hoo dancing.

I got back to Manila yesterday afternoon and am still in a bit of a daze.

Weight as of 8 AM this morning:  52.7 kilos.

The Week in Review

FOOD AND DRINK

Last week, I only did IF three times before finally giving up.  I think it's because I'm bored.  I'm isolated with a snail-paced internet connection and no books.  I don't know how I managed to read so many books off my iPhone 3G before (back when Stanza still worked), but I've been trying to read using the Kindle app on my laptop and I can't do it.  It doesn't feel like I'm reading a book and I lose interest very quickly.

So I find my mind wandering to food and what's in the fridge that I can eat or what's in the freezer that I can cook.  Last Monday, I made chili and hotdogs, which went down very nicely with a few bottles of red.  Then, on Wednesday, after having leftover crepes, I decided to try the local pizza that everyone's been talking about.  I've been told it's somewhere near the church in GL, and I don't know what it's called but I have their number (+63-918-338-8961) and, apparently, they deliver.

Thin crust pizza (- yes, there's a thick crust choice, but I've been told the thin crust is better) with bacon, ham and extra cheese, please!

I didn't have to wait too long.  The pizza cost P135, the extra cheese P20, and the delivery P50.  Excellent!  It wasn't the best pizza on the planet (- the tomato sauce is a bit too sweet for me, but it wouldn't be a local pizza if it wasn't, would it?), but it wasn't bad either, and now I'm curious to try it when it's fresh out of the oven.  I ate it like sandwiches and wolfed down the lot of it.  Yes, on my own.

I tried to make up for it that evening by having only raw food for dinner, but then I went out and partied like a frat boy, stumbling back home at six the next morning.

When Nicolas arrived on Friday, I ditched IF completely and ended up joining him for every meal.

Last Saturday night, I decided to put my brain cells to the test and see if I could remember how to make one of my favorite French dishes, oeufs en meurette (eggs poached in red wine sauce).

I first tried it in a restaurant in Paris, but the dish is really from Burgundy, where one of Nicolas' sisters also happens to live.  A few years ago, we went to visit her, and her husband, who - ahem! - also happens to work at Chassagne-Montrachet, made us his home-cooked version, which was excellent.  He introduced us to a couple who, later, visited us in Siargao and they taught me how to do a local version of oeufs en meurette, which I was able to replicate successfully several times.  But since I've been, well, jobless and homeless for the past two years, I haven't been cooking much (- I think the last time I made it was for some friends in San Francisco two years ago) and was worried that I had forgotten how to make it.

Like the chili, I decided to make this using all-natural ingredients (- only real tomatoes for the chili, and no flour to thicken the red wine sauce and no chicken cube for added flavor).  It turned out pretty well.  It could have used more onions and I could have watered down the wine a bit more, but I think I, more or less, remember the recipe.

Tonight, I'm going to let Nicolas try the tahdig with potato.

EXERCISE

While I swam everyday this week, on Friday, it occurred to me that it was my last week in Siargao and, although it's supposed to be the rainy season, we've had nothing but glorious weather with a beautiful, unending sky of blue since the storm, and I had been wasting all that time cooped up inside my room.  I got on my el-cheapo, brake-less, gear-less bike, and with Alice in Chains in my ears, rode to GL and back (total of around 10.3 km).

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed biking!  There's still that tricky section where they're concreting the road (- such a shame!) and I arrived back home all splattered in mud, but I had the biggest grin on my face.

On Saturday, Dominic showed up here before 8 AM and I was forced to do taekwondo, even though I was exhausted from another night of battling insomnia.  I still had a good workout though and, afterwards, invited Dominic to join me for breakfast of fresh fruits with mint and coconut milk.

Today, I went running (4 km., 35:55), biking (10.3 km.) and I did three sets of 20 two-hand kettlebell swings (16 kg.), all before 8:40 AM.  Of course, while on my way back from the bike ride, I stopped to text one of the girls:  "Please make me a bacon, potato, onion and basil omelette."  You gotta love technology!

I would have gone to taekwondo at the Pink House in GL at 3 PM, but Dominic said the waves were looking good and he wanted to go for a surf.  We rescheduled for early tomorrow morning back here instead.

I'm still going for a swim though...

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The Week in Failure

Monday, 3 December - Evacuated my dog and myself from our house at around 10 AM.  The typhoon wasn't due to hit until 5 AM, but I was sure we would feel it a good 12 hours before.  In the calm before the storm, however, I got bored.  And hungry.

Not used to being without staff, I quickly jumped when a friend said that the kitchen was open at the resort he was staying at.  It was less than a minute away so I had myself dropped off, only to find out that the resort staff was unsure as to what to do with themselves, their guests and the typhoon, but cooking definitely wasn't on the list.  I ventured into the kitchen a few times, to try to change their minds but, eventually, gave up and had whiskey-Cokes and cigarettes with my friends.  The resort didn't even have decent chips so I ended up ordering Piattos.  They only had the blue and green Chippies, when we all know that the only ones worth eating are the red ones.  Geez.

Later, one of the girls approached me and asked if I still wanted a pancake because they had made one for me.  I couldn't very well turn it down after they had gone through all the trouble.  It was thick and awful but I forced down half since I needed something in my stomach other than whiskey-Cokes and Piattos.

The wind and rain started getting stronger but I stayed and drank with the boys until 4:30 PM, before the sky totally darkened.  When I returned to the evacuation site, I found everyone huddled over their computers, in serious contemplation of the storm, while I was off my head, giggly and silly.

With nothing else to do, I checked the food supplies.  Which led me to my latest discovery:  Lady's Choice CRISPY Peanut Butter.  Yes, crispy, not chunky.  It's peanut butter with rice crispies!  What absolute genius!!!  Which begs the question:  Why isn't it an ice cream yet?!!!  It doesn't work very well with crackers but is perfect with white bread.  I was still eating it by Wednesday and only stopped when I had licked the bottle clean.

Evil in a jar.  (Internet file photo.)

I lovelovelove texture in food.  Except for crunchy fruit, like apples and pears.  I hate those.  But, when I was a kid, I loved putting Chippy in my cheese sandwiches, which is really like having crisps with a burger, right?  One time, in the absence of crisps, I put Oreo cookies in cheese sandwiches.  If I were 12, I probably would have gotten away with it.  But, umm...  I wasn't anywhere near 12 and I was on a boat full of English bankers in Hong Kong.  Yet, underneath what were meant to be withering who-invited-the-freak stares, I continued to tuck Oreos into quite a few cheese sandwiches and made yummy noises while eating them too.

Sometimes, it's good not to give a fuck.

Note:  When evacuating to some place, it helps to have along a friend who is also a chef that loves to cook.  Suffice it to say that we ate very well that night.

Exercise:  None.

Tuesday, 4 December - The typhoon passed without incident so we celebrated with a bottle of Californian red that I had brought along.  As far as Siargao and myself were concerned, the most damage the typhoon wrought was on my person, with my uncontrolled eating.  I got up at 4 AM just to have more peanut butter sandwiches.  And then, later on, bacon and eggs, then some cheese and rillette with crackers...  I stopped short of having instant noodles, even if they were calling out rather loudly to me.  (I can still hear them because I know where to find them in the cupboard.)

But, as soon as the weather cleared and I got home, I made sure to have my swim and resumed eating sensibly that night.

Wednesday, 5 December - Except there was still that jar of peanut butter that needed emptying.  Reset on the sensible food that night.

Exercise:  Swimming

Thursday, 6 December - Swimming

Friday, 7 December - Swimming

Saturday, 8 December - Taekwondo back at Dominic's Pink House, which is nice and dry once again after the incredibly gorgeous weather we've been having.  Went swimming when I got back to the house.

Sunday, 9 December - Three beers at the Pacquiao fight.

And, since we've already established my disgusting eating habits, here's another weird recommendation:  mashed potatoes, Chippy and vegetable fried rice.  My original order was for two kinds of sausages (beef and pork - they tasted the same) and mash.  They took forever with my order so I ended up with other food that I ended up mixing with the mash when it finally arrived.  It was really good.  Salty, but good.

Exercise:  Swimming

***

Weight, as of Monday, 10 Dec., 7 AM:  52.5 kilos.  Hahahaha!!!  So I didn't eat well four days out of seven, but managed to gain a kilo only on the last day.  Not bad.  And, with everything going on, I only missed one day of exercise.

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Last Week's Overdue Report

And, now, back to your regular programming.  This is a delayed report on last week's food, exercise and abuse.

Monday, 26 November - The week started well, with lots of enthusiasm and optimism.  Until I tried that "4-Week Bodyweight Home Workout".

Fuck me. 

• 30 jumping jacks
• 7 wide push-ups
• AMRAPs in 10 minutes

Okay, I was raised on "Sesame Street".  I have the attention span of a two-year old on crack.  And, most of the time, we only counted up to ten.  It was only much later (when I was 16 - har) that they got us counting up to 20, which was okay because, after counting out our fingers, we still had our toes.  After the fingers and toes though, there isn't anything left to count that's an increment of ten, is there?  So any number higher than 20 is asking for too much.  Seriously.

AMRAPs (as many reps/rounds as possible) in ten minutes.  Let's see...  I'm supposed to count 30 jumping jacks, then 7 push-ups and then count all of that as 1 round.  And I'm supposed to keep track of these rounds.  Riiiiiiiight.  You're giving me way too much credit here!  I host almost-daily funerals for brain cells - of course I lost track!  I'm pretty sure that I did more than 12 reps.  I think.  My official count is 14 but I may have counted 13 twice.  So maybe I did 15?  Who the hell knows?!

Yeah, I went swimming after.  I lost count of those laps too.  And to think I've already broken down my required 20 laps into 5s (5 breast stroke, 5 crawl, 5 breast and 5 crawl).  I now tack on at least three extra laps, in case I missed any.

Tuesday, 27 November - Whoa!  Body pain!  There's something I had been missing.  Felt damned good too.

Went swimming.

Wednesday, 28 November - After the shock of Monday's WOD - well, it is like a CrossFit WOD, isn't it? - I was hesitant to do the Wednesday workout.  And rightfully so.

• 50 high knees (25 on each side)
• 10 prisoner squats
• 10 forward reach push-ups (5 on each side)
• 5 rounds for time

Right.

I've heard people say that they like doing CrossFit because they're faced with different WODs everyday and are, therefore, never bored.  This may sound like sacrilege but I did get bored doing CrossFit.  I mean, come on!  100 reps of anything - although painful - can be mind-numbing!  But, at least, in a CrossFit situation, you're competing against others so you can't give in to the temptation to collapse on the floor and curse everybody you've ever known.  Completing something like this on your own is tough.  I think I did it in 7:45 minutes.  I scribbled it on some paper somewhere then wrote a grocery list on top of it and gave it to the maids.

Yes, I went swimming.

And drinking.  Back to beer and cigarettes.  Ugh.  Not good.  Why do the bars here not have any soda water?

Thursday, 29 November - Swimming.

Not only did I have more beer and ciggies, but I also had a meat pie with mashed potatoes.  It was the only thing they had at the bar and I had to eat something!

Friday, 30 November - With only three hours of sleep and a foggy head, I skipped Workout #3 of the week, thinking I had the rest of the weekend to do it.  Yeah, right.

Went swimming.

I hosted a dinner that night.  It was all very civilized.  My guests got all gussied up and even brought me a bottle of red.  This was supposed to be my official Cheat Day and the culprits present were potato tahdig and crepes.  And Patron XO.  But, despite our best efforts, we couldn't finish the tahdig, and I certainly didn't want it to go to waste, so I asked the girls to keep the leftovers for me.  Then, of course, we went out and I had beer and cigarettes.

Potato tahdig.  (Internet file photo.)  This one has green beans in it.  What an excellent idea!  I should put chorizos and maybe some mashed potatoes next time...

Saturday, 1 December - I found a place in the house where the floorboards have been polished and is not undergoing any construction at the moment, so Dominic and I have decided to try it out for taekwondo.  I thought it worked out well until I discovered, after the session, that I had nicked the skin under my big toe, possibly in the space between the floorboards.  A large patch of skin came off and it was a bitch walking around barefoot, especially over prickly grass.  (Ouch!)  We still want to use the space and keep practicing so I'll just have to wear shoes next time.

This was the day that the workers and the staff made preparations for Typhoon Bopha.  I didn't find out that they had cut off the power to the house and, consequently, the pool until after 5 PM and, by then, it was too dark to go swimming.

So I made a half-assed effort to get my stuff together, then procrastinated, as I usually do.  (Why do today what you can do tomorrow?  Really.)  I set my alarm so that I could do it early the next morning.

I had bacon and scrambled eggs with basil (because I had been craving it since I was hungover the day before), and the leftover tahdig for dinner.

Sunday, 2 December - With all the workers gone to prepare their homes for the typhoon, I lay by the pool but couldn't swim because I had packed up my goggles and swim cap and deposited them, together with my other things, at the evacuation site.  I tried swimming without them but I got hair all over my eyes and in my mouth and I couldn't see and it was all very unpleasant.  I wonder how other people manage without them.  I got a nice tan though.

Before my second tour of duty in Siargao, I bumped into my high school BFF's dad at the mall and, after not having seen him for years, the first thing he said to me was "What happened to you?!  You used to be brown-skinned [he actually used the word "kayumanggi" - is "brown-skinned" the correct translation?] and now you're white."  I had to explain to him that I hadn't been living in Siargao for two years, etc., etc.  But, since then, I lie out in the sun every opportunity that I get.  I never used to.  I'd get tanned just walking around.  Now it seems that I have to work at that too.  Bloody hell.

I had prawns and vegetables in coconut milk.  With more leftover tahdig.  Geezoos!  How much of that stuff did they make?!

***

Too many gluten offences last week, what with all the beer, rice and doughy stuff.  Couldn't I just say that I had a Cheat Day but it was spread over four dinners?  I did keep up with the IF though which, trust me, is not the easiest thing in the world when you're hungover.  There's nothing like a big, greasy fry-up after a night of drinking, but I stuck to coconut water all day, thank you very much.  And I only missed one day of exercise.  Never mind the smoking.  As long as I don't eat the bloody cigarettes, right?

I forgot to weigh myself on Monday morning because, well, I was forced to evacuate my home due to the typhoon, wasn't I?  I can tell you that, as of this morning though, I am at 51.5 kilos, which is strange considering all the peanut butter sandwiches I've had this week.  I really shouldn't lose any more weight...

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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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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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The Week in Workouts

• Monday:  biking (10.3 km., 57:56), swimming
• Tuesday:  taekwondo, swimming
• Wednesday:  P90X (Arms and Shoulders), swimming
• Thursday:  swimming
• Friday:  taekwondo, P90X (Arms and Shoulders), swimming
• Saturday:  rest day
• Sunday:  biking (Kalinaw -> General Luna, turned left at the junction to put air in the tires, then out towards the highway until Malinao -> back via the same route to avoid the road construction going on along the dirt road going to GL; about 1.5 hours but that included a stop at the market to buy fruit)

Every time I stretch during taekwondo, I end up looking at my legs and taking stock of my injuries.  This week, my legs are looking worse for the wear.  There's road repair work going on along the road from Malinao to GL (General Luna), and I lost control over a fresh sand pile, while a motorcycle narrowly missed crashing into me.  As a result, I have pedal marks on the back of my right leg that look like the crappy running stitches I used to do in high school Home Economics class.  I also have two big bruises on my left thigh, but I'm not sure where those are from. I didn't really fall off the bike and I don't recall anything hitting me from the front...  Who knows?  And then there are the standard mosquito bites, made worse because I kept forgetting to cut my nails last week (- I can't stand long nails, especially when they're mine), so I have nasty scratch marks all over my arms and legs.  I am, quite literally, a walking disaster.

I do like the P90X Arms and Shoulders workout.  Possibly because the only weights I can use for it in Siargao are 2 and 3-kilo dumbbells, so the workout is light and easy for me.  (I certainly can't use the 12 or 16-kilo kettlebells!)  Fine, will try using the Reebok resistance bands this week, in case they provide more of a challenge than the dumbbells.

Re swimming, FYI, since I was last here, instead of measuring the time I spend in the pool, I do a minimum of the following in the limited time that I have from 5 PM to sundown:

• 5 laps breaststroke
• 5 laps crawl
• 5 laps breaststroke
• 5 laps crawl

1 lap = 32 meters

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The Week in Workouts

Last week, the exercise program fell apart due to:

• A golf challenge, last Monday, between two good friends that I simply could not miss.  And I'm glad I didn't.  It was a riot!
• My period.  This always puts me out of commission, exercise-wise, for at least one day.  (I knew I was PMS-ing last week!  -- Hmm...  So what's my excuse this week?)
• The fiesta, which began last Friday.  Dominic bailed on me, as I knew he would.  And Nicolas didn't feel like swimming after he stuffed himself with lechon.
• Climate change.  It's been raining since Saturday which, traditionally, should be unusual for this time of year but, for the past five years or so, has become the norm.  As of yesterday though, what I thought was tropical rain turned into Storm Signal No. 1, and the mobile networks have been down, hence the late blog post.
• And, of course, my increasing lethargy and inertia.

So, this week, this is all I did:

• Tuesday - taekwondo, swimming
• Wednesday - swimming
• Thursday - swimming
• Saturday - swimming

Pretty lame, especially since I only still stay in the pool for about 30 minutes, so the actual swimming time is much less.

Boo...

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The Week in Workouts

• Monday:  running (4 km., 31:45)
• Tuesday - taekwondo
• Wednesday - P90X (Chest and Back - very lite), swimming
• Thursday - taekwondo, swimming
• Friday - swimming
• Saturday - running (2 km., 16:00), swimming
• Sunday - swimming

Yes, I've resumed running.  My hip's still shot but I get bored working out by myself indoors, so what's a little pain, right?

But I am stretching now, and I walk the 100-150 meters to the first kilometer marker to warm up and then, again, going back to cool down.

I wussed out yesterday though after eating a big serving of raw avocado chia lime pudding, and only ran 2 km.

I've also finally worked up the courage to start swimming.  'See, the pool is in front of the house, which is under construction, which means that there are workers there almost all the time.  I've started swimming at 5 PM everyday, at the end of the work day and, instead of hanging around the site, now, the workers make themselves scarce when I am in the pool.

I only swim for about 30 minutes, but will try to push it to an hour next week.

And then there's that pathetic attempt at P90X.  Geez.  I haven't done an upper body workout in ages and I'm weaker than ever.  I think I only did 10 push-ups per set, and I still cheated on some.  For instance, I can't do a proper diamond push-up to save my life.

Twice, I tried swinging the 16 kg. kettlebell and I can't even do one-hand swings with it anymore!  So sad, when that's what I was swinging before.

What I really enjoy is taekwondo.  Dominic is a really good instructor and works me hard.  I think he's impressed by how high I can kick (the advantage of having long legs) and, sometimes, Janette gets winded by the drills and has to sit some of them out, so Dominic tends to work more with me.

We get a good cardio workout from all the kicking and we stretch three times, with Dominic constantly pushing us past our limits.  It's not uncommon to hear Janette and me screaming in pain during the warm-up.

Hopefully, we'll get in more sessions in the next two weeks.

***

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The Week in Workouts: Siargao Edition

For the first time in years, Nicolas and I returned to Siargao as guests at somebody else's resort.

Nicolas turned... um... a significant age this year, so some friends from France and Cebu came over to Siargao to celebrate it with him.  Except, with our house still under construction, we ended up booking rooms at Kalinaw Resort, owned by Nicolas' fellow Frenchies, Fred De Baker and Pierre Zappavigna.

It was a bit odd, being picked up by another car, being served welcome drinks and, generally, not being in charge...  A novel experience on an island that's been my part-time home for the past 12 years, but we had lots of fun nonetheless.

More importantly, I now have an exercise buddy in Janette Zappavigna, Pierre's lovely Filipina wife.  I always knew that Janette was into working out but we never got around to exercising together because, well, I live all the way on the other side of the island.  Four months ago, Janette lost her exercise buddies due to schedule differences, out-of-town trips and general laziness.  So when I asked her to join me, she was only too happy to oblige.

This is how my week in workouts went:

Monday:  Rest day.

Tuesday:  Taekwondo!

Dominic.

Dominic is a Filipino Taekwondo instructor who moved to Siargao from Davao.  BFF, Susan Brandstetter, was his first student on the island and she quickly promoted his services to the other ladies.  Janette used to go regularly but stopped when the others' interest waned.

I absolutely loved it!  It's a great workout with a lot of stretching and kicking.

We must have stretched four times and, each time we stretched, I thought we were in the process of cooling down and I was so exhausted from kicking that I was relieved it was over.  The stretching turned out to be interludes to more kicking.  We must have kicked and stretched for more than an hour.

I've come to realize that if ever I face an opponent in Taekwondo, he or she had better be a midget because I can't frickin' axe kick that high.  Dominic seemed pleased with my efforts though.  

Things to remember:

• Advanced booking is a must or Dominic might be out surfing.  You may reach him at +63-916-441-4971.  Calls are preferred to text messages.
• Rate is P200/person/class.  Private lessons may cost more.
• Wear loose pants and a thin, loose top.
• Slather on insect repellent.
• Bring water!

Wednesday:   Biking.

We were supposed to see Dominic again, except that I thought Janette would make the appointment while she thought I would do it.  Failing to contact him, we decided to go biking instead.

I borrowed Pierre's bike, and can finally say that I've been on a proper mountain bike, as opposed to the P3000-junkyard-scrapmetal-masquerading-as-a-bicycle that I own.

When Janette asked how far I wanted to go, I answered, "Far."  Fuck.  We went far.

First, we rode to GL (General Luna) to have air pumped into the tires, then Janette took us to the highway, which is the first time I've ever biked on concrete (since learning how to bike two years ago).  That was a bit nerve-wracking for me, what with people, animals, other bicycles, trucks and cars to contend with.  No, it wasn't as busy as I make it sound but, for me, it was the highway from hell.

Janette taught me how to go uphill and downhill and I think I've finally worked out how to use the gears... But whenever I found a hill too steep, I chickened out and walked my bike up or down the hill.

Then we turned off the highway into Malinao and took the dirt road back to Kalinaw.  Nicolas estimates that we rode about 16 km. 

We did stop a lot.  We had a few water breaks, then we stopped at the hut at the turn-off to Malinao, where we sat and gossiped for a while.  Then we stopped at a street-side stall in GL to buy fruit before heading back to the resort.

Thursday:   Janette begged off from Taekwondo since, after four months of inactivity, her body was one big aching mass.  Mine was too and, after two nights of celebrating Nicolas' birthday, I canceled our appointment with Dominic and called for a massage instead.

Shortly after the massage, I started feeling guilty.  I had my kettlebells brought from the house to Kalinaw and there they were, sitting in a corner, unused.  I thought that I should, at the very least, do a few kettlebell swings.

I mustered up enough courage to get up and do the following workout:

• A.  Two-hand swing - 20 x 3 (16 kilos)
• B.  Three sets of:
• B1.  Slingshot - 15/15 (16 kilos)
• B2.  Halo - 10/10 (12 kilos)
• B3.  Figure 8 - 20 (16 kilos)
• C.  Hand-to-hand swing - 20 x 3 (16 kilos)
• D.  Three sets of:
• D1.  Snatch to windmill - 12/12
• D2.  Squat to crush curl - 10
• E.  Three sets of:
• E1.  Lying overhead tricep extension to sit-up - 20
• E2.  Leg lifts - 20

Doing kettlebell swings from my room at Kalinaw Resort, Siargao. 

I wouldn't advise working out after a massage, being all oiled up and slippery.  But I'm glad I did it.

Friday:  That's today and I'm back in Cebu.  My body is screaming for a massage.  I also got invited to a Zee Lifestyle party tonight at The Loft so this is what I am doing later:

Bon weekend, everyone!