I don't live healthy. I don't eat healthy. In fact, I don't eat vegetables. I am a social and emotional smoker. But to normal people, I am a plain smoker. I learned how to drink alcohol from an early age. And I don't mean red wine, that can also be healthy for us. No, I like gin, vodka, rum and other sorts of liquor. I like oily foods and I'm in love with sugary-sweets. Not to mention that I don't exercise or do I sleep early. I don't take 8 glasses a day. Eight glasses of coke, maybe but hardly water. And Starbucks, oh boy oh boy can I down ventis like it was last supper.

There I said it... It's hard but I finally said it.

This is my confession. For not treating my body right and for abusing it like it could hold me up forever. The fact is, it can't. I'm twenty-six years old and waking up in the morning was awfully hard for me for the past few months. I feel tired most of the time. After a day's work, I find myself less productive. I realized that I want to feel better and yes, a good part of me want to look better as well.

Finally, after years of denial... I am ready to admit that I am unhealthy.

And I am here to take action...


When I went to Organic Rituals for a SPArty with fellow bloggers, I got to meet Nadine Tengco, a US Certified Nutritionist. She is partnering with Organic Rituals on a treatment (and more to come in the coming months) called Before The Day Program. It is Detox Plan that will benefit anyone who wishes to lose minimal amount of weight to ensure that you will look your best on your important date. Be it graduation, evening out with your friends, presentation or better yet, your wedding. To better explain this to you, I've cut and paste the fact sheet of Before The Big Day from Nadine Tengco's IHealth site.

What is BEFORE THE BIG DAY™ DETOX PLAN?

BEFORE THE BIG DAY™ is a breakthrough “waist-loss” detox and skin glow program designed by Nadine Tengco, a US Certified Fitness Nutritionist and Weight Loss Specialist.

It features phyto-nutrient dense and antioxidant-rich “fresh” functional foods plus detoxifying spa treatments designed to minimize belly bloat, flush inflammation, and maximize skin glow.

BEFORE THE BIG DAY™ can also jumpstart a weight-loss program or break a weight-loss plateau. It helps people lose up to 3 inches in waist size or reduce body weight and fat in time for them to look their best, at a wedding or an important event; for a photo-shoot or a public performance; or simply to dazzle a special someone.

How does it work? “Miraculous Makeover”

AT least 4-6 days before your big event, you will benefit from a gentle system detox as a result of a diet plan consisting mostly of fresh, additive-free, nutrient-dense, functional foods that fight inflammation and reduce abdominal bloating. The nutritionally balanced hypoallergenic diet includes all 5 major food groups while substituting non-dairy milk enriched with Vitamins A, D, E, and Calcium for the milk, yogurt and cheese group. It eliminates top food allergens, which your body may have been “quietly fighting” for years through immune responses that clog up the liver’s detox pathways. It also temporarily eliminates “gassy foods” to ensure your stomach isn’t bloated or distended for your most important event.

One day BEFORE THE BIG DAY™, you then escape for a whole day at the Organic Rituals spa where you are lavished with detoxifying body treatments while being served phytonutrient-dense cleansing soups and antioxidant-rich detox juices.

The SPA-day experience is designed to assist the detoxification process, banish belly bloat and restore skin luster. Once you begin to detoxify with the hypoallergenic diet, stored toxins are released into the system for removal. The manual procedures and body treatments will facilitate a full system flush after a week-long detox diet. The phytonutrients in the vegetable cleansing soups aid in flushing, while the antioxidants in the detox juices aid in reducing inflammation and bloating.

Jumpstart Weight-Loss

Healthy leanness results from a well-functioning metabolism that can: eliminate toxins or unnecessary nutrients in the form of waste; convert food into useable energy; store glucose as glycogen and excess calories as fat for future use. Our ability to cope with “toxic load” is highly individual, but WEIGHT GAIN is always a sign that demands outweigh support. Thus, the health of your essential detox organs – liver and kidneys – should always be addressed as part of any good weight loss plan.

We already know that a high sugar and saturated fat diet causes inflammation and obesity. But what is not commonly known is that food sensitivities to common allergens like gluten, dairy, wheat, soy, etc… can also cause inflammation; fat and water retention. After a low allergen diet, a person tends to lose fat more efficiently as well as eliminate inflammation that causes weight gain.

Break Weight-Loss Plateau

Our body is naturally designed to vigorously defend a weight set-point that it considers safe and “normal.” When the thresholds are threatened by fat and weight loss, our metabolism slows down forcing our body to settle into a weight loss plateau. To sustain weight loss, our body needs to feel “safe enough” to let go – feeling safe means restoring a smooth flow of “chatter” within our systems through our hormones. Detoxification assists in restoring hormonal balance and fosters our body’s ability to handle its own hormones. Rebalancing our chemistry allows the brain to switch our metabolism from a fat-storing mode, to a fat-losing mode.

I don't have a big day coming up. But with the benefits that Before The Big Day Program have, I am more than ready to try it. So, I did.

On our first casual meeting, I admit that I got intimidated by Nadine. She look so put together... fabulous with an air of confidence. :) I thought that when I start telling her about my eating habits that she'll tell me I'm hopeless. I'm glad she told me I'm not. We had a long talk about a lot of things like what I like and don't like to eat. She already advised on things that I need to do if I mean to take on the Before The Big Day Program. Nadine made me a answer a series of questionnaire that will tell her of my eating habits. Then, she weighed me. Did you know that I'm now 115 pounds? I was less than 110 when I entered law school and less than 100 when I was in college. But I felt a bit relief because I got into a 125 pounds weight after Christmas.

On our second meeting, Nadine checked my waistline and there the problem lay. My tummy is big, very very big for my size (I'm 4'11). I didn't even bother asking her how many inches I am for fear I'd go into nervous breakdown. And believe me, I don't need the numbers to tell me how big my tummy and abdomen is. I am large, I admit.

Nadine then proceeded to explain to me the foods that I am to eat during the detox phase as well the food that I'm not suppose to eat. There are some negotiations that occurred but other things are totally non-negotiable.

All detox plan and weight loss varies between individuals. My plan may not be the same as yours so I caution everyone to consult a nutritionist prior to doing what I am about to share on this post and the upcoming ones. Make sure to consult your doctor as well.

Guess what? I'm not allowed to eat meat, dairy and oily food. I can't have yogurt for the duration of seven days and a few more after that. Nadine taught me a lot of things that I would otherwise know. It was really a rude awakening on how the food I use to eat aggravated on making my tummy this big. It was sad really. I was also scared that I won't be enjoying the food that I'm allowed to eat and drink. To the contrary I am enjoying it.

My meal today consisted of:

Paksiw na Bangus.
Half cup of white rice with Turmeric and Pandan Leaves
Coffee with Rice Milk and Coco Sugar
Lemongrass water
Papaya smoothie with Malunggay Powder (it's yummy!)
Pandan Water
Saba with Coco Sugar (cooked by banana-que in olive oil)
Stir fry veggies (carrots and potato) in small amount of olive oil.

Last night, I had Papaya-Melon-Mango Smoothie with Malunggay and Pan-grilled Salmon.

There's the occasional craving for sweets, especially now that my period is nearly due. But I feel optismitic. I know I need to be. Already, I feel a small change in me. When I was running a while ago, I didn't feel that much tired. I even danced at our court. Then when I came up, I even did a few sit-ups.

I'm doing all this to regain back what I lost and lose what I don't need. I know I have to fix myself. And Nadine said I was on the right track of taking action with my body first. Our body is like a car that needs to be in a fit condition to enable us to travel where we want without any part of it breaking down. Our body is our tool in achieving our dreams.

I would want to see my children married and settled. I don't want to die off on them just like what my mom did. I need my body to function as long as it could so I can see my grandchildren and so that Ron and I could have more time to love each other. I want to explore my country without having to worry if I can eat anything there or if my health can't take it. I want to be able to do many things like go to work, blog, attend events and still have time for my family and myself. I want to be everything that I wasn't when mom was here. I want to be healthy for her.

It's not easy. Nothing like this could be easy for a person like me. I know that. I know that when I'm at the middle of the Detox program, I'd probably sleep walk and finish off the meringue I put on top of my cabinet. Already, I try not to look at commercials with food on it lest I drive to the nearest resto and order me a bandihado, coke and some lechong kawali. Running may become a bore to me after a few days and I'd probably complain of body aches every morning. It's not going to be easy and I expect it not to be.

But I've already conquered the hardest hurdle of them all, to begin this and finally start to lose weight and be healthy. I already got a nutritionist to help me, went to the grocery to buy the necessary things I need for this Detox, to eat those food and to exercise. All I have to do is just hang on and do it all over again (eating and exercising part) for the next few days and it will be a breeze from there. :)

It's not so bad, I'm telling you. And I do look forward to my last day which is the Spa Day, eating those nutritious food while getting my nails done. We might sneak in massage afterwards.

I really can't wait to be healthy and sexy!! Okay, the sexy part may take a while... :)

much love,
Shen

P.S. Thanks to Sire Arevalo for introducing me to Organic Rituals.