I watch 'The Biggest Loser' to get inspired to sustain my personal weight loss journey. However, the recent victory of Rachel Frederickson is more worrisome than inspiring. She lost a whopping 155 lbs - 60% of her original body weight and she looked so fragile during the live finale.

The internet is going crazy over this new diet pill called Obalon. Like other diet pills, Obalon suppresses your appetite. However, it does not use any of those harmful chemicals that cause side effects. Best of all, this procedure is non-invasive. Here's how it works:




The patient will swallow a capsule the size of a big vitamin. In it is the gastric balloon inflated to the size of an apple. The balloon should sit at the top of the stomach, giving the feeling of fullness resulting to less food intake and eventually, weight loss.

Depending on the patients weight and response to the procedure, the doctor may opt to add another balloon after 30 days and another after 60 days. At the end of the treatment, the balloons are deflated and removed in a 'simple' procedure that does not require the patient to be confined in the hospital.

Now bear in mind, this is not for everybody. Patients taking Obalon must have a body mass index of at least 27. In short, you have to be really obese to qualify for this procedure. Clinical trials show an average of 17 lb-weight loss after 12 weeks of being in the program.

Here's the catch. Obalon costs $4,932 US (207,144 Pesos). Definitely pricey but it looks like it's going to be worth it.

Sources:

Obalon
Daily Mail

This year, I was no longer afraid to admit that I'm at my heaviest so far. It was an eye opener: minor health issues are starting to show. Pants are tighter than ever. Climbing the stairs is starting to seem like a challenge on 'Survivor'. I decided to do something about it. My friend told me about these very affordable vouchers for Golds Gym. Call it an impulse purchase, I bought 2 vouchers hoping to get me started on this weight loss journey this year.

Another thing I tried recently is this food delivery service called Diet Diva. They prepare 1200-calorie per day meals at a more affordable price. (This is in comparison to that other obscenely expensive food delivery service.)  They deliver your food between 5 and 8 in the morning, just before I leave for work. I have to say, the experience was great so far!








I thought that bringing down my calorie intake drastically would f*ck up my body. I experience a terrible headache on my first day. On the second and third, I felt weak. When I finally got the hang of it, I felt really... normal.

One of the struggles I had with this diet is saying no to free food. There were a couple of times when my boss called for a lunch meeting so I didn't eat what Diet Diva prepared for me. However, I made sure my portions were really small because I still want to follow the 1200-calorie rule.

And I think I did well! On my first week, I lost 6 lbs! I am looking forward to losing more weight. My target is to lose as much as 50 lbs this year. Hey, it's only the first month of the year. That's pretty realistic!

Today I met with Coach Jun at the Elorde Boxing Gym. He looked like a tough coach and that's exactly how he introduced himself. He said he's a real boxing trainer and a real boxer's training is what he's going to give me.I told him though that this is the first time in years that I'll be boxing again so he has to be pretty nice to me first. I started with a 9-minute jog around the ring. It was torture. But every time I saw myself in the mirror it sort of gave me a boost so I kept going. Coach Jun first taught me the basics and I have to say I learned them pretty fast. Sparring was next. Then the boxing bag.

Each routine became more and more intense that I kept saying 'I can't' almost all the time. Good thing Coach reminded me of what my goals are and what we will achieve if I get serious about the workout.

Watching myself on the mirror do sit-ups, push-ups definitely made it look like I was on The Biggest Loser. It was sad but I just used that to motivate myself to finish the routine.

Coach warned me that that was just the most basic workout. It will get more intense once I get used to it. I really hope I can do this! I want to lose weight before Christmas!

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I've said it so many times: boxing is my chosen exercise yet I haven't really started doing it. An officemate was kind enough to let me borrow her boxing gloves some months ago but I haven't used them. I tried biking and that is now more of a leisure activity than exercise.

I guess the realization happened when I went shopping in Seoul and I couldn't find anything in my size. I have not really been addressing the fact that I really haven't been feeling well since I put on more weight. Climbing the stairs feels like a struggle. Now I am obliged to buy new clothes since some of my clothes no longer fit me.

So yesterday I dropped by the newly renovated Elorde Boxing Gym on Taft Avenue to see if I can finally put this fitness plan into action. There's a 1000 pesos membership fee and a 250 pesos per session fee. Non-members still get to workout for 350 bucks.

The price may be kinda steep but I figured I will be doing this every other day anyway so I won't really be paying a lot - at least that's the plan.


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Let me break it down for you. I have the running shoes. I have the boxing wrap and gloves. I have the Hip Hop Abs videos on my computer. How come I haven't completely turned this into a daily fitness routine? I realized working out may be hard without having a partner. I failed so many times in finding people who will either run or box with me.

So one afternoon, I was sitting and just talking to my little sister. That's when I realized, she may be the best partner for me. I stood up and told her I've decided I want to buy a new mountain bike. That way, we can bike around together and burn as much as 500 calories (in an hour).

And so it happened. We go around the village to bike for more than an hour - sometimes even more than that. We;ll see how this goes.