Health: Making Momma Proud



I'm sure mom was smiling up in heaven when she saw me buying the things I need for my Before The Big Day Detox Plan.

Let me share you a short story why...

When I was a kid, I grew up in a restaurant. I literally lived above it. My godmother was managing that restaurant then and I was her favorite. She really spoiled me well that if I choose to eat fried chicken, the cook will prepare it for me. It was the case even if my mom was against it. I was like Bendita who always got her way. I never grew to like vegetable because I wasn't disciplined to accept it as part of the food group. The clash of parental authorities and my stubbornness caused me to eat only meat since I was a little kid.

Over the years, I've managed to down a few veggies and fruits in me but never really eating it on a daily basis. My meals usually consisted of porkchop, adobo, mechado, kalderata, meatball, lumpiang shanghai and the usually take-outs and dine-outs.

It has always been my mom's frustration that I can't eat vegetable or fruits even if my life depended on it. My cousin and I use to joke that we would not eat veggies even if we're offered a lot of money.

Last Thursday though was the beginning of something beautiful. I consulted with my Nutritionist and she provided me with a lot of things that I need to prepare for my Before The Big Day SPA day. The SPA day will consist of nutrient-dense meals, lymphatic massage and coffee enema. My body needs to be ready for those in order for the detoxification to work.

Looking at the sheet that Nadine handed me, it consisted of hypoallergenic food and anti-bloat diet that I had to eat for the next 7 days. I was to eat every 4 hours whether I'm hungry or not. I must also exercise lightly everyday day.

My meals consisted only of fish, bottled sardines , tuyo and preservative-free canned tuna. If I am to eat chicken, it should be free-range or organic as it doesn't contain growth hormones and other antibiotics.

My rice is mixed with Turmeric as it facilitates detoxification.

Vegetables that I am to eat was limited as well since a lot of vegetables especially when eaten raw can cause bloating. Good things because I eat almost everything on the list like carrots, pumpkin, spinach, kangkong, malunggay and moderate amount of potatoes. For someone who doesn't eat vegetables, I'm glad the ones I'm allowed to eat are tolerable enough for me. I actually love it.

  • For fruits, I'm limited only to papaya, mango, cantaloupe and banana. I love all these fruits so i had no complaints.





  • My drinks are only water, fresh fruit smoothies and organic coffee and tea. Imagine the dilemma here. No SODA!!! I'm a coke girl! Coke was my water! Dios mio! Thank God, Nadine had tips and trick on how to make drinking water fun and tasty. I boil Lemongrass or Pandan in water, cool it and then drink it. I even like it when there's a lemon in it like in Cibo.


  • I was not allowed to have nuts! I love mani pa naman. But I can't have them since it causes gas and flatulence. Hehehe!
  • Dairy substitutes are Rice Milk and Almond Milk. Which isn't really bad at all. I love Rice Milk and I'm a convert already. Even if its expensive and that it's only available in Healthy Option.
  • I bought herbs and spices for food to taste great since I'll be using less oil.
  • No sugar for me so I'm to limit it to coco-muscavado or Stevia. Not so bad either. Even if its expensive, I'd take this over the regular sugar any day. :)
  • Cooking oils were also limited to flaxseed, olive oil, spray oils or sesame oil... this is going to be a permanent change for me. I will no longer use any other oils except for those mentioned above.


It really is life-changing for me. I really thought that I wouldn't be able to survive the week eating only the food I mentioned... but then I did.

I bought this stove grill at Japan Home Store that allowed us to grill our fish. I also baked fish and veggies using our oven toaster. I stir fry my veggies with different herbs like Tarragon, Rosemary and Turmeric to add flavor or we steam it via rice cooker. Keeping the pan hot enough cooks the fish and veggies real well that we don't need to use a lot of Olive Oil. Also, fish and veggies cooks easily that you'll save even on your stove gas. The blender I bought has a use now since I blend the fruits I'm allowed to eat every after meal.

When we eat out, we choose Japanese restaurants so I can order sashimi which is really filling and yummy.

What I love is that I eat fruits and vegetable everyday. I eat banana as snacks for crying out loud. I'm sure my mom is rejoicing in heaven if not telling me I had to wait for her to go away before I start eating it.

But you see, that's the beauty in having a Nutritionist. Someone who can guide you to the right path of what to eat. Research may have done me good as well, but having an actual person, explaining the things that I need to know (some I already do, many I didn't) was really important. Someone to tell me what's okay and what's not because she knows how my body works really helps. Someone who helps me pick out what food to order when I'm in a restaurant. Most importantly, someone who motivates me that I am doing this not only for myself but the future that I'm about to have.

That person used to be my mom but even on the eating department, my mom failed. I'm glad though that so far this is really working out.

Initial cash output may be a bit too much for some. Some of the products that I needed cost more than the usual. You know what Nadine told me? "At least you can taste it". See if you buy expensive medicine for your high cholesterol, not only will it burn your pocket but you wouldn't even want to taste it. Makes sense right?

But you know what? I notice that my usually 2K grocery that lasts only for one to two weeks now seemingly will last more. With our portion control of 1/2 cup rice per meal and 1 fish (depending the size) and a cupful of veggies, our grocery is still nearly full and could probably stretch for two more weeks. Our water consumption doubled but that is for the better.

Maintaining the milk, olive oil and other ingredients may be a bit expensive but I'm willing to shell out a few extra bucks to maintain this kind of healthy eating habit. After all, the taste of the food wasn't compromised.

Do I crave meat and those other things I'm not allowed to eat? Of course, I do. But i don't miss what I don't see. It pays to not visit the refrigerator a lot. Not to watch commercials of cakes and cokes. To always psych yourself that you're on your third day of your detox program so drinking that glass of ice tea isn't worth it.

Getting my health back and weight loss is really a tough thing to do for me. I admire those people who can just eat anything they want and not gain a pound. I envy those who can eat vegetable when they were younger so they don't have problems same as I do. But I gotta do what I gotta do. I need this. For me.

How do I feel now? I feel less joint pains especially in long driving. I'm not yet sure what my weight is but I do feel lighter. My bowel movements are regular and waking up in the morning doesn't seem like a trial anymore. During and before my period (I was on my third day of detox when I got my period), my cramps was tolerable. Unlike before that I would get 3 days in a row and I would even wake up at night. Even when I exercise, my body could recover easily from the jarring activity.

The weight loss may not be so noticeable but from the way I feel my body is reacting, I know what i'm doing it right.

Today is my SPA day, the sign that my Detox Plan is ending... And the beginning of a new lifestyle for me.

Momma, I hope you're proud of me.

much love,
Shen

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9 comments

  1. Congratulations for this change! Getting healthier is always great, doesn't it just feel amazing to wake up in the morning and feel good? :)

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  2. wow, i admire your sacrifice for a healthier you. surely, you'll make it. stay positive =)my mom was a dietitian/nutritionist before she had my siblings. but she continues to be a nutritionist to us, her children. i don't remember not eating veggies when i was a kid. my mom taught me to eat those green stuff at a very young age.but i do enjoy fish, and chicken is my absolute fav! but i never grew fond of meat, because it is seldom served at home (we're catholics btw). my parents are just too health conscious to prepare meat everyday. but I still ahve a problem with my diet. yes, i love veggies and fruits, but i love SWEETS. I bake, and buy a lot of pastries. Yes, I don't have any prob with my weight, I'm 3 pounds under the normal weight. it just scares me that i would be diabetic someday because it runs in the relatives of my father. my mom helps in controlling my sugar consumption by not buying sweets anymore. but it is just so hard when i am outside. i find it hard to resist store bought baked goodies. ugh! reading your post makes me hopeful that I could also teach my body to relearn how to eat without the sugar binge. i wish both of us goodluck =)

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  3. Wow! :) I sooo envy your conviction to living a healthier life. Like you I have a pretty bad eater. My diet is mainly based on meat and junk food but I do look for veggies and fruits every once in awhile.
    I never gain weight though. I'm 5'11 and I weight 120-125 lbs. ^^
    I know I should also start living a healthy lifestyle soon. LOL!

    Thanks for sharing this inspiring blog post. :3

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  4. wow that is hard. im proud of you! hehe i too was not used to eating veggies for the same reason: i wasnt forced to eat it as part of a regular meal.. maybe i should try them now.. for detox. hehe!

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  5. Congratulations, that was quite a week! I'm sure your mother is mighty proud of you.

    Napakamabusisi pala to... but I'm sure all the effort and expense was worth it. Please do keep us updated on the rest of the procedures.

    I'm hoping that I won't have to go as far as doing this detox program, mainly because it's expensive. I'm working hard at doing the good ol' diet and exercise regime. But thanks for sharing this in case I'd need a last resort.

    All the best to you!

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  6. Great post Shen!

    I'm curious, how does rice with turmeric powder taste lik?

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  7. thanks everyone for the support and wodnerful comments!

    @jill, walang lasa! almost same. I put pandan, too. :)

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  8. Hey Shen! Congratulations :) How much is the coco sugar your bought, and from which grocery?

    Also, I lost your number when
    changed phones, can you text me? :)

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  9. hi Shen!

    Thrilled you shared your diet/detox program with everyone, and all the healthy stuff that's lording it over your kitchen, especially the Moringabest products with matching pictures! Am so biased....anyway, do try our nutrient-dense, real vegetable oven-dried noodles, too...you can have it in every conceivable way..as soba, mami, canton and even pasta! Check out my website: www.herbsbest.com and see the array of healthy MSG-free products to add to your pantry----yehey! Keep it up, Shen! you must be looking even better now .... Galing! Your mega-sexy Nutritionist must be so pleased!

    Give me a buzz and come by anytime...we did make a date for that, remember?

    cheers,

    fannie

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