THIS FOOD BLOG IS ON A SERIOUS DIET. I just stepped on the scale and was shocked, but I mean SHOCKED to read 189.9 pounds, or nearly 16 pounds heavier than my svelte James Bond post from the beaches of Coron last April or so. It sounds like the address of a bad FM radio station. Good grief, that is nearly a pound a week heavier or 500 extra calories a day since my infamous (and posted for only 12 hours) photograph a la Daniel Craig last April. Assuming I lose it at half the pace I gained it, that will take me well into 2008. How could this have happened? A three week trip to the foodie capital New York City? Followed by a 7,000 calorie day on Boracay’s main beach? Serious cutbacks in weekly workout sessions? A few days scarfing down every form of fried swine in Ilocos? A so far failed quest to perfect a puto recipe? Making nearly a hundred bottles of jam/jelly from scratch? Putting the deep fryer through its paces? Purchasing every sweet delicacy known to man at recent food fairs? Making 63,000 calories worth of desserts for my birthday dinner? Drinking a phenomenal line up of wines in the past 60 days? How? How? :(
I seriously considered taking a hiatus from food blogging, and just posting an entry here… “Marketman has been forcibly taken to an undisclosed location in the middle of the Sulu Sea to fend for himself by hunting, fishing and gathering and shall be held against his will until he returns to 170 pounds or so…” but I fear that I might eat even more if I don’t blog… But I did think I would publicly declare my weight in an effort to shock myself back into a serious exercise and a healthier eating regimen. If I were really into public humiliation, I would post a photo of my stomach now compared to the April photo, but many of you would lose your appetites for weeks to come. Sorry folks, but if you think looking at the photos here is making you figuratively fat, it has quite literally made Marketman PORK OUT to the max. Am I obsessive? Duh, haven’t you figured that out from this blog yet? But all I want to achieve is the suggested weight that my heart doctor has recommended, 170-175lbs for a 43 year old man who stands 6 feet tall. The Battle of the Bulge is now on. I suspect it shall be reflected in leaner pickings in the posts in the months ahead (that is, of course, after I get through the Ilocos posts that are seriously calorific).
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hahaha…you’ll be surprised, MM..there’s some serious eating around the sulu sea – huge lobsters, “kamon” (those centipede-looking crustaceans – “alupihang dagat” -they’re big in those parts), conch, the freshest fish, and the best wild durian, mangosteen and marang in the archipelago. hmmm…time to get the 25-kilo bag of oatmeal…
hahaha, good luck MM! I’ve been trying to go on a diet – with no success – for a few weeks now. Maybe your leaner recipes will help!
*any yummy but healthy oatmeal recipes? :)
:D :> :P :) that’s why i halved the portion of butter when i made the kalamansi muffins using your recipe.
the secret, for me, is exercise… for about 9 months last year, i had mostly french food (BUTTER!) and was with friends who did some serious eating… but i actually dropped one dress size :) because for most days of the week during that time, i either, walked outdoors for about 45 minutes, or went to the gym. i’m not a serious exerciser, i just build it into my daily routine.
:D looking forward to MM on diet… i’m sure the food you come up with will be just as interestng and fun to read.
3 categories out of 7 would be on a diet… but please not the others. :) I wonder what you would be obsessing about other than food then.
Food is tempting MM. Specially when you’re exposed to a lot of it.
Lay of carbs and sweets for a month. I lost 10 pounds and still going.
Goodness I just finished doing the tart dough and is now currently in the fridge, I’m going to make the KIDS pecan tart to be eaten with vanilla ice cream as you suggested. I’ll worry about the diet oh say next month. I still have to try making the Dayap tart and the ensaymada recipe hehe
How about this idea: For every post on food that you just cooked/ate, you can have a post on the amount of exercise you did or need to do to burn it off. Yin and yang :) hehe
Hi MM! I hear ya! I need to shave of more than a few pounds myself…so why don’t you post about the healthy dishes you are eating to lose weight? I’m sure a lot of your readers would appreciate some tasty low-fat/cal recipes…I know I would :)
It happens to us all foodlovers, not eating wisely but too well. Gradually cut down on treats and favour yourself and family with just one or two feasts a week and by advent I am sure you will be in fighting form once again to face the challenges of holiday table temptations (not to mention fit into your yule apparel). I cut down on experiments too when on a diet regimen due to scruples about disposing of unsuccessful results. I was hard-wired early on not to waste food to avoid provoking gaba. View it as an opportune time to pause and publish all those posts that keep getting shuffled to the back burner (we are still waiting for them with eager anticipation you know).
Maybe your metabolic rate has become lower? A thyroid problem, perhaps?
ntgerald, oh you are too kind. No, I am pretty sure this is major overeating… :) I need to shed a few pounds before another visit to the doctor! Apicio, backlog coming up… joey, I will post some healthier recipes, but I have to strike a reasonable balance I think… or be unhappy :( mackenzie, actually, I did quite a bit of exercise earlier in the year, I just have to get back on track, rain or shine (I dislike commercial gyms) so I tend to walk, play tennis, occasionally swim or work out at home. peterb, yes the no carb thing has worked for me in the past, I may have to resort to it again…what worries me is new findings that NO DIET works in the long run if you don’t seriously alter the way you eat and exercise. smiles4angels, yes, some sort of balance will be struck, for the sake of readers who aren’t corpulent at the moment…heehee. dee bee, gotta get walking… nads, I have a great granola recipe in the archives, I consider it diet food. millet, I agree, I would have surreptitious nightly drop offs by helicopter of extra virgin olive oil, good pepper, butter, herbs, etc. so I could grill the seafood to my hearts content…
i am also overweight mm :( i need to lose at least twenty lbs to get back into my before-four-kids shape… how about starting a diet blog/ support e-group here? i’m sure many of us readers and lurkers alike would like to work towards a leaner and healthier body too :)
Brother-in-law says he’s 179lbs. so there’s a challenge for you. Don’t hit 200lbs. or you’ll never hear the end of it.
But your BMI is only 25.8, and that is only borderline between the upper end of the recommended range and the lower end of the overweight range.
BMI Categories:
* Underweight =
I am sorry but the link to the NIH website with the BMI calculator wouldn’t upload.
I am not kidding about thyroid disease. Hypo- or hyper-thyroidism are some of the most underdiagnosed illnesses.
they say you also have to balance eating with drinking lots of water and walking. :)
All those bagnets, roast ducks, roast lambs, duck livers etc are to blame :)
Take a look at your recent posts…chicharon from Carcar, bagnet, pies and tartlets from heaven. You can gain weight by just talking about them and by looking at the pictures.
BTW, I agree with ntgerald regarding thyroid disease. I have hyperthyroid and I didn’t know I had it until someone suggested it. All the while I was happy because I was losing weight but I was losing my hair as well…tsk, tsk.
Please do not take the problem lightly. We would hate to lose our favorite blogger! Ok everybody, help MM lose weight! Post encouragement, tips,prayers – anything that might help. Y’see, lurking about all this weight could be diabetes which could affect your eyesight and your kidneys (they say 95% of people in dialysis are diabetics). Then there are those arteries which could need angioplasty and worse,a bypass. FAT IS NOT FUN.
And then, there is that dreaded assault on your manhood – E.D.! As the Sopranos say, Fugget aboudit!
My tip: STOP EATING. Not entirely of course, just reduce the portion and the time between intake. Throw the diet programs away – none of them works. Oh you will hurt in the beginning. You will scream and say “I will die” but guess what? One morning you will wake up and say “Hey, that wasn’t too bad”. My typical meal today is about the size of half a Valencia orange in volume if I am eating say adobo and rice. More when I am eating grilled salmon or striped bass. I won’t wish you luck because luck has nothing to do with it – just do it!
you are not alone in that predicament, MM. most people around your age bracket have the same problem. but what’s more important is our overall health. i’m not too keen about diets either because i’ve tried them and they didn’t work for me. what i usually do when i need to lose weight is eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. there was even a time when i would eat only cantaloupes (melon) and crackers with plenty of water. i worked for me. other times what i do is eat a large breakfast, some lunch and fruit only for dinner. although i know that at my age (49) i need to exercise more BUT (there’s the big but, pardon the pun) i’m basically a lazy person thus i’m averse to exercise..wrong attitude, i know..don’t worry MM, with a lot of determination, you’ll lose all your unwanted pounds. as silly lolo says, i won’t wish you luck ‘coz luck ain’t got nothing to do with losing weight :=)
Hello MM, I agree with Silly Lolo’s advice to you. You might want to try some vegetarian dishes. There’s lots of vegan resto that are home cooked. Delicious and yet healthy! Go for it!
In 2005, I lost 40lbs in 2mos w/o doing anything. I was so confused because it never happened before. Then I was diagnosed to have hyperthyroidism. I took medication for 1 year. But then, I seem to have gained more pounds than what I have lost. Am scheduled to go back to the doctor to check if it reversed.
I agree with ntgerald, I have a friend who used to be slim then suddenly gained weight abruptly even if she had a nice diet. She tried a different diet/workout plan that I had constructed for her(i briefly taught health management) but to no avail and later on I told her to check for hormonal imbalance/thyroid problem..lo and behold she got it.
But Marketman, if your previous workout and diet worked well and from your latest posts you really endulged and get a little lazy with workout…it must be just your metabolism. Maybe try to get back with workout and take 5-6 small portioned meals. Less salt, less sugar,less carbo but do not totally deprive yourself. It worked for my mom,who was also trying to make her heart “healthy”.
Oh my, we’re facing the same problem MM. Hay.
well,all I can say is that its a perfect opportunity for more entries about salads :-) and veggie foods done creatively! I read this book “Fit for Life” and I think it has sensible tips for eating without much “sacrificing.” I heard though that the book was or is quite controversial for some but when I changed my eating habits and lifestyle according to what the authors wrote, my weight became quite constant and just right for my body height.
Get back to basics MM by doing the meal pyramid, eat heaviest at breakfast and eat lightest at dinner. With so much passion for cooking you could also eat 6 light meals instead of 3 heavy meals. On the exercise, my tried and tested formula is weight or strength training. More lean muscle burns more calories even if you are not actively exercising. Some cardio is good but trust me when I say that Daniel Craig got that physique by lifting serious weights.
The reason why people don’t like weightlifting that much is because they tend to overtrain. You’d be surprised that strength gains are biggest with heavy weights and low reps.
You’re right, it’s just a matter of balancing good food and moderate exercise. I go through weird phases … lots of dieting … then I turn to lots of exercise, sports, gym … then sometimes I just go all out eating everything while being a sloth. Best of luck with whatever method you choose to the madness of weight loss!
A detailed blog entry discovering hidden flavors in a single piece of soda cracker.
I once attended a cooking demo where the cook was in great shape, and he said that the only way he could eat the way he does is to exercise and train for a triathlon (minimum of 2 hours a day). Since you don’t like commercial gyms, you may want to invest in a trainer. A human being who will call you up at 5:30 am to run around and do weights; force you to exercise, like a gnat buzzing in your ear.
As the old saying goes,”Prevention is better than cure”. Anything in moderation is a good thing!
that’s a cracker lee!…..hahahahahaha :)
Mr. MM isang bulati na lang po ang pipirma 190 lbs na, hahaha joke lang ha!
ok MM. want to lose weight fast? follow this:
– no carbs. like rice & pasta at dinner.
– eat protein/carb brkfast. full lunch protein & veg dinner.
– eat fruits, protein shakes in between meals.
– no desserts/sugar. once a week is ok.
– do spikes when you do cardio. do circuit when doing weights, with 90sec rest between circuit. this spikes metabolism, burns more fat during and after excercise.
bon chance!
I have a tongue-in-cheek post that talks about a “Paris Miracle Diet” here: anesthesioboist.blogspot.com/2007/08/gastronomic-delights-in-france.html. Lose pounds by eating cheese twice a day and drinking wine with every meal! (Joke lang). Ever since I got back from our gastronomic vacation I had to reset my stairmaster: Chartres Cathedral setting, 189 steps; Eiffel Tower setting, 670 steps… :)
Well, you are not alone. I do alot of brisk walking every other night for at least one hour walking around the promenade area of the cruise ship. Watching sunset, sea and dolphin and whales. It can be chilly though brisk walking in Alaska, Mediterranean and Scandinavia.
Just like my doctor in Sta Rosa , Laguna said, “Better take preventive medicine than get sick with stroke, high blood, high cholesterol and high uric acid”. But I said ” I don’t have any of those!!” and she said it can happen so better take precaution and work out alot. I’m only in my 40’s!!!
Nevertheless have patience because we are not getting any younger and we love good food.
Oops, Chartres was 289 steps…Sorry, I guess it was wishful thinking manifesting as a slip of the pinky!