no meat challenge

Survived the first week of No Meat Challenge! I have to be very thankful for the fact that there weren’t that many cravings this week. Fate is good to me. Really really good.

For this week, this is the general tone of my meals:

Breakfast: 1 bowl Nestle Fitnesse Cereals OR 2 eggs and toast, 1 glass of nonfat milk
AM Snack: 1 banana, 1 apple OR high fiber crackers and orange juice
Lunch: Tuna sandwich OR green salad with vinaigrette and feta cheese
PM Snack: 1 banana
Dinner: Vegeroni pasta with pre-made sauce OR bowl of fruit and glass of nonfat milk
Indulgence: 1 Venti Starbucks Nonfat Latte, iced, with hazelnut

It’s still pretty boring at this point. I didn’t really take the time to prepare for this challenge beforehand, so I had to settle for these things, most of them bought from the store. I’ve read enough to know that if you didn’t make them, you don’t know what’s in them. While there are some reputable brands that truly advocate clean and healthy eating, I can’t really say that access to those is easy here in the Philippines. Not even in Makati, the central business district, where I work.

What I lacked in meal planning, I made up for working out.

This is my morning routine:

I especially liked this workout because it’s quiet. My room is partly carpeted so it already absorbs a lot of the noise. But still my mom sleeps sooo lightly, so this version really helps. It doesn’t deprive you of the burn too.

Don’t forget this quick challenge! Will definitely give you a good burn.

5 minute butt burner

For after office, I had about three days doing this combo: some fun cardio, and butt and leg.

I have no other choice but to admit that Just Dance is fun! It’s all because of my nephews and nieces. It really can be addicting. It wasn’t even until this year did I find out that there’s a workout option. Unfortunately for me, I don’t have an XBox or a Wii to work with, but these videos helped just as much.

There is some downtime too. I attended a yoga class sponsored by our company on Tuesday. I’m quite lucky to have that option; I know these fitness programs are not a staple for all companies. Because these are blast exercises, I was able to complete the four hours without taking too much of my time. It doesn’t make me feel any less worked out though, however I do admit that at some point, I have to add more intensity to these workouts. For now, you can only imagine how happy I am to have this rest weekend.

I did cheat. I will not lie. Being unprepared for this challenge grocery wise means you’re bound to run out of cereals at some point. And I can’t imagine downing oatmeal, at least not yet. But I had a couple of bites of a frankfurter and I confess to having done that and now it’s behind me so let’s move past it. HAHAHA.

So… how was your week? :)

Le Beau and I are lagging when it comes to the physical preparation for our wedding. And by physical preparation, I mean getting into shape, looking good and feeling great. Although our engagement was pretty much solidified over New Year’s, it wasn’t until recently did we really take notice how much we are not improving ourselves healthwise.

Don’t get me wrong. I love him in every form, and he loves me too. But when you can barely finish a flight of stairs without panting or groan whenever you pick up a slightly heavy load, it starts to become embarrassing. I’ve not really been the most active person ever, but I used to be fitter than this. This has to be the worst shape I’ve ever been in.

So the No Meat Challenge comes in.

Earlier in the year, my good friend Adah already started doing this. I couldn’t join her mainly because work commitments would put me in situations where food consumption (of each kind, too) is required, like client calls, business lunches, et al. Now that we have roughly six months left into our planning, I have no other excuse to postpone it.

There were some blogs that defend why they don’t want to lose weight for their wedding and I absolutely respect that opinion. I agree with it too. To me, because I am marrying the love of my life, I want to be at my best. This is not it. Besides, for me, it’s not that much about losing weight. It’s more about feeling good, being able to keep up with the things I want to do with my husband-to-be. This form will not be able to do all those things.

There are only two rules to our No Meat Challenge:

1. No meat except fish. I wish I can say we can exclude that, but there really is no way to not consume sashimi and sushi. There really isn’t. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one feeling this way.

2. No rice. As an Asian woman (lol), this would probably be harder than skipping meat altogether. This rule require us to be more creative, so you can count on us stocking up on cereals, whole wheat bread, and other carb alternatives. I managed to pick up a good bag of vegeroni pasta, too. I’m not sure how veggie is this vegeroni but I’m trusting my gut on this one.

No Rice

Of course, just like any other fitness trainer would advise, the diet will not work without proper exercise. Early in the year I have committed to complete at least four (4) hours of exercise. Off the top of my head, my favorites would easily be yoga and HIIT. I might be able to squeeze in some running and biking too, when given the time.

I’m actually excited and nervous at the same time for this challenge: excited because I now have a compelling reason to duly follow through, nervous because I am a sore loser. I have a feeling Le Beau will kick my butt on this one.

There is no goal weight. There is only a goal feeling. And I mean that too. I intend to spend a long life with this man. A VERY VERY VERY LONG LIFE. I want a very very long life with this man.

Even though thousands of people already do this, I’ll do my best to keep you posted of my progress. On Friday, I’ll post my meal plan for this week. Hopefully as the challenge progresses, I’ll have a set grocery list to share with you. Mind you, items that will be listed on the list are all sourced from the Philippines.

Wish me luck! And if you have a fitness goal, I wish you so much luck too. <3

Photos from Ditz Revolution, Atlantic Seafood Market, Clueless Curl