How I lost 20lbs in 1 month without going nuts

Note: This is not a weight-loss tutorial. I have no science, athletics, or medical background. I am not an expert in such matters. Still a cool story, if that’s what you’re after.

Last October, a doctor told me that I was hypertensive and my sugar levels are higher than the normal range. This was hardly news to me — given how I eat, I expected such pronouncements.

And I was ok with it. Really. Just give me meds to manage this, and I’ll be on my merry way. I wasn’t really planning on changing anything. In my mind, everything was fine.

And then, in bed, my wife cried.

“I don’t have a plan for this, dad. If you die, I wouldn’t know what to do with Mito, whether we’d need to go home, or what. Who would take care of him, what I’d have to do. I don’t have a plan.”

My wife and I spend our days teasing and riling each other up. There’s a fierce joy when I am able to make her laugh/exasperate her in equal measure. Bonus points if she’s gigil enough that she’d want to bite me or punch me in frustration.

But tears? That’s nuclear. We can argue all day about everything and anything, but when genuine tears come out, there’s no weapon to bear against that.

Meekly, I hugged her. “OK,” I said. “I’ll take care of it.”

I was over 187lbs when I went to the doctor. The doc said he’d be happy if I’m able to lower it to 155. He also warned me that this will take time — a lot of it, since I’ve been this way for decades.

About a month after, I’ve managed to lose over 20lbs.

There’s no secret to it, no special technique. I eliminated processed sugar from my intake — no soda, no iced tea, no chocolates, and by god, no ice cream. Even if I’m used to eating ice cream by the pint in one sitting, and even if my absolute favorite flavor (Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food) is readily available in a grocery only 600m away.

Limited rice — only at lunch, and only when I really want it (instead of being the default). Reduced meat consumption. More fruits in the diet. And I discovered — after nearly four years of existence — the joys of eating vegetables. Nuts, dried fruits, or granolas for snacks instead of double chocolate cookies. Healthier food choices, less quantity.

And then there’s the exercise. Since I’m working on cardio, I concentrated on the treadmill. One hour, at least three times every week. When I’m down to the weight I want (145lbs, so I have some buffer when I finally eat ice cream again), I could work on strength training.

Now, there had been numerous times in the past when I tried to lose weight. I’ve tried the GM diet, with great results but it never really stuck. I’ve ran and biked on and off. Always, it was a struggle. I couldn’t wait until I could wolf down the next pork chop and would come up with excuses not to get up and exercise. I was irritable. I hated it. My body, my mind, my heart hated it.

It’s different this time. I’m loving vegetables now — it’s like a whole new world of gastronomic delights just opened up. Instead of my usual meat-focused breakfast (silog meals in the Philippines, baconeggcheese sandwich in Switzerland), I’m happy with a pear. And while I do get bored when I’m running, music can help with that.

So why is it — dare I say it — easy this time?

I am obstinate by nature. The quickest way to ensure that something will keep ticking in my mind is to forbid me from doing it. Telling me that I can’t have my sisig only means I’ll be all the more craving for it.

But doing something for love? That’s easy. It’s not a struggle because I delight in doing it. Like writing a love letter or doing some grand romantic gesture. It’s not hard, because I’ve submitted.

I really shouldn’t be surprised, since I’ve had a similar experience in the past.

Before I became a Christian, the thought of not doing the selfish things, the self-gratifying things, the sin things seemed impossible. That’s my nature, I said. But when I made that leap — when I surrendered — I discovered that it wasn’t impossible at all. In fact, I discovered, all the work had already been done. I just needed to yield my life’s throne to someone who was actually worthy of it.

Doing the ‘right’ things was hard; I am, after all, a flawed creature. But choosing/doing something for someone I love? Dude, I’m made for that.

I’m made for exactly that.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and smiles. Sin will always be lurking around the corner. I could relapse and binge something fatty or sweet that could end up harming me. I was actually concerned that writing publicly about my health initiative and then failing to continue it would make me look bad.

But you know what? Even if that happens, it’s ok. Even if I fail with my health or with my faith, I just need to do the same thing: accept my shortcoming, lay down the wrong thing, and start again.

Love will make things new.