Last night, I checked my Fitbug and saw that I only had four thousand steps, a few thousand away from the goal of at  seven thousand. Thankfully, I had just had a particularly filling dinner (mmm fried chicken...), so deciding to take a walk wasn't that hard to make.   

It was a pleasantly cool and windy night. The stars were out and there were very few cars out in the road. All in all, the perfect setting for a late night stroll. 

I started my route near the driving range, proceeded to Westgate (Max Brenner is open!), and then to Alabang Town Center-- which is where all Alabang-people unconsciously gravitate to. 

Naturally, I ended up shopping. I reached my 7090 steps in the Shiseido boutique, just when my friend called to pick me up. 

:-( 

This only means that I have to switch up my walking sched back to the morning where it belongs, if only to keep myself from going broke.  

Good luck to the team! 

OK, my bad. I was to exhausted to blog last night.  I had time to open the television and fall asleep as soon as Gossip Girl's identity was revealed.

I stopped watching Gossip Girl after season 1, but Blair's wedding was just compelling enough for me to keep my eyes open for another 45 minutes.

Sorry for digressing. Back to the sweets... Or rather, the lack of it.

How bad is it? Well, last night I dreamt I was eating a caramel on top of speculoos cookie. When I woke up, I thanked my lucky stars that it was Friday.

And I am happy to report that I've lost 1 kilo.

Will I keep on not eating sweets? Probably not, but this challenge has taught me that I don't have to give in to all my sugar cravings. It's also been fun reading up on everyone else's experiences. Not everyone habitually looks for sweet stuff, but we do all mindlessly consume a lot of sugar-- probably more than we should! Suffice to say, I think everyone who took part in the challenge is now a little wiser to what we eat. :-)

So cheers to all of you for a sweets-free week!

P.S.

If for some reason someone can tell me what shade of Chanel gloss Blair was wearing in the wedding episode, please tell me. I think I need it in my life.

Happy birthday Victoria!

Well, Day 2 is proving to be harder than Day 1.

As I write this, boxes of champagne-flavored chocolates and custard cakes are calling out my name.  

Must. Resist.

I have the be honest-- the most critical time for my sweetness cravings rings in the afternoon.  I either have my dessert right after lunch or cave in to a sweet merienda. These snacks are carefully thought out and prepared, so by the time the office rolls out the afternoon fruits, I would already be happily munching on these treats. 

I will very rarely crave for fruit (terrible, I know, but my body thinks fruits belong in the morning-- on top of my waffles), but today I lunged for the free mangos the same way a leopard seal attacks a baby penguin: deftly, forcefully, and with the very intention of swallowing it whole.  

The moment I took a bite of the mango, the craving was instantly satiated. Thankfully, the office serves them in small pieces, and the two little bites I took was more than enough. In fact, I even felt a little sick with the sudden surge of sugar. 

So, in as little as day, my body is already adjusting quite well to the low-sugar diet. I was dreading this challenge before it started, but now I am quite eager to see how we will all fare on Friday.

Good luck to all the belles! 

This is not going to be easy for me.  I live for dessert afterall.  

I wonder how  Erica will fare... She was pretty confident last week, but let's see! 

To help me keep in line with the challange, I decided to have lunch in Xoi, the new Vietnamese restaurant in Alabang Town Center. I've noticed that each time I have a rich or junky lunch, my craving for sweets goes up as well. When I have a salad or something light and healthy, the sugar craving easily passes. 

I adore Vietnamese food, and as most of its popular dishes are relatively healthy, it seemed like a good accompaniment for this No Sweets Challenge with the BelleToday team. 

Here is a pic of my lunch today (except mine was chicken instead of pork): 

Image courtesy of The Culinary Chronicles. 

Good luck to all the team!