Common Dieting Mistakes

I first tried to lose weight while I was in college. Crash dieting never crossed my mind; I loved food to much to ever deprive myself. While I did sign up at a gym—we were lucky to have a fully functioning gym on campus, my eating habits back then were still borne out of misinformation that still unfortunately circulates up to this day. These dieting mistakes ended up making me gain more weight in the process.

No rice. I thought that not eating rice would help my weight loss, so I would eat the following instead:
- pasta: I would have to eat a big plate of pasta to be full. But it's made from refined white flour, which is quickly converted to fat reserves. I since have whittled down my portions whenever I eat pasta, and I don't eat pasta as often anymore. When I do have pasta, I avoid cream-based sauces.
- bread: But I would eat five slices of whole wheat bread per meal, because I thought I could eat all the bread I wanted, since I wasn't eating rice. That's already 500 calories, compared to a cup of rice, which has 300 calories. Whenever I have bread, I choose whole-grain bread at home every time. I only have white bread when I eat out. When certain applications don't have a white option (such as brioche, ensaymada, or pain au chocolat), I eat them in moderation.
- crackers: Same as bread, I would have to eat a lot until I felt full. I'd eat as many crackers as I'd like and a glass of chocolate milk for breakfast. I've since learned it's not exactly the best way, to start the day with refined carbs.
- French fries: At KFC, since I wasn't ordering rice, I would order deep-fried potatoes instead. Yeah, it wasn't very smart, if you think about it. While I do eat French fries up to this day, I just don't eat them as often and as much as before.
- empanadas: I especially loved Ilocos-style empanada, but each one had a whole egg in each one. I would usually eat two at a meal. Uh-oh. Now, I try to just have one egg a day. Empanadas are still among my favorite food; I just eat them in moderation.

Iced tea. I used to be the queen of bottomless iced tea! I thought that by drinking copious amounts of iced tea, I would eat less food. It turns out that all the sugar from commercial iced tea was just adding to the fat that was being stored in my body. These days, I only ever order water or the occasional beer whenever I eat out.

Instant noodles. Ah, the college dormer's staple. True, they contain a few calories per pack, but they have no nutritional value whatsoever. They also fall into the refined white flour category, and they tend to be high in sodium and MSG, which leads to water retention. Now, I absolutely cannot stand instant noodles of any kind. Beware too, as they are said to contain wax to help them dry out. Imagine that, eating wax. Yuck!

It took proper information and critical thinking for me to change my eating habits for the better. I had to read up on everything on my own, but now, at your convenience, all the facts are available in the daily BelleToday program. Feel free to ask around if you have any questions!

Tuesday's exercises
- 1,800 on the jump rope
- 3 x 15 tricep curls (each arm) with 5 lb dumbbell
- 3 x 15 bicep curls with 5 lb dumbbells
- 3 x 15 shoulder presses with 5 lb dumbbells
- 2 x 50 straight crunches
- 2 x 50 double leg raises
- 2 x 50 bicycle crunches
- 2 x 50 tuck and crunch

Yesterday's exercises
- 45 minute brisk walk/jog/sprint
- 100 straight crunches
- 5 x 20 double leg raises
- 2 x 50 bicycle crunches
- 2 x 50 tuck and crunch

Tuesday's meals
Breakfast: 2 pieces of whole wheat pan de sal with crunchy peanut butter, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: Spring roll, brown rice
Snacks: 1 wedge of Elle & Vire light cheese, banana
Dinner: Broiled liempo, ginisang monggo, brown rice
Dessert: 1 piece of HOP pili polvoron

Wednesday's meals
Breakfast: Steel-cut oatmeal with banana, walnuts, and real maple syrup; coffee with low-fat milk
Mid-morning: 1/4 Pecan Pie Larabar
Lunch: Turkey chicken cranberry sandwich from Starbucks
Afternoon snack: Lemon square from Bizu, green tea
Dinner: Roast chicken, spring roll, ginisang monggo, brown rice
Dessert: A piece of nougat

Yesterday's meals
Breakfast (pre-workout): Elle & Vire light cheese wedge, apple pie, coffee with low-fat milk
Breakfast (post-workout): 3/4 Pecan Pie Larabar, green tea
Lunch (at Cibo): Pizza con porchetta, farfalle alla genovese
Dinner: Lumpiang shanghai, misua with patola, brown rice