Officially Lost 20 Pounds | My Weight Loss Journey

Weight Loss Journey

It's been seven months since I started my weight loss journey. The good news is that I already lost 20 pounds of weight from my body. In my last blog entry about weight loss, I talked about my 110 pounds target weight before the year ends. Well, I achieved it last July. Amazing, isn't it? I am not really expecting to lose that much weight in two months time since I know that the last few pounds is the hardest to lose.

July 29, 2020

"I still have 6 more pounds to go but I am getting there! My goal is to reach 110 pounds before the year ends. I didn't give up on carbs (just yet!) because I still eat a small portion of rice on a daily basis."- May 24, 2020

 Goal Weight

Did you know that there's a simple math equation to get a good estimate of your goal weight?

I read about it here. 

• For men, it's 106 pounds plus 6 pounds for every inch over 5 feet. ex. 5'8" man's goal weight is 154 pounds

• For women, it's 100 pounds plus 5 pounds for every inch over 5 feet. ex. 5'5" woman's goal weight is 125 pounds

My current weight is 110 pounds. Eeep... does that mean that I still have 10 more pounds to go? Waaaaah!

Make Time | No Excuses

I gave a lot of excuses before not to exercise. I told myself that I don't have time on my hands. I do all the household chores as we don't employ helpers anymore, on top of that, I am a wife and hands-on mom to my 8-yearExec old daughter.

Later on, I realized that if I want to improve my quality of life, I need to be fit and healthy. When I decided to lose weight, I know that it takes will and great determination to pull it off. I need to set my mind and focus to achieve my goal.

 Progress not Perfection

In this entry, I am sharing with you the Youtube Channels/Links that I follow for my daily exercise/workout. You can also follow me on my Instagram (shameless plug) so you can catch my daily workout post in my IG Stories.

Walk At Home

At the beginning of my "training", I concentrated on a low impact exercise. Go with the basic, I started with walking. Regular walking for just 30 minutes a day is better than not exercising at all.

 Check out Walk At Home with Leslie Samsone

Zumba Classes

My rehab doctor told me to lose some weight when he found out about my calceneal spur via x-ray result 3 years ago. And he was right. The moment I lost 10 pounds from low impact exercises, I felt lighter. The pain I felt on my heels in the morning is gone. That's about the same time when I started following Zumba classes on Youtube. You can find a lot of videos but here are the following aerobics/Zumba classes that are easy to follow, no crazy movements and not a lot of jumping going on but I guarantee that you are going to be sweaty at the end of your workout.

Zumba Korea TV

Zumba Class

Sunny Fitness

Figurerobics by Momchang Jungdayeon

Eva Fitness

Core Strength | Arm Workout

There was one point that I felt that I can do more for my bulging tummy and flabby arms. I need to strengthen my core so I searched for abs and arms (no weights) workout on Youtube. The following are the channels that I swore by:

Chloe Ting

Emi Wong

Evolve Functional Fitness Workouts

Planking | Stomach Vacuum

My body is still a work in progress. I don't want to bounce back and gain all the weight that I lost. I just do it at my own pace. I workout 7 days a week for at least 1 hour a day. My exercise varies from day to day but I always make time for planking and stomach vacuum.

How to Plank | The Perfect Exercise

• Head should be relaxed; Look at the floor (I know... I am not looking at the floor ; p)
• Ears in line with shoulders (I should stop looking at the camera lol)
• Shoulders, hips and heels in line
• Elbows directly under the shoulder
• Engage your abs
• Pelvis held in a neutral position
• Squeeze the backside
• Do not lock the knees
• Ankles at 90 degree bend

Planking improves core stability, posture and spine support. 

Stomach Vacuum

1. Inhale
2. Exhale Completely
3. Pull in your stomach, suck your belly button in
4. Hold for 15 seconds; Up to 60 seconds
5. Repeat 3x

Jump Rope

A few weeks ago, I learned how to jump rope. Yep, you read it right. I never learned how to jump rope as a kid so this is a first for me. I find it really hard and challenging to jump rope so I really need to practice more on a daily basis. 

Progress Report

That's all there is to my progress report. Will I still lose weight in the coming months? I sure hope so because if I am going to follow the simple math equation for my goal weight, I need to lose 10 more pounds. I will keep you posted!

Maleficent Horns | DIY Crafts

Descendants 3 Party Theme

My daughter's birthday theme this year was supposed to be little Mermaid. But then she changed her mind and wanted Frozen 2 theme.  She finally settled with Descendants 3 party theme because she was gifted with an Uma costume.

The thing is, Descendants 3 is not as popular here in the Philippines as it is in the US. I was not able to find a single party needs supplier that sells Descendants balloons and other party decors.

DIY |  Party Decors

As a mom, I need to improvise to make my daughter's birthday party a successful one. 

All the party supplies I bought online were already delivered and contained in a box, just waiting to be set up. For the balloons, I chose 3 colors to match the theme- blue (Evie), purple (Mal) and green (Uma). I even bought a curtain backdrop in blue and purple. Let's see how it will turn out. Blog soon!

She watches a lot of Descendants parties on Youtube and most of the videos showed a piñata. I don't want to spend money on piñata so I made one myself. I posted about the DIY Descendants 3 Piñata in my previous entry. 

The trickiest part of the party is the birthday cake. My husband and I agreed not to spend so much on the cake like last year's party. She had a 3-tier Unicorn themed cake on her 7th birthday party. The cake looks nice and all. But after eating the cake, I threw out the remaining 2nd and 3rd layer which were just dummy cakes. Although it served its purpose (presentation wise), I must admit it was a total waste of money. You can check out my Unicorn Birthday Party Theme Suppliers here.

Descendants 3 | Birthday Cake

For this year, I asked The Beehive Pastries, a local baker in my community, if I can order a junior chocolate cake with a special request of teal colored buttercream icing on the outside. She agreed, one problem solved. I am so happy. Now, on to the cake topper...

How to Make Maleficent Horn

How to solve a problem like Maleficent's horns as topper of the cake? 

The baker does not do custom cake. Based on my inquiries from other cake suppliers, a 6-inch single layer custom cake with Maleficent horn will set us back around PhP 3,450- PhP 3,800. It's not within our budget. So, it's definitely a NO.

I searched online and found out that I can make Maleficent Horns with the following materials:

• 6 Tissue cores/ toilet paper core
• Glue
• Tape
• Scissor
• 2 small rolls Electrical tape in black

Guide on how to make Maleficent's Horn |Step by Step Instruction 

How to Make Descendants 3 Piñata | Do It Yourself (DIY)

Party Planning | Made Easy

My daughter's birthday is coming up. I ordered balloons and other party supplies from Shopee online sellers. Even with our current situation, the party decors were delivered way ahead of time. All I have to do is just to set it up on her birthday week.

Uma of Descendants 3

The theme for her 8th birthday party is Descendants 3. She wanted a piñata but I could not find a supplier who can make one.  I saw ready-made ones in ToysRUs Robinsons Magnolia but the designs are for little princesses... definitely not the kind my daughter wants lol

DIY | Piñata

Materials needed:

• Box strong enough to hold all the items
• Paper Twine or any cord you can use as handle
• Paper/Colored Paper for cover/background
• Glue tape instead of glue
• Toys
• Candies

Because I am a certified shopaholic and I love makeup, I have a lot of beauty boxes lying around the house. Althea Rainbow Box is the perfect size for a piñata, not too small and not too big. This is a limited edition box designed with rainbow to spread hope to all their fans around the world while staying safe. I got it from my most recent online purchase.

I chose a sturdy box because it will carry a lot of stuff like toys, chocolates, candies and even dog treats for my daughter's pet dog, Gillian.

I covered the sides of the box with a black paper, well, because it's Descendants #LoveLiveEvil Duh?!

I used a cutter to take out one side of the box. It's the bottom part when you hold the box in upright position. Leaving the flap to hold the goodies inside. I will be adding a Tack-It to the flap so that it will hold and secure the items from falling.

For the handle, I made a hole on both sides of the piñata then I inserted the paper twine. I tied a knot on both ends to secure the handle and keep it in place.



Next, I printed out a Descendants 3 poster on one side and a photo of my daughter with her dog on the other side.

There are a lot of toys on sale at ToysRUs. I bought a few so I can put them inside the piñata. I also bought a lot of candies and chocolates from the supermarket to include in the box. The chocolates are not in the photo, it is in the ref. I will put it in the box on the day of the party.

And that completes my DIY Descendants 3 piñata! Up next, DIY Maleficent Horns!

SM Call To Deliver Experience | #SMCallToDeliver

Generally, I still don't really feel safe going out due to the pandemic we are all facing. My every errand is calculated. As much as possible, I want everything that we need be delivered straight to us. Good thing SM launched #SMCallToDeliver. It was an experience like no other.

SM Call To Deliver (#14376) |  New Hotline Number

Two days ago, I contacted The SM Store Call to Deliver (+639178001074) via Viber to ask if they deliver to Quezon City. It was already close to midnight so I did not get a reply, no biggie. The next day, I received a reply asking for my full name, mobile number and my preferred branch. Although SM Sta Mesa is the closest, I opted for Megamall because it's a bigger branch and I guess, has a complete selection of the things I need.

Update: I think SM just changed their delivery hotline to #143SM (#14376).

After giving my details, I was told that a Call to Deliver Shopper will get in touch with me. In less than 5 minutes, I was contacted by Ms. Jinky Caporal, a personal shopper assigned by SM, via Viber.

To start with my order, I provided my name, address, contact number and order details AGAIN. I sent her  photos of the Luminarc plates and bowls. After a few minutes, she replied with photos and she also indicated the prices.

I asked about the 50% off promo of Beautylabo but it was already sold out. She showed me other brands that are on sale but I don't like the colors available.

#SMCallToDeliver | PhP 100 Delivery Fee

In between our exchange, I asked about the delivery fee. It's only PhP 100 to any area within Metro Manila!

Mom's PasaBUY

Aside from ordering 2 soup bowls and 3 dessert plates, I also inquired about Healthy Home King size pillow (20x36) and Body pillow (20x56). Guess what?! The brand is on sale at 20% off. She also offered various colors of Body pillow covers from Family Home, a sister company of Healthy Home. I ordered one cover and one pillow protector for my Body pillow.

I also asked her to check on tongs (the ones used for cooking) for my mom. She posted 5 different options along with brands and prices. My mom wanted a 9-inch tong. It's only PhP 89.75.

iPay 88 

Since my purchase was over PhP 5000 (including the PhP 100 delivery fee), I asked if they accept credit card payment transaction. The answer is yes, via iPay88. Other modes of payment available are:

• Cash/Credit Card/Debit Card upon pick up at store
• Online Bank Transfer thru account or via iPay88

I asked for the delivery schedule. She said that it takes 2 days. It was already late in the afternoon when I checked my email for the payment link. It was marked as spam.

How to Cut a Men's Hair | Quarantine Haircut Tips

ECQ Haircut | COVID-19 Haircut

After Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), General Community Quarantine (GCQ) was announced last May 16, 2020 by the Philippine government. With the implementation of the new law, barbershops and salons are still not allowed to operate as of the moment. Naturally, I became a barber overnight.

I used to cut my daughter's hair when she was a baby until I was able to find a hairdresser that cuts her hair on a regular basis. 

This is my first time to cut a man's hair. At the beginning of the pandemic, my husband asked me to cut his hair. It took an hour to finish the task. I laughed so hard in between cutting, trimming and shaving. He was instructing me as I was cutting his hair. I was not prepared at all, I didn't even watch a tutorial video. The result was not bad but I know there's always a room for improvement.

The second one took place right after the announcement of GCQ. I was prepared this time. I watched a few instructional videos on how to give my man a haircut. The videos gave me an idea on how to cut a man's hair using scissors and an electric hair clipper/trimmer. It took a little less time to cut his hair.