the lighter, the better

see for yourself… 😉

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

my DARK PAST & my BRIGHT PRESENT, after i've seen the LIGHT!!!

08.30.11 – yes, that grayed-out girl is the OLD ME! (scary!!!) i was then at MY HEAVIEST WEIGHT of 119 lbs or 54 kilos already!!! my oh my! as for my skin, well it wasn’t GRAY like that of course, but even if it was already fairly lighter than most asians, it surely wasn’t yet as glowing white as it has become today… now wouldn’t you agree?! 😀

for that, i must now give some due credit to my GlutaMAX family, who came up with this totally brilliant antioxidant & slimming product in one & introduced it to me! it obviously works wonders & i can be proud i was among the first ones to have proven it! 😛 THANK YOU SO MUCH, brothahs & sistahs!

all of the dozen boxes (with 10 capsules in each) that i consumed in the past 2 months, 1-3x a day!

also, i would have to say THANK YOU, margottie (my bestfriend in highschool who took the unintentional “before pic” above, uploaded it on facebook, & even tagged me… which i just had to immediately untag, sorry!) ‘coz if not for such glaring truth though, i wouldn’t have taken it upon myself to really make it A THING OF THE PAST! yay!!! hehe! i just knew this time would (or should) come anyway when i could just look back at it & make it a part of my “success story” for all the world wide web to see! 😉 THANK GOD as well!

in my blog last 09.02, in highs and in lows, i’ve actually made mention of such pic already, but just chickened out when i was about to post it!!! so instead, i chose to just explicitly describe it in words such as this:

 me… wearing a pair of EXTRA SMALL-sized black jogging pants & green MEDIUM-sized dri-fit top… LOVE HANDLES SHOWING! my hair all tied up & bangs clipped away from my big round face, looking down from a few steps above to the camera – really NOT a good angle to be taken a photo in! standing side-by-side with me are 3 other girlfwends, wearing some loose clothing instead… what catches your eyes again? MY LOVE HANDLES!!!

haha! by the way, that’s my husband in the pic too! he’s been really just BEHIND me all the way… 🙂 (THANK YOU, darling!)

10.30.11 – even after MISSING 5 consecutive satudays (or practically the whole month of october’s worth) of circuit training, with still no conscious effort to eat right, I NOW ONLY WEIGH 108 lbs or 49 kilos!!! that’s 11 lbs or 5 kilos lighter (& well, “skin tones fairer”) IN JUST 2 MONTHS!!!

almost couldn't believe it myself... i had to weigh in & out of the scale for AT LEAST 3x!

well, believe it or not… that’s now up to YOU!!! 😛

BUT don’t just take my word for it, try it & see it for yourself too!!! hahahaha! (now that really sounds like i’m from a tv ad or infomercial!)

anyhow, while i’m at it already… guess i might as well share here with you all some of the effects that i’ve personally experienced (or didn’t experience) as i started taking the product. (oh you can also refer back to my related blogs last 09.16, testing the waters, & 09.30, the ripple effect, just so you could maybe appreciate my progress even more!) now here goes:

1. i didn’t have to suffer from any lbm or loose bowel movement!!! whew!

2. i still got to enjoy eating the same food i love since it didn’t affect my appetite.

3. i had more energy as it’s meant to increase metabolism with its l-carnatine.

4. each day that i got more active (& sweaty,) was when i actually felt more rejuvenated & detoxified with it’s glutathione.

5. i also felt much healthier & protected by it’s vitamin c or sodium ascorbate.

6. i enjoyed drinking more water, & thus also peed a lot more often (but hey, that was no bother at all!)

7. even when i couldn’t join VNF in several saturdays of circuit training, i knew my day-to-day activities & the regular movements i made still helped tremendously with burning the extra calories & shrinking my unwanted fats (& it could only be because of the tonalin cla it had in it… i read it’s the most effective fat burner in europe & in the u.s.a.)

8. overall, i felt more youthful & vibrant just knowing i was getting all these health & aesthetic benefits, without giving up food!!!

so really, on the LIGHTER & brighter side of it all, the 2 full months i’ve spent for this weight loss project is now officially over & i can say how it’s truly been a SUCCESS! hurrah!!! 😀 for whatever it’s worth, i could now fit back into my nice old tiny clothes, move around more easily, & ultimately look & feel better about myself again… just in time for my husband’s arrival (last night ;)) & of course tonight, our HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY!!! so again, until then…

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia

the ripple effect

i was really almost certain i’d gain some significant weight coming back from my bangkok business (slash food) trip last week! 🙂 in just a matter of 2 days, mah fwend jean & i practically ate all we can, as if there was no tomorrow!!!

green chicken curry meal with mango salad to share!

their version of cream puff & "ginataan" coconut milk dessert

pad thai noodles & 2 rounds of milk tea!!

some noddles again & milk tea, plus hot hot tom yum

donuts, donuts, & more donuts!!!

oh & not to forget, our smorgasbord hotel breakfasts i just wasn’t able to take pictures of anymore! 😛

so, what do you think… how could i NOT possibly gain some amount of weight after all that eating?! but what if i tell you that i actually didn’t?? oh yes! 😀 would you believe I EVEN LOST 2lbs!?! neither could i at first!

back in my previous blog where i’ve revealed my testing the waters, i had shared my endeavor in losing weight & in putting this new product to the test! 😉

i heard it's now out in the market - in all Watsons & Mercury Drugstores nationwide!

so last saturday, 09.24, before circuit training… i braved the weighing scale of our coach vinny (which even measured body fats & all!) together with the rest of team VNF (yes, we now have a name for ourselves! stands for Vinny N Fwends!) to find out i actually only weighed 117lbs!!! well it is what it is… still not my ideal weight for sure (hehe!) but at least, despite my then again food trip in bkk, I STILL LOST 2lbs from weighing 119lbs before i left! really not bad at all for someone like me who had NO EFFORT to diet whatsoever!!!

well for sure, i’ll be blogging more about this uh-mazing antioxidant, whitening, & slimming product all rolled into 1 food supplement in the coming days… (especially ‘coz my test phase isn’t officially over yet) but ok, i think i could do some typing job for you here right now just to give a li’l bit more information about it already (& i quote a few from it’s literature:)

wait! see my FAIR hand goin' A-OKAY! (or it can also mean: take 1 capsule 3x a day for MAXimum results!)

“a safe and effective dietary supplement with a special formulation that contains Tonalin *CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) and **L-Carnatine as important components in weight management. It shrinks the fat cells & metabolizes it into energy. It’s additional formulation of ***Reduced Glutathione and ****Sodium Ascorbate acts as an anti-oxidant that makes skin lighter & more more radiant. Daily supplementation reduces weight, maintains a lean body and prevents fat regain while leaving the skin with a youthful, whiter glow.”

*CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) – is a type of fatty acid called a trans fat that occurs naturally & is actually healthy. It is a nutrient found in human breast milk. It is also found in meat & dairy products. This nutrient is considered to be the best ingredient of a weight loss pill by helping to build lean muscle tissue & shed fat that is stored around the abdomen (belly fat) & thigh area, which is a major problem area for many dieter. Tonalin CLA is the leading brand of CLA that is safe, scientifically proven & effective nutritional supplement. Most awarded fat burner in Europe & U.S.A.

**L-Carnatine – an amino acid which helps in breaking down of calories. It stimulates the long chain of fatty acid into mitochondria. With the help of this, effective energy is produced so as to burn fat easily.

***Reduced Glutathione – the most powerful anti-oxidant in the body. It does not only promote health but also makes skin evenly lighter.

****Sodium Ascorbate – vitamin c which helps in the process of skin lightening.

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia

testing the waters

so these past few days got me thinking… to diet or NOT to diet?!?

well if you know me, you’ll know as well why it’s such a BIG DEAL for me to even consider going on 1! 😛 i absolutely enjoy eating a lot… eating ’til my heart’s content! my husband even came up with his own quote about me saying: “the best way to my wifey’s heart is through her stomach!” (& funny as it may seem, i really could not contest him on that!!!)

personally, i refuse to believe in any of those fad diets. what i do believe in is that to really achieve & maintain one’s desired weight OR FIGURE is to have a complete lifestyle change… so good luck with that! i believe as well in eating healthy & in moderation… & so during those times when i just couldn’t help but over-eat, or when i know i am about to indulge in food for like a special occasion or a mere craving, i somehow feel guilty too & then start thinking of going on a diet just to “punish” or justify myself! haha! well in fact, that’s precisely also 1 of the reasons why i’ve started doing this once-a-week INTENSE circuit training with some highschool friends for quite some time now… yes, all because i really could not give up food nor starve myself, i’d rather just exercise!!! my blog in highs and in lows has the rest of that story covered. 😉

now going back to special occasions (& again, eating!) i think it would just be perfect to share here as well that recently, my husband & i had this week-long celebration for our “7th heaven” anni♥ersary of being a couple. (excuses!!! :P) anyway… during the weekend, we then decided to avail of some long-overdue OUTBACK treat over in makati while we were already somewhere around the area. it was actually their way of thanking me for blogging about them last 07.01 hunger thunders from down under. isn’t that just great?! i’m definitely glad i got my feet wet on this blogging thing too… i can’t forget writing about my brainstormy clouds which got me just starting this all!

as posted in the OUTBACK SEA facebook fan page

SWEET! blogging CAN BE rewarding indeed!!! 😀

liking every bit of our favorite Combination Appetizer & staple Chicken or Shrimp Caesar Salad!

cheers to freebies!!!

care for dessert?!

now tell me, to diet still or NOT to diet? that is again the question! well, well… look at what i got myself right now to help me avoid doing just that? 😉

ok, after sharing much stories in this blog, i finally introduce to you the very 1 thing i am actually testing & referring to as waters in my title!

well this brilliant product is just about to be available in the market very very soon… but thanks to some great family, i have had the privilege to try & prove it’s results for myself way ahead most others could even find out about it! 😀 so i decided to start taking this right upon seeing a very unflattering picture of myself over a couple of weeks ago… i haven’t posted it yet but it is explicitly described in my previous blog as well, in highs and in lows. 😛

another compelling reason i had was when i simply found out that i’ve gained weight, instead of losing some, over the past weeks when i’ve already been exercising regularly. my weigh-in as of then (last 08.06) was 116lbs & it went up to 119lbs!!! my oh my! for a petite girl like me (more or LESS 5ft TALL, hehe!) i was definitely worried to gain a pound more than that already! if only i could just rationalize with what they say that it’s but normal to GAIN a few pounds from the first few days of working-out, given that the fats turn into muscles & muscles are heavier than fats… i myself have yet to be convinced! although fine, it’s not like i was the only 1 among us friends who did gain a pound or 2 (or in my case 3!) so then i guess alright, maybe it is the muscles!!! at the end of the day though, the goal really is still to shed off some of those extra lbs keeping us from performing, looking & feeling our best.

as for my test, the results are yet to be seen using this 1 promising product… tomorrow, i shall be flying off to bangkok for some business (& ok, food trip!) so I AM SURE i’ll be eating more than i’d normally do! i am taking along a box of this GlutaMAX Slim with me, & taking 1 capsule 2-3x a day until i’m back & get to weigh-in again. i’m quite expecting to gain some more pounds, honestly… but since i’ve got this now, then let’s just wait & see! 🙂

lo♥e, pea☮e, & sünshine ☼

lala garcia