I'm on Drugs

I have been swamped by questions on how I got slimmer lately. No, I'm not bragging about my weight loss. In fact, I still need to lose around 20-30 pounds more to be able to reach my ideal weight. It's just that I was so humongous before (at a whopping 235 pounds in a 5'6" frame) that people just couldn't believe I was able to do it. Maybe because I had lingered in that weight range for so long that is why many deem me a hopeless case.

Some of my close friend who I haven't seen for about a month went as far as accusing me of taking Bangkok Pills, phentermine, ephedra, and all the weight loss regimens. Unfortunatley, I couldn't take any of those supplements (or drugs) because of a family history of heart disease, not to mention occasional palpitations, which I dare not mention to my doctor (otherwise, it will be bye-bye Mar). Besides, these pills cost quite a sum of money, which, incidentally, I don't have much of.

Other close friends have branded me as anorexic. How can I be when I still binge every now and then (think smorgasborg) and eat ice cream by the pint? My wallet may be anorexic, with the very limited inflow of cash and unlimited outflow of it.

The formula for me is simple. I started with a no-rice regimen. All that I take in are just viands, with occasional helping of bread and pasta on the side. It is not really Atkin's Diet because I still have my weekly dose of carbs.

The next phase was when I swore sodas off from my system. Yup, not even Diet Coke. I used to believe that drinking Diet Coke is ok, since it is only "one calorie, sugar free, Diet Coca-Cola!" My friend told me otherwise. From then on, I saw my weight decrease rather drastically.

And then I started engaging myself in badminton. I would have at least three two-hour session in a week. If I get lucky, I'd play four times. I was really determined to sweat all the fat off. Besides, I really do enjoy the game, it being a social sport and all. I got in touch with my high school friends, bonded more with my cousins, and widened my circle of office friends through this weight-loss sport. It is just so unfortunate that many birds had to die just to make me lose weight (poor birds).

About a few weeks back, another friend introduced me to the idea of going to the gym. I go to the gym now when I don't have badminton games to attend to. I don't lift weights... I just use the treadmill and the stationary bike most of the time, and a few minutes are spent in the crunch machine each session. Adn the most relaxing part of all -- the sauna. I really like the feel of perspiring a lot after a long workout.

So that is what I did, and still do, to lose weight. I am just not sure how long I need to do these things before I do reach my ideal weight. However, I won't be stopping these activities once I do get there. I need to maintain my weight and feel good about myself for life. As my friends said, losing weight the effective way is by changing my lifestyle as a whole.

It's quite a long talk if I have to say all of these things to the people who ask me how I lost weight. Now, whenever someone poses that question to me, I simply say, "I'm on drugs!"