This is my third week into the weight-loss program. Last week I shared how much I enjoyed and still enjoying the benefits of exercise as well as the good effects of moderate food intake to my body. I don’t easily get tired from climbing the stairs and doing household chores like I usually do. The strenuous exercise and diet program have finally paid off, too, as I lost two pounds in two weeks. I am hoping to lose more before this challenge ends.

What I did this week?

Much as I’d like to, I really have to stop exercising for four days due to severe menstrual cramps. I know that moderate physical activity is not bad for someone with menstruation, but I can’t move or even stand up as I felt dizzy all the time. I was lying down for two days because of dysmenorrheal pains.

Hopefully I can start exercising again once I feel better.

For the meantime, here’s some tips to lose weight and live healthier from https://www.facebook.com/Clium.

For a healthy food intake

• Be wise in your food choices. Set a goal to incorporate a variety of nutritious food cooked in healthy ways. Use low-fat methods such as baking, broiling, roasting or steaming.
• When adding ingredients for cooking, be sure to replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats. Olive and canola oils can replace fatty additives, such as butter when preparing your meals.
• Eating foods high in fat and cholesterol & having a low-fiber diet have been found to cause colon cancer. Get your best protection by eating healthier food options and incorporating high amounts of fiber in your diet.
• Fruits are a good dietary source of soluble fiber. Be it fresh, frozen or canned, they essentially help in regulating your bowel movement.
• Trade your bag of chips for dried fruits and nuts. These low-fat and high fiber food will keep your body in tip-top shape.
• For those who want to lose weight, increase your fiber intake. Food with fiber requires more chewing time, thus, making you feel full for a longer period of time.
• Snack on whole wheat crackers to make the most of their high fiber content and choose brown bread, pasta and rice as opposed to their white counterparts.

Be physically fit

• Find a hobby that you love and turn it into an exercise routine. Try dancing, walking, gardening, yoga, cycling, playing basketball and many more. Choose an activity that fits your lifestyle.
• Regular exercise is necessary for physical fitness and good health. It reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases.
• Exercise Tip: Keep a journal of your work-out routines everyday to keep you motivated and to show how much you have improved since Day 1.
• Aside from the usual routines like running and biking, you can try a more intense and challenging fitness program that will keep your heart pumping and your muscles contracting such as TRX suspension. Exercises like this allow you to work all of your muscles simulatenously (back, biceps, rear delts, traps, forearms, hamstrings) so your entire posterior chain is already hard at work.

Achieve your fitness goals and improve your overall health and wellness, check out http://www.clium.com.ph/losemore to find all the tools you need to start making the smarter choice towards looking young and feeling young.

Watch out for my Week 4 update. (I really hope to get well before the big day.)

After learning that I’m way too heavy for my height (full story here), I’ve made a decision to change my lifestyle for the better. I start to eat less by cutting down the serving size and follow an exercise regimen.

So, how was the first week of the weight loss challenge worked for me?

Following the recommendations made by Dr. Diana Lodriguito, the nutritionist who took by BMI test, is a painful task at first. I maintain a sedentary lifestyle for the longest time so exercising is like a punishment that I have to endure everyday.

But seeing the benefits of exercise to my body now, I don’t think I will do it in any other way. My body is beginning to love the exercise routine and I’m happy that it’s paying off. I already lost two pounds (but have to check other weighing scale to verify the result).

I’m doing the 4-minute metafit work-out since last week. (Thankful that a dear friend even made a video for me.)

Food moderation is an important factor to lose weight. I watch what I eat now. For the past two weeks I have managed to eat two cups or less of rice a day, 1 cup for lunch and another cup for dinner.

I prepare the same food for the family, including their favorite Adobo, Sinigang, fried chicken and porkchop. I eat portions of everything so I don’t starve myself as it is not healthy.

I also eat snacks in between regular meals. It is advisable to take fruits – one piece or 1 slice for snack to make you active and alert in between breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Taking two sachets of  C-lium Fibre with coffee in the morning and before dinner lessens my cravings and makes me feel full. I feel lighter too and my tummy smaller I think.

Benefits of C-Lium in the body

• C-lium Fibre works like a sponge in the digestive system as it absorbs things that aren’t healthy such as excess carbohydrates, fats, and sugars.

I’m taking two sachets everyday to ensure I get the adequate amount of daily fiber requirement. C-lium Fibre has up to 14 times more fiber than oatmeal and cereal.

• C-Lium Fibre also helps regulate blood sugar levels and manage the body’s energy-producing carbs. The psyllium husk content of C-Lium slows down the passage of digested food through the digestive system, stalling the release of sugar into your bloodstream so your pancreas has more time to keep these blood sugar levels stable.

Although my blood sugar level and cholesterol are within the normal range, it is better to maintain them by taking C-Lium everyday.

• Fiber is one of the most effective ways to lose weight without feeling deprived.

I can attest to C-Lium’s effectiveness. In just two weeks, I already lost two pounds.

Keeping up to lose more and live more

I know I have a long way to go to achieve my desired weight, but I’m slowly getting there and I’m not letting up.

I’d like to share my wonderful experience with C-Lium, I hope you do, too.

Check out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Clium to know more about C-Lium. If you are already up for the challenge log in and join http://www.clium.com.ph/losemore. The winner gets P10,000 in cash. For more updates, you can also follow their Twitter account https://twitter.com/cliumfibre.