EXACTLY 42 DAYS TODAY.....

Exactly 42 days today.

It's not easy to like a dress with no available size to fit you. So in 2007, in order to look good and feel confident about myself I went on a very strict diet with no Carbohydrates for a month. I lost weight from 162.8lbs  to 153lbs ( read my post here http://docseree.wordpress.com/) but my skin sagged that I needed to enrol in a gym and get a personal trainor just to tone down. Getting a personal trainor even added stress on my eating habits and my budget and a very stressful exercise plan that I needed to follow - doing crunches and lifts. It made me loose another 10 lbs in just a month or 2 but my clinic schedule gets in the way of my gym sessions. I immediately went on a rebound (the usual problem when dieting is involved) and was maintained on 75kgs(165lbs).

In a few days I will be turning 40, I am not getting any younger and coupled with aging is the fact that sooner or later I will have hormonal imbalance. At the age of 32, well that was 8 years ago I started experiencing knee pains. I had diffficulty going up and down the stairs, and whenever I carry something heavy during the day, at night I would experience excruciating pain on my both arms. My ortho/rehab doctor found out that I am Osteopenic and was surprised that I have it at a very young age. Fonterra supplied me with Anlene (thanks for their kindness) and Multicare showered me with Calcium Supplements (Calvit). My latest bone densitometry was normal to date. However, I would still feel occasional pain on my knees.

Early February of this year, I noticed my sister loosing weight. She was previously on Xenical and Lesofat but she never lost weight so obvious that would arouse my senses.At the time of her induction, believe me she was totally gorgeous.

In one way or another, my work also influences me. I am in an Aesthetic Clinic where all the people look good and being fat is not an excuse. How can you promote a machine that offers slimming when patients would see that you are obviously overweight? that would definitely affect your credibility. Plus the fact that I always hear this cleansing diet regimen which even though I am not interested pressures me somehow. Maybe its time that I too should loose weight and be free from all the symptoms and heartaches of being overweight.

So I messaged my sister thru FB that I wanted whatever she was taking. I started mid February. I was very quiet about it I don't want to brag that I'm on a diet because I wanted a test of results. If people notice that I'm loosing weight then its working, if not then I stop this nonsense. People's comment will be my gauge.

True, come March, exactly after 30 days on that regimen, my nurses at HCMC who only see me once or twice a week noticed the changes. My yaya also told me" Ate humahaba yung leeg mo saka may buto ka na" (she was pertaining to my clavicles ).My patients also noticed that I'm loosing weight and its flattering. I myself noticed that my denim jeans which used to be tight fitting is falling off that I needed to wear belts to secure it in place.

Surprisingly one day, Shachou's (Japanese term for President of a company) male friend visited me at Sta Lucia Healthcare Center, he just arrived from a business trip in Singapore. We last saw each other before the Valentine's day and he told me with awe "OMG! Dra. you are looking good and you lost a lot of weight. Is Koji stressing you out?" I laughed uncontrollably and told him "Well sort of.... because I lack sleep, your friend is a night person, even if he is in a different part of the world he messages me in wee hours of the morning that I have to get up and reply. I actually envy his drivers because when he is not here in the Philippines it's their rest day but for me its the opposite I receive more messages when he is not around (I was actually expecting sympathy) but then he replied "Well, the effect was good on you. I will tell Koji to do that more often..hahaha" (grrrr).

But my best measure of all is, when people at Shinagawa (not a place in Japan but the clinic where I work) noticed I'm loosing weight (very seldom that people whom you see almost everyday will notice some changes in you unless that change was really remarkable). They started asking me what am I doing because the change was so drastic. I told them I am undergoing VIORA Sessions (RF treatments we offer in our clinic) on my chin and abdomen (and I really do Darlene Abriam can attest to that) but they did not want to believe me...the situation  forced me to tell them my secret.

Honestly, this was the best weight loss regimen I have ever done which showed results immediately. I never have to deprive myself of foods that I love or do crunches. Never experienced loose stools you cannot hold and  mood swings. I lost weight on my extremities with no skin sagging. Central obesity which is indeed very stubborn will take a while but for me Shinagawa's Viora Sessions helped me loose weight on the abs and the chin.

I posted this not to brag about my weight loss or promote Anlene and Calvit or Shinagawa's Viora Treatment but to help readers be health conscious and feel good about themselves.

If you think you would benefit from my regimen then feel free to message me and I will gladly share my secret with you.

I Was Proved Wrong....

When I first heard of Shinagawa my impression was it is only for people in the upper socio-economic class. I was even shy to call their number to inquire. Thank God for the internet as I was able to access their website and check the prices. I compared it with other leading skin care clinics and their price was reasonable contrary to what I expected. 

When I was given the chance to join Shinagawa, I never had second thoughts. First, my Nihongo sensei told me that Japanese people are good employers. Second, I always believed that products from Japan are made of good quality. Third, if I want to turn my career 180 degrees, I would rather do it with people well known and expert in their field. Lastly, dermatology was my first love before I trained in OBGYN, so when one of Shinagawa's building blocks- Mr Koji Miyashita invited me to join the team I felt this is the perfect moment to mold my first love and current love into one. Something I first thought was impossible. 

When I first step foot at Shinagawa, I was welcomed by the cozy ambiance and state of the art equipments. The staff were all friendly from the doctors, nurses down to the beauty consultants. Right that very moment I knew I have found my new home and family. 

All the misconceptions that I have was slowly replaced with trust because Shinagawa proved me wrong....

If your daughter writes this good...would you not be so proud?

The feeling is happier than passing the Medical Board Exams, even greater than being accepted in a job or be trained overseas. The moment I read her works it gave me a different kind of feeling. It is both exhilarating and elating. It cannot be explained.

I still remember the most memorable Ms. Universe Pageant. It was in 1994 held here in Manila and produced the first Indian Miss Universe Winner- Ms. Sushmita Sen. I cannot forget the pageant because of the common question asked to the top 5 finalists-"What is the Essence of Being a Woman?" the following are the answers of the top 3 winners:

Miss Venezuela, Minorka Mercado: "The essence that god gave us, which is to love, because we have to give love to everyone in the universe, especially our children, and that is what we do as mothers."

Miss India, Sushmita Sen: "I think being a woman, by itself, the very fact that you're a woman, is a gift of god which we all must appreciate. The origin of a child is a mother, and is a woman, and a woman is one who shares love and who shares and shows a man what love, caring and sharing is all about. Thank you."

Miss Colombia, Carolina Gomez: "The essence of being a woman is not only femininity, but the fact of wanting to live a life, and not only that, but learning out of it, and wanting very much to let your children enjoy you as a woman, and as a mother."

The final question flooded the news immediately after the pageant. I myself find it hard to answer that question as I was only 22 and I cannot totally relate to the feeling of being a mother all I know is how to be a daughter and a friend.

The TSUNAMI CATWALK- My Two Cent's worth

After the most debated upon Question and Answer portion in the Miss Universe 2011 pageant, came Oprah Winfrey's controversial comment then here comes the Tsunami Catwalk everyone is talking about.

Tsunami walk is an elegant way of gaiting with unique swaying of the hips that results to distinctive poise bearing and attitude. Ms.Supsup admitted that the term does not originated from her but from her Colombian trainor in one of her interviews on Philippine television. News said that it is Shamcey Supsup's "Signature walk" Signature means trademark that only one person has done or can do or that the person was the first to do it. I was intrigued so I searched YOUTUBE for videos of her most famous walk. So here it is a compilation of her walk.