She said, “We should only be eating a certain amount of food talaga. Kasi talagang ang nangyayari, we are eating more than what we should be eating. Iyon yung number one mistake.”
Ina began her fitness journey back in 2001. She had just given birth to her first child and, like every new mom, she missed her prenatal figure.
Ina narrated, “I was probably 153 pounds. I was only 115 [before]. “Nung time na ‘yon yung asawa ko—or, at that time, boyfriend ko pa lang siya—he’s very into fitness. Siya yung ‘fitspiration’ ko, si Brian [Portunak]. So in-encourage niya ako mag-work out.
“E, tamang-tama, nasa condo kami no’n. May gym sa baba, so wala talaga akong excuse na hindi magwork out, diba? Nasa baba lang yung gym. So, do’n nagsimula na ‘yon.”
Ina also fixed her eating habits.
“It’s not really because you’re not working out kaya ka nagge-gain ng weight. It’s because you’re eating way too much.”
Her rules were simple: Stay educated, keep it balanced, and eat in moderation. In fact, Ina only eats around 1,200 calories per day.
“Kasi yung ideal is 1,200 to 1,400 per day or 1,500 kapag nagwu-workout ka… If you know yung mga tamang pagkain, you can eat na mabubusog ka, satisfi ed ka nang gano’n lang.
“Kasi kapag sinabi mong 1,200 calories, ang konti lang no’n di ba? Pero kaya kailangan i-educate sarili mo kung anong dapat mong kainin.
“Kasi halimbawa isang shake lang o isang smoothie lang ‘yan na akala mo harmless, kasi fruits? But it’s like, it has 400 calories. Isang meal na ‘yon. ’Tapos, hindi ka naman nabusog, di ba?
“Kumbaga parang temporary lang yung parang nabusog ka nang sandali pero nagutom ka kaagad. My number one tip talaga is to educate yourself on what to eat.” Ina’s 1,200-calorie meals are divided into six small meals.
She continued,“Well-balanced yung diet ko that even when I don’t work out, namemaintain ko yung ideal na weight na gusto ko.
“I eat six full meals, hindi yung three huge meals. So, I eat breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and then midnight snack. So, parang every three hours…
“I don’t take supplements na pampalakas, I don’t take protein shakes na pampalakas. I’d rather eat my food, I don’t wanna drink my food.
“I measure my food, so kapag rice ko isang cup lang talaga. Hindi sobra. Yung prutas ko isa cup lang per meal…
“I have to avoid sugary food. I eat vegetables. For me, para ma-maintain mo [yung ideal weight mo], you cut down on carbohydrates.”
Ina recalled a conversation she had with her driver.
“For me, para ma-maintain mo, you cut down on carbohydrates kasi talagang, example na lang yung driver ko. I think he’s been with me for 13 or 14 years?
“E, napapansin ko yung tiyan niya lumalaki. Siyempre, may concern ka sa kanila. Sabi ko, ‘Bakit lumalaki tiyan mo?’ Kasi unhealthy yun. That’s a sign of being unhealthy kapag napapansin mo na lumalaki tiyan mo.
“Napapalakas daw siya sa kanin, sa tinapay, pero hindi siya nag-uulam masyado ‘tapos hindi siya nagpapalaman. Yung mentality niya, hindi siya nagpapalaman, dinadamihan niya yung bread niya which is so wrong!
“Dapat talaga mas kumain tayo ng protein, mas kumain tayo ng fi sh, chicken breast, ‘tapos yung rice mo, one cup lang. Hindi two cups.”
That applies to both white and brown rice. But every other day, Ina would treat herself to a cheat day. She admits,
“Siyempre nagchi-cheat din ako.
“Kapag Friday, Saturday, Sunday, I still eat what I like. Pero kapag Monday to Thursday, sobrang healthy eater ako kasi siyempre, you cannot eat fried food every day, di ba? It’s fattening and it’s bad for your heart, pero once a week, when you crave, okay lang yun.
“Balanced talaga, it’s awareness, and being conscious na ‘okay, tama na ito.’ Everything in moderation…kailangan talaga matututo ka mag-’no’ na kapag sobra-sobra it’s bad for you.”
It’s not just about what you eat, but how much of it do you eat. Ina points out, “Anything na sobra-sobra, it’s not good for you. Kaya nga porke’t prutas, iisipin nila prutas naman, natural, pero kapag kumain isang bowl. You will gain weight if you do that every single day.
“So it’s really best to measure your food. You will not be hungry, you will feel good.”
