Quest for a Superbod: BLC Chronicles

 

I am a weight loss veteran. I have lost weight for many reasons:

(a) Vanity. I wanted to look good for the dating scene.

(b) Health. High blood was giving me neck aches and causing me to be grouchy.

(c) Money. I wanted to win a weight-loss wager with a friend

Normally I win my weight loss battles. I just let go of my weight concerns once the original motivation has gone. This time I am losing weight for Performance (athletic performance you green mind!)

I want a Superbod not because it is eye candy and picture-friendly, but because I want to swim, bike and run faster. I do not want a dumbbell-pressed, machined-crunched, creatinine-induced biceps, abdominals and pectorals that are good only for posing and preening on the beach. I want, need, seek muscles that will bring me closer to my half-ironman dream.

Biggest Loser Contest Season 2 (Battle of the Abs) was conceived out of this vision. This time, we do not only want to lose weight. We also want to encourage lean muscle mass. Muscles that actually help us perform better. The Biggest Loser is the one who has the biggest combined drop in weight and/or body fat percentage. For Season 2, I will contend with these people:

                       Natz(L)                              Jet(C)                              RJ (R)

                         Junar(L)                          Angel(C)                      Topher(R)

                       Carlo(L)                            Jan(C)                          Tracy(R)

                                           Izie                              Marga

                                   Ronald                                         Sid

 

So how am I doing in my quest to be a Superbod?

I lost a couple of pounds already. But I am really pumped up by this Sub-Rico Challenge: Beat Rico in BLC 2 and win Php500! Sorry this is for BLC 2 participants only. But you can always try to beat me vicariously. BLC bandits my cheapskate (frugal daw) friends call it. Haha. I am not yet at that income level where I can offer this to everyone! I suppose this challenge is a win-win proposition for us BLC participants. I badly need to win (or at least do well) to avoid being debt-ridden.

I have approached BLC with a three-pronged strategy. When I think BLC I see RED. Rest, Exercise and Diet. In the past I lost weight mostly by running my ass and belly off. I supplemented it with dieting, but I exercised myself to exhaustion mostly. Problem with this is that it is Pyrrhic victory – I lose weight but I burn out in the end. Burn out is also an issue I have with dieting. After feasting on oatmeal you tire out eventually.

BLC, BLC , BLC. How do I win and not burn out in the process? Just like in marathons, the key I discovered is in even pacing. I exercise hard and diet seriously, but not to the point I puke out from difficulty. Rest – physical and mental – is something I have learned to value. I have tried successive hard or long runs, but the weight scale would not budge down. I invested hours in sweating it out, but that robbed my body of the time to recover. Under duress, my body protected itself, converted to fat whatever little food I fed it, and gave me lingering muscle tightness. Stupid, counter-productive exercise. I gave myself two days of rest a week and the weight scale cooperated. Now we’re talking. The two rest days, consider them as my Galloway walk breaks ;-)

I started calorie monitoring via Daily Burn, long enough to be familiar with the calorie counts of my usual diet, and short enough for me to realize that my restricted diet is still not enough to create a calorific deficit necessary for weight loss. They say that if exercise is king, diet is the queen. True, very true. I can still change my diet and accelerate the weight loss process, but I resolved to do it the sustainable way. I substituted refined carbs like rice and bread with natural sugars and healthy fats in fruits. On training sessions I munch on monggo hopia, lotus seed mooncake, or granola bars. I feasted on fibers and vegetables to feel full. I increased my protein intake a beat. More fish, yoghurt and soya products to repair the muscles I routinely tear down as I attempt to speed up.

Five more weeks till BLC 2 finals (Mar 28). I am banking on my EQ, negative split and strong finish to claim the title. I have trimmed down enough to muster the courage to buy myself a tri-suit. I considered wearing it in Century Tuna Superbods, but propriety prevailed over me. Maybe I can don it on the Ateneo Aquathlon.

Tri-suit...a month back I wanted to lose weight simply to fit into one.

Tri-suit... I look at it now thinking of what I can be and what I hope to become:

A Superbod. Abs that slice through waters, V-shaped back that can withstand a 90-km bike ride, and quadriceps that permit a sprint with a smile to the finish line.

We Are Such Losers!

Who would have thought that a simple weight loss bet between Gerard (supacow) and I (sheerwill) would morph into a contest among 23 weight losers! We were such great losers that in a span of six weeks, the 23 of us shed a cumulative weight of 249 pounds! That is equivalent to two small female runners! It translates to an average of more than 10 lbs per contestant actually! In fact, 11 of us lost more than 10 lbs per person. The biggest loser among us lost a whopping 34 lbs or 17.1% of his body weight! Awesome!

 

BLC Contestants:  There is joy in losing :-)

Here are the weight losers in order of the magnitude of their weight loss:

 

Brian Rivera (bryanrivera)

Weigh loss:  17.1%

Biggest loser amongst us. Thirty-four unbelievable pounds! What Brian lost in weight, he gained in speed and admiration from his fellow BLC contenders and co-runners. Post-BLC, he broke the 60-minute barrier for 10K, doing 56 minutes in a hilly course. He broke the 2-hr barrier for half-marathon also in the Celebrity Run. In the Rizal Day run, he did 30kms in less than 3 hrs, just a few minutes behind Milo marathon finalists Wilnar and Chris. This guy is amazing! What is admirable about Brian's feat was that he did it the old fashioned way of diet and exercise. He ran nightly and diligently counted his calorie intake. Awesome will and discipline. Read more on how he did it here

 

Alan Verdillo (Funky)

Weight loss: 17%

Yes, 0.1% was all that separated Alan from the Biggest Loser Brian. The night before the awarding when Alan submitted himself for the final weigh-in, I thought I was already dealing with the runaway winner. Alan also did the run and diet routine, but what irks my curiosity is how he did his diet. He would eat his rice still at lunchtime and reward himself with treats like La-la crackers and Hershey's Kisses, but he watches his dinners and religiously follows his runs.

Sam Delena (runningninja)

Weight loss:  12.4%  (19 lbs)

I was surprised when Men's Health Belly-off Club Member Sam joined the BLC. He did after lost a lot of weight already. I thought maybe he wanted to remove the vestiges of Nino Muchlach chubbiness that were still left in a few areas. Or maybe The Running Ninja was simply hot in pursuit of speed so he needed to shed more pounds. Whatever the reasons were, the fact is Sam continued to astound us. I am a fan actually. Sam was proof that even the slimmer ones can still slim further.  Post-BLC, Sam who used to fade in half-marathons, finally broke the 2-hr 21k barrier! Kudos Sammy!  :-)

 

Marga Baula (margalicious)

Weight loss:  9.6%

Oh Marga, Marga! She was The BLC Babe to contend with from the start. Determined Marga took to BLC like a duck to pond  water. She watched her diet, swam and ran religiously. She was a  cute BLC trash-talker :-)  I believe the eventual top 3 winners were so threatened by Marga they all upped their BLC ante. She pulled us all up in our BLC quest. Thanks. Her weight loss was such that one pre-swim night I saw a lone lady running up Bayani Road and couldn't believe it was her. The figure I saw was way slimmer, and Marga was supposed to be swimming after that run! Wow, BLC could push people to do marvelous feats!

 

Frederick (Gab) Gabriel (dirtysanchez)
Weight loss:  8.8% (15 lbs)

Gab was also a revelation. When I first saw his final weigh-in picture (received thru email), I was astounded. Hayop-animal!  Haha. This is BLC magic at work, I told myself. Gab is also considerably faster now, doing very well at the Rizal Day run and his other LSDs. Sige, payag na ako sa moniker niyang dirtycute. Haha!

  

Gerard Cinco (supacow)

Weight loss: 8.3%  (12.4 lbs)

I was initially worried for Gerard because while we may be the original contenders, he actually lost a lot of weight training for and running Subic marathon. He was considerably trimmer at the start like Sam. But he did keep our agreement and joined. I used to cheer Gerard then that we can do sub-60 for a 10K. With him repeatedly doing sub-60s now, I guess he would be the one to cheer me up now. Pare, ang bilis mo na. Ako naman hilahin ninyo. Hehe.

 

Mike Antigua (mykolant)
Weight loss:  7.9% (12.6 lbs)

Eto pa isa na relatively 'trim' to start with, although he might be a little round at mid-section. Although running faster is not high on his agenda, BLC actually would help his fight his battle with cholesterol and allied heart concerns. Like most contestants, Mike ran and dieted, but Mike certainly colored our BLC trash-talks with witty remarks and one-liners. BLC rewarded him with slightly better run times, and improved blood  chem results. Keep going, Mike :-)

  

Ley Gripal (goodgrip)
Weight loss: 7.7% (13.5 lbs)

Ley is proof to me of Gerard's quip that "In BLC I gained friends."  Ley was one of those I got to meet and get to know better because of BLC. Ley initially tried to lose weight by carefully watching his diet, but he eventually realized that all that food reduction and deprivation were sapping out his energy to run, so he just ate sensibly, continued to run, and stayed happy. Happiness brought him to 8th place finish!

Rodel Cuaton (argonaut)
Weight loss: 7.2% (12 lbs)

Sa pagkakaalam ko, si Argo sumali ng BLC - kahit laki na nang ipinayat niya - kasi pangarap niyang talaga ay sumali sa Mossimo Body Contest. Isang insidente sa Milo San Pablo ang bumaon sa damdamin ni Rodel. Yon ay nung tawagin siya ng isang tambay na mataba. Mula noon, hinaluan na niya ng tubig ang kanyang Gatorade at panay inom na niya ng Fit & Right. Dahil malakas ang loob ni Rodel at buo ang kanyang adhikain, nakamit naman niya ang kanyang minimithing 'abs'. Pag sumali ka ng BLC Season 2, katawang pang-Mossimo ka na talaga. Mabuhay ka, Rodel!  :-)

Yan Dizon (yandizon)

Weight loss:  7%

Yan was the silent, giggly runner and BLC worker. She opted to let the scales do the talking. And the scales spoke highly of her. Yan was the second best female BLC loser. The weight loss certainly help her gain confidence to shoot for longer race distances.

 

Neil Barrios (crashnburn)

Weight loss:  6% (10.6 lbs)

Si Neil simple lang, pero rock. His weight loss regimen was measured and steady. A smart loser actually. For a while I thought he could make top 3. Neil's chubby cheeks then were transforming into thin, oval countenance.  Hehe. The eventual winners were simply BLC freaks, i mean, addicts. Neil did win his office version of BLC so big congratulations are still in order.

Rafa Hachero (rafahachero)

Weight loss:  6% (10.4 lbs)

Rafa I got to know better through BLC. For many of us BLC aspirants, the BHS was place were we do our runs and spy on the weight loss strategies and progress of others. Haha. Rafa I would often spot in the parking prior to our runs. Rafa is supposedly the BLC protege of Zinnia, along with Abby, but I believe it was Rafa's diligence in running that truly paid off. I believe he is also much faster now post-BLC.

RJ Bumanglag (x59)

Weight loss:  4.8%  (8.6 lbs)

The thing I enjoyed the most about BLC was the friendly banter and the sometimes ridiculously funny trash-talking. RJ was one of the subtle trash-talkers. Hehe. For BLC, RJ watched his diet, ran and swam more regularly. Having done SWAC 3, RJ is also planning to move on to doing an official aquathon in Ateneo. Go BLC!

Rochelle Donada (chellerd)

Weight loss: 4.4 %

I would have wished we had more interaction with Ocho but her work simply prevented that. But she was a dutiful BLC contender, enough to clinch the third place female placement. Ocho was a babe to start with. BLC enhanced that babeness of hers. Ocho, if you will join BLC Season 2, baka drop-dead, tulo-laway-kami, gorgeous ka na.  :-)

Julie Perez (dyule)

Weight loss:  4.3%

Isa pa itong si Julie simply lang dumiskarte. For BLC, Julie dutifully attended the Mizuno Run Club sessions. With her amigas, they also attacked McKinleys. The takbo.ph girls are really leveling up! I am sure she also watched her diet. Julie was happy and contented already with her weight loss achievement that she was one of the early people to do a final weigh-in (at as a BLC reward i guess, manonood rin kasi siya ng Lea Salonga concert on the BLC awarding night. hehe).

Mark Besana (markathon)

Weight loss:  3.8%  (7 lbs)

Unfortunately, I was not able to keep track of Mark's BLC progress. Last time I saw him was during the initial weigh-in. Stuff at work prevented him from the BLC activities, but he managed to squeeze out some of the excess pounds in between work and busy-ness.

Rico Villanueva (sheerwill)

Weight loss: 3.8%  (7.4 lbs)

I was supposed to win this. Heck, I am a veteran of weigh loss bets. I was hindered by two things though. One I have resolved to heal my semi-plantar fasciitiis by not running for at least 3 weeks of BLC session. Two, I decided I wanted to enjoy Singapore by eating chicken rice, biryani and chili crab. Notwithstanding these, I managed to shed some pounds by my grazing style of eating (eat less but frequently) and regular, short, intense bursts of RPM bike sessions. My swim intervals also helped. Come BLC 2, I will reclaim the BLC title from Bryan. Bwahaha!

Gail Consolacion (gail)

Weight loss: 2.7%

Gail was doing well in her weight loss regimen of diet and active running, but towards the end she opted to relax. She was report though that she did lose a couple of pounds. Thanks to Mizuno clinic and forays into McKinley hills. The hills and BLC made her a stronger runner she even beat me in the difficult Celebrity Run 10K. Go Gail! So ikaw na target ko ngayon harhar!

Eric Pasion (run4change)

Weight loss: 2.3%

Honestly, when Eric said he wanted to join, I was scared. Here comes my competitor to the BLC crown. Eric, like me, was a weight loss veteran. Like me, he had his cycles of fitness and fatness. Fired up by DVDs of Biggest Loser, Eric was off to a good start. Family activities and holidays came in the way though. Still, he managed to shed a few pounds. Eric, soon, I hope you will pick up again your weight loss program.

Cherry Bautista (chelly)

Weight loss: 2.2 %

Pio's shot of Cherry on the right shows how BLC could bring out the better, if not the best, in a woman. I have seen Cherry shed some pounds before and look more radiant. Like many of us, she also faces that regular battle of "Do I Run or Do I Slack" today? I do hope she wins most of those battles, for that inner radiance is begging to come out and be seen.  =)

Jan Blando (musang)

Weight loss: 0.3%

Yan si Jan. Na-convince kong sumali ng BLC when I spotted him in the gym. Among the BLC contestants, siya ang pinaka-mabait at pinaka-disciplined:  pag sinabing wear the same clothes for weigh in, same clothes talaga! (pero parang iba yata yung suot mong socks, hmmmnnn....)  Jan was actually at the start of a weight training program when he signed up for BLC. Even though he lost just a pound of total body weight, his body fat percentage fell dramatically while his lean mass surged. Best of all, he finally broke the 60-minute 10K barrier during the Celebrity Run. Fifty-five minutes in the toughest 10K course I've seen so far. Congrats Bro! Ako na lang i-pace mo next time. Haha.

Abby Jocson (foxstrut)

Weight loss:  No official record

Abby is founding member of Team Too Sexy For You :-)   She entered the contest under the tutelage of "personal trainer/life coach" Zinnia, but Abby ended up training with Gingerbreadman Luis instead. She wrestled with fatigue or pre-injury symptoms doing those Gingerbreadman runs. Depending on who you talk to, she was either doing too much too soon, or GBM is such a speedfreak. I take this as a golden opportunity to issue a warning to new babes out there:  running with speed demons like Luis and Pat can lead you to injury. Sorry my faster brothers, but if the girls want a lasting running career, they are better off starting with pocket monsters like RJ, Neil, Mike or yours truly  =)

James Dulalia (runman777)

Weight loss:   Flat

At the start, akala ko si James ang biggest threat sa BLC dream ko. The guy lost about 10lbs in less than 2 weeks of the weight loss campaign. He ran, ran and ran, until his iliotibial band screamed:  "Ayoko Naaaa!!!!"  In fairness to BLC, James had pre-ITBS syndrome even before the contest. Should there be another season of BLC (Season 2 actually starts on Jan 3), James will be a strong contender. Hope his ITBS fades with the start of the new year.

Well, a great deal of the BLC success lies in the support of other people. Here are some of them during the BLC awarding night. Thank you everyone =)

Thank you sponsors Mizuno, Angel Brigade, Nissan; sponsor seekers Sam, Marga and Angel, cash prize donor Pio, the photographers Brando, Pio, Marvin and Gerard, and everyone really.Thank you. Thank you.

See you all again in BLC Season 2 (The Battle of the Abs)