I Lost 22 Pounds in 1 Month!!! And Look at Those Blood Numbers!!! :)

This lechon de leche was roughly 4 kilos cleaned weight. In the past 31 days, I have managed to lose a stunning (for me) 22 pounds or roughly 10 kilos or the equivalent of 2.5 of these lechons from my six foot frame. I am now 174 pounds first thing in the morning, compared to about 196 a month ago. Don’t ask me the science, but let me say the weight loss on its own was already impressive. But it gets much better…

Yesterday morning I took measurements of certain areas of my body, and I lost a whopping 28 cm or 11 inches worth of what?! Most noticeably, I shaved 3 inches off my waist, 2 inches off my hips 1.5 inches off my chest, and 2 inches off my thighs! How wonderfully weird is that?? And oddest of all, my feet were apparently, FAT. Yes, now 22 pounds lighter, my feet are at least a good HALF SIZE or more smaller, and my shoes are flopping about. :) I tried on over 24 pairs of casual pants and business trousers in the closet, and a whopping 18 of them can be pulled off my waist with little or no effort as they are so loose. Only 6 pairs of pants can be comfortably worn, and I have a good excuse to buy a new pair or two. But it gets even better than that…

Yesterday at 7am, 31 days after I started my diet, I had my blood sucked out of me and the lab results came back in today. Imagine Marketman dancing like a crazy person in a silent unoccupied room… :) My overall cholesterol (with two medications to keep it down from a high well over 300), had dropped from 219 a month ago, to a simply unbelievable 139 (test done twice!), my HDL went up, my LDL dropped dramatically, and my triglycerides, a serious concern a month ago, dropped from a scary 229 to just 69! This somehow debunks the view I and many others held that food can only impact a small percentage of your blood numbers as 70-80% is due to hereditary concerns. Having said that, I was NOT on a normal diet, and I cannot maintain this diet for years to come, so I expect that my numbers will in fact go back up, though hopefully not to previous levels. So actually, I still buy the belief that pure diet can only bring down blood numbers by 30% or so. But I’ll take these numbers for now. I just want to run over to my cardiologist and put my results nonchalantly in front of him, waiting for the shock to be visible on his face… :)

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And all this, despite a five day trip to Cebu just days before my blood tests, where I was at meetings and social dinners out three nights where we ate very good meals and I succumbed to a stunning paella and lots of tapas that would be considered seriously off limits. I even tried making an impromptu sisig and fresh tomato pasta that turned out so well I ate several forks full, and better yet, a five pork fried rice with bagoong and green mango that included freshly made lard, bits of fried tampalen, lechon cubes, drippings from freshly roasted lechons and a sprinkling of chicharon up top! I tempted total disaster by eating an entire chocolate souffle and part of a canelle made by Artisan Chocolatier, and more recently ate some seriously fat laden Visayan tortas (I have baked nearly 100 of them in 6 different batches trying to perfect a recipe) just yesterday with a dollop of kumquat marmalade we made last week. To celebrate the Teen’s arrival from an extended trip, we baked literally over 30,000 calories worth of chocolate chip cookies, brownies, tortas and sans rival (finally getting close to a version I like) that was sitting around our dining table all day yesterday, tempting me to just lose it and splurge… And for dinner, the coup de grace, was three orders of Stevie’s Hainanese Chicken Rice and the lechon de leche you see up top (posts on all these food items coming up)!

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And while I agree it takes an incredible amount of discipline and will power to stay the course, the diet wasn’t actually as hard as I thought it would be… The photos here show some of the other meals that I consumed during the past month. The second photo up top, a bowl of sauteed mushrooms with balsamic vinegar, a bowl of fava beans with a sprinkling of jamon serrano (off-limits) and some crackers. I also had large bowls of soup, including an ulang sinigang, chicken and vegetables, shrimp sinigang, and below, some salmon with herbs in parchment paper, steamed. I think it did help that I ate at home most of the time, avoiding restaurants, and that I did cook or craft most of my own meals. I had a scale to follow prescribed weights diligently, and I did completely stay away from Diet Coke for the entire month. So let’s just say I am thrilled. And for dessert today, I had a square inch of brownie, and a taste of the sans rival. Now I want to lose another 7 pounds or so and will start the reintroduction phase of the program so that I can bring carbohydrates back into my diet and return to a semblance of “normalcy.” And why 7 more pounds? Because in Ian Fleming’s original description of James Bond he was “6 foot tall, black hair and 167 pounds (76kg)”. You gotta have a serious goal to help motivate you… HAHAHA! Maybe if I reach it, I can spring for blue colored contact lenses. HAHAHA! Whatever works, right? :)

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117 Responses

  1. MM, wow, great determimation! My hubby does not want to diet, but wants to shed some fat, so he’s doing this Tabata boxing every morning. I don’t see the difference, but he says his pants are an inch too big now.

  2. Congratulations MM! I’m awed by your determination..Stay healthy and happy “)

  3. Wow, with those exclamation points and smileys, you really sound very happy! Well I’m happy for you too, Marketman! :) Mission accomplie!

  4. I think the key to your success is the perceived level of difficulty with the diet. If it is too hard, one becomes susceptible to binge eating in secret.

    From the joke closet https://www.shoptcs.com/cjp/hvn/5.htm

    God greets Mother Teresa at the Pearly Gates. “Thou be hungry, Mother
    Teresa?” saith God. “I could eat,” Mother Teresa replies. So God opens
    a can of tuna and reaches for a chunk of rye bread and they share it.

    While eating this humble meal, Mother Teresa looks down into Hell and
    sees the inhabitants devouring huge steaks, lobsters, pheasants,
    pastries and fine wines. Curious, but deeply trusting, Mother Teresa
    remains quiet.

    The next day God again invites Mother Teresa to join him for a meal.
    Again, it is tuna and rye bread. Once again looking down, Mother Teresa
    can see the denizens of Hell enjoying caviar, champagne, lamb, truffles
    and chocolates. Still Mother Teresa says nothing.

    The following day, mealtime arrives and another can of tuna is opened.
    Mother Teresa can’t contain herself any longer. Meekly, she says: “God,
    I am grateful to be in heaven with you as a reward for the pious,
    obedient life I led. But here in heaven all I get to eat is tuna and a
    piece of rye bread and in the Other Place they eat like emperors and
    kings! Forgive me, O God, but I just don’t understand…”

    God sighs. “Let’s be honest, Mother Teresa,” he says. “For just two
    people, does it pay to cook?!”

  5. O WOW!!! I wish I have your determination!! but food is my downfall…..

  6. Congratulations, MM. What an achievement in so short a time. I also need to lose that much weight and my friend has been urging me to sign up for Dr Cohen ‘s Lifestyle program. But am not sure if I can really commit to the prescribed regimen. can you please share with us your diet program? Thanks!

  7. are you diabetic?

    sometimes when the blood sugar is extremely high (300 and above) diabetic people would look thin/lose a lot of weight just like what happened to my mom.

  8. WOW MM! Now you really should share what diet program you’re into or the name of the doctor who made your program. I think it would really help all your readers who are in dire need of professional help… like ME!

  9. Hi MM, congratulations! What a feat! Would love to know more about your diet. Please share more details…was it prescribed by a doctor or based on a particular diet book, etc. Im sure a lot of your readers (like me!) would love to shed some unwanted pounds. Looking forward to hearing from you : )

  10. congratulations mm! the last picture looks really good. and im assuming easy to do? (you used lemon, dill and?…)

  11. Congratulations! Now to the continuing challenge of keeping it off! :)

    also, your poll (butter or pure pork lard) is the toughest one yet for me. hahaha

  12. Amazing and inspiring! Congrats! I hope my hubby can do this feat and improve his numbers as well :))))
    I am salivating just looking at those prawns!

  13. MM, what diet is this? I need to lose 15 pounds plus make my blood numbers better! If it’s not the Cohen diet, what is it? 55k for a Cohen diet for 15 pounds make it very expensive on a per pound basis! Pls share!

  14. Congrats, MM for your success, especially sa results ng blood tests. Great job! Sana you can also post how you made the steamed salmon. Ang sarap ng itchura nya sa pic eh. :)

  15. Congratulations MM, I am 5 ft 9 in, been running 10k marathons the past 8 years but have yet to lose a pound consistently. Am still at a whopping 195lbs +/- 5 lbs depending on the number of days i train. I really have to combine my exercise with diet. I just can’t stop having a big meal after a run especially if I ran 10km on a sunday. My sunday lunch will surely be a feast.

  16. WOOHOOOO! You did it, MM! Totally impressed especially with the blood chem numbers! Now you’ve proven it’s not all just about vanity, it’s totally true what they say about dieting for health.

  17. I’m trying to lose weight by eating only twice a day (breakfast, a late lunch, no dinner) but after more than a month of this regimen, I only lost 2 pounds. WTF!

  18. Bravo!!! Those numbers are incredible…especially the cholesterol and triglycerides (ok, you can tell what runs in my family, heehee)!

  19. Congratulations MM! Actually when my husband saw your picture in your post where you were being interviewed by Jessica Soho he was continually bugging me to ask you how you maintained a good physique given all the food posts. I guess he would be more envious now:)

  20. Definitely time for another James Bond Beach Pose ala Marketman!Congratulations MM! Only a person with a constitution of steel could have kept his will in check! Maybe when you’ve reached you’re ideal weight we can celebrate by having another Marketmanila EB “diet edition”! :)

  21. congrats, MM!
    does that mean you’ll re-introduce Diet Coke to your diet eventually? =) and all those other fatty stuff as well, not just carbs? =)
    would love to have the fava bean and mushroom recipes.

  22. Congrats!!!! share naman your diet… i went on a healthy eating same time you started your diet. i lost 4 lbs, gained it back over the weekend, with exercise pa…. please share naman.thanks!

  23. Congratulations! You are now the biggest loser! hahaha :) And here I was, proud of the 7 lbs I lost in 2 months. hahahaha Oh well, I think I fared pretty well considering I didn’t have to undergo that crazy diet you went through. Do you jog? or do some form of exercise too?

    Wow, grabe, 22 lbs in 1 month is bizarre! I’m sitting here, shaking my head in bewilderment. I can’t imagine losing that much weight in 1 month. But wait…CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! Hahahaha

  24. What an inspiration to all those embarking on a diet plan. You are truly a great motivator. Was it the Dukan Diet?

  25. Congratulations! I knew you could do it…you were very determined to reach your goal. Keep it up…now it’s my turn to turn back the clock and be serious again. I slacked right after New Year and till my birthday celebration a couple of weeks ago and finding out that I gained a few pounds… slowly, but surely I will do it again and my cardiologist will be happy again.

  26. I am totally impressed with your self discipline and will powere in the face of countless tempting meals that I had no trouble gorging on to the detriment of my hips. I guess I will just have to impose the same self discipline necessary to lose 20 lbs.
    Maybe you can swear off Diet Coke forever…

  27. shedding the excess fat is easy. Maintaining the ideal weight requires a lot self-control and discipline.

  28. Congratulations!!! All that in a month’s time. Awesomeness!!! So now, I am hopefully looking forward for you to share a couple of things: your diet and the Visayan torta recipe. Thanks and wishing you more luck on the second phase of your diet.

  29. WOW!!! No wonder you’re one of JJ Yulo’s favorite food blogs :). I keep stumbling about you over the net MM saw you again this time in SPOT.ph, the article was, well about JJ Yulo’s Top 10 Favorite food blogs.

  30. I do strongly believe that the food we take plays a vital role on our body condition. I have had high blood pressure, and they says its hereditary. Ok fine, but since I can’t take medicines to lower the numbers (I get side effect on those pills), I went natural. Mrs. Dash and herbs for me instead of salt. And yes no coke. And away from patis and sardines (my favorites). Gosh, instantly I see the result. Sometimes just to prove to myself if its really working, I would eat fried tilapia seasoned heavily and then next day salted-peppered crabs… And guess what…zooommmm zoooom up are the numbers! Matigas kasi ang ulo..

  31. congratulations MM! I was greatly inspired by your previous posts and so I too started to cut down on my food intake. I started last feb 28. from 174 lbs, im now down to 166 lbs (ht is 5’7″) :)

  32. Congrats MM! Please let us know if you already have reached that James Bond figure :)

  33. thanks for the inspiration. i need it after 6 months of wedding preps that kept me out of my usual workouts and ultimate frisbee pickup games. this morning i tried to run a round in our office compound but i failed. i just love your posts and food in general that we have to sacrifice a bit sometimes through diet and workout to remain healthy and live long enough to attend as much foodie trips and parties as we can in this lifetime!!!

    oh btw, i just love the in between food images in this “diet” posting. haha :)) ANG KULIT! :D

  34. Congrats for staying on course! By following your blog, I feel like I was on the diet too and also lost all that weight! (of course I didn’t). 7 more pounds and we call you…James?

  35. Congratulations! Since I might not recognize you the next time I see you, you may have to greet me first! Haha!

  36. The name’s Man…Marketman! Your story was an inspiration. I’m now on a diet myself, and your success story will help me stay the (very, very difficult) course. Cheers to you!

  37. Wow, wow, wow Market Man! A big Congrats on losing 22 lbs!! That is simply amazing, and reading you journey and struggles with temptation helped keep me on track too! Keep it up Bond…err Marketman!

  38. I can almost see you grinning from ear to ear while you were writing this piece. :) I hope it will work for me too!

  39. Congratulations, MM!! Way to go. I can’t wait to have my labs done this coming Saturday. Hope all tests will have dropped, too, like yours. Although, I did not lose as much as you did…just 16 pounds..so far. 4 more pounds to go and then ease back into regular diet.

  40. Congratulations!!! You are really inspiring. Now if only I could be as disciplined as you are. I’m looking forward to your posts / recipes on the meals that you cooked for your diet.

    And talk of chocolate chip cookies? OMG! I promised that my lenten sacrifice this year would include chocolates and soft drinks… do you think you can wait 40 days before posting any pics on the choco chip cookies? Just the thought of it makes me want to go eat some asap.

  41. Congratulations Marketman! If you eat healthy and live healthy, it will definitely show in your blood works. Keep it up!

  42. Were you still taking medication to lower your cholesterol when those blood numbers were taken?

  43. WOW!! Congrats!! Losing 22 lbs. is not easy.
    Am wondering why Diet Coke had to be taken out of your diet?
    And how much exercise was involved in your diet?
    Congrats again !!

  44. congratulations…Is this cohen diet? am doing it now and I lost 14 lbs in one month but been cheating the last 2 weeks and is having a difficult time getting back on track. I was wondering if you could share some recipes with us…

  45. Wow, you deserve a billboard along Edsa! Daig mo pa si Sharon Cuneta!

    Seriously in awe of your self-discipline.

  46. ginger, I posted over a dozen of my typical meals. No recipes needed, they don’t have any oil (except pam), salt, soy sauce, patis, etc. What you see in the photo is essentially what you get…

  47. Hi Mm, i’m really intrigued about this diet… Are the meals hard to prepare? Are the ingredients easily available?

    Thanks! You’re an inspiration :)

  48. hi marketman, does this involve food-only type of diet or it comes with food supplements/ herb pill type of diet…
    I will be going back to Manila next month and would like to inquire personally how this works!
    Ive been running the entire Lion city tiwce a week for more than 5 months na, with null effects.

  49. Well done on the weight loss. Hope it stays off. A lot of it is about breaking habits. I’ve been looking at the Bittman books ( https://content.markbittman.com/node/174 ) and I have to agree with his “less meat” philosophy.

    Meanwhile, can I ask where you managed to find fava beans? I’ve been looking for them in Manila for ages, and haven’t managed to find anywhere which sells them. Found some slightly old looking lima beans outside Market Market last weekend, but that’s the closest I’ve got.

  50. Jim, most weekend markets or wet markets should have the favas or “patani” — I think I answered your question previously on another post featuring favas. I usually get ours at the FTI Taguig market on Saturdays, and last Sunday I found them at the Centris market in Quezon City. I suspect they are around, you may just be missing them. Ask for patani and you should be able to find them. sgboy, they give you vitamins and fish oil, but the vitamins were nearly identical to the multivitamins normally take. loveToeat, you can see the meals I ate in the links above. They are extremely easy to do, and are up to you, as long as you stick to the amounts of protein and vegetables specified.

  51. congratulations mm! the weight loss is impressive considering you also run a food blog. i giggled when i read your james bond hirit. haha

  52. congratulations, james bond…. i mean, mm! now it is just feasting on your favorite
    food in moderation. if you don’t feel like having lechon yet, you can send me the
    lechon via fedex….hahahah!

  53. Thanks for the information on ‘patani’ — that will definitely help when I’m looking for them. But I believe those are actually Lima Beans, rather than fava beans. I grabbed some of those from Market Market when I saw them, and for sure they’re quite similar, but fava beans (aka broad beans) are a little larger and have a nuttier flavour.

    Still looking around for favas then, which I’m guessing I’ll find in a Middle Eastern supermarket. But lima beans are a good temporary substitute!

  54. Aha. Finally tracked down fava, so I thought I’d … uh … spill the beans, in case anyone else was interested. I found dried beans at 220 pesos for a 1kg sack, and canned beans at 120 for a 400g can, both at Assad’s mini mart, on Jupiter, near Makati Avenue. I’d guess the Assad’s mothership on UN Avenue also has them.

    Cooking up a nice batch of foul medames as I write …

  55. Congratulations MarketMan! Please share me your diet program since I also would like to lose a lot of weight.

    Thanks.

  56. Hi marketman,

    Can i know what diet program you are using? Ive tried losing weight for years and even if i lost weight i’d usually gain it back which is depressing. I really want to shed pounds and keep it off for life.

    Thank you..

  57. Ina, I wrote about it in another post. Google “fat loss lab, marketmanila” and that should lead you to the right post… or click the link in the comment just above yours.

  58. Congratulations, MM! Maybe you can continue with a modified version of the diet to stay within the vicinity of those healthier numbers? I tried the South Beach Diet & lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks, & some aspects of it are similar to your diet – absolutely no sugar, hardly any carbs on the first phase. But at Phase 2 complex carbs can be added in (still no sugar, but mercifully you can use substitutes). I’ve lost 7 more lbs since going on Phase 2 (with some cheat days of reckless abandon), & don’t feel too deprived, which is a big deal for a food hedonist like me.:-) It looks like the common denominator in both diets is doing away with empty carbs. I’ve seen some people minimize their empty carb load by using coconut flour to replace some or all of the white flour in their pastries & desserts. I wonder if you’d be interested in experimenting with it? :-)

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