DEMI Moore and Emma Stone are now so thin that those aspiring to be thinner than them must be asking, “How?”
But those who want to gain muscle are saying, “No skin and bones, please.”
There are many ways to lose weight. Diet and exercise are the most popular. Weight-loss medications and injections are not far behind for those who expect fast results.
Adopting a no-meat diet in 2021 resulted in a 25-pound weight loss. Since switching to low-carb in 2022, I’ve lost an additional 25 pounds, which I’ve been able to maintain, though I occasionally gain some back and lose it again.
Since I now know which weight-loss program works for me, it’s easier to adjust according to what my body needs. But as I have written in previous columns, the struggle is real. Five years of dieting and two years of workouts have taught me that patience is indeed a virtue. Overnight success doesn’t exist.
It’s only now that I can see my glutes forming. I wonder, though, if it’s just fat. If I do finally have them, these glutes are not my goal anyway.
The goal is good health. That’s it. And achieving that continues through diet and exercise, which have not been easy.
Since I’m back to carnivore again, let’s see if Jacks Halo Halo’s taro-ube overload will derail my journey again, as it did in March 2025, when it was among the food exhibitors at Centrio’s Big Bite. Good thing it opted to stay in Tablon, Cagayan de Oro, this time, where its cafe is located. Therefore, no Jacks Halo Halo at this year’s Big Bite. Tsk tsk.
My halo-halo obsession is essentially driven by its ube ice cream and ube halaya. Yes, why not focus only on the ube? But it can be yummier with strings attached. Thus, my favorites include ube cheesedesal, ube cake, ube cheesecake, ube muffins, ube cake roll, ube turon, ube hopia, ube candy, ube pastillas, and Fat Chef’s bilo-bilo.
With the carnivore diet consisting of fatty meat and water only, per Dr. Anthony Chaffee’s protocol, ube is definitely out of the equation.
Where do I go from here? Oh, to S&R to buy more meat.
I’m now eating less, by the way. If previously I could consume two beef patties in one meal, now it’s reduced to one patty per meal, paired with beef short ribs soup.
There’s a particular combo of food items that I crave. Aside from the beef patty and beef soup, there’s grilled liempo and grilled pork steak paired with boiled eggs. That’s it. Eating made simple.
No more carb cravings—fingers crossed, puera buyag.
My low-carb journey has been sort of like How to Train Your Dragon. I’m not referring to the movie, though—I’m a Dragon in Chinese astrology. So… I had to figure out how to train myself to become a strict carnivore dieter.
With the gym as the gym rat’s happy place, workouts are actually easier to do than following the diet.
