The Quest: Day 8

My body is thinking of all the wonderful things it wants to eat... and I'm giving it bitter green tea and wheat crackers X(

It's been 8 days since D-Day (Diet Day??) and until now, I haven't quite started yet.

The running shoes remain unused (for running at least... I used it to go to work yesterday just so they'd get some use).
My Air Climber is still dusty under a bed in the spare room.

The only thing I've succeeded in doing so far is avoiding junk food during office hours (not even for an entire day... arrrggghh!!) and stopped storing junk food at home (for how long I wonder?). I haven't stepped on a weighing scale yet to see if any of these efforts actually had an effect.

The Quest: Day 0

Last June 29, I had an epiphany and decided that I am (finally!) going on a diet.

I went hungry that day.

But aside from getting hungry, I also decided that I should start an exercise regime of some sort. Since it's the current popular sport, I chose running.

I sent an instant message to my husband that I was meeting him at the mall after work that day because I wanted to buy running shoes. Supportive guy, he didn't even ask me what I wanted it for :)

I get distracted by a lot of things when I'm at the mall, however, so it took a while before we finally got to the business of getting my running shoes. And I wanted brownies for dessert during dinner (I am... weak) so I was having second thoughts about my epiphany and was starting to lose interest in running shoes. But my husband, probably liking the thought of not having to run alone anymore, was pushing me to get the task over and done with. So with 10 minutes before closing time, I picked a pair, tried it on, and paid for it.

This is what I got:I picked one of the cheaper models of Adidas. I initially wanted to get a pricier one to force me to use it. But since at the time of purchase, I was beginning to lose my resolve, I decided not to risk future "I-told-you-so's" from my husband.

THE QUEST: It's time...

Three years, 8 months and 1 day after I got married... and 8 months 10 days after I had Andrea... I think it's time...

... to go on another diet.

YES!!! I AM GOING ON A DIET!

...

I told you, I am!!

First Nudge: May 2010, during annual physical exam.
BP = 130/80. Uh... Hmmm... ok... my usual blood pressure is only 90/70 so 130/80 is high for me. I took my blood pressure a few weeks ago and it's still 130/80.

2nd Nudge: 2 weeks ago... mom gave me a size 3? (let's keep some things secret, shall we?) pair of jeans. It fit me!! Waaaaahhh!! *faints*

3rd Nudge: Last night, stepping on the weighing scale. Arrrrggghh!! I weigh the same as I did last December. I am not losing weight!!! (Not that I'm doing anything to lose it... but I was hoping...)

*sigh*

It's been a while since I went on a diet (or exercised regularly for that matter). I can pinpoint the exact date actually... the day after I got married. I figured that since I am married, I might get pregnant anytime and will get fat anyway so I deserve a diet holiday. That diet holiday lasted 3 years. And now it's time for retribution.

How to Buy BPA-Free Anything

Since my husband's conversion to my BPA-free philosophy last Friday, we've been checking most of the plastics at home. I saw an episode of The Doctors last week (though I think it was an old episode) discussing BPA and they mentioned that one way to check if the plastic you are using is safe is to check the recycle number. I only remembered them mentioning that you should avoid products with recycle number 7.

More research yielded more information. To make sure you are buying BPA-free plastic products:

1. Check the recycle number. Avoid getting anything with recycle numbers 3, 6 or 7. Items with recycle numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 are said to be safer.
(source: http://www.ehow.com/how_2106730_buy-bpa-free-baby-bottles.html?ref=fuel)

Recycle numbers can be found inside the recycle symbol (3 arrows in the shape of a triangle) usually molded at the bottom of plastic bottles. They look like this:



For more technical information on the meaning of recycle numbers, you can check out this site that I found: http://www.earthodyssey.com/symbols.html


2. Check the label. Most BPA-free products indicate they are BPA-free in the labels.

I've been checking recycle numbers of the plastics at home and though I have 5's... most are 6's and 7's. The Starbucks water bottle I've been using for a couple of years has recycle number 7. Good thing I don't really put anything hot in it, just cold water.

Motherhood 101: Going BPA-Free

I love my husband... I do! But sometimes it takes all of my willpower not to dance around singing out "I told you so!!!"

Latest issue: BPA-free anything.

BPA, or Bisphenol-A first entered my vocabulary a few months ago during a conversation with one of my officemates who asked me if I was getting BPA-free bottles for my baby. She told me she had to order online to get these bottles abroad because at the time, they were hard to find in our part of the world. I did a little research on BPA and found out the harmful effects that some experts are attributing to BPA exposure on babies.

So what is BPA?

"Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical used to make a hard, clear plastic known as polycarbonate, which is used in many consumer products, including reusable water bottles and baby bottles. "
(source: http://www.chemicalsubstanceschimiques.gc.ca/challenge-defi/bisphenol-a_fs-fr_e.html)

Though some studies have shown that BPA has little effect on adults and children, exposure of babies up to 18 months shows increase risk of cancer and diabetes later in life, early onset of puberty, negative effects on the reproductive system, etc. Canada is working on banning baby bottles that contain BPA while several big establishments in the US (like Walmart and Toys 'R Us) will be removing them from their shelves by the end of the year, I think.

Given this information, I was still not totally convinced due to the price tag of BPA-free bottles. Until I saw these:

Playtex Ventaire Crystal Clear

Sometimes, you just have to see something you really, really like to convince you! They looked so pretty and classy! Trust me, the picture does not do these bottles justice. These really are pretty but they were a bit pricey (mall price for these here are almost double the price listed online) so my husband was dead set against it. He told me that the BPA issue is just a marketing campaign being used by manufacturers to charge high prices for their products. He told me that we were raised using the same bottles they are now banning and we turned out fine (I didn't want to raise the point that most of the people I know have complications during pregnancy). I decided to settle for these instead:

Playtex VentAire

These come at a lower price tag but with the same great user ratings, and still he said no. The "are-you-telling-me-she's-not-worth-it?" card doesn't seem to sway him this time. I planned to buy these anyway when he's not with me and let him deal with it when he sees it at home. Good thing my friend, El, said she's going to give me a set as a gift (thanks El!). I plan to buy a few other BPA-free bottles (from another brand maybe) to supplement this starter set.

Since then, I made an effort to buy baby items that are BPA-free, with my husband rolling his eyes, pouting and giving me dirty looks everytime he sees me at the check-out counter. I have learned to ignore him when I go shopping.

Last Friday was different. Friday night saw me at the babies section of the department store yet again, looking for a few items we still needed (and a few others we don't but I still wanted anyway). My husband wandered off for a while looking at other stuff and when we met up at the check-out counter, I saw that he was reading a brochure. When we got home, I saw that the brochure was from Babisil, discussing the effects of BPA. He showed it to me and asked "Hey, what if we buy this?"

Babisil Silbottle

So that was the shelf he was looking at. I just stared at him for a while, resisting my "I-told-you-so" urges.

"Did you check how much those are?", I asked because I know they cost around the same, or more, than Playtex VentAire Crystal Clear.

"Yup."

"And?"

"I like them, the look nice... and they're anti-colic, see?" (oh, so now he knows what anti-colic means... another concept I've been trying to explain to him for months!)

Sometimes, you really do just have to see something you like.

You Learn Something New Everyday

Did you know that...

...Flintstones contain the same vitamins and minerals as prescription prenatal vitamins?


I got the info from my friend Jo :)

I did a little online research and I came upon this site listing the contents of prenatal vitamins:

• 4,000 and 5,000 IU (international units) of vitamin A
• 800 and 1,000 mcg (1 mg) of folic acid
• 400 IU of vitamin D
• 200 to 300 mg of calcium
• 70 mg of vitamin C
• 1.5 mg of thiamine
• 1.6 mg of riboflavin
• 2.6 mg of pyridoxine
• 17 mg of niacinamide
• 2.2 mcg of vitamin B-12
• 10 mg of vitamin E
• 15 mg of zinc
• 30 mg of iron

I decided to check it out at the drugstore and how about that? There are different varieties of Flintstones!

I went for the one with the most pretentious-sounding contents. Flintstones Vitamins and Minerals Plus Iron. This type contains:

• 2500 I.U.Retinol Equivalent (Vitamin A)
• 400 I.U. Vitamin D3
• 15 I.U Alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
• 1.05 mg Thiamine (Vitamin B1)
• 1.20 mg Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
• 1.05 mg Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
• 4.5 mcg Hydroxocobalamin (Vitamin B12)
• 300 mcg Folic Acid
• 13.5 mg Nicotinic Acid (Niacin)
• 60 mg Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C)
• 15 mg Iron (elemental) --> wow, what's that? a game console character? hehe.

Flintstones COMPLETE (the kind I failed to buy) has 400 mcg Folic Acid per candy... uh... I mean, tablet. So that means, 2 tablets per day should give you approximately the same effect as prenatal vitamins.

NOTE: If you were prescribed prenatal vitamins by your doctor, please consult first before switching to Flintstones. I am merely talking off the top of my head. Plus, I'm biased... I like Flintstones better than boring old tablets and capsules.