On Intermittent Fasting

Maybe you've already heard about intermittent fasting. You're trying to lose weight. You've read an article about its short term and long term health benefits.

I wanted you to know that it is not my first time to do an intermittent fast. It started out as a 12 hour fast then eventually I found myself very proud of my accomplishment for finishing a 24-hour fast. I tell you that it is definitely not easy as it is a test of willpower. But if you are occupied with something else to do, you can divert the hunger pangs and finish the 24-hour challenge successfully.

Okay. Why did I get interested in doing an intermittent fast in the first place specifically the 24 hours fast?

I was contented in doing 12-16 hours of fasting as I was adamant that if I do a 24 hour fast, I may elicit amenorrhea or absence of menstrual period because of not eating.

One day, I found myself gaining weight really fast. For a 166-centimeter medium-sized built female, I weighed 67 kilograms which by far is the highest weight that I had in my entire life. You may be wondering and might probably think "What the hell is wrong with her? She still in the normal range in the Body Mass Index!"

I know. But I hate having a heavier weight because my body tends to get lazier. And when I dance (yeah, I'm not a dancer but I enjoy dancing), I feel like my body tends to become sluggish.

Anyway, as I gained weight pretty fast (a kilogram a week), I was also having cystic pimples on my chin. I thought that it may be hormonal. There came a time that I haven't had my period for 3 months which bothered me by the way. PCOS, perhaps? And so I set my mind to do the longer fast which is the 24-hour fasting. 

Fast forward a couple of months of intermittent fasting, I could say that it was a success because I managed to lose weight and currently I'm at 62-63 kilograms. My weight doesn't yo-yo unlike before which is a good thing and I can eat anything that I want without compromising. Another bonus is that my weight keeps dropping down at least half a kilogram per week if I do it consistently. If you're asking how I did the fast, I do 24-hour fasting only once a week. I either drank coffee or water during my fasting period. Green tea? Sometimes. But I've experienced more hunger pangs when I consume it so I kept it to a bare minimum. But whatever works for you.

For those of you who have no medical background, you may wonder what is the relationship between fasting and hormones. I've read a couple of books like the Obesity Code and the Guide to Fasting by Jason Fung. It was interesting to know that certain foods can spike your insulin and how often you eat can trigger insulin release. Very high insulin can be a culprit that's why we're gaining weight. By fasting, you are helping your body restart and increase your sensitivity to insulin. Insulin is vital to our body because it is the key component in which glucose (a simple form of energy) can enter into the cells. Treatment for PCOS or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome may require an intake of Metformin which is an Oral Hypoglycemic Agent and Metformin is usually prescribed for diabetic patients specifically those who are considered type 2. And those with PCOS are usually recommended to lose weight.

If you have current medical conditions, it is better to consult your physician first as not to compromise your health. 

In everything that you do, always err with caution. Better to be safe than sorry.

Cheers!

All the best,

Sanegeal Farmhear

Nine essential amino acids

Nine essential amino acids

• histidine
• leucine
• lysine
• isoleucine
• methionine
• phenylalanine
• threonine
• valine
• tryptophan

Sweet Home

 Sweet Home

Merry Christmas to all of you!

And because I've finally registered a Netflix account after decades too late, recently I am binge watching Sweet Home which is a Korean thriller series. 

As I am still watching the sixth episode on which I am reminded of The Strain plus the Kingdom which I believe is still my most favorite horror/thriller Korean series as the writers had brilliantly mashed up a thriller, horror, historical and political series despite of it being a fictional work.

It also depicts the nature of man's potential to be good or bad when it comes to survival and how today's generation had been.

Let food be your medicine

 Let food be your medicine

As we progressed into a very fast-paced environment, in turn, we rely on the fastest and the most convenient there is when it comes to food hence the increasing number of fast-food chains. Most of the food products today are either canned or processed so as to prolong their shelf life. 

I believe in what the father of medicine, Hippocrates had famously said, ‘let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food’. But there's a catch: as long as it's unprocessed.

On Brewing Coffee and Cafe Amadeo: Pahimis Blend

On Brewing Coffee and Cafe Amadeo: Pahimis Blend

Hello to all of you!

We're still on the verge of battling the coronavirus COVID-19 and part of staying safe is staying at home, proper hand hygiene, and practicing social distancing. Wishing that you are all safe. 

If you are a coffee lover and are feeling more adventurous, you may like to venture into another coffee brand Cafe Amadeo which comes from Amadeo, Cavite. The Cafe Amadeo Pahimis blend is a combination of Arabica, Excelsa, and Robusta coffee and is a product of Amadeo's cooperative which aims to help out local coffee farmers. From the brands of coffee that I've tried so far, I would recommend the Pahimis blend as I keep coming back for more. In the past, we were used to drinking 3-in-1 coffee. But then I realized that brewing coffee is more healthier than its commercial parts. Aside from that, I found out that it provides more satisfaction in the drinking experience and you can adjust how the coffee will taste to your preference. It may look like that it costs a bit more which is somehow true if you look at it but if you have more members of the family at home who are drinking coffee, you might save a lot in the long run without compromising the quality. As of now, a kilogram of Cafe Amadeo Pahimis blend costs around 560 PHP online for a foil pack. If we add the shipping fee, it might go up to 650 PHP. In my computation, 650 divided by 30 days is 21.67 PHP/day and usually, I brew 6 cups of coffee each morning. We can consume a kilogram of coffee grounds in a month or more. 

Did you try out Cafe Amadeo's Pahimis Blend? Let me hear your thoughts.

Disclaimer: The product I mention in my blog posts are not sponsored.

7/11 Convenience Store Finds: Blue Drink at 50% off

7/11 Convenience Store Finds: Blue Drink at 50% off

If you are a fan of Blue and this brand is your favorite drink, then you're in luck! I happened to pass by the 7/11 convenience store near the Indonesian Embassy along Legaspi Street in Makati and these finds are at 50% off!

The Blue Pro is now at 19 PHP and the regular Blue is just 15 PHP!

Blue drink at 15 pesos

Blue Pro drink at 19 pesos

You're wondering why they are at 50% off. Maybe it's because these are nearing expiry date. However, surprisingly they are not. I checked the expiry date of the regular Blue drink and its expiry is September 2021.

On Lipid Profile - Trigylcerides, VLDL, LDL, HDL

If you are already working, you might have heard of the required examination conducted every year. Annual physical examination in any company would consist of a full medical examination by a physician and basic laboratory requests such as Chest-Xray, Urinalysis, Fecalysis, and a Complete Blood Count (CBC). If you are on the older adult age, the doctor may request for a lipid profile. Basically, if you are given a lipid profile you have to fast for at least 8-12 hours depending on the hospital/clinic protocol.

In the lipid profile, one might encounter the terms Triglycerides, VLDL, LDL, HDL, and many more. I will try to explain what these are from what I learned recently:

When the body cannot store any more carbohydrates specifically the liver, the liver converts these excess carbohydrates as triglycerides. Triglycerides are lipids or fats. If they get out of the liver, they roam around in the blood in the form of what is now called very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), which will then form into low density lipoprotein (LDL). High density lipoprotein (HDL) is what they call the good cholesterol.

7/11 Convenience Store Finds - Sanlo Nature's Brew Premium Instant Salabat (Ginger Brew) with Honey

 7/11 Convenience Store Finds - Sanlo Nature's Brew Premium Instant Salabat (Ginger Brew) with Honey

If you feel that your throat is starting to itch or is getting sore, you might want to remedy by drinking ginger brew (salabat). I came across Sanlo Nature's Brew Premium Instant Salabat (Ginger Brew) with Honey in an isle where you can find the 3 in 1 coffee sachets. According to the sachet, it is made from the finest harvest of Mt. Banahaw. Ingredients on it are ginger, honey and refined sugar. It has a net weight of 7.5 grams and exclusively distributed by Prominex Ventures, Inc. One sachet costs around 13 pesos. 

Directions are as follows: 

For a rich relaxing brew, pour 150 ml of hot water into cup.

Empty contents of sachet into cup.

Stir gently to dissolve mix fully.

How To: Transfer Funds to a 3rd party BPI account using your BPI Express Online

 How To: Transfer Funds to a 3rd party BPI account using your BPI Express Online

It's been more than 2 weeks now and I'm still waiting for how long it is for a third party account I've sent an application to be enrolled in BPI. I've decided to make use of their unenrolled 3rd party account fund transfer because you know... we've got to pay the bills. As you may already know, transferring of funds with your BPI account to an unenrolled 3rd party account in will cost you a fee of 10 pesos.

Surprisingly, they are currently waiving the fees due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, how will you transfer funds to a 3rd party BPI account using your BPI Express Online?

-Open your BPI Express Account in the https://online.bpi.com.ph/portalserver/onlinebanking/sign-in.

-Click the Transfer Money on the left side.

-Fill out the details: Transfer from, Transfer amount, and then tick the Transfer to 3rd party.

-Upon ticking the Transfer to 3rd party, Transfer to and Notes will appear. Fill them out.

-Upon filling out Transfer to with the Account Number you are going to do fund transfer, a drop-down will indicate "Transfer to unenrolled *Account Number here*". Tick that dropdown button.

-Transfer to will shows the account number with a check on its right side. Click Next.

-Step 2 will tell you to review the details. If you're sure, click Confirm. An OTP will be sent to your registered phone. Encode the sent OTP code.

-Step 3 will show that the transfer money was successful. It will show the details, the confirmation date and time, and the confirmation number of the transaction. If you had done a first-time fund transfer to that account, there would also be a message "Do you transfer to '*Account Number' account frequently" and below it is a link to add it to your favorites.

-You will receive a confirmation message in your registered email.

7/11 Convenience Store Finds - Breakfast Meal: Pork Tocino

 7/11 Convenience Store Finds - Breakfast Meal: Pork Tocino

Since we are still on quarantine - in fact, we were reverted back to a Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine since August 4, 2020 partly to address the heed of the medical professionals for a timeout due to the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases here in the Philippines, access to food has become inconvenient especially when you're working in a used to be a busy commercial district.

Good thing the 7/11 convenience store near my working place is still open. And when you're in a budget, I think the food here is a to-go-to. I'll be featuring foods that I'll find here and I'll start with a consistent favorite: Pork Tocino which can be bought for 60 pesos.

The Breakfast Meal Pork Tocino consists of Garlic rice, sunny-side up egg, and thinly sliced Pork Tenderloin. For the taste, it is the same as your usual tocilog meal that was a bit boiled then fried. It has a net weight of 236 grams. The label also states to heat and consume immediately upon purchase.

In Search For YouTube's Documentary Channels

Growing up, I've taken a liking to watching GMA 7's (a Philippine local network) documentary series since knowing it first hand that making documentaries takes a lot of hard work. I would stay up late in my high school/college days just to watch it every Monday or Tuesday.

With a massive shift of technology since then, I rarely watch television nowadays. Thanks to YouTube, more channels are producing documentaries not only in the Philippines. Here are some of the informative channels you might be interested:

• The Infographics Show
• SBS Dateline
• Al Jazeera English
• Journeyman Pictures

Let's Talk About:Korean Artists

How are you doing today? I hope you are all safe and sound despite COVID-19 still prevalent today.

I would like to share my favorite Korean artists and they are not in any particular order:

• J-rabbit - If You Love Me, Beautiful Life
• Damsonegongbang - Pretty Day
• Rheehab - 
• Martin Smith - Paint on Spring
• Rothy

Celeteque Sun Care Facial Moisturizer Review

Celeteque Sun Care Facial Moisturizer Review

If you're looking for a moisturizer that's light and budget friendly, I would suggest that you try out Celeteque Sun Care Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15.

This moisturizer has been in my stash and my go-to when it comes to hydration since a couple of years ago. What I like about its that when I apply it, it is light and non greasy in the face. It's hypoallergenic and it is also economical because it only costs 150 php and it takes me 1-2 months to consume a 50 ml tube. I limit washing my face twice a day.

Kitchen recipe: How To Make Pancit Canton Guisado

Hi guys! I'm back! How are you all holding up these days? The Philippines was put under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) last May 16, 2020.

My mother requested to make me cook pancit canton guisado. It is my first time to make one and it turned out good.

How to make Pancit Canton Guisado:

Ingredients:

• 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 medium sized red onion, diced
• 1/2 head of Cabbage, cut into horizontal strips
• 1/2 piece of Carrot
• Chicken bones with a bit of meat seasoned with salt and pepper and then boiled in 2/3 of water in a pan.
• Soy sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Crushed Black Pepper

How We Weep and Laugh at the Same Thing by Michel de Montaigne

How We Weep and Laugh at the Same Thing by Michel de Montaigne


Omnem crede diem tibi diluxisse supremum
Grata superviet, quae non sperabitur hora.
(Believe that each day wad the last to shine on you. If it comes, any unexpected hour will be welcome indeed.)

Jam furiet, nec post unquam revocare licebit
(The present will soon be the past, never to be recalled)

What I do to boost my immune system

What I do to boost my immune system

As we battle this COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic, what we need is an optimum level of our immune system. You may (or may not) know that viruses have no definite cure. They are self-limiting and what we can rely on is our immune system to fight them off.

As a healthcare worker, it is necessary that we do our utmost best to take care of ourselves. Even when performing CPR training, which is short for Cardio pulmonary Resuscitation, the first thing that we need to do is to see if the scene is safe. Likewise, it is the same with today's war with COVID-19. We have to be safe and healthy ourselves in order for us to help others. Aside from the proper donning out and removal of personal protective equipment, here are some of the precautions that I take:

1. Handwashing. This is first and foremost the most essential of all. Though it is usually said in the news that 20 seconds would suffice, I'd rather do the 40-60 seconds of handwashing with soap and water. Any soap will do whether it is an antibacterial soap or not. Handrub, on the other hand, which can be pretty self-explanatory is the use of 70% ethyl or isopropyl alcohol where you rub your hands together until they are dry. I noticed that when people use alcohol, they would just rub their hands for a mere 2-3 seconds. Hand rub should last for 20-30 seconds until dry. It is recommended to do a handrub when soap and water is not available. What alcohol do is to kill off the germs in your hands but it won't take away the dirt.

2. Proper cough etiquette. Sometimes, we can't help but sneeze or cough. So as not to spread it to others, we should use a handkerchief or better yet a disposable tissue when we sneeze or cough. If you have nothing on hand, your upper sleeve can be an option. Never use your hands and always remember to wash your hands after.

3. Get the proper amount of sleep. But of course, different strokes for different folks. An infant need a lot of sleep compared to an elderly. If it isn't necessary, please refrain from sleeping late at night. We need to get a sufficient amount of sleep because this is the time when our body recuperates. Avoid caffeinated foods or drinks. Make it a habit to set a consistent time for sleeping and waking up. I thought that it was our circadian rhythm that would be broken if we do not set a time for sleeping but in the book that I am currently reading, Why We Sleep by I learned that everytime we forego sleep, we are increasing the level of what we call sleep pressure. Circadian rhythm is consistent regardless. That is why we get jetlagged when we go another country with a different timezone. If the level of our sleep pressure is too much, that's when we feel sleepy.

4. Drink a lot of fluids preferably water. I would like to emphasize about 2 to 3 liters of water if it is not much for you. Water cleans and moistens your throat. Water also detoxifies your body.

5. Sip some hot soup/broth. If I am  feeling sick or feel that I might be sick, I consume hot beverages and soups. I avoid dairy

 products for the mean time.

6. Take 1000 mg of vitamin C. Let's face it: we can't consume a lot of Vitamin C through food. That is why supplements are there to help us fill up deficiencies and that's why they are only supplementary. Don't be frightened if you think that 1000 mg of Vitamin C is a huge amount. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin. Any excess will go into your urine.

I would like to put on a disclaimer beforehand that the things I recommended is based on my own experience: on what I know and what worked for me. Everyone is different. I hope that if not all, some of these tips will work for you too. Take care and keep safe everyone!

Home Quarantine Newest Craze: Dalgona Coffee

Home Quarantine Newest Craze: Dalgona Coffee

Now that we are still waiting for the end of the quarantine period which will hopefully be after April 14, 2020, all of us can't wait for this COVID-19 pandemic to be over. I'm sure by now you might have heard of the newest trending craze: Dalgona Coffee. People had been video logging about this and I had joined the bandwagon because of my sister who had made it first. Her end product was very much tempting and I got envious so together with my brother, we each made one for ourselves!

If you want to do this and try it out for yourself, all you need to have is powdered coffee, sugar, ice cubes and fresh milk.

In a Dalgona Coffee basic recipe, you mix 2 tablespoons of coffee (but I put in mine 3! :-P) and 2 tablespoons of sugar with a bit of hot/room temperature of water. You mix it with a spoon, fork or mixer. You're lucky if you have a hand mixer 'cause it will take a short amount of time until it becomes frothy/foamy. I did it using a spoon while watching Netflix and the change in the mixture approximately took about 20-30 minutes.

Then you put ice cubes in a transparent mug or glass. Pour in the fresh milk until about 3/4 of your glass. Next, carefully put the mixture on top of the milk. Assemble to make it more a bit aesthetically appealing and then you can take your shot of your very own Dalgona Coffee!

To be honest, I was surprised that it was so good that I felt the coffee that I made was comparable those made in a cafe/coffee shop. It was exhausting to mix the coffee but let me tell you that it was all worth it.

Day 16

Day 16 of the Enhanced Community Quarantine

Philippines on Enhanced Community Quarantine

It has been four days since the Philippines' President Duterte had ordered an enhanced community quarantine because of the Coronavirus. Mass transportation are suspended and only private vehicles are allowed to pass through checkpoints provided the passengers are part of the exempted group like those working in the hospital, supermarkets, service industries (electricity, water, etc), media, etc. Everyone is expected to stay at home in order to reduce the number of infections.

How are you holding up people of the Philippines? I hope you're all safe and sound.

How to: Remove Induction Pan Stucked to an Induction Cooker

Hello there guys! How are you today?

I had another AHA! moment and so I thought of sharing what happened today.

We were boiling the oxtail tripe for Kare-kare when we ran out of gas. Fortunately, we were able to purchase an induction cooker before so we used it instead.

One thing that I've learned the hard way is to never leave your induction cooker if you're cooking something. It makes sense because an induction cooker cooks faster than your traditional gas stove. I delegated the cooking to my mom but she then left it in the lowest settings. What we didn't know was that the pot had overflown and when I checked it out, the pot was stuck in the induction cooker.

And so I thought: how can I remove the induction pan stuck in the induction cooker? I wasn't able to take a picture but imagine lifting the pan and you will also see that the induction cooker is also lifted. That's how it's very much stucked to each other.

I immediately thought of not using utensils to separate the pan because it could damage the induction cooker. Then I thought that the fluid from the boiled oxtail tripe was sticky and it burnt on the edges of the pan. Why not that I try to use water?

Of course you have to unplug first the appliance when you do this so that there won't be a possibility of being electrocuted.

After unplugging, put a bit of room temperature water around the area of the pot and try scrubbing it with your finger just to dilute the stickiness. Use a dry cloth and carefully wipe it off.

I did this and thought that the problem might be solved. However, it didn't.

Then I thought of something that made me a little nervous. I put some water around the area and plugged the appliance. I turned the induction cooker on and waited for about 2-3 seconds (the water that I added underneath the pan was bubbling) before trying to lift again the pan. Hopefully, it worked!

Tech Tip: How to Connect Your Smart TV to an Amplifier

Happy New Year to all!

Today I'm a bit giddy and eager to share to all of you on what I found out just a while ago since I haven't found an easy way to connect our smart tv to an amplifier in the cyberspace.

What we have now is a Promac Amplifier that was given to us since my aunt relocated in the province. We have a Devant Smart TV at home and I got curious if I could connect this to the said amplifier.

Promac Stereo Karaoke Power Amplifier

The instructional diagram in the amplifier manual is a bit understandable. However, in the diagram I will still need an external audio/video player. It's a bummer because I don't have any.

Promac diagramatic manual

And so here comes my Google search.

From what I read based on feedbacks, it is necessary that you have to assess the available sockets in your smart tv and compare it those in the amplifier.

For the smart tv I noticed that there is a headset socket and so I'm thinking that I might need a 3.5 mm jack cable (for those who are not familiar, this is the other end part opposite of your earphones/headset).

I've also read that I might need a digital to analog converter. 

Amplifiers usually have what they call an RCA cable output. You might have encountered this type of cable that has a yellow, white and red cables attached to each other and another set of these 3 colors at the other end.

My mind was set to buy a digital to analog converter at first at Handyman but good thing it wasn't available and instead I was able to find a 3.5 mm jack with 2 sockets at each end which only costs around less than 50 php. I thought maybe I could plug the red and white portion of the other end of the cable which was attached to the amplifier. If my experiment fails, I could try to find and buy that converter.

I went home ecstatic to try and test my hypothesis. Fortunately, it worked! Yay!!