Leaves Over Water

I never thought I’d actually do it. It had played in my mind plenty of times, but I didn’t think I’d get right down to it. Now I’m surprise at how much I like doing it after all.

I’ve been skipping rice for about a month now – not just reducing my intake or avoiding it only during dinner, but totally eliminating it from my meals. The final straw was when our kumare Eyna stressed that you could eat anything and still reduce your weight simply by avoiding rice, which, according to her, is the main culprit that really piles on the poundage. I’ve heard all the diet solutions there are and I guess the thought of dieting had been ingrained deeply in my mind for some time and her advice came at just the right moment because I really soaked it in good. There may or may not be some fancy science to back it up. The only thing I know is that I always felt heavy after every rice meal I took – so much so that I really had to sleep in the office after eating lunch or else I wouldn’t be able to think straight.

Besides, the timing was right. I stopped playing badminton around mid-October, loaded myself up with lots of food during the holidays, and by January was worried that my knees might give way or that I might be too sluggish in court if I start playing again because of my excessive weight. So there was the perfect solution – the only carbohydrate I need to cut is rice; anything else, such as pasta and pancit canton, is ok (of course, in moderation).

I think it worked. My stomach is not as bloated as it was after meals, and I don’t feel lethargic after eating. Plus it feels good to be taking in salads or wheat bread along with my baon, after years of gorging on rice. It’s a break from the routine, an out of the box experience for someone like me who has painfully limited food preferences. When I first started, I told myself I’d do this only for a month. But now the thought of going back to eating rice seems unpalatable already. When my boss Lorenz treated me to lunch about a week ago, I only managed to eat half a cup of rice for politeness’ sake.

Playing badminton is still my main motivation for doing this diet thing — however imperfect it may be, and even if my officemates tease me about it. I know my body best. My three hard sessions of training seem to have paid off, I’m lighter on my feet, my footwork is great, and my cardio is back to enduring the rigors of the game. I’ll take whatever unpolished road to health presents itself, all in good time.

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