Author: Din Bautista

Hello! Welcoming you to my life through words and photos. My name is Din Real Bautista. I am proud full-time Homemaker. Most of the time, I am busy raising a kind-hearted and strong human being named Monica together with the most amazing husband, Beejay. The rest of my time, I am making sure my life is better outside social media.

Hey, 2020

I promise to blog more this 2020. I know this is what I want and all I need is consistency. And a lot of authenticity. <3

I officially entered the “mommy blogging world” in 2019 – worked with amazing brands, partnered with different online stores, became visible in events, and so much more. Getting too excited seemed underrated, I was actually over the moon at first. To be really honest, I was blinded with likes, follows, invites. Sa totoo lang, iba talaga ang feeling especially for a stay-at-home mommy like me, going to events was and still is a treat, moreso if you have tokens or payments to take home. But things are not as pretty as it seems.

When I realized what I got myself into, napagod ako. Wuw ang feeling ko naman, to think I only have more or less 2700 Instagram followers. Haha. I feel like ang arte ko to think about all these but it is what it is. I guess napagod lang ako with how it works — I felt like I was always at the mercy of others para lang magka-event or PR kits. I hated that feeling. Especially if you’re made to feel less about yourself for not having XX number of followers. I know I can always choose not to mind but it’s just not right.

But then again, I go back to why I really want to be in this world – I want to share snippets and stories of my motherhood life. I want to tell stories of the products that helped me. I want to be part of a community that speaks the same language as me. And to be completely honest, I want to consider this as a type of work, where my capabilities are needed, my inputs are valued. I want to gain from this blogging world, experience and monetary combined. #SaTrueLang

So, after a few weeks of thinking and deliberating with and by myself haha; I think I already know what I need to do. My my mantra this 2020 is: Stay and slay, but never get swayed away. šŸ™‚ I repeat…

Stay and slay, but never get swayed away


I will continue what I do but this time I’ll be very careful and be more mindful. I will post because I truly believe and not just because I am asked to do so. I will be okay not to be included or considered. I will not second-guess myself and I will not think ill of others. Hard, but pretty doable.

Another thing I will do is, to focus on how I can improve my craft – how to take more interesting photos, you know not just my face, or our face haha. I want more story in every photo, may it be personal or branded content. I want myself to be someone I will never get tired of following. So help me Lord. Hehe. I hope to also learn how to communicate better, thru writing or talking or even thru simple body language.

I don’t want to get involved with senseless chismisan anymore as it drained me last year. I don’t want to be near people who has nothing good to say about others. I want to be with people who can help me grow as a person, as a Mother, and as a Content Creator.

I also promise to write and contribute more for Smart Parenting – it is after all the one that paved the way and I will be forever grateful.

Lastly, I’ll do my best to always go back to my grounding words whenever I would feel eaten by the system again.

Mark 8:36

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

That’s it pansit. Till my next entry, uhmm maybe next week? WISH! Hahaha

DIN

Din Bautista20 Comments

Katherine’s Cafe: Cuppy Hour Launch

Do you crave for ME time? Do you want time out from the daily chaos that is motherhood? Do you want to look and feel like a dalaga and just chill with your friends? OF COURSE WE ALL DO.

Admit it, motherhood is really the most beautiful thing but it is also the most exhausting, most draining one. And we need a break, otherwise, we have a tendency to break — break someone or something. LOL.

Good thing Katherine’s Cafe is launching their #CUPPYHOUR today! It’s perfect for those who want to just have coffee and have a fantastic time either alone or with a friend.

You may avail of the High Tea for only Php 499, with some light and dainty yet filling pastries and refillable coffee or tea. This will surely make your afternoon homey. Check this out every Mondays thru Fridays, 2-5PM at Katherine’s Cafe Glorietta and Ayala Vertis North. <3

Din BautistaLeave a comment

4D Gummy: Play. Create. Eat.

Gummies itself are awesome, both for kids and kids at heart. So imagine if you can be playful, be creative, be imaginative using the gummies and eat them after? Amazing right? Thatā€™s why we loveĀ @4DGummyPH!

Monica always squeals with delight whenever I hand her 4D blocks and 4D fruits. She gets really excited to play with the gummies. One time sheā€™s building a school, the next sheā€™s building an ambulance. Endless possibilities! What a simple but fun way to develop imagination and creativity! Bonus is that, she can eat them after! What a joy!!

Din BautistaLeave a comment

Monica as Blippi for Halloween 2019

Blippi has been Monica’s next most favorite human being (next to us) for the past two years. He has been instrumental as to why Monica has developed love for construction vehicles and fire trucks. Lol. At first I didn’t understand why Monica got so hooked but because of the countless times I have seen him sing and dance, I finally understood why. So safe to say, Beej and I love Blippi as well!

We never thought of dressing up Monica as Blippi for Halloween but when my good momma friend shared that she got a Blippi costume, I immediately asked if I can borrow even just for photoshoot. She generously said yes and it made Monica the happiest! THANKS ANGGE!!! Labyuuuuu <3

Little Blippi with the favorite, Excavator!

But wait there’s more! This Blippi costume prompted Beej to follow his dream of becoming…… BLIPPI as well. HAHAHAHAHAHA. He DIYed the cap and bought polo, suspenders, jeans, and glasses. Wahahahhaa. SULIT!

The LEGIT twins. HAY. Hahahaha

Ang kulet! But I love! <3

Din BautistaLeave a comment

MisisLinis Professional Cleaning Services: Honest Review

Ang Linis na Pasado kay Misis.

That’s exactly what I had in mind during the whole time that the cleaners from MisisLinis were general cleaning our humble unit. Our home never felt cleaner until they came. No kidding.

We have a small place, only 27sqm with balcony and one bedroom, BUT we have plenty of stuff because hello, Monica. I clean everyday but I have to admit not as thorough. We don’t have a helper so my daily routine is just make the bed, pack-away toys, sweep and wipe floor. That’s it. I clean the CR every week. But I never reached for the high areas, never really dusted corners, organized shelves and cabinets. I just don’t have time because for one, I am looking after a clingy kid so there’s no chance for me to really deep clean every now and then.

So when I learned about MisisLinis (thru Seyrah my friend) and they offered their services, I said yes right away! That time, I really just needed help to clean the whole place. I was like, “okay let me try, no harm trying it out anyway.” My priorities to be cleaned are the bathroom and the fridge plus I want our mattress to experience shampooing and steaming.

They arrived in our unit early and with a very light and positive aura. They sent three cleaners, Ate Len, Ate Honey, and Ate Rowena – all gave me a smile. If you know me, you’ll understand why a smile is important. It just makes things better. Anyhow, aside from their smiles, they brought A LOT OF CLEANING TOOLS. I was like, “hala ate lahat yan panlinis???” They said, “yes po ma’am, kumpleto po kami!” She was not kidding because from the Gruenheim machine up to the timba, they have. YES. They have their own pail which shocked me for real. Only because I never experienced this from the other professional cleaners I have worked with.

    I let them eat first so they’ll have energy plus it’s around 1PM and they haven’t eaten yet. I gave food and asked questions that they willingly answered.

    And so the work has begun. Ate Len was assigned to deep clean the room, Ate Honey was tasked to sanitize and clean the kitchen, and Ate Rowena scrubbed the bathroom while Monica and I stayed in the living room with all the other stuff. I observed how they cleaned and I was pretty amazed on how busisi they all were. Ate Len vacuumed and cleaned everything in the room. She even wiped all the books of Monica – something other cleaners probably forgot to do. She even wiped and vacuumed the blinds which again, others didn’t do. It felt like all dirt has been removed and things got brighter after. Soon after she’s done in the room, she started shampooing the mattress.

    While Ate Len was busy transforming our room, Ate Honey was doing magic in the kitchen. Never, as in never did we experience a cleaner removing everything on the top shelf and cleaning it. For the first time in 4 years, the surface was dusted! She even organized the cupboards and disinfected everything. After that, she defrosted and cleaned the fridge as well.

    And then Ate Rowena was also doing great in the bathroom especially organizing the cabinets inside. Again, something others have not done yet, not even myself. Lol. The whole CR was steamed, all moist and molds have been removed and brushed off.

    I have experienced a lot of professional cleaners in the past and while I am satisfied with their work, I never thought I could be more satisfied. Thanks to MisisLinis, it just set a new standard in cleaning – at least in my case. It’s been a few days and our floor still feels so clean and our unit feels new, imagine that? I am not even exaggerating!

    You can watch them in action in my IG stories here.

    Here are the things I specifically love about them:

    1. Easy to talk to management
    2. Polite, happy, and efficient cleaners
    3. No time limit. Beat that!
    4. I was told that when it’s a general cleaning service, they usually send in 3 cleaners to thoroughly do the job.
    5. They organize.
    6. I felt relaxed and not worried that they are not cleaning properly, hence, I got time to sit and rest a bit with Monica.
    7. Complete cleaning materials. As in. They only asked for a replacement of trash bag. That’s it.
    8. Our unit felt really clean and sanitized after. šŸ™‚
    9. Their rates are competitive with the type of service that they offer.
    10. I can go on and on but all I want to say is: I AM A VERY SATISFIED MISIS! <3

    So to all momshies like me or even those who just want to go home to a clean house, check out MisisLinis and see for yourself. I vouch for them and if they fail your expectations, let me know. Well feeling ko hindi talaga ako mapapahiya. Such a life saver for a yayaless momma like me! Be a happy misis and avail MisisLinis!

    PS: These are their rates but I strongly suggest you get in touch with them so they can give you a proper quotation.

    MISIS LINIS: 09230834738 ā€¢ misislinisph@gmail.com ā€¢ IG @misislinis

    XO,

    Din

    Din BautistaLeave a comment

    Bye Lamok? Buy Bug-A-Bye!

    This news I read from Smart Parenting yesterday made me really panic, “DOH Declares a National Dengue Epidemic After Cases Reach Over 146,000.” Who wouldn’t? Sobrang nakaka-panic ‘to. Last week lang dinala namin si Monica sa ER kasi 3 days na on-off lagnat nya and kahit hindi ako yung tipo na praning, napraning talaga ako kaya sugod kami sa ER and we did some tests on her. Thank God it was just a bacterial infection and hindi Dengue.

    I really despise mosquito bites. Kahit hindi Dengue season, super kaaway ko ang lamok. Nag-mana yata sa akin si Monica, mabilis kagatin ng lamok, and worse, nagsusugat agad sa kanya kaya hate na hate ko ang lamok.

    We tried a lot of brands, types, name it. From the sticky lotion to the spray ones. Nothing really worked until I tried Bug-A-Bye from Faith Hope Love Skin Food. So happy that finally, an insect repellent that is really effective, safe, and affordable. I’ve been meaning to share one of my #trustedbrands for a long time now pero hindi ko nagagawa. Maybe this is the right time kasi nga, Dengue season is real and we cannot afford to be complacent. If we need to spray every 2 hours, why not? I’d rather do that than be sorry later.

    What makes this Bug-A-Bye a winner? “It is a combination of citronella, lemongrass and peppermint essential oils. The mix of their scent are potent enough to deter harmful insects, most especially mosquitoes! Become worry-free with this product’s effectiveness and the absence of harsh chemicals. This is DEET free, and as faithful to our policy, organic, vegan, non-GMO and cruelty-free. ” Oh diba, bongga. Safe talaga sya. And I swear, the smell is not too strong! I’d say safe talaga sya because Monica has a sensitive skin pero hindi nagrereact kahit na super spray ako sa kanya. I spray it on her body, even dab a little on her face. If you don’t want to spray on the body, you can just do it sa clothes or even sa mga bag and it will work just the same. That’s how sure I am and I say this will all confidence because it worked for us. The only times that Monica got insect bites were the days na nakalimutan ko mag-spray. Mommybrain!

    Image from FaithHopeLoveSkinFood Instagram
    500ml – Php 740
    100ml – Php 185
    50ml – Php 100

    Aminin, as a parent, pinaka-ayaw natin yung may sakit ang bagets. Simpleng lagnat or sipon/ubo nga lang, nasstress na tayo eh. Pano pa kung Dengue? We all know it can be fatal so we really have to act on it. Iniisip ko pa lang na macoconfine, naku naiiyak na’ko. I am sure you feel the same way.

    Pero syempre, let us not all rely lang sa mga insect repellent. We still need to make sure na hindi mabubuhay ang mga lamok at all. What to do? We can read more about DOH’s initiative: “4S STRATEGY“.

    I hope you learn something from this. Kaya natin to mga momsh. We hate lamok and we have to be stronger than them. Wag tayo pasakop! Hahaha.

    Watch out for my give away on IG because sharing is caring! <3

    Love,

    Mommy Din

    Din Bautista2 Comments

    Parenting Tips and Tricks

    Wow big words. Let me just put a disclaimer onset – I am, in NO way, an expert in parenting. I only have 3 years of solid experience plus I don’t think anyone can be called an expert because parenting is a life-long hit and miss. Always a work-in-progress.

    So when Dette Zulueta, founder of @millennialmomsph, asked me to be one of the mommies who will share for the MMPH segment in #MommyMundoWorld3, I got so excited and nervous. Like, anong sasabihin ko diba? Aside sa shy type ako, hindi ko sure if may maii-share ba akong worthwhile. Haha.

    I, together with Dette, Ley, Doc Gellina, and Kalai, wholeheartedly shared our tips and tricks about parenting. Such an honor to share the stage with all of them!

    Photo Credit to: Alfie Saniel

    So here’s what I talked about:

    PARENTING HACK I SWEAR BY:

    I answered just one but there’s actually two I want to share:

    CHILL. Relax momma! Chill lang momshies. Hehe. I know it’s easier said than done and I don’t think moms can really chill, but hey, we need to breathe, too. Motherhood is already chaotic, will it help kung lagi tayong stressed?

    What I meant by chill is, let’s try not to over-worry or over-think. Pero syempre, if being an “OA Mom” does not stress you out, that’s completely fine. On the other hand, if thinking too much about, let’s say the food that your kid should eat, the toys your kids should play, etc, brings out the monster in you, then time to pause and think. Time to chill. Are you the type who can’t let go? Like palagi kang nakabantay sa anak mo? I am not. Are you the type na palaging punas sa katawan at kamay? Or sanitizer every minute? Or linis every hour? Haha. I am definitely not like that. Simply because, it stresses me out. And when I am stressed, it’s gonna be worse than the effect of Monica eating dirt. Lol.

    Plus a mom has already 100000 things on her plate each day, so we deserve to have a breather every now and then. If have to check on every little thing, mabubuang tayo. Remember, our child needs a happy mom the most. <3

    WAIT FOR YOUR CHILD, STILL, CHILL. FOLLOWING THE LEAD OF YOUR CHILD. I always keep in mind that I should follow her interests and not mine, wait for her time and not get pressured. Follow what she wants and not what I want. Haha. Hindi ba obvious that all I want is to chill? šŸ˜› What do I mean by this?

    I mean, just stay put and let your child be a child, a baby. Don’t rush things. They are only little once and it won’t help if we will insist things to happen our way. Iba-iba naman ang bata. Hindi porkeā€™t nangyari sa anak ng kaibigan natin at a certain age, ganon rin ang anak natin. Syempre wala namang bata ang parehas. Like my story on Potty Training . I just waited for Monica to be ready and then when it happened, it’s better than what I expected. Normal lang naman na umasa of course, pero what I find not helping is, if we pressure ourselves and our kids just so we can say that we are on time or even ahead. Stress yun.

    Another story I wanna share is, yung pagsusulat ni Monica. I actually felt she’s a bit late in writing. After all, hindi naman sya super galing kumain and hindi rin BLW so I know hirap sya how to hold a pencil or crayon and doodle. I thought oh no, late sya. But then I didnā€™t let that thought get into me. And hello, 3years old lang sya. Hindi naman pwedeng hindi sya matututong magsulat lol. So I waited. Few weeks ago, she started showing interests in doodling so I just gave her materials so she can practice. One day, I witnessed her drawing a person, not the stick version like what I do haha! With eyes, nose, etc. Imagine my surprise and happiness! I thought to myself, had I forced her to write, I wouldn’t probably feel that delighted and she would not have enjoyed the process as much as she did.

    I swear and stand by my hack: Just chill. Parenthood is chaotic and messy, but it is also beautiful so let’s all enjoy it. <3

    CHALLENGES I FACE AS A PARENT

    Every day is a challenge to be a better mother. There are days when you just wish you are not one. That’s true. No matter how much I love being a mother, there are still days that I wish I am still my old self. But then reality kicks in and I am a mom who is privileged to raise a kid.

    In my 3 years as a parent, with no helper and no relatives nearby, I have encountered countless challenges already. Feeding Monica, putting her to sleep, cleaning the house, sickness, and many more. Those are valid ones and it really happens every day.

    But there’s one thing I consider the most challenging. How to toughen up Monica. I guess all parents want all things beautiful for their child. Who does not want the best life, right? While I see nothing wrong with that, I think it’s a potential downside in the future. In the video clip below, I explained how we, as parents, only want good things for our children. Pero syempre, we cannot always do things for them. Even if we want to make things easy and simple for them para hindi sila mahirapan, we can’t and we shouldn’t do it. Otherwise we are not helping them at all.

    https://www.facebook.com/Mommy-Din-2551228561767723/?modal=admin_todo_tour

    In this generation, it’s a challenge for us parents to make sure we raise strong and kind individuals. After all, sila ang mahihirapan pag wala na tayo diba? And I don’t want Monica to be sheltered. I don’t want things all easy for her. She won’t learn from it. If that is not challenging enough, ewan ko na lang.

    Do we share the same thoughts? šŸ™‚

    Hope you learn something from this. Super thank you to the amazing #MommyMundo team for coming up with events like this. Truly #TheUltimateMomResourceDestination <3

    SPECIAL MENTION TO MY FRIENDS WHO CAME AND SUPPORTED, EVEN DOCUMENTED OUR TALK – Shella, Akira, Seyrah, Alfie, Vianne, Miles, Cherry in spirit, Irene, Iam, and Lara, and the whole mommy community who cheered us on!!! Love you all!!!!! <3 #NAKS

    Din BautistaLeave a comment

    Happy 3rd Birthday Monica

    #DearMonica

    Happy 3rd birthday anak!

    Celebrating you today and everyday as youā€™ve been a constant source of joy and pride to your daddy and I. Forever you will be, remember that.

    Itā€™s been three years of being with you 24/7. I guess I have taught you a lot of things but you have no idea how much Iā€™ve changed because of what I learned from you.

    You taught me how to do multiple things all at once and even though I get tired often, I get things done. All because of you. Because you are the reminder that I have to go on.

    I know I lose my cool often and sometimes I forget that you are just a child but youā€™ve never shown me remorse, instead, you still cling to me and look at me as if I am the only one you need.

    Anak, they say I make motherhood look so easy, but they donā€™t know itā€™s all you who makes it look and feel that way.ā™„ļø

    Daddy and I love you so much anak.

    Love,
    Mommy

    Din BautistaLeave a comment

    Hassle-free Potty Training

    Found this image online. Credits to the owner! mastergolflivestream.com

    Monica got potty-trained overnight. Well almost. For real.

    Ever since Monica turned 2, I’ve been hearing comments saying that “oh naka-diaper pa rin ba sya? 2yo na ah. Dapat hindi na.” To which I will always answer with “Okay lang, ayoko mastress kami parehas.” My mom was one of those who kept on insisting that 2-year-olds should be potty trained already. I get it, she meant well for sure. Haha. But lagi ko sinasabi kay Mommy na antayin ko na lang maging ready si Monica.

    Back in the day, kids get potty-trained pretty early just so they can save on diapers. Ngayon, because of Lazada sale (LOL), hindi namin issue ang Pampers. I’d rather spend than get stressed everyday. #SaTrueLang haha. You all know that we don’t have a helper nor yaya, Beej works almost the whole day, so that only means na ako lahat maglilinis at maglalaba kung ma-wiwi or ma-poops si Monica sa bed or floor diba? In short, I don’t like another chore. Ang convenient ng diaper, especially Pampers, very hiyang si Monica dun, bakit ako magdadagdag ng sakit ng ulo ko diba? Haha. I know my temper, it might get in the way and ma-trauma si Monica. Haha. So I stood firm and did not let the comments pressure me to train her.

    So I just kept on waiting, I would tell her ā€œOh let mommy know if you want to wiwi okay?ā€ or ā€œSo hereā€™s where we pee and poopā€ but never really taught nor trained her. In my mind I know she will do it when she’s ready. Then the morning of April 19, Monica woke up not wanting to wear her diaper anymore. She immediately asked me to remove it and peed in the toilet. Sheā€™s 2 years and 9 months then. All of a sudden, sheā€™s almost fully potty trained and it was me whoā€™s left shocked and not ready. As in ako ang hindi ready. I was like, huh are you sure? Nakuu baka magkalat sa bed.

    That day, we went to a party and I insisted to put a nappy on. She agreed though hesitant. While she was playing, dancing, she went to me and said she wants to pee. I told her she can pee in her diaper. She said “No mommy, I want to pee in the toilet,” OMG. Okay so I brought her to the toilet and she peed. The night came and I was still worried she will pee in bed so I had to put another nappy. The next day, she woke up with a dry nappy, no trace of pee and then she went to the bathroom and peed in her potty trainer (a gift given by my mom looooong time ago).

    That’s the second day, totally diaper-free the whole day. On the 3rd day, I bravely decided not to put on diapers. She peed in bed around 12mn – I was like, okay not so bad. Not bad at all. On the fourth day, she said she wanted to poop and there she went, pooped in the toilet!

    That day I decided to bring her to the mall, just the two of us. I wanted to see how it will go kung wala syang diaper. I brought a nappy with me in case need arises. Haha. So in the middle of fitting clothes, window shopping, twice sya nagsabi na maiihi sya. Yun ang stressful part – yung feel na feel mo na magsukat at bumili pero kailangan nyo maghanap ng CR! Kaloka. Pero to cut it short, it was a success! Whew. Good job anak!

    Then for two weeks, I will wake up around 12:00-12:30 am just so I can bring her to the toilet. For two weeks, there’s a hit and miss and that’s normal. Puyat nga lang ako but then after two weeks of her being nappy-free, she learned how to control her bladder, it got more stabilized as days passed by.

    So what did I do? NOTHING. See, wala akong ginawa, I just waited for her to be ready. That’s it. She did it all on her own. She even goes to her potty trainer and pee, she will wash her hands after, and wear her panty – again, sya lang mag-isa without me teaching her.

    What makes me so happy is that we didnā€™t have to be stressed about it. We didnā€™t even have to buy fancy potty-training tools to entice her. If I wanted it my way, I could have forced her and that will probably leave her traumatized or worse, will hold her pee and thatā€™s not okay! It really pays to wait for your child when he or she will be ready. Kids have their own pace and we all should consider and respect that. It will save us some stress and trouble.

    I cannot stress enough how important it is to wait for the kids to be ready. They know better and if we do it that way, it will be easier. It will also make them confident and feel that they have autonomy over their body and their feelings. Who would want to be forced anyway, right? I have nothing against parents who want to potty-train early ā€“ thatā€™s perfectly okay. Itā€™s just that, in our case, the other way worked just fine.

    Here are the things that we’ve been doing now that she’s nappy-free already:

    1. I time her liquid intake, usually she will pee after an hour (at least on the first weeks). So I make sure I time it and remind her if she wants to pee. Normally I do this but at times, she will tell me when she wants to pee or poo. Nowadays, she can control her bladder already and pee every 3-4hrs, except pag nag-buko juice! Haha
    2. At first, I joined her in peeing and made the pee sound. But now when she wants to go to the CR on her own, I let her. I just remind her to be careful especially when floor is wet.
    3. I affirm her, I validate her actions. Her face lights up when I do that. Itā€™s such a feat for them and they deserve such recognition!
    4. Try going out without a nappy on, it will test the both of you. Don’t be scared. I swear. Only then you will both know what to do next. We traveled to and from Batangas via bus, without nappy on. Imagine my stress but then again, I trusted her and pull it through. No wiwi accidents! Hahaha

    To this day, June 14, almost 3 months of zero diaper, and I can say things are so much better. We only had less than 10 accidents total and it’s all because we let Monica take her own sweet time. <3

    What is your potty-training story? I hope our story helps! šŸ™‚

    Love,

    Mommy Din

    Din Bautista1 Comment

    I lost 9kgs in 2 months. How?


    Those who have known me from way back would attest that I have always been in the heavy side, I was never slim. And I was fine with that, used to it perhaps. It’s genetics and I always blame it to my big bones. Lol. That’s okay because growing up, I was never made feel that it was bad. My mom and dad would even tell me, ‘hindi bagay sa’yo ang payat,” And I believed

    (Adulthood and) Motherhood happened. I was at 64kg before getting pregnant – probably my heaviest at that time. I barely fit in my clothes and I remember not feeling so right. So when I got preggers, I knew I should watch my diet and weight gain. While I know that eating is important to grow the baby inside my tummy, I made sure not to over indulge. It was successful as I only gained more or less 6-8kgs (because of the vomitting and all). I was at 72kgs full term.

    Gave birth and as expected, losyang ang peg. Haha. Hindi naman ako artista at hindi rin ako blessed with slim figure so nganga. :-p Again, it was fine. Breastfeeding will make me lose weight, sabi ng 7/10 na nanay. I believed them. I ate everything I wanted only because LAGI AKONG GUTOM. Every after breastfeeding gutom ako agad. My weight was stuck at 66kgs. I was okay with that plus Beej has always been reassuring that it doesn’t matter even if I am chubbier. What a husband. Haha

    For almost 2.5 years, my weight has always been 66kgs. Nasanay na lang ako, again I can always reason out na I am breastfeeding. Pero syempre lumalaki na si Monica, she would only feed for comfort and not because she’s hungry.

    Around March 2019, I weighed in and to my surprise, I reached 69 – 69 kgs!!!!!!! Whaaaaat? I can’t believe it (well, kain ako nang kain so not impossible haha). I cannot accept it. I told myself I will start my diet once I am done breastfeeding but that moment I said, I HAVE TO DO THIS NOW. Thankfully, I talked to my mommy friend Jen who proved that the KETO DIET worked for her. Same story with another mommy friend, Iam.

    I told Beejay that it’s about time I focus on myself – he agreed and supported me. I ordered Keto meals from @ketogenicmanila (Php 2750) for two weeks. I was semi-strict because I still cheat on weekends. My weight dropped to 66kgs after 2weeks. I tried another one, @deardietph (Php 2250) and my weight stabilized at 65. So so happy! I got used to eating lowcarbs. I also did intermittent fasting, meaning I fast for 16hrs then eat within the 8hrs window time. Fasting meaning, I only drink water in those 16hrs – nothing else. No calorie intake at all.

    Here’s how I lost 9kgs (dami kong intro sa taas hahaha).

    Disclaimer: JUST BECAUSE IT WORKED FOR ME, DOES NOT MEAN IT WILL WORK MAGICALLY FOR YOU AS WELL. ALSO, I DON’T RECOMMEND THIS TO BREASTFEEDING MAMAS (2YRS OLD AND BELOW) OR TO SOMEONE WITH HEALTH CONDITION. Please patis, wag ako i-quote. K? šŸ™‚

    1. After 3 weeks of ordering and eating Keto plan meals, I decided to just create my own meal plan and do Intermittent Fasting. I was off to a good start as my weight went down to 65kgs already.
    2. I would ALWAYS ALWAYS check the label – check carbs content either in the nutritional facts or in Google. I seriously learned to check everything first. The key here is to be mindful of what I put in my mouth. For you to lose weight, you only have to consume less than 20g of carbs daily.
    3. I gave up on rice, bread, pasta, chips, sweets. Sad? Not really. Before I would eat one pack (or two) chips every single day – I would tell myself na reward ko yun kasi nakapaglinis nako at napatulog ko na ang bata. While watching Netflix, chips galore si Momshie. Ayun, tumaba haha. Imagine, a pack of chips has 13-17g of carbs! Imagine that. A small cadbury yata, like 3 squares have 10g of carbs. And 1/3 cup of rice has 13g of carbs agad. SO DO THE MATH. This way I got really conscious of what I eat. It helped me a lot.
    4. Wala ba akong cheat day? I do! But in moderation. Ayoko naman maging KJ for life. Konti na lang as in. And we seldom eat out na. Hahaha. Panay Samgyup na lang, syempre meat yun eh. Haha.
    5. What do I eat and what time do I eat? On a regular day, I will break my fast or start eating around 9-10am. I would eat pork chop or bacon or omelet, black coffee with Stevia natural. Then I will eat around 3pm na ulit, anything meat. I don’t care about the calories, as long as carbs content is not high. Be careful with fruit diet, madaming fruits mataas sa Carbs especially banana and kamote, so ingat lang. Akala natin diet na tayo kasi fruits pero mataas content so wit na. Last meal would be around 4pm. Tapos na kain ko nyan. Paano si Monica? I feed her regular food syempre. Hindi sya kasali sa diet anoba. Hahaha. Si Beej naman, support sakin, does not eat dinner at home na. Nagpapayat na rin. Hahaha

    Do not ever start this if you are not 200% ready, otherwise you’ll just burn yourself with soooo many excuses and the beautiful effect of Low Carb + Intermittent Fasting won’t work. It worked for me, for real. My weight plateaued on the 3rd month to 59-60kgs. Maybe because I am now in the normal level of my weight, my BMI is now at 23ish from 27. But I am keeping this lifestyle. It’s very doable and to be honest, my milk supply was not affected at all. Yahoooo.

    I am all for body positivism, but feeling so heavy did not make me feel happy – I was always moody, I get really sad when clothes don’t fit and at times I would look in the mirror and say “ang taba ko!” Monica would hear it and that’s what I don’t want. I want my daughter to grow up confident and happy with her body, so I have to start modeling it for her. I wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of my amazing husband. Ayun, mas malaki na pinayat sa’kin, competitive eh! HAHA. Love you baby.

    So there. I am really happy and a lot has been asking me about this already so here you go. <3

    I hope you get inspired with this. Let me know okay? You can like, comment, and share if you think this will be helpful <3

    Love,

    MommyDin

    Din Bautista8 Comments