Diet...

As most of you probably know, a big staple for Filipinos is rice. They can't eat a meal without rice. If rice is lacking, it's a snack.

Anyway, eating white rice twice a day started taking its toll on both Karissa and I. I started having sugar swings and crashes (not very pleasant - especially when you realize that diabetes runs in the family...) and Karissa started having problems with yeast.

So we sat down with Ate Helen (who cooks all out meals) and started talking with her about some possible dietary changes. With the type of yeast Karissa has, the only option for her is to eat nothing but vegetables for a week or two and then gradually introduce other foods. I decided I might as well join her on the diet but add in some protein since that would help cure me of my sugar swings.

Ate Helen was really skeptical about the new diet but decided if we bought the vegetables, she'd cook it.

We started Tuesday (yesterday). At one point, Ate Helen had a talk with me. She thinks Karissa's the only one that should be on the diet. So anyway, she called me over and asked, "How are you liking the diet so far?"

Being the first day, I said, "It's fine. I really enjoyed the salad for lunch."

She smiled and said, "Well, I'm concerned about you being on this diet."

Me: "Oh?"

Ate Helen replied, "yah. I don't want you to lose any weight at all on this diet because right now, you're perfectly proportioned to your height. If you were to lose any weight, then it would make you look really gangly and not-so good. So make sure you eat more than just vegetables."

LOL.

Then she added, "And I don't want your dad to think I'm starving you." (Ate Helen and several of the midwives met my Dad when he came to visit Shiphrah with me and they all really liked him and don't want him to worry about me - that's one of their main concerns about the diet.)

I smiled and said, "Don't worry. He won't be concerned about me starving."

Then, to top it off, Karissa woke up sick this morning and was unable to leave her bed for a few hours. To this, Ate Helen and Ate Dina nodded knowingly and commented, "It's because of the diet. Her body's sick because it's had nothing but vegetables for 24 hours."

Haha, these ladies are great.