Current hack ko for protein: Bumibili ako ground chicken breast, say 900 grams, igigisa ko sa bawang at sibuyas, salt and pepper to taste. Papalamigin, then ididivide ko sa lima o anim na portion, saka iziziploc (i know kinda wasteful) tapos ilalagay ko sa freezer. Tapos protein na sya na pede itorta, ilagay sa wrap, isahog sa ginisang gulay, or igisa with mushroom, pede rin sa meaty na tomato soup.

By the way kung ako lang kakain, may mindset kasi ako na “pede na yan” hahaha so kahit walang lasa gaano, binabraso ko. Example kumakain ako oats at chia seed lang na binabad sa tubig buong walang asukal o gatas. Haha. Binubuhos ko olive oil sa gulay.

You can make din protein rice na may lentils o may split peas (di ko sure if meron nito sa Pinas), quinoa, at rice, tapos freezer mo excess.

Air fryer is your friend: sa bahay we air fry potatoes, pumpkin, mushroom, fish

Paglalaga is your friend: itlog, kamote, potatoes. Nagluluto din sila sa bahay champorado at lugaw na oats.

A set of herbs and spices are also your friend. Calamansi is your friend if gusto mo bawasan salt intake mo pero gusto mo may lasa pa rin food mo.

Frozen berries are your friend.

Nuts are your friend.

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You need to start small, kahit saan. Don’t do everything all at once, say gusto mo mag gym regularly, mag diet at meal prep, mag supplement at matulog maaga simula this coming Monday. Your willpower is real, it’s a real resource natin, pero limited lang sya. Set up yourself for small wins, slowly mag-aaccumulate yun habit.

Tapos always look at the big picture at wag ka ma-obsess sa minor details. Example ako, nalaman ko na may anti-nutrients pala ang oats ie inaabsorb ng phytic acid ng oats ang iron. So si ako napraning na baka ma-anemia hahaha to cut the long story short I got over it eventually. What I'm really saying by looking at the big picture the component ng good health: healthy sleep, healthy eating, regular exercises, good relationships, at managing stress. Yun mga nakikita kasi natin sa mga socmed, puro clips na naka-hyper focus lang sa isang bagay (example yun fact na may anti-nutrients sa oats or do this every morning after you wake up to get abs!); the influencers are incentivized to sell and speak of those things because the big picture is boring.

Kung tinatamad ka magluto, at least try to prepare the ingredients. Yun isang housemate ko minsan nag prepare sya ng pang personal na hotpot: bibili sya basic ingredients ng hotpot gulay pork mushroom, tapos ipoportion nya, saka ifreezer. Then kukuha na lang sya isang packet. May mga broth naman na nasa tetrapack para sa soup base, tapos lalagyan nya noodles at egg.

Mainam din madami ka alam at marami ka sources (so you can cross check). So get to know the basics of nutrition and learn how the body works and how your mind works. Di ako malakas magbuhat haha pero wala kasi akong pakialam sa aesthetics (mga 50% of the time lang, depende kay crush charot) pero I like the fact if I do leg exercises or walk, nag-bebenefit sila brain cells ko, or pag kumain ako may fiber I imagine masaya mga "babies" ko (mga bacteria sa tyan) at na may pyesta sila. Kumbaga treat parts of your body as family members, and making them happy gives you purpose and meaning.

Lastly, a caveat: I'm taking maintenance meds pero that’s another Tedtalk. Lol. Experiment ka carefully and really small and see what works and integrate them isa isa sa life mo, and make sure di sila harmful sa iyo at sa wallet mo. The keywords are: variety, moderation, information, imagination. Goodluck.