I was reading a yahoo article about losing weight yesterday..
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/seeking-thinspiration---claire-s-story--.html
I was attracted to it because i am currently on a weight loss project and i hope to learn more from others.. Basically, the article did not mention in detail how she managed to lose weight healthily, but more about what she did wrong at first which i think it will be super helpful to teenagers whom dont feel good about their physical attributes.
As for me, i just want to shed some weight to ease my back pain and also to prepare for my next B project. With my current weight, there is no doubt that i will be 100kg if im pregnant now. I need to stay healthy to be able to take care of my children and family next time. Although it meant that i will prob have my next baby next year or later, but no energy, bad health would meant that i cannot work hard enough to support my children's living expenses too. However, if i keep a healthy body and mind, even if im 40 years old, i have the energy to take on more tasks and remain positive.
I went to my GP and discussed with her about my weight and my back pain and after hearing her advises, i set my mind to go through the weight loss project.
I did the same think back in 2003, when i was over 90kg with a waist line of 40inches and within a year, i lost about 30kg and wearing a top shop size 10-12. I realise that my main prob with weight gain is FOOD INTAKE. But that time, it was easy to lose weight because i was young and active.
Almost 10 years later, after 2 pregnancies, my stamina lost, my energy level dropped and i start to neglect my food intake habits, so the weight gained was SCARRYYY... I start to have very painful backaches to the extend that it hurts even when i cough.
I started my project about 3 weeks ago. With some medicine prescribe by the doctor to push start and exercise, not forgetting the healthy eating habits.. I managed to lose weight bit by bit every week.
I was on NO CARB diet at first, and i have to admit, my body cannot take it. At first, i was very sad that i cannot go on no carb and i keep pushing myself until one night, i did some reflections and looked back at my goals - HEALTHY BODY. So i told myself, everyone's body is different, i can go on LOW carb instead of NO carb even if it meant that i would take a longer time to reach my goal. Ultimately, its healthy body which i am going after, not so much on the physical appearance.
So 2nd week, i continued with my exercise routine -
1. At least 20 -30 mins each time i exercise
2. 3-5 times a week (by doc), but due to work and time constrain, im on twice a week but i will make use of household chores like cleaning the house as an exercise routine.. Meaning, i will vacuum and mop the floor without taking breaks for a straight 20 mins and i do it in a fast motion and i was perspiring like mad after 20mins, just like a normal workout in the gym.
3. Go slow for 20mins or fast for 20 mins - the results are the same. (by doc) Therefore, i go at my pace, a pace which will not make me feel uncomfortable after exercise and my body can handle due to my backache. It may be very stressful having another person beside ur tread mil and jogging faster than u.. But heck, i always remind myself that I COME HERE FOR MYSELF, NOT FOR U TO COMMENT. With this in mind, i felt that im alone in the gym! :)
As for food intake, i keep to these rules
1. BREAKFAST IS A MUST (7-9am) but of coz no ba chor mee or bak kut teh... I normally take soupy food like fish ball soup or fish soup. Only wholemeal bread, no WHITE bread. Remember, most "white" food (i call it), like white flour, white sugar, white rice should be avoided because its high in carbo. Egg, on the other hand have super low carbo in whichever manner u have it, but u also have to take note of the oil u are using to cook the egg.
2. No food after 8pm.
3. At least 8 cups of water everyday.
When i was on NO carbo at first, it was very painful for me.. this cannot , that cannot.. but hey! we are in Singapore u know... lol!! I know that my white food intake was very high in the past, so "white" food is one of the confirm NONO for me.
I still take veges, fruits and meat even thou fruits and vege have carbo in them.. but HEALTHY HEALTHY HEALTHY is what i am going towards plus, i do within my body limits (i dont want to faint on my way to the market).. lol.. When cooking, less oil is very impt too. We go to my ILs' place twice a week and it would not be nice if i dont eat anything my MIL cooks. No rice, but i will eat veges, meat and drink tons of soup (cantonese style). She always insist i eat rice, but i stand firmly to my rules. (btw, u can eat about 1-2 table spoons of rice if needed)
I need to take fruits to make sure i got good bowel routines because i tend to get very heaty due to the weather in Singapore. Water helps me in the bowel routines too!
I eat mac too! The chicken salad, filet burger without the bread is ok too! Not easy for a start, but determination makes a great difference u know?
Some stuff i learnt recently:
- Understand ur body - Know what causes ur weight gain. Some are inherited, some are due to imbalance diet etc. As for me, its the food i put into my mouth :(
- Consult a doctor for assistance and advises. I try not to go on diet without asking someone who knows because we tend to try EVERYTHING that seemed to work on others and along the way, we might harm our pockets and body.
- Do what u think u can. Dont over exert but dont be lazy too, u dont want to get turned off with exercising just because u did it wrongly the first time.
- There is no SOP for diet plan, no one size fits all. U have plans in mind and also gathered thoughts thru reading and research but u should look back at ur plan and adjust accordingly as and when u think something's not right.
- Diet might be tough because u are not used to saying no to some ur favourite food or u might have to spend time in the gym than in front of ur tv. But it should be a happy thing, diet should not make u feel lethagic or restless. In fact, after routine exercises, you should feel more refreshed and more stamina to complete ur tasks.
- Give urself a treat once in a while but remember to give and take. If im craving for lor mee, i will take it during lunch, and only take half portion instead. Then for dinner, i will take more soup and meat instead of fruits and vege, just to make sure my diet for the day is kept at a good level.
I post this to remind myself and others who might be trying too hard to diet, that, we should do whatever within our means. Over doing might give a negative effect. If choc bar makes u happy, understand the food label first, take a bite instead of a bar? Give and take and still stay happy is what i always tell myself.
Good luck!
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