three ways to eat and yet still be slim and healthy

Tired is my physical and mental state. Disappointment is my reflection on my time management skills. I have decided to put everything down, and post this long-due entry.

After three months in Shanghai, I have put on much weight, and the fats build-up is visible (yes it is sad). The food is fantastic, because much oil has been used to make it so good. Anyway, it is time to be focused on my get-into-shape plans. There are three good ones that I could consider. These tips are from a beauty magazine I bought in Shanghai – it is an irony, I know.

Get-into-shape Plan #1: Only eat rice, vegetables (steamed, boiled or raw) and fruits (except bananas). Do not put salt in your food, drink water/juices/oolong tea. Never drink coffee.

Why rice? It helps to reduce water retention. In addition, this rice-plan works well because you will not feel hungry as easily and rice contains fibre for good bowel movement.

Get-into-shape Plan #2: No food after 5pm, well, at most an apple. To be ensure that you can still get a good night sleep (without grumbling noises from the stomach), eat a little portion of rice with vegetables (non-oily).

I have tried this couple of times and I can see a visible flatter tummy. It is amazing, and I definitely felt good about it. However, for beginners, it is adviced that you carry out this plan on alternate nights so that you will not suffer from gastric or stomach discomfort.

Get-into-shape Plan #3: Only after every five hours, take small meals with lots of vegetables (non-oily). Do not take seafood and chemically-treated food products. This plan would also gives you a better complexion through detoxification.

This plan sounds simple, but it means you must resist from snacking in school or office. This is again a test of determination.

Girls and guys, stand up, breathe in, tuck in that tummy, if you cannot tuck it in (just like myself), let’s take on one of the get-into-shape plans.

The healthier-unhealthy food – Part 3

This is my weakest link – dipping lots of condiment with my fast food.

Whenever I eat McDonald’s, I will have at least three different condiment to go along. I will have curry sauce, chilli sauce and mayonnaise.

(source: stockxpert)

I do know that it is very unhealthy, but here is a consolation. There is another condiment that contains more fat, and that is tartar sauce!

Now, the next two contestants are mayonnaise and tartar sauce.

Tartar sauce is actually mayonnaise blended with finely chopped pickled cucumber, capers, onions (or chives) and fresh parsley. That’s why it has more calories than mayonnaise. Therefore, per tablespoon, mayonnaise has half the fat of tartar sauce.

I feel less guilt when I consume mayonnaise now. Thanks to Simply Her magazine for this great research. 🙂

*Updates*

A fellow blogger, amandaiscooking asked a great question about how would tartar contain more fat when the ingredients do not have fat content. With careful examination, the ingredients do contain calories, to a small contributing amount, I must say.

Here are some links to the nutrition facts of the main ingredients that go into the mayonnaise, which makes it the “unhealthier” tartar sauce:

1. pickled cucumbers
2. onion
3. capers

The healthier-unhealthy food – Part 1

I have always thought that french fries is an unhealthy choice of snack, because it is deep-fried. However, if you compare french fries to potato chips, the former may likely give you less calories.

  (source: stockxpert)

Why is that so?

For the same serving size, french fries contain roughly half the fat and calories, and a bit more fibre, than potato chips. Due to its higher water content, fries also fill you up faster than chips.

Chips are easier to pop into the mouth so there is a high chance you will end up eating more chips than fries, even though the calorie content of the two are comparable.

Intrigued?

There are many more such comparisons, such as honey and maple syrup. For the next few days, I will be posting these various comparisons.

These information are found on Simply Her magazine, March 2008 issue. This is a great and useful information which allows us to choose wisely amongst the not-so-healthy food!

Catch me as I roll out these food fight among the unhealthy food!

Answers to weight-watch, dieting and slimming down

A fellow blogger has great answers for some of the most burning questions which most of us are concern about:

1. Which foods should I eat pre-and post-workout?

2. Should I count calories, fat or carbs if I’m watching my weight?

3. What’s the biggest dieting mistake?

4. How can I quickly slim down?

Find your answers here!

Eat breakfast to stay thin & healthy

In the midst of our busy schedules, we often miss the most important thing in our daily lives – breakfast. I am very guilty of this because I am often in a rush to leave home in the morning, thus I will forgo my breakfast.

However, I believe everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal for our day.  Beside the usual saying that breakfast provides you with energy for the first part of your day, there is an added reason to eat breakfast now.

I read a post by librarian2008’s and found the link to the MedHeadlines on “Breakfast-eating Teens Thinner, Healthier“. 

The report is on teens and adolescents who eat breakfast every day are less likely to become overweight or obese in the near future and they typically lead a more active, healthier lifestyle than their peers who skip breakfast, according to the latest research published by Project EAT. Researchers followed the dietary habits and lifestyles of 2,200 adolescents for five years to identify any possible link between body weight change and breakfast. The study was conducted by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health’s Project Eating Among Teens (EAT).

The Project EAT study, titled “Breakfast Eating and Weight Change in a 5-Year Prospective Analysis of Adolescents: Project EAT,” started five years ago when study participants were adolescents. Now in their teens, those who ate breakfast daily are thinner and have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those that frequently skipped breakfast. BMI is a measurement used to determine risk of obesity.

Many people think skipping breakfast is an effective way to limit calories but the opposite is actually true, according to Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, Project EAT’s principal investigator. Skipping breakfast leads to overeating later in the day, especially in the evenings.

This is a reminder to myself to take my breakfast everyday. If you are really in a rush of time, grab two slices of wholemeal bread and eat them along the way. There are many ways to it. It is all up to us, really.

Alcohol – is it fat, protein or carbohydrate?

Alcohol is not fat, protein or carbohydrate. It is yet another source of energy but not nutrients in any form.

“Alcohol supplies seven calories per gram, about halfway between fats and protein/carbohyrates. It is processed by the liver and turned into fat for storage,” says Barbara Ravage, author of Guide to Weight Loss.

Now, you know where beer bellies come from. 

I should limit my alcohol intake now.

Eat an Egg today – easy way to be slim, smart and healthy!

Cook yourself an egg today.

Get Mum to cook an egg for you today.

Buy an egg from the food stall today.  

Here are some good egg-news!

#1 news: Egg helps in WEIGHT LOSS!

In a randomized trial of 160 overweight people who were placed on breakfast of either eggs or bagels with the same amount of restricted calorie diet, the egg eaters lost almost twice as much weight – 2.5 kilograms in comparison with the average 1.5 kilograms lost by participants who had bagels for breakfast.

New menu for my breakfast:Monday: hard-boiled eggs ~ Tuesday: scrambled eggs ~ Wednesday: half-boild eggs ~ Thursday: omelette ~ Friday: sunny-side up ~ Saturday: fried egg ~ Sunday: Any style

#2 news: Egg boost your brain function and health

Eggs contain choline, a key component of many fat-containing structures in cell membranes, whose flexibility and integrity depend on adequate supplies of choline. Two fat-like molecules in the brain, phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, account for an unusually high percentage of the brain’s total mass, so choline is particularly important for brain function and health. Two large eggs will suffice for slightly less than half our daily intake. Either that or you will have to settle with beef liver, dried soy beans and wheat germ for similar benefit.

Sorry, but I will go for eggs. Beef liver sounds too exotic for me. Wheat germ is too raw for me too. I do not mind dried soy beans, but I think I love eggs more.

 #3 news: Egg love your eyes

Eggs can protect against eye problems like Age-related Macular Degeneration (an eye disease that involves the degenerative process of the macula or central retina) and cataracts since it contains Lutein (a kind of carotenoid), in even higher doeses than some green vegetables like spinach. Lutein is well known for strengthening eyesight, guarding against cataracts and in preventing Age-related Macular Degeneration. To maximise your lutein absorption, combine both eggs and spinach in your cooking for a complete iron meal.

This is double happiness to me because I love egg and spinach. I did not know that when both are combined, they bring such great benefits and goodness.

#4 news: Egg prevents blood clots

Eggs can lower the risk of a heart attack or stroke by helping to prevent blood clots. This is according to a study in Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, which proved that the proteins in egg yolk are high inhibitors of human platelet aggregation. Platelets exist to help blood clot when we fall or cut ourselves, so that we don’t suffer from excessive bleeding; but they can form dangerous blood clots when clumped along a scaffold called Fibrin. The anti-clotting egg yolk proteins inhibits this clot formation.

This sounds serious. It makes more sense for our elderly in the family to take more eggs now.

Go ahead and eat more eggs… 

Studies have shown that consuming eggs do not significantly affect cholesterol levels in most individuals.  Eating eggs may even improve in blood lipids.

The information are sourced from an unbelievable free health and beauty magazine, ezyhealth&beauty. It is a great publication containing much more useful information that I could share about.

If you are in Singapore, go to Guardian pharmacy stores, you would be able to grab one for free. If you did not make any purchase, smile brightly at the cashier, I am sure you will still be able to get one copy.

Lose weight without dieting

I am whiny. I whine about everything. The top whine hit would be “I want to lose weight”.

I usually go on diet (for a few days) and jog more often only if any of the following scenarios happens:

Scenario 1: When I have problem zipping up my jeans

Scenario 2: When my tummy shows under my favourite fitting top

Scenario 3: When my friends comment that I have put on weight

Secnario 4: When I look at my old photos and see how slim I used to be

If you got the drift, I only diet for a few days – it is random and unsystematic. And of course, I don’t see any results. However, Melissa Clark totally save me out of this misery. She tells us how we could eat what we like and still shed some weight.  I would highly recommend her podcast on The Skinny on The Skinny, hosted by Ann Landi on WiredBerries.  I have pulled out some wonderful tips from the podcast.

 

Tip #1: Eat what you like – go ahead and eat it. If you want that cookie, go for it. Instead of having a rice cake, then yet another rice cake. Yes, I don’t think I will feel satisfied with rice cake too!

Tip #2: Eat it in moderation. If you wish to have a piece of chocolate cake, take a small proportion, cut a slice from the cake.

Okay, I promise I will be good and just stop at one slice.

Tip #3: Eat more fruit and vegetable. When you have your piece of chocolate cake, have some salad on the side!

I think this is easy, I could see this as a balancing rule.

Tip #4: Be in the moment when you are eating. Do you really want to eat the food in front of you? Be in touch with your hunger verses your appetite. Eat only when you are hungry.

This is an issue for me – I am constantly hungry, I think there is a greedy food monster in me.

Tip #5: Hunger or thristy? You may think you are hunger, but you are just thristy. Have a big glass of water/tea with milk and honey will be satisfying enough. It satisfy your hunger, thrist, and it also brings comfort.

Tip #6: Take a moment to look at your food. Savour the food and eat slowly… Besides being able to enjoy the food more, you will eat less because you are eating slower. Melissa said our bodies takes about 20 minutes to realize we are eating something. When you are eating something slowly, you will realized you are full before you finish your food! Do not finish all your food if you are already full.

Well, another issue for me – I hate to waste food so I will usually finish up my food even when I am already full.

Tip #7: Eat from a small plate. People who eat food from a smaller plate will be satisfied too, and tend to eat less, because we are customed to finish all that is served on our plate! Do not use a huge plate and place little cake on it, because (visually) it creates a lot of absence, and you will not feel satisfied after the meal.

I think this one makes a lot of sense and I will start eating on small plates! (I meant plate, what is the point of replacing a huge plate with three small plates!)

Tip #8: Eat like you shop. When people are shopping, you will think about your purchase first, you take your time, and appreciate the purchase, you don’t just grab the boots and pay it without considering it. So, eat like you shop, the next time you see a cupcake, resist from popping it right into your mouth.

Not difficult right?

Alright, I am determined to try the tips out. I will review this post in a month’s time. I am aiming to lose at least 3kg!

Ways to look slimmer!

Read the listed situations below, are you facing similar situations now? Answer “yes” or “no” in your mind.

1. I am fighting against time to lose that 5kg

2. I wish to get rid of the flabby tummy but nothing works (because food and chocolates are more important, to me at least)

3.  I am giving up on dieting

4. I wish to look slimmer without going through hunger or exercise

If you say “yes” to any of the above, read on. If not, still read on, you never know when you need it!  

Here comes another blogger, beautytipsandtricks with a fantastic post on Tips on Looking Slimmer, which I must share with all of you. Here are some of the tips shared.

Tip #1. Pulling your hair up and away from your shoulders will peel away pounds. Try sweeping your hair into a high ponytail and you’ll be surprised at how much slimmer your face looks.

Tip #2. Not only are vertical- and pin-stripes slimming, but asymmetrical stripes such as miter stripe blouses and tunics also work. They have a lengthening effect on your upper body.

Tip #3. Wear a shear loose blouse

Tip #4. If you worry about your waistline, try some jeans or pants that sit low on your hips, as they will slenderize your trouble spot. Slacks that have a waist that hit just below your navel will make your midriff seem longer and slimmer.

Visit Tips on Looking Slimmer for more tips.

 Please share if you have other “looking slimmer” tips. I need more of such tips! 🙂

How does calories turn into fat

Sometimes I deceive myself that I can eat another piece of fried chicken because I will be able to burn the calories by moving around more, walking faster, jumping a little here and there.

Does calories really get burn off so easily?

If you are guilty of what I confessed, listen up now… here comes the facts (source: CLEO 2007 February issue).

 Fact #1: Even when you exercise while eating, you are still gaining calories. (This is really sad!)

Fact #2: It takes at least 20 minutes of exercising before the fat reserves are reaches and start to burn.

Fact #3: Think twice before walking into Ben and Jerry’s because eating one scoope of ice cream would need three hours of walking!

Fact #4: Always keep a bottle of water in your bag, or on your desk, so that you would switch to drinking water than snacking away.

I need to hit the gym again and soon! All my calories are over liberated – they turn into fat easily, and that is because I failed to burn them off. If burning is taken plainly, just pass me a light, I will get the job done. I wish.