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Back On Track

3 May

Now that the month of April is over for all the birthday celebrations, I am back on track to continue with the 16/8 diet to achieve my target goal weight. Last week when we went away to Awana Genting to celebrate my birthday, there was a lot of eating and drinking. But there was also a lot of exercise and activities to offset the intake; so the weight gain was only a 0.2lbs increment. Minimal I’d say.

In fact, it was the week before the getaway that the weight spiked. Thanks to my beer intake when we visited the Carlsberg brewery. Sigh…

I was skeptical this morning when I stood on the bathroom scale, thinking I wouldn’t do too good this week to shed all that weight gained. Up to last night, the numbers didn’t look encouraging.

So it was indeed a pleasant surprise when the numbers showed a mere 0.3lbs away from my target goal! Oh yay. This is even better than the last good achievement, which was 0.7lbs from target. I actually lost weight, a net loss of 1.6lbs after deducting the 0.2lbs gained at the start of the week. Awesome.

I attribute this achievement to total discipline this week, eating healthy lunches, snacking on nuts and not cookies, lots of water and light dinners. Plus a golf game on Wednesday morning because of the Labor Day public holiday helped burn some calories. This is so motivating.

So if all goes as planned, I should be able to achieve my target goal weight next week. Discipline is the key here. Then I will reset with a new target to lose another 6.0lbs before the end of the month. I can do it!

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The Tea Drinker

30 Apr

Ever since I stopped drinking coffee last year due to Endometriosis, I turn to tea and drink it more than ever. Decaf Earl Grey for breakfast, Green Tea throughout the day and sometimes, Camomile in the evenings before bedtime. All these choices using tea bags though.

Occasionally I’d brew a cup for variation. And being a somewhat serious tea drinker, I do have some gadgets to ensure it’s a satisfying experience. At the office, I used to steep loose leaf tea for my cuppa with a tea ball infuser. But I find the holes of this device too big and some of the fine tea crumbs or dust end up in my tea. So I stopped using it and use the bright pink strainer purchased from Lane Crawford in Hong Kong two Christmas’s ago instead.

The tea infuser strainer is perfect to steep the loose leaf because the tea dust do not escape into the brew. And it’s a refreshing change from the daily Green Tea.

At home, the mesh ball with handles is the go-to gadget to use if I don’t fancy brewing with tea bag.

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My tea infusing gadgets

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The Birthday Escapade

29 Apr

Saturday was my big day – being Queen for the day on my birthday. Hubby decided to whisk me away on Friday for a birthday escapade. And what an escapade it was!

Our room overlooking the golf course, the mountain range and clouds

We went off to Awana Genting for an Alphabet Trip, usually reserved for our anniversary but this year, an Alphabet Trip was necessary because this year’s birthday is a big milestone celebration. After all, I can’t be Forever 38… gotta embrace it.

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Had the golf course all to ourselves

We played two rounds of golf with both games finishing under four hours because there was hardly anybody else on the golf course. In fact, on Friday we had the golf course all to ourselves and we completed the game in three and a half hours!

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Taking the cable car sure beats driving up the winding road and looking for parking

After the morning fun, that evening we took the cable car up to Genting to enjoy the place and the cool air. Dinner was simple but no alcohol (yet) because the newly opened The Laughing Fish have not gotten their liquor license. So we just drank Evian water, saving space in the tummy for the beer and stout later. We didn’t mind because there was no need to keep time, no agenda to be mindful of.

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Famed for their Fish & Chips, we had to try

We explored Sky Avenue (16,980 steps on my MiBand 2 by the time we got back to the room) and even checked out the casino. I was boggled by all these gamblers throwing away money just like that at the Black Jack and Roulette tables. Stacks of chip laid out without hesitation, betting and hoping for Lady Luck to shine on them but gone in a blink of an eye. Jeez… many times mind you. Obviously I am not a gambler. We left as we couldn’t stand the cigarette smoke stench and it sticking to our clothes.

Gotta have my pint of Kronenbourg and hubby, his stout

The whole place was very happening with lots to eat, see and do. We ate (earlier) and drank to our hearts’ content—forget the 16/8 diet this weekend—and enjoyed the live band. They played songs I could sing to and it was very entertaining.

The cable car journey back to the hotel at Awana

The next day, another round of golf, another cable car ride after the game for another round of drinks and THE birthday dinner. Truly wonderful this birthday trip turned out as we did every alphabet on our list, A right through to G. Heheheh…

Cable car ride and pre-dinner drinks, a rum concoction

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Nauseating just watching the spins from afar at Skytropolis

Spanish dinner with two bottles of red to celebrate, yes two

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Post-birthday dinner: Spanish burger and squid ink pasta

A year wiser but definitely better with age. We returned home on Sunday morning after breakfast to hot and super hot weather, and another post-birthday dinner to cap off the birthday celebration.

Here’s to a wonderful year ahead and thank you friends and family for all your well wishes. A good start to life beyond Forever 38.

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Beer’s the Culprit, Part 2

19 Apr

Last week I was semi-convinced drinking beer was the culprit of my weight gain. This week, the suspicion has been reaffirmed.

This whole week, there was a lack of discipline because of timing and temptation. After the weekend escapade, we got home late because of rain and traffic, so there wasn’t time to do grocery. And when there’s no grocery done, there’s no salad lunches but regular hawker fare, noodles. Furthermore on Monday night, we had gym and no window for grocery-shopping still.

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The brewery visit, at the first stop for pictures

On Tuesday night, we had an invitation to visit Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia – an opportunity not to be missed, we went for it. Forget the 16/8 diet and the self-imposed restriction to avoid beer. It’s Carlsberg and Kronenbourg, how can I refuse?

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Visitors had to wear an orange vest for easy identification

It was interesting to see the beer-making process. Besides Carlsberg and Kronenbourg 1664, there are other labels too. My first encounter with Kronenbourg 1664 was back in 2013 when we went to Paris. What a lovely beer! It took sometime before this label came to Malaysia and now it’s brewed locally.

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My first encounter with Kronenbourg in Paris, 2013

That night, after the tour of the brewery, there was free flow drinks. And we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, hubby on Connor’s, Carlsberg and Brooklyn Lager, me on Somersby Sparkling Rose, Sparkling White and Kronenbourg 1664.

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Looks a lot but it’s not

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Feature beer wall at the brewery’s watering hole

So I am not surprised the weigh-in this morning showed an increase of 1.2lbs, the beer being the culprit again. Oh well. I am unperturbed, I figured I gotta live a little and enjoy the beer. Next week when I am back on the 16/8 and be more disciplined, the minor setback will be fixed.

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Win-Win-Win-Win Situation

11 Apr

This 16/8 diet seems to be really good for me. So far, coupled with my activities, it’s been effective – I feel good and there’s more to this. That’s why I call it a win-win-win-win situation.

The 16/8 is strictly on weekdays but I have lost weight. Win number one.

On weekends, I play golf. Win number two. And after golf, a nice lunch where I would eat and basically don’t restrict myself. I only avoid food that can cause discomfort due to my Endometriosis. But as I now eat at a 16/8 time frame, my tummy has shrunk and no matter what nice food are on the table, I don’t eat a lot.

The best part, I also drink during lunch. Win number three. A couple of whiskey shots, not necessarily excessive but enough to feel good. Sometimes at home at night, a glass of wine to relax. Alcohol, I must admit is one thing I can’t give up. I should stay away from beer though because unlike, wine and whiskey, I tend to drink more and that’s not good.

And I wouldn’t say I eliminated sugar totally as I do find myself snacking on some candies and cookies occasionally during the window to eat. Win number three and a half?

For the final win number four? Carving of course! I have turned to balsa for now because the existing stock pile of Meranti wood are not the right sizes for carving any Whales or even Gnomes. Basically a lot more work is needed to cut them to size and I avoided this to preserve the wrist prior to the Iron Challenge golf tournament.

But now that the tournament is done and over, I am in a good place to go back to carving, first with balsa to increase the population count of my Citizens of Gigglesville and eventually back on Meranti. What a win-win-win-win situation indeed.

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Beer’s the Culprit

8 Apr

I am semi-convinced now that beer is the culprit on my weight gain the previous weekend, having down three glasses. This week, despite two big birthday dinners, a little champagne, wine, whiskey and cake but no beer, there was no weight gain which is good. In fact, I am starting the week with a slight 0.2lb decrease from last Friday’s weigh-in. Yay!

If things work out this week and looks like I am back on track, I anticipate a couple more pounds can be shed by this Friday. Stay tuned for the weigh-in then.

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Not Being Disciplined

5 Apr

This week I was not being very disciplined as far as the 16/8 diet is concerned. I didn’t keep to the 16/8 window, rather it was more like 15/9. And I snacked throughout the week on things that I don’t normally eat. Bad…

Subconsciously, I wanted to see if what I ate had any bearings on the outcome, whether it would affect the weight within a few days. I hope not to repeat this again though.

So what exactly did I indulged in? Sweet preserved Chinese plums. Sugar right there! And cookies and candies. More sugar! I even ate chocolate and suffered the consequences, remember my Endometriosis?

Prior to the start of the week, on Sunday night, I drank three glasses of Kronenbourg beer to replenish my soul after that morning’s energy-sapping golf game and this immediately spiked up the weight. And although we had gym on Monday, I didn’t push myself enough to at least burn off the beer calories.

Thankfully all the week’s snacking did not add on anymore weight and only a teeny weeny reduction when I stood on the bathroom scale this morning for the weekly weigh-in. So the increment at the start of the week was due to Sunday’s beer. I think by not keeping to the 16/8 regime played a role in this result. This is not the way to go if I want to reach my target weight goal; I’d better be more disciplined.

But April being the family birthday month – Mom’s, the twins’ and mine, it’s impossible to stay disciplined when there are birthday dinners lined up to celebrate. In fact, I have a big birthday dinner celebration tonight with my golf friends and with the family come Sunday night. Hmm… I’d have to manage and stay more focused.

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On Track, Part 3

22 Mar

It’s Friday and the weigh-in day to gauge my progress. It’s Week Four of the weight loss challenge and I am thrilled to say, being on track and staying disciplined is actually quite a fun and uplifting thing to do when you see the results!

I thought I wouldn’t fare too good this week because mid-week, I met up with friends at the bar for dinner and drinks. Two drinks to be exact, a glass of white wine and half a pint of Kronenbourg 1664 beer. I even snacked in the office this whole week, and had one Kisses chocolate yesterday without guilt though.

I do notice it doesn’t matter what I ate, just as long as I don’t go overboard, but when I ate that was critical. This is the essence of the 16/8 diet after all. The next day after that bar visit, I maintained the 16 hours window with a later lunch than usual. And this morning, standing on the bathroom scale, it’s a number to be proud of. Officially, from 25 February until today, I have lost 4.1lbs! Woo hoo…

I am now 1.6lbs away from my set goal weight. Although it’s not 15lbs that I had mentioned that got me started on this challenge, losing 4.1lbs in total is quite an achievement by itself within a month. So proud of myself. Of course, if I stuck to the three months time frame, and knowing now this works, 15lbs is not impossible.

But perhaps once I do get to shedding the balance (1.6lbs), I will take a break and decide later if I want to embark on the second phase to lose more weight because I like how I feel now. We shall see.

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On Track

11 Mar

It’s been two weeks on count if I consider 25th February as the official start date of my challenge to shed some pounds. There were temptations and distractions along the way but I stayed focus.

But in order to achieve my goal, I adopted the 16/8 Intermittent Fasting, an interesting and easy diet to follow. I don’t have to eat certain food or avoid my favorites to achieve what I want to achieve.

It basically involves an 8-hours window to eat and fast the remaining 16-hours. The hours one sleep are considered as part of the 16-hours. Not that tough to follow, isn’t it? And there are tons of explanation on this out there on the internet.

So the whole of last week, I brought salad lunches to work and kept to the 16/8 formula and I could see the difference visually – on the tummy and waistline.

For comparison – on Week One, with all those dinner occasions in a row, my weight fluctuated but did not increase because I was mindful. By the end of Week Two, despite a missed gym session, I lost 2.6lbs because of the 16/8. It was very encouraging.

Over the weekend however, I did not follow the 16/8 as I don’t want to be such a stickler with a regimented routine.

During the two days – I had lunch with the family (on Saturday) and a game of golf (on Sunday) followed by the usual after game meal plus some whiskey. This resulted in a slight increase in weight by Monday morning. But I’m not worried because if I stay disciplined, I am on track to achieve my goal.

Tonight at gym, I will continue my weight routine with the ten pounder.

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A Hiccup on the Challenge

8 Mar

It’s unfortunate that my challenge mission was interrupted on Monday. A minor hiccup because work was on a tight deadline. And as much as I wanted to do gym to rid myself more of the guilt than anything else, we couldn’t finish the artwork and get home on time. Oh well…

But I don’t feel so bad because this whole week, I made super healthy lunches for the both of us. Lots of greens, bell pepper, baby tomatoes and chick peas (and tuna was added for two days subsequently). The salad lunch was oil-free, fibre-loaded and enough to fuel us until dinner time.

It may be only a few days but I do feel better and not so heavy. I am sure if I keep at this for another week or so, coupled with gym and golf, I will shed (the pounds) effortlessly. A positive sign and on track on my challenge to lose the extra weight piled on me by the bathroom scale.

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