Recipe: Avocado Skin Quencher

Had a long, hot day under the sun? Need that extra boost of Vitamin E for your skin? This is the best solution! Rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, avocado also gives the shake a very smooth texture. Use ripe avocados for the best results.

150ml Low Fat-Hi Calcium Milk

150ml Cold Water

3 Tablespoons Herbalife Vanilla Formula 1

1-3 Tablespoons Herbalife Formula 3(Optional depending on size)

Flesh from half a ripe avocado

1 Tablespoon Honey

A few sprigs of Mint Leaves (optional)

5 Ice Cubes

Make sure you drink it all up quick, otherwise the avocado will oxidize and turn brownish color.

Meals: 31/5/10

What I had for lunch:

Half a Roast chicken, some roast duck, Eggs, Tofu and Vegetables. Nice and satisfying stuff.

Meals: 30/5/10

Ahh... How nice... Good companion, good food and wine makes a good evening.

What I had for dinner:

Mezze with pita bread, lamb and chicken tikka skewers, lamb pie. Finished with a heavenly dessert: Chocolate Marquise, Apple and Guava crumble... Goodness... It is really really good...

Meals: 29/5/10

Today's plan was to have dinner and 2 shakes throughout the day, but felt hungry at 12pm with no shakes in hand, went into Japanese restaurant for a low fat meaty treat. Going to have Steamboat again for dinner too!! Lots of soup and meat. Yummy...

What I had for lunch:

Oyster Fry, BBQ Chicken, Pork Cutlet, Salad.

What I had for dinner:

Steamboat Szechuan style with a lot of beef, pork and fish only... Finished with a Green Tea Ice Cream Popsickle. Yummy day.

3 Things You Didn't Know About CINNAMON

Spices are a great way to add flavor and variety into you daily routine shakes, and some of it may even have beneficial properties that you didn't know of! One of those spices that I love to use every now and then is Cinnamon.

Now, studies have shown the benefits of these barks have been linked to lowering LDL (Bad) Cholesterol, and regulate blood sugar better in patients with Diabetes, I would not bank on these effects to happen when I myself use them daily. This is because we cannot be sure of the purity and origins of the plant source, and we would need to take WAYYYY more than what we would normally use to experience those benefits. However, I DO know these things from my personal use:

1. It Adds Flavor and Variety

You have heard the saying "variety is the spice of life", right? Well, Spices are the variety of your shakes! Add a few dashes to your shakes to start with, and see how much the flavor changes and whether you enjoy it.

2. It Curbs Hunger Longer

From my personal experience, adding 2-3 dashes of cinnamon powder to your shake, then blending it actually makes the full feeling last longer. Now this does not mean you can use cinnamon so you can skimp on your shake, it does however, mean you can have less hunger in between your shakes or meals.

3. It Blends Well With Butter and Sweets

Ahh... Do you cook? If you do, you would know that mixing cinnamon and butter is an orgasmic experience. Otherwise, how do you think Cinnabon can make a worldwide business by mixing 4 ingredients alone!!?? (Cinnamon, Butter, Flour and Sugar). Hoho... But be careful not to overindulge when you attack your next Cinnamon Bun, those babies are 730 kCalories a pop, and have 24g of Fat (Most of them unsaturated, since it's from butter). Hohoho... That means you would need to jog at 8km/hour speed for 1 hour to burn off that 1 bun...

I have a strange feeling my next trip to Cinnabon will not be so welcoming...

Meals: 28/5/10

What I had for dinner:

Ah... Full day active training + No lunch = Very very dizzy and hungry at dinner time. Thankfully, meat was readily available!!! Had 2 large grilled chicken pieces, and caesar salad sides.

Meals: 27/5/10

Today is a special day, spent most of the time inside a car, and did not prepare a shake for dinner. It is also the first time in 3 weeks that I have taken 2 meals in a day. One in Penang, one in KL haha...

What I had for lunch:

Mum's home cook lotus root soup with a lot of lean pork, 1 Oreo Soft cake, and a few of the nice Jade biscuits from Him Heang.

What I had for dinner:

Szechuan spicy fish and pork, butter chicken, and yong tau foo.

5 BEST Fat Burning Tips

Over the years of trying and dieting, I have found a few tips that would help the process. Here are 5 that I think are the most important bits that you should look out for on your journey:

1. Water

Remember I talked about the importance of water? Ideally, we are 2/3 water in composition, so it is important to keep ourselves hydrated, and even more so when we are trying to lose weight. The toxins stored in our fat over the years will need flushing out, and water will be the carrier for that. I typically drink around 3 to 4 liters a day, but people with better weight loss results have shared that they do more than 5 liters!!! So drink up, and be merry!!!

2. Essential Fatty Acids

Our brain is composed of 60% fat, so if we put ourselves on a low fat diet, it is natural that we need to supplement that lost fat with something else to keep our brain healthy and happy. The types of fat that we need, must be good fat, namely those with high composition of omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acids. These are essential fatty acids (EFAs), which means our body cannot produce it themselves thus needs supplementation.

Best, and most common omega-3s come from deep sea fish oils. Nowadays, however, it is easily found in capsule form. Omega-9s on the other hand, comes from plants sources, most commonly in Olive Oil. However, all these oils should not be exposed to any heat before consuming, otherwise their anti-oxidant properties will be gone.

3. Decrease the Amount of Dead Food

Eat Fresh! Cut back, or eliminate entirely, the amount of dead foods in your daily diet. Foods that are processed, canned foods, mayonnaise and other condiments, do not provide any nutrients and some even contain copious amounts of calories. Use herbs and spices in place of ketchup and mayonnaise and it will do your body a big favour.

4. Fried Foods

Yummy... But not healthy... Cutting fried foods off your diet will eliminate a lot of fibreless, salty, and fatty calories from your diet. Though, we are all human, so only take them sparingly and occasionally.

5. "Two Hours Before Bedtime" Rule

Our body takes time to repair itself as we go to sleep at night, however, any unnecessary calories from carbs, protein and fat will be stored, as FAT. To avoid that, don't eat at least 2 hours before bedtime.

So there you have it, the 5 BEST fat burning tips for your journey to a lean healthy body. Have fun, and enjoy the fat burning process!!!

Meals: 26/5/10

What I had for lunch:

The saltiest meal I had all week! Steamed 3 eggs (Duck, Chicken and century eggs), Egg Foo Yung, Stir Fried Roast Pork and Fried Bittergourd.

Meals: 25/5/10

What I had for lunch:

This might just be the first lunch I made with my own hands in this past 3 weeks!!

3/4 roast chicken from Tesco, about 20 baby carrots, a couple of olives, all drizzled with olive oil. How I wish I had a more equipped kitchen to make something more proper :)

Weigh In #4

Ahh... Another week of carnage and huge meals out. Let's see how I did this week...

Results for week 3:

25/5/10:

Weight in KGs

25/5/10:

Body Fat in % / Muscle Mass in KGs

Week's progress: -0.6 KGs

Ooh... Look's like I dodged a bullet there... Managed to lose some fat even after all that huge huge meals... Maybe I should try harder the coming week...

Meals: 24/5/10

What I had for lunch:

2 pieces Chicken, little vegetables, Tofu, Fried Egg and vegetarian nuggets.

5 Wrong Food Choices To Lose Weight

So you're going on a diet to lose weight? But you're too busy to prepare your own food? No problem... Malaysia has hawker fares all around, serving "healthy" dishes ma... So I'll opt for "healthier" options instead... Can one... Can lose weight eating these things... Right??? WRONG!!! Wanna find out why? Read On...

1. Caesar Salad

Ok... Since I'm trying to lose some weight I should eat more vegetables... I'll have a salad instead... "What's that, you only have caesar salad? Ok I'll take one then..." If you decide to have a salad, just make freaking sure it's not caesar salad, Ok? And anything else on the TGIF and Chilli's menu... Cus those are loaded with processed cheese also...

2. Mee Hailam

I see so many of my Malay colleagues eat this in their futile attempt to lose weight... Why? Beats me... No protein, full of processed carbs, and overcooked vegetables with no nutrients... All it gives your body is a full on bloat with all the MSG used...

3. Kuey Teow Soup

This option is actually not that bad if you make a few extra orders of protein into it. Otherwise, the few shreds of chicken "meat" and fish balls hardly provides you with ANY nutrients. Ever stop to think how much good stuff is contained in that few slices of spring onion used as garnishing on the kuey teow?

4. Milo

"Today not so hungry, so I drink one Milo can already la..."

Have you ever wondered HOW Malaysian people got convinced that Milo is actually GOOD FOR YOU????? More like Minum Milo Anda Jadi Kencing Manis Yo... Do your health a favor. Please pass this as a meal replacement next time...

5. Corn Flakes

I seriously wonder why people would consider a processed, dried flake of corn would be nutritious? Full of empty calories! No fiber, no protein... Those loaded with sugar are even worse!!!

I'm not saying don't eat all these things all together. Just stop for a while and think what is in your food. Most of the food available outside have a lot less nutrients than we think. Feed your body right, and it will take care of you in return. If you constantly fall sick and don't know why, perhaps it is due time to review what you put in your body.

Meals: 23/5/10

Yet another weekend carnage! Lot's of seafood this time...

What I had for lunch:

Steamed frogs legs, fish, prawns (I must've had like 8 of them), octopus, squid (yes, it's different!), chicken, fried pork leg and tofu... Amazing... No vegetables!!!

To top it all, a nice hot cup of coffee for tea... Life is good...

Dear Diary...

When I first started this blog, I'd never would've thought that it would be so fun, informative, and surprising. In the first two weeks alone, I have realized that over the past 17 meals recorded, I've only eaten 2 of it with my mum! That makes ONE meal A WEEK! Wow... How many meals do you have with your family each week? Could you do with spending more time dining with the family?

Dining with the family ain't all that good sometimes.

.. "Come... Finish this, don't waste food", or "Wah, EAT MORE! You've barely touched anything!" and anything else along that line...

All that aside, though. I learned to control and discipline myself when it comes to food so much better now that I have a fixed program to follow. I plan my meals ahead of time, and let myself enjoy everything I want when it comes to the meal. I have also learnt that I can sit with a group of friends who are eating, and I only have a cup of tea and good conversation on that meal :) , and I pay so much more attention to what they say rather than zoning out to the food in front hehe...

This time around, my health really made a huge impact on my motivation to lose weight. What an eye-opener it was to me to learn that my old habits was costing me my health. Anthony Robbins' words really resonated in me this time. He once said:

"To eat a lot, you must eat little many times"

...I guess if I do that, I might be able to live a long time, savoring all the good food the world has to offer! So try that out this week, eat small, frequent meals throughout the day!!!

Meals: 22/5/10

Ah... Another weekend of good food and good company...

What I had for dinner:

Steamboat, 2 different types of soup. With almost never ending servings of all kinds of meat... Lamb, beef, fish, and generous amounts of fresh vegetables.

Meals: 21/5/10

Today's theme is Japanese... Had 3 sticks of tori yaki for lunch, and a nice mix of seafood and beef for dinner...

What I had for dinner:

Crab, Saba steak, Grilled beef's tongue, Seafood salad, Beef salad, Fried mini prawns, and finished with Black Sesame Ice Cream...

If the restaurant background looks familiar, that's cause I've been to this place less than 2 weeks ago!

Meals: 20/5/10

Nice food, nice scenery, nice friends... That's what life is all about...

What I had for lunch:

3 different preparations of fish, 3 different vegetables, stir fried venison. I had to take the photo quickly otherwise it would've been gone in minutes!!!

Meals: 19/5/10

Mmm... Lunch time!!

What I had for lunch:

2 Duck Breasts. 1 Loh Bak, Egg Tofu, Spinach and Capsicum.

3 Things You MUST Know About Water

Do you have a drinking problem? Drinking water, that is... What are your daily drinking habits like? Most people trying to lose weight don't drink enough of it, and wonder why they get more and more tired. Here's an example of a good habit you can adopt, even if you are not trying to lose weight.

1. Start your day with a glass of water! All of us wake up dehydrated after a long sleep, so quench the thirst with water. 700ml - 800ml should get your body hydrated. DO NOT drink tea or coffee first thing in the morning as they contain caffeine, which can dehydrate your body even more!

2. Take sips of water throughout the day. Don't wait until you get thirsty before you drink, because by the time you are thirsty, your body is already starving for water.

3. Try to drink a minimum of 2 liters of water a day. That is the bare minimum. If you are trying to lose weight, drink at least 3 liters. All the toxins that breaks down from the fat, it needs to go somewhere and water will flush 'em out!

By the way, when I say water, I mean WATER! Not soft drinks, juices, and just any other liquid. WATER.

Recipe: Tropical Colada

Carrying on the tropical theme (it's been raining quite often lately, so I'm craving the sunny days a bit), let's make one more tropical shake!

150ml Low Fat-Hi Calcium Milk

150ml Cold Water

3 Tablespoons Herbalife Vanilla Formula 1

1-3 Tablespoons Herbalife Formula 3(Optional depending on size)

150g Fresh Pineapple Cubes, Frozen

3 Tablespoons Coconut Milk

5 Ice Cubes

Blend and enjoy... But... Remember not to add rum to this by accident...

Meals: 18/5/10

What I had for lunch:

Korean BBQ set with Beef and Pork, 1 Chab Chae (Stir fried korean glass noodles with vegetables)

It's amazing where fate can take you if you only just open your heart to meet new people. Today's lunch is korean BBQ! Nice meat and fresh vegetables! Yum!!!

Weigh In #3

What a week!!!

Out of town for 5 days, but it was easy to manage what I eat with the shakes along. However, I didn't need much of an excuse to try out the restaurants abroad hehe...

Results for week 2:

18/5/10:

Weight in KGs

18/5/10:

Body fat in %/ Muscle mass in KGs

Week's progress: -0.8 KGs

Nice... Drop in body fat % and slight increase in muscle... With all the food I had over the week, I'm glad I did not put on weight actually!