Meals: 28/7/10

What I had for lunch:

Half a roast chicken with garden salad. The chicken at Ayamas is very salty though. Not the healthiest option.

Weigh In #13

Results for week 12:

27/7/10:

Weight in KGs

27/7/10:

Body Fat in % / Muscle Mass in KGs

Week's progress: -1.2 KGs

Meals: 27/7/10

What I had for lunch:

Wan Tan Mee with a lot of Dumplings. Side dishes that came along include Prawns, Mushrooms and Roast Pork.

Meals: 26/7/10

What I had for lunch:

Two pieces of Chicken Curry and a piece of Lamb. Little Vegetables.

Meals: 25/7/10

What I had for lunch:

Chinese cooking! Weee... Had Tofu, Vegetables, Fried Brinjal, and Steam Fish.

Meals: 24/7/10

What I had for lunch:

Wan Tan Mee with extra Char Siew, Wan Tans, and Roast Pork!

Meals: 23/7/10

What I had for dinner:

Back at one of the best (and most expensive) restaurants in Penang, could not resist the discounts they are offering the whole of this month, so we went for a nice slice of Beef. Started with Caesar Salad and Pumpkin Soup. Did I mention some good wine too?

Meals: 22/7/10

What I had for lunch today:

A quick lunch for a busy afternoon, not very healthy though. 2 small pieces of fried Chicken and some accompanying vegetables.

6 Strategies For Successful Weight Loss

1. Weigh yourself often

If you feel that going on the scale can discourage you from your weight loss journey, then you better find a better coach than yourself. Truth is, by keeping track of your progress and be brutally honest to yourself is the only way you can be successful on this journey.

However, you don't have to be too obsessed with the readings. Just be conscious about what has gone wrong or what you have done right throughout the week. Personally, I do it every week, if you wish to do more often, hey, that's your choice. But once a week is definitely minimal.

2. Turn off the TV

Have you ever sat in front of the TV with a huge tub of ice cream and a big pack of potato crisps when a blackout happened? No, I'm not talking about an electricity blackout here, I'm talking about your mind blacking out, and the next thing you find next to you is an empty ice cream tub with the crisp wrapper in it.

Rule of thumb: DO NOT snack while watching TV.

If you're trying to cut calories, you most definitely need to stay away from the TV. TV time can be converted into exercise time to burn calories instead of couching off hours watching silly programs. Oh and did you notice watching the Food Network can make yourself feel fat?

3. Beware taste bud betrayal

Have you ever noticed that eating food that are excessively salty and overly sweet doesn't curb your hunger as much? (Think Potato Chips, Soda and Chocolate Bars) If you eat them when you're hungry, your taste buds will even trick you into thinking that it's a lot tastier compared to when you're well-fed. I'm not suggesting bland food here, just watch the amount of sugar and salt that goes into your food, it can keep you satisfied, hydrated, and even happy on your next weigh in session!

4. Snack on Almonds

Almonds are nutrient dense food. It's packed with monounsaturated fat, protein, and fiber, which together combines to make you feel full.

Go for the raw, unsalted types for the least amount of unnecessary calories. 15 to 20 almonds should do as a healthy snack.

5. Use dairy in your diet

Despite all the bad press on dairy products, I still feel it is one that has helped me tremendously in my weight loss journey. I love low fat milk in my shakes and yogurt as snacks. Not only do they provide satiety, they are a good source of Calcium too.

Get the just-right amount by taking in two 8-ounce glasses of low-fat milk (699 mg), a cup of low-fat yogurt (338 mg), and an ounce and a half of cheese (287 mg).

6. Gamble on yourself

When was the last time you took a bet on yourself? Chances are, you have been betting on others all this while, your favorite football teams, favorite player, etc. Take a gamble on yourself, bet with your friends that you are going to melt away all that fat and challenge them to challenge yourself!

Meals: 21/7/10

What I had for lunch:

Fish Head Curry, Stir Fried Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onion, Vegetables, and Mantis Prawn in Salted Egg.

Meals: 20/7/10

What I had for dinner:

Japanese food tonight. Started with 2 different types of salad, beef and seafood. A Stewed Beef dish, and Japanese Ramen.

Weigh In #12

Bad week. Slacked off from the shakes for almost 5 out of 7 days. With 3 days off shakes. Need to work doubly hard for this week to achieve my target now.

Results for week 11:

20/7/10:

Weight in KGs

20/7/10:

Body Fat in % / Muscle Mass in KGs

Week's progress: +0.9 KGs

Meals: 19/7/10

What I had for dinner:

A porterhouse T-Bone steak. The steak craving totally overwhelmed me today. Looked high and low to find a good steak, ended up in this place ordering a porterhouse, but it was a let down. Meat was not fresh, asked for medium-rare, but got a well done instead. Ox-tail soup came after the steak, was overpowered by pepper, with very little spices.

Meals: 18/7/10

What I had for dinner:

A nice, nice, nice rib eye steak and flavorful smoked duck pizza for dinner. Steak was wonderfully medium-rare doneness, with nice char marks and flavor, with very good balsamic reduction for sauce. Was planning a return trip right away tomorrow... But unfortunately it closes on Mondays. Finished with the creamiest Tiramisu I have ever eaten.

Meals: 17/7/10

What I had for lunch:

Another visit to dragon-i with the family. This time, we ordered a lot more...

Xiao long bao was one of them, what followed was a full on blast of pork, chicken, and noodles. Over ate this meal, definitely...

Meals: 16/7/10

What I had for dinner:

Thai food with the boys. Plenty of dishes to go around! We had Tom Yum Soup, Fried Vegetables, Squid salad, Fish Cakes, Steamed Tang Hun with Prawns, Pandan Chicken. Finished with Carrot Cake! Yummy stuff.

Meals: 15/7/10

What I had for lunch today:

Dragon-i for lunch today. Chicken stir fry with cashew nuts, and Sze Chuan spicy chicken. Wasn't very filling even though price was a bit steep, but it made mum happy. Can't put a price on that!

Meals: 14/7/10

What I had for lunch:

Indian food... After a long hiatus, they make a come back! Oh wait... It's only been less than 2 weeks... Anyways... Had Chicken cooked two ways, and some nice Vegetables. Also finished with a Sweet Lassi drink.

Weigh In #11

Results for week 10:

13/7/10:

Weight in KGs

13/7/10:

Body Fat in % / Muscle Mass in KGs

Week's progress: +0.4 KGs

Meals: 13/7/10

What I had for lunch:

Vegetarian lunch again. Cabbage and Bitter Gourd. My body needs more cleansing before I can feel better,and al the fiber from the vegetables will do just that.

Meals: 12/7/10

What I had for dinner today:

Had lots of vegetables today, been down with a flu so no appetite for meaty stuff.

Meals: 11/7/10

What I had for lunch:

Today is ramen day! Had ramen for both lunch and dinner today! Also a slice of very good home made cake! It's Sushi Boy's birthday celebration hehe...

Meals: 10/7/10

What I had for lunch and dinner today:

Vegetarian lunch, lots of green vegetables, and wedding dinner at night, the usual spread of Chicken, Duck, Fish, Vegetables.

Meals: 9/7/10

What I had for lunch:

I ate a lot today! Duck Meat and Pork Soup, Japanese lunch with Tuna Salad, Grilled Squid, Tofu and Beef Pot, Egg Pudding and Cendol for Dessert. Also sneaked in a slice of Pecan Pie along with a nice cup of coffee.

Meals: 8/7/10

What I had for lunch:

Vegetarian meal again! Lots of leafy greens, a bowl of baked beans and tofu. Will have something else for a snack later in the afternoon.