Yo-ga To Go Try This Out!

Whoa...its May already! Is it me or does it seem like 2014 is flying by in a blink of an eye? Or is it my imagination because i'm approaching the big 3-0? And today I have cause for celebration! My weighing scale is no longer "broken". It has snapped out of its 66.5kg and gone just a smidge below that! Woohoo! I don't care, every little counts. I feel like I am starting to get somewhere. Pushing for more! Contributing factor? Read on!

Years ago, when yoga was still fairly new, I always discounted it as being too easy for me, too slow, so monotonous...snore! You get the point. However, as my body (my knees) started to disagree with my love of running, I needed to find alternative ways to burn off my access lady lumps. Thanks to a Groupon promotion at Affinity Yoga and 2 friends who have always liked yoga, I now have a new found love for yoga. At the end of my one month trial at Affinity Yoga, I signed up for a years package. They were having a really good promotion and the locations of the studios (walking distance from both office and home) left me with no excuse as to why I can't go. I believe that they are now having another promotion. You can check it out at: http://www.affinity-yoga.com

Sign up before its too late!!!

If you go to the website, you will also see that they have a week trial for $1! Wow, that's value for money! Check for validity...

Honestly, sometimes, the yoga talk still baffles me and some poses i'm doing like a lost soul. But I like the fact that every time after a yoga/Pilates I suddenly feel like muscles i didn't realize were there are suddenly screaming at me. I can start to see my body changing from having no waist to having a slight waist...Bye bye pear shape? My back is also starting to get more sculpted and my posture is getting better. No more slouching, no more hunching. AHHHH I LOVE IT!!! 

Also, I have a new found respect for yoga practitioners...for all those times I said it was too "slow" or not challenging enough- try one session of 60 minutes Hot Yoga and you will be begging for mercy! Honestly, I feel like I burn more in one yoga session than I do in a run session. Having said that, the runner in me does cry out for a good run every now and again. And I still gym. 

I still can't touch my toes- but that doesn't mean I am not trying. Maybe one day I will and you will definitely read about it!

PS: To the inconsiderate person who took more than 2 towels...please have some Yoga-tiquette! Its just plain rude!! 

Affinity Yoga River Valley

491 River Valley Road

#02-01 Valley Point

Tel: 6732 6007

Affinity Yoga Telok Ayer

157A Telok Ayer Street

2nd Floor

Tel: 6223 8254

Scarsdale Diet Menu

So life has been somewhat hectic to say the least. Between shuttling back and forth from KL to Singapore and work, I've barely had the luxury of time to sit in front of the comp and pen my thoughts down.

So a few posts back, I believe I was ranting about my weight issues and and thereafter making a conscious effort to try to lose the weight that I have gained over the last few years. I started out at 70kgs and now stand at 66.5kgs. Yesterday, my boyfriend and myself started round 2 of the "Scarsdale Diet". The good thing I noticed was that in trying to maintain my healthy eating habits while on the 2 weeks interim, I managed to maintain my weight (something which was hard for me to do before!). 

Going into this with a real effort to make it a lifestyle change has really been fruitful and its changed the way I view food, I still indulge every once so often but I do so to kill the cravings and leave it as that. I'm thankful that my boyfriend supports me in doing this and he has been especially enjoying the changes I've been making to my cooking. However, I should probably mentioned that the original Scarsdale Diet is extremely strict and does not allow a lot of things. Because I am a somewhat fussy eater I have made some changes to our diet which also make it easier to follow. Also, we have had many friends who have asked for a copy of our diet and are attempting the first round as we speak so I thought i'd share it here.

Here is the Weekly Eating Schedule (which you are to keep for 14days):

Breakfast:
One half grapefruit (or fruits in season)
One slice of protein bread -NO SPREADS!
Coffee/Tea (no sugar, cream, milk or honey)
** Alternative fruits: 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple, 1/2 mango, 1/2 papaya, 1/2 cantaloupe or a generous slice of honeydew or melon.

	Lunch	Dinner
Mon	Assorted cold cuts*** Tomatoes - sliced, broiled, or stewed Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Fish or shellfish, any kind  Combination salad, any greens and vegetables as you wish One slice protein bread, toasted Grapefruit - if not available, use fruits in season Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Tues	Fruit salad, any combination of fruits Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Plenty of broiled, lean hamburger Tomatoes, lettuce, celery, olives (limit 4), cucumbers and/or Brussels Sprouts Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Wed	Tuna fish or salmon salad (oil drained off) with lemon and vinegar dressing Grapefruit, or melon, or fruit in season Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Sliced roast lamb***, all visible fat removed Salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Thurs	Two eggs, any style (no fat used in cooking) Low-fat cottage cheese Zucchini, or string beans, or sliced/stewed tomatoes One slice of protein bread, toasted Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Roast, broiled or barbequed chicken (skin and visible fat removed before eating) Plenty of spinach, green peppers, string beans Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Fri	Assorted cheese slices (preferably lowfat) Spinach, all you want One slice of protein bread, toasted Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Fish or shellfish Combination salad (any fresh vegetables desired, raw or cooked) One slice of protein bread, toasted Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Sat	Fruit salad, any combination of fruits Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Roast turkey or chicken Salad of tomatoes and lettuce Grapefruit or fruit in season Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water
Sun	Cold or hot turkey or chicken Tomatoes, carrots, cooked cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower Grapefruit, or fruit in season Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water	Plenty of broiled (grilled) steak, all visible fat removed before eating; any cut of steak you wish- sirloin, porterhouse, London broil, etc. Salad of lettuce, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes (sliced or cooked) Brussels Sprouts Coffee/Tea/Diet Soda/Water

After finishing with the 14days, you will then move on to the Keep Trim Diet...I never follow this, I just try not to go nuts and binge thereafter! The reason the diet is so strict is because its supposed to play off on how the chemical compounds in the food react with each other and your body.

Rules of Scarsdale diet:

• STRICTLY NO ALCOHOL. 
• Follow the menu as closely as possible. If you have to, change the days but not the foods. If you do not like a particular food, replace with more of something else that's on the menu
• Carrots and celery are allowed anytime- with meals, salads, snacks.
• When you eat vegetables don’t use any form of fat. It means no olive oil, no margarine, no butter. 
• Only vinegar and lemon dressing. Alternatively, mustard dressing. But oil and mayonnaise are strictly forbidden.
• Sugar beverages are STRICTLY forbidden. So always look for diet(sugar free) versions of your favorite beverages. Coffee and tea are allowed but without the milk and sugar.
• When preparing meat make sure it is as lean as possible. Cut off as much skin and fat as you can before cooking your meals.
• The diet is designed for 14 days. Keeping it for more could be seriously dangerous to your health.

Few things to note about how I perceived the diet:

• Salads are boring as it is, so I try to be creative with my dressings and use natural flavouring. Stuff like anchovies, Bragg's Amino Acid and Apple Cider Vinegar, Balsamic dressing and olive oils. Once in awhile, I do use a cream based dressing but it does effect the result of the diet. MODERATION IS KEY!
• I do not like protein bread! AT ALL! So I always prefer to look for alternative source of protein. My go to source of protein- EGGS!
• I do not like Sugar beverages and if I need to have something gassy, soda water is my go to drink. Even if I have to make fruit juices at home, the composition is usually 1:3 fruit to vegetables. I drink my coffee and tea black so its not an issue.
• I like my meat with a little bit of fat so I usually leave that on. Also sometimes when cooking, the fat helps to protect and flavour the meat so before consumption, the individual can remove the fat. Also, I will never be able to swallow chicken breast...EVER! It's like eating cardboard.

*These changes that I have made are strictly on a personal basis and has not been approved by any Doctor.  It is changes that I have made to try keep my diet sustainable without triggering cravings which trigger binge eating! Also, if I make my salads yummy, I'd look forward to eating them more! 

For anyone who wishes to try, GOOD LUCK!!! 

And i'd love to hear any feedback and success stories in the comments below.

Last Day Of...

...THE DIET!!! So that's it, I managed to complete my 2 weeks of strict dieting and today i'm going for the kill...my last day. Of course because my boyfriend has just got back from a business trip to Hong Kong and started late, it means that he will only end a week from now- great excuse to continue this health streak.

At the end of the day, I was hoping to make this a sustainable lifestyle change. As I age, yo-yo weight gain/loss becomes much harder to yo-yo...if you get what I mean. I noticed my skin getting better and I feel better in general. 

I'm trying to do what health fans would call clean eating but its sometimes hard to eat clean when there is so much good food (hawkers, restaurants, anything that doesn't require me doing the dishes!) around. The meals I prepare are usually pretty fast- the next best alternative to "fast food". Over the weekends I spend my time washing, dicing, slicing and packing my veges so that in the mornings I can just put together a salad in less than 10 minutes. 

Typical packed lunch Salads

Also, it helps that when I open the fridge, the first thing I see are cut carrots or cucumber sticks...I can't give myself the excuse that its too much trouble to prepare. I also learnt that if you want to avoid the junk food, don't even step into the supermarket aisles that has stuff you can't eat. Stay in the fresh sections! So hard for me...I miss Cheetos!

Saturday Breakfast Burrito w/Spinach and Mushroom

My Sunday Spinach and Haloumi Omelette

For now, I won't bore you with details on how I made these dishes (too simple) but I will definitely be posting up some yummier recipes as we go along. Ugh, the next couple of weeks are going to be busy in the run up to one of the bestie's is getting hitched. On that note, I also have my own nuptials to prepare for...which I am starting to feel quite inadequately prepared for. Sigh. Anyone know of a good photographer who can do night ballroom shots?

Current Weight: 66.5kgs
"Targetted" Weight: 59.5kgs (my boyfriend has high hopes...this is his target weight for me)

Till next time my fingers need a keyboard workout! XOXO

Back to Basics...

Hoping everyone had as fruitful a weekend as I did! It was a bit depressing to celebrate my anniversary alone but considering that I had mixed up the dates, I guess its ok. His being away has allowed me to prepare a card and also get him a small gift which I think he will love. I will definitely post a picture of the gift once he has opened it because I think its such an awesome gift and its a steal at the price it came at!

Over the weekend, I spent a whole Saturday, doing my groceries and preparing my salad greens and other food for the second week of my healthy eating. I spent a little bit too much at the organic store but it will definitely pay off. I also managed to attend 1 yoga session and one Pilates session. Both of which I am suffering the aftermath of now. 

I was overdue for a change in nail patterns and I really wanted to apply what I had learnt in class on Thursday but then I got kinda tired and lazy and decided to just go back to basics. I had started with a nude colour which I so love but then on the spur of moment decided to add a little bit of glitter because going all nude would just be so boring and plain and not at all me.

So I hope everyone has a fabulous week ahead! I'm counting the days till the return of K and he owes me a fabulous dinner for missing out on our anniversary! Wondering where we shall go...but I am sure it will deserve a small mention here.

PS: I'm 2kgs down and counting! Yay!

Breakfast at Nassim Hill

It was nice to have an old friend visit and to be able to brainstorm and have chats with her about what our potential options are for future mischief. Last night it seems like I was coerced into starting my diet a little bit earlier than I would have liked. Bummer! Thank God all around Singapore, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to making the healthier choice. So as all the ladies int he office have decided to do a salad week, I too have started my first week of the Scarsdale Diet. In the end, what I hope to achieve is a change of lifestyle more than anything else. All this yo-yo weight is wrecking havoc with my booty.

I have to say it was hard to say no to the bread basket served up at Nassim Hill Bakery as they have one of the yummiest bread in Singapore (and I am not such a big bread fan). Brunch was a lovely quiet affair reminisce of our times in Melbourne.

~Sharing the moment~

Weighty decisions

So here I am, tipping the scales at the heaviest I have ever been since I was born. The 65kgs post college weight now seems like a "lighter" me. 

For a person who is very much aware of the highs and lows of her yo-yo weight, the recent remarks of an overly concerned friend is the straw that broke the camels back. 

I understand that with barely 6months to go till my wedding, I'm pressed for time but with I do believe that I can be the me I want to be by then. Not everyone can be born Chinese (stick thin and not having to wear a sign that says "curves ahead"-meant in the best way possible, I am half Chinese but just lacking any Chinese physical attributes) or with a high metabolism. I have been receiving grief for my weight since I sprouted boobs. It's not even funny anymore. 

I guess in this day and age, it's no longer enough to be happy and have good skin, I need to worry about my weight too. Fine, challenge accepted. I'm also going into hiding until March 15! Just saying. 

Also if in the future, anyone needs to tell a friend she is fat. A simple "How are you?" may just open the conversation. Then you would know that she does indeed feel bad and her self esteem is taking a severe blow day by day. AND you won't need to resort to "foot in mouth syndrome". At this point, maybe you could even be the Samaritan that is trying to help. 

So for now, 70kgs and going into hiding. 6months to the wedding and I am giving up food. Alcohol shall be my sworn enemy!!! Follow ups shall be made every week here.