Managed to prevent weight gain after holiday

February 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I’m back from my holiday! Actually, I was back last Friday, sorry for the late update because, as usual, there are so much work to pick up after a holiday. ;)

I did remember to weigh myself the next day I got home — I didn’t put on weight, in fact there was an insignificant drop of about 0.5 kg, or so I thought, haha! So I did pass my own challenge. :)

Frankly, I didn’t adhere to all the 6 ground rules to preventing holiday weight gain I laid out for myself before the trip.

Stack up on fruits and salads (source for carbohydrate and fiber) during breakfast.

Failed. Sad to say, the only fruits available during breakfast in the hotel were pineapple and watermelon, there were no salads provided, and the food choices were limited. My breakfast for the three mornings consisted of: some cubed watermelon, a glass of mango juice, 2 slices of white bread with butter and jam, an egg, two pieces of cocktail sausages, one small scoop of noodles and one small scoop of rice. A very typical Malaysian-style breakfast. :P

Drink lots and lots of water! Will always carry a bottle of plain drinking water in my tote.

Definitely! In fact, one bottle of water is not enough to last you one day in Langkawi Island. Luckily bottled water is conveniently available on the island, sold in convenient stores or petrol stations.

Avoid oily and fried foods as much as possible.

But still couldn’t resist a few bites of fries when they were around, haha!

Opt for lean meat and fish as protein source for lunches.

Followed this quite closely.

I probably can’t avoid greasy seafood for dinners (hey, I have to respect the food ‘choices’ of my holiday mates :P), so the only rule I can apply is portion control.

The seafood dishes we ordered were not prepared in a ‘greasy’ manner, and our dinners always comprised of a healthy mixed types of food, and in the right portion (plus some red wine, too).

Perhaps I should also bring along a small bottle of mixed raw nuts to snack on when I’m hungry between meals or at night. That will be better than munching on chocolates or cakes or chips.

Forgot to pack the mixed nuts!! :P Broke this rule actually, because the chocolate temptation was just too great to resist! However, I took just that little bit. ;)

So, how is it that I managed to stay the same weight (let’s forget about that insignificant weight drop ;) )?

The answer is simply… lots of walking and sweating, i.e. being physically active. Trekking up a hill, jumping at the beach (i.e. doing the jumping pose for the camera, silly huh?), a stroll after dinner, etc, as long as we keep our body moving, we are able to burn away part, if not all, of the extra calories we took in. And this, really helps to prevent weight gain after a holiday.

Now you know how to plan your next holiday so that you can prevent weight gain and stay healthy, right? :)

Posted by Valen | Filed Under My weight loss plan 

Preventing holiday weight gain - my challenge this week!

February 15, 2009 | 1 Comment

Why is it a challenge? Because I’m going for a 4-day island holiday with my family tomorrow!

I’m sure you know how appetite can become bigger when you’re on a holiday - good company, stress-free mind, and of course, the NICE food (in this case, seafood, seafood, and more seafood)! Everything seems to taste better when you’re  relaxed and surrounded by family members and the best of friends. :)

I want to enjoy the seafood, but I don’t want to come home with extra kilograms (it’s okay if it’s my luggage that is well fed with souvenirs), so I figured that I need to set some ground rules for myself so that I will eat happy and healthy to prevent holiday weight gain during this trip. Also, eating right can avoid other problems like indigestion or constipation, which usually happen to me during holidays! Urgh!

My 6 ground rules to preventing holiday weight gain:

1. Stack up on fruits and salads (source for carbohydrate and fiber) during breakfast.

2. Drink lots and lots of water! Will always carry a bottle of plain drinking water in my tote.

3. Avoid oily and fried foods as much as possible.

4. Opt for lean meat and fish as protein source for lunches.

5. I probably can’t avoid greasy seafood for dinners (hey, I have to respect the food ‘choices’ of my holiday mates :P), so the only rule I can apply is portion control.

6. Perhaps I should also bring along a small bottle of mixed raw nuts to snack on when I’m hungry between meals or at night. That will be better than munching on chocolates or cakes or chips. (Ooooh, the bad 3Cs!)

That’s about it. Six steps to help me prevent weight gain this holiday. So tonight I will check my current weight, and re-check after I’m back from holiday.

See you all in a week and let you know if I pass this challenge! :)

Posted by Valen | Filed Under My weight loss plan 

Butter is good for health - believe it or not?

February 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Is butter healthy?

Is butter healthy?

I had been wary about using butter in my cooking. Why? Because it is what the general society believes — too much butter in the diet is bad for our health, and that it is best possible to eliminate butter from our diet if we want to stay slim and prevent heart diseases.

Is that a fact or myth?

Well, at least that was previously my perception about butter — until I read what was written in the Diet Solution Program manual. In this weight loss program, Isabel De Los Rios explains clearly the difference between the good fat and the bad fat. And you might find it difficult to believe when Isabel says that:

“…butter—at least the raw organic kind—is one of the healthiest whole foods you can include in your diet.”

According to her explanation, butter contains high levels of saturated fat. However, “saturated fat is not the culprit behind weight gain and high rates of disease,” Isabel emphasized. Interesting, right? :)

In fact, there is an article that delineates 20 health benefits of butter, including:

  • Butter is rich in the most easily absorbable form of Vitamin A necessary for thyroid and adrenal health.
  • Has anti-oxidants that protect against weakening arteries.
  • Contains lecithin, essential for cholesterol metabolism.
  • Contains anti-oxidants that protect against free radical damage.
  • Is a great source of Vitamins E and K.
  • Is a very rich source of the vital mineral selenium.
  • Saturated fats in butter have strong anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties.
  • Is a source of quick energy, and is not stored in our bodies adipose tissue.
  • Cholesterol found in butterfat is essential to children’s brain and nervous system development.
  • Contains arachidonic acid (AA) which plays a role in brain function and is a vital component of cell membranes.

The vital point here is: you must use the REAL butter, not margarine or shortening.

Really, there are too many misconceptions about the food and nutrition we should and should not eat to lose weight and stay healthy at the same time. I learned a lot about how to EAT RIGHT since I get my own copy of the Diet Solution Program. And to be able to eat right is very important if you want to lose weight and maintaining your ideal weight in the long term.

So, if you are ready to eat and live the healthy way, do pick up a copy of Isabel De Les Rios’ Diet Solution Program. There’s no better time than NOW to change things for the better!

Posted by Valen | Filed Under Fat