Results After Weeks 2 & 3

It's been awhile since I last updated this. So many adventures going on!

Let me update you on my results thus far...

As at 21 September 2009 : 112.2kg

Total Weight Loss Since Start Date : 6.9kg

As at 28 September 2009 : 110.9kg

Total Weight Loss Since Start Date : 8.2kg

Total Measurements Lost Since Start : 18.6cm

Day by day, step by step... I'm making progress and others around me can see the changes!

*Pat on back* 

Muffin Tops

We do strange things in the office. Each day I would share my weight loss milestones with my colleagues and one day, Caryn introduced me to muffin tops! I was like eh? Muffin tops? At first I thought it was the muffin that's in the picture below. See the muffin top? It's so yummy looking!

Photo Insert from Readers Digest Australia

But then she explained it was not. It's the part where you squeeze your tummy with your hands and you get a tubular look to your tummy that can hang over the top of your trousers. In case you don't understand which part I'm referring to, just look at the picture below. That's a human muffin top!

Photo Insert: Rozana Being VERY Brave

Consider this a "before" photo and the "after" photo will follow suit after a few more weeks!

We started comparing muffin tops then. Very cute Caryn! I like muffin tops better than being called the Michelin Man! But at the end of the day, this will be our motto....

Photo Insert from Nataliedee

A Hungry Man is an Angry Man

I went to the Brunei Speakers' Club today and I was called upon to do an impromptu speech. This week the Table Topics Master had decided that his theme was "Proverbs" and he chose some which were popular and some which were not that familiar to me. He asked us to deliver a speech and after our 2 minutes, he will give the definition to see how close we were to the actual meaning of the proverb.

It was amusing that I got this proverb "A hungry man is an angry man." It was weird, I didn't know what it meant because all I could do was take it literally! How I interpreted it was that not being able to eat the foods that your body was once used to, you will start to feel withdrawal symptoms just like when you choose to quit smoking, and then these withdrawal symptoms can cause you to become emotional. Now day 9 into this programme, I do feel the level of irritation and frustration and I am seriously doing my best not to let it out on anyone. Maybe I should go punch the punching bag in the gym or something or scream into my pillow!

I found out later though that the proverb presented to me actually means "A person who does not get what he wants or needs is a frustrated person and will be easily provoked to rage." Maybe I can still relate this to food. The fact I am not able to eat what I want to eat makes me frustrated and I feel some level of anger within me. Not being able to eat what I feel like eating, on the outset, I don't think people are able to tell because it seems I'm handling this quite well. I don't really talk about it so much. I don't complain so much. But it's reflected in my feelings and as the famous line goes "And this too shall pass..."

At the same time this is all about focus. What am I focusing my energy on? And that I am reminded to be grateful of all the gifts from God. I really like this saying, "Happiness is not when you get what you want but happiness is when you want what you have." I have it all. 

The human mind is so complex, I really know this situation is temporary. Just hang in there!

Results After Week 1

I stepped on the weighing scale this morning and held my breath like as if that was going to make me any lighter! After the scale finished beeping, I looked down and I thought, wow! This thing really works! I mean throughout the whole week I've been weighing myself when I know I shouldn't but I couldn't help myself. I bet those who designed the programme knew people like me are going to keep on peeking at the weighing scale daily just to make sure it works. 

I think that is me operating from skepticism and worry. What conflict! 

My weight as at 7 September: 119.1kg

My weight as at 14 September: 114.3kg 

Total Loss: 4.8kg

Total Measurements Loss (over strategic body parts): 11.6cm

I've lost the most around my hips and waist which I think my dance instructors were commenting on when I had my dance lesson with them. I also lost around my chest area which is noticeable to me since my shirts don't feel that tight across there. And I don't think I will miss "them" either!

The part where I've "gained" is my arm. I am not sure if I am measuring it in the same place. Either that or I'm bulking up? Yeah right! I haven't been to the gym to lift any weights since 2 weeks ago and if I remember correctly girls don't bulk up as fast as guys. But I feel like my arms are smaller because it's not as tight in some of my clothes either. 

I'll just wait and see eventually when all my clothes start hanging off me.

This should keep me motivated to keep on going through my second week! But the human mind is so complex... today we had a family feast to break fast together and the food looked SO GOOD! I was asking myself why was I doing this again? Luckily my family were there to remind me. I suddenly miss eating sushi! I guess the alternative will have to be sashimi. Shall I bring my weighing scale to the restaurant?

Does it feel "Shri" to you?

Photo Insert: Courtesy of Asia One

I attended a yoga workshop today by Jac Fang and she shared with us Anusara yoga which she had learned from her immersion in Bali not too long ago. I really enjoy having Jac as my (if possession was ever at all possible!) yoga teacher because she has helped me believe in my body's capabilities and I will be one of those who will burn that myth into the ground about fat people not being flexible. Your flexibility as I discovered has nothing to do with your shape or size. I am pretty flexible that I can touch the ground with my hands and it will not hurt the back of my legs as I stretch bending forward.

For me, yoga is a practice whereby it helps raise awareness to our bodies. Every single move and pose in which we position our bodies into has a purpose. Just as every type of food we eat has a purpose too and being on this programme helps bring awareness to your body and what you put inside to fuel it.

What I discovered in today's workshop was how to engage our muscles fully in order to completely experience how powerful the body really is. I could feel my muscles really working its best and although it felt awkward in the beginning in doing some of the moves, I could see improvements in the way I did lunges, the plank, downward dog and also the cobra pose. Even standing up with my arms stretched up to the sky felt different today. It was as if I was truly surrendering myself to what the universe has to offer. And I always remember that in life, we must embrace the good and the bad for how we can appreciate the good if we do not know what the bad feels like or looks like. Engaging the muscles I relate to engaging ourselves in the life that we have. Life is so short to let it slip past us and for us to dwell in thoughts that do not serve us.

What I learned was an important question. "Does it feel 'shri' to you?" Meaning - does it feel comfortable to you? Does it feel good for you? All this time, when I have done yoga I have always wanted to achieve "perfection" but really how do you define perfection and who's definition do you have in the first place? When Jac asked the question, does it feel 'shri' to you? I thought, I do not have to "force" my body into positions in which I am uncomfortable or that my mind tells me that I am less than. It is about doing what is best for me without judgement and comparison to others and making sure I enjoy the process as I go along. After all, life is meant to be made up of discoveries!

I link this to the weight loss adventure I am currently on. I ask myself, does it feel 'shri' for me? And so far, after a week into it, I would give a resounding YES! I feel a lot lighter, some of my clothes are not as tight as before and even though it is the fasting month, I do have a good level of energy in the morning. I really am beginning to feel the 'shri-ness' of doing this. And while I smell food on the dinner table of things I cannot eat (I will literally pick up the bowl and bring it to my nose!) and comment that they look really tasty, I do not regret embarking on this adventure at all!

Just as with yoga, everything that we do requires constant practice and always remembering to take action. So I hope in the next few days to engage my muscles in the privacy of my own bedroom and feel how 'shri' it is doing these poses. I take comfort in knowing that I am taking steps everyday to create a better body and a better life for me.

Thank you Jac for today's workshop. And thank you for always being a caring, compassionate, passionate and empowering teacher.

My Favourite Channel

Ever since I've started this programme, my favourite channel on TV has to be the Asian Food Channel! I watch it thinking there must be something I could do that I could tweak to fit my eating plan and I watch it so I could drool at the yummy food that I am not allowed to eat YET.

Why YET? I was on the phone with Shane today and we talked about how that this is only temporary. Phase 1 is intentionally made the way it is made so that you detox your body and eliminate food that potentially cause weight gain. That would be pretty much all the sugars, starches and carbohydrates. And I know I'm not supposed to weigh myself daily but I am amazed with the results so far! So being in this temporary state is when you reach your goal weight. For me I estimate 6 to 8 months for me to do that. I shall continue to be patient and forge on!

I will not talk about Phase 2 or 3 so much now until I am close to getting there. But I do look forward to that moment!

Anyway, back to the present moment. I have not managed to get recipes from AFC but what I do notice is how simple it is preparing fantastic looking meals! And I become aware of the ingredients they put in the dishes. My favourite chefs thus far has to be Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson. They both seriously rock in the "making-food-look-good-and-simple" category!

Here are more meals which I have prepared and also one prepared by Mummy and the other by Auntie Lauren since the last post.

Beef in curry powder (I checked the ingredients, they are all legit for the eating plan!) stir fried with ginger, garlic and onion and lime juice sitting on a bed of chinese cabbage stir fried with garlic and mushrooms and tomatoes.

Home made fish ball soup with broccoli, chinese cabbage and mushrooms. 

Add soy sauce to taste.

Chicken Salad - Chicken was coated with turmeric powder before frying in olive oil (not too much oil. You need a good non-stick pan). Used lettuce and celery and chili to give it colour.

Beef coated in curry powder. Served with stir fry kai lan and asparagus. 

The asparagus made a big difference to the taste. It was so yummy!

Shall we dance?

I had my dance lesson this morning and I am sure it has been the same as all other Saturday morning lessons but for some reason, I was so beat after it was all over! But this time I was able to walk to my car, go for a facial, take a nap at home and go for my clarinet lesson. So I still had energy to make the rest of my day work for me.

I think I have only been dancing for the past 5 months or so. Elaine had introduced me to my first dance instructor at D'Music Motion in Kiarong and I had no idea what to expect. I was quite reserved about the whole idea of having lessons one-on-one and being at close contact with another person who you have the potential of stepping on their feet if you have what lots of people term it as the two-left-feet syndrome. And after that trial lesson, I was like, "Sign me up!" Apparently I pick up the dance steps quite quick!

I have finally found a form of exercise I am able to stick with. Why did I stick with the dancing? Frankly because I am person who needs to have variety (not sure if that works for relationships with others)! If it was the same thing over and over again, I would get bored and think that eating out with friends would be more exciting. 

With dance, I get to learn different dances and even if I'm learning the same dance, they would teach me new moves to incorporate into the current moves I already know. And even if you know the current moves, sometimes you can forget them and it seems like it's all new again. Plus, even though you know the current moves, they teach you at perfecting them so that you'll be as good as other professional dancers (so I hope!).

Dancing really keeps me on my toes (literally!). You really have to be alert while you dance. To me dancing helps me train my brain of new things which can help later on with old age in keeping the mind active. And dancing helps raise my level of awareness because I begin to pay attention to the details and also appreciate my body with what it is capable of doing.

It is just so much fun! You actually really don't notice it's "exercise". I am sure you have heard this before and that is to find something you truly enjoy. Once you enjoy it, the higher the chances of sticking with it. And whether we like it or not, any form of physical activity can help contribute to maintaining good health for your mind, body and soul (please refer to the cartoon by Randy) and of course, in my case, it will definitely help with the weight loss.

Zana the Chef

One of the great things about doing something like this is actually taking the time to prepare your own food. That means when you begin to do that, you end up spending more time at home to have your meals instead of going out. I’m not sure in the long run if you save money because I’ve yet to experience the long run and I am cooking for one person.

Also, taking the time make your own meals I would say that it’s a sign you are loving yourself because you care enough what goes in your food which subsequently links to what goes inside your body.

Again my parents have been really instrumental in making all this happen. Of course I have a dad with a sense of humour! He has a few times during dinner actually picked up something and offered it to me! And then he says, “Oops! You can’t have this!” Apparently, according to him he was testing my will power! Thanks dad!

Beef cooked in soy sauce (the kind you're allowed to eat) with black pepper and white pepper served with a simple stir fry of vegetables cooked with onion and garlic.

Accompanied with rice cakes on the side unless you have them as snacks.

Chicken soup with kai lan. I added soy sauce to the broth and adding ginger makes a big difference. Black pepper has become my best friend. I served it with lime and some tabasco sauce for some more kick!

Stir fry beef with broccoli or stir fry broccoli with beef! I marinated the beef in soy sauce and pepper. Apparently soy sauce has become my other best friend! Again, the ginger makes a big difference.

Straw mushrooms cooked in olive oil and garlic. Served with tuna stir fried with onions, garlic, ginger, tomato and kai lan and balsamic vinegar to taste. Now this tasted a bit strange. I ended up having it with one teaspoon (yes you read it right! That's the amount I'm allowed to have) of low fat mayonnaise.

Mood Swings

It has been 4 full days being on this programme. I've been watching my vital signs i.e. how I feel. 

Day 1 - By the end of the day, I had a BIG headache! Good thing Mummy was pressing on the lympathic points on my head so it helped the blood flow. I made sure I drank lots of water that night.

Day 2 - I felt surprisingly energetic! I sprung out of bed and bounced to work.

Day 3 - I woke up and felt my right leg was aching or had cramps. It didn't stop me from having my dance lesson that afternoon. I also noticed I was easily irritated. Grrr...

Day 4 - I felt little things can really annoy me and I start getting angry easily. Also, I hit a low point at the end of the day that when Shane called to ask me how I was doing, I had tears in my eyes. I was also feeling physically exhausted after my dance lesson. I think Jun really worked me hard during class. I could barely walk...

It says that the first 7-10 days is the adjustment period. 

God give me strength to continue!

The First Meal

It was an interesting experience having to go shopping for the food you can eat. Actually the food you can eat is all there but it's just that we tend to go for convenience and eat the food in another form whereby you have no idea what they have put in it. Armed with my shopping list, I scoured the aisles of Supasave Gadong searching for the food that will fuel my body. It was no surprise that the place I hung out the most was the vegetables, fruits and fresh meat section. I made a brief stint to the oils section looking for olive oil, the biscuits section looking for rice cakes and lastly to the soft drinks section. According to my eating plan, I can drink a can of diet coke! Seeing that I love sugar, I took the opportunity to make sure I had some. You never know what will happen! The other ingredients were already found in my kitchen and a quick survey before shopping allowed me to gauge what I needed and what I didn't need.

At night, I had the most fun task of actually weighing my food and I don't mean that sarcastically either. But before that, a quick stop to Hua Ho Yayasan to buy that digital weighing scale. Luckily with the festive season there was 15% off my purchase and I paid $25.41 for the scale.

So there I was weighing out my chicken breasts and beef slices to make sure I meet the requirements. Packaged them separately according to weight and stored them in the freezer so the next time I know I will have the right amount ready to be cooked. 

After all that was done, I got down to preparing my first meal. A quick look at a recipe book and lemon chicken seemed pretty easy and straight forward plus the recipe allowed me to use the ingredients I was allowed to eat. I chose to use lime instead since there was an abundance of it in the fridge. I stir fried some vegetables to go with it (after weighing it out of course) and I made my first meal.

Now at first I was concerned with the portions because I never in my life have had to weigh my food so I thought that the portions would be small but once I had it all on my plate, it was definitely enough.

Lime Chicken and Stir Fried Vegetables with Balsamic Vinegar

How did it taste? At 4am, not too bad if you like food that is slightly sour to your palette. It certainly filled me up with two rice cakes and some mango to top it all off.

Here's the recipe if you would like to try this at home:

Lime or Lemon Chicken (depending which you prefer)

1. Mix the chicken breast with cracked black pepper and sprinkle some salt

2. Coat the chicken with some olive oil

3. Squeeze a few limes (or limau kasturi) until you think you have enough juice.

4. Heat the non-stick pan with a little bit of olive oil. Cook the chicken.

5. Once cooked, pour in the lime juice.

And you're done!

Shane

I met Shane at the dinner I attended the other night and I asked her about her progress. Shane started on the programme about a week ago. I still remember us laughing and giggling over the portion sizes and what we could and could not eat. When I saw her, she looked healthy and whether my eyes were deceiving me, she looked like she was glowing!

We had a good chat and it's nice to hear the perspective of another person of how they are making the programme work for them because Shane is a busy retailer. Since many of us are busy people, we tend to use the busy-ness as an excuse not to do something like this. Shane said her being busy actually helped so you don't think so much about food!  She said she felt more energetic and did not feel hungry since the programme focuses on ensuring we have our 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks in between if we wanted it.

The result so far after a week? She has lost 2kg! Congratulations Shane!

I am grateful I am not alone in Brunei doing this programme and that I have my own support group whether they are or not on the programme. Shane says I can call her anytime in case I want to give in to that beautiful piece of chocolate cake  

Taken at Angkor Wat, Cambodia - July 2009

From Left: Yvonne, Me, Pek Ching, Angel, Shane & Jeolyn

A message from Mio Ting

Hi Friends,

One of my clients, Jo, was suffering from sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high LDL, low HDL, high uric acid and high blood sugar level before he started with Adventures in Weight Loss. Yesterday his wife Jess came over with the second (6 weekly) blood test report. She was so happy and excited about Jo's health improvement. He is losing so much weight (he was 90kg, now 76kg and still losing). He has recovered from his sleep apnea, his HDL has increased so much, LDL is lower, uric acid and blood sugar levels back within the normal range. This is truly great news! I am so happy for them and a joy in my heart knowing a life is saved.

Regards, 

Mio Ting

The Last Supper?

It felt a bit strange having dinner this evening knowing that it was my "last" no holds barred meal. My mind debated whether I should actually go through with this. Mummy made her very yummy custard which she only makes once a year during the fasting month. And my mind was saying, "think about all those yummy food you're going to miss!" Uhuh. I think I've already stuffed myself with yummy food over the past 25 years (not counting the first 5 years when I was fed food which I did not necessarily choose). What is just 6 to 8 months not eating it all? 

Actually my dad suggested that I ought to start after the fasting month is over and enjoy the first 10 days of Hari Raya. I could. That would have been an option but I was thinking to myself, I've had many years of enjoying good Hari Raya food and for some reason I brought myself back to those days where I felt bloated from eating so much. I don't think I would like to put myself through that. I look at all my baju kurungs which I've accumulated over the past few years and I think it would be nice to fit into some of them again.

Last night I had dinner at Pek Ching and YC's house. The chef was Boon Hui and he cooked us a fantastic meal! We had lamb with potatoes, roast chicken drumstick, seafood pasta, mashed potatoes, salad and pumpkin soup. I really enjoyed my meal but I wondered whether I was eating to compensate I would not get to enjoy some of the food come the start of the eating plan. By the time dessert came, I had my portion AND part of Yvonne's portion and I knew that I was over doing it. I think before I wouldn't have given it much thought. Just the idea of going on this eating plan is already raising my levels of awareness.

Some of my friends who were present at the dinner were saying to me that if I lose all this weight that I have right now I wouldn't be as huggable as they have experienced all this time. *Sigh* I really appreciate them for accepting me for who they see on the inside but it really is important I do this. It has really become clear that I am doing this for myself and no one else. 

It's time to get serious. And I will do my best!

Pills Pills Pills

I carried my folder to work today to show some of my colleagues. And I guess I was hoping I would have time to read it but I didn't. But what was stuck at the back of my mind was that I needed to get the supplements to go with this programme.

Being on a few programmes before, they would normally ask you to buy supplements which are their own brand and product line as part of the programme which I am convinced is just a gimmick to make more money. I was surprised when I found out the programme relied on supplements from Pharmanex.

One of the ways to be successful in a programme such as this is proper supplementation to support the body and through my blood test, they were able to identify which supplements would be ideal for me to consume as part of the eating plan. And when I read further the descriptions of the recommended supplements, I begin to understand why they were recommended. Now I am not sure if this is just marketing involved but it sounds like "wow - so good ah!"

The targeted supplements are meant to help you: 

1. Reduced nutritional cravings - no more cravings for Maggi Mee!

2. Insulin stabilization (loss of sugar cravings) - no more cravings for a DQ Blizzard!

3. Increased energy - more dance classes!

4. Improved sleep patterns - no more sleeping late?

5. Lowered stress and improved cortisol levels - no more waking up with moments of panic!

6. Improved metabolic response - the fat keeps on burning! Great!

The funny thing was when I went to Nu Skin just now, they had none of the supplements in stock! My balloon deflated temporarily but I can view it that (a) these supplements are really popular and (b) they just don't order a lot in the first place. I like to think (a) would be the case! Supplies should be coming in next week and they would give me a call.

I will be consuming the following:

1. Lifepak 

2. TRA Complex

3. Relaxation Formula

4. Marine Omega

Each of them have their own benefits and will assist with the weight loss. In the mean time, I will still continue my other set of supplements while waiting for these to arrive.

In my head, all I can think of is the founder of the programme Graham Park who lost 43kgs in 23 weeks! If he can do it, so can I! And just so you can be inspired too, here are his before and after photos taken from his website http://www.7weightlosssecrets.com/

Thank You Graham!

Finally!

The food plan has arrived! What a strange courier service. It took a week for it to arrive from Kuching. So now that it's here, what do I do? I've started reading the file and collecting questions to ask Mio Ting what I can, can't do, should do, shouldn't do, do a lot of etc.

There's the front cover of this file which I would like to share -

Personalised Meal Plan

Client Name: Siti Rozana M Yunos (they got that from my blood test results)

Prepared By: Dr Barry Ryan - Australian Weightloss and Michelle Anderson - Chief Client Consultant (she lost 10kg in 5 weeks!)

Date: 20 August 2009

Initial Weight: 120kg (yes I am that heavy)

Goal Weight: 60kg (I almost fell off my chair!)

Included in this report:

1. Overview

2. Test Results

3. Supplement Information

4. Personalised Eating Plan (most important!)

5. Exercise Information

6. Food Diary

7. Success Diary and Before Photos

To follow (after reaching my goal weight)

1. Phase two of eating plan

2. Phase three "On the Road Aagain" plan for life

3. Personalised exercise plan

Inside the file is also a measuring tape and a DVD "The Ultimate Weightloss Seminar" and "12 Minutes Activity Program"

I need to do some shopping! Without getting into too much detail here, I will now buy 

1. a digital scale to weigh my food

2. a digital scale to weigh myself and

3. food that fits the eating plan

So I watched the DVD. Some parts interest me and some did not. I listened with great interest to Annie Barki a psychologist who lost 18kg being on the programme and she brought up some great points. Most of the time, it's not all about the food! It's about our minds the programming we've gone through (like we must finish everything on our plates) and that most of us are uncomfortable about looking fantastic for various reasons. The biggest challenge to our success is FEAR. The fear of failure is one but also it's the fear of being responsible because once the weight begins to come off, we are now responsible, we now have to make choices and to always stay in control since we got ourselves there. No more binging and hiding behind our weight to allow us to make unhealthy choices what goes into our mouths.

After reading my file, I kind of have lost my appetite and it got me thinking deeply about myself. I liked it when she said, "it's not about acting seriously but seriously acting." The success of any programme is the ability to take ACTION. And mom reminded me again, "If you don't follow this, I will pull your hair!" Scary! I love my hair!

So now, the journey begins. I will be making preparations over the weekend and then off we go! More details to follow as I progress.

Life IS an adventure!

After our usual weekly Brunei Speakers' Club meeting, Josephine, Liz and myself decided to head to Cheezebox to catch up. The original intention was to help Jos with her upcoming speech. And I sat there thinking, life is not about just "weight loss", even having an adventure in weight loss means you still have to lead your life and life is full of adventures regardless of what you do!

It relates to the cartoon here (a BIG thank you to Randy for allowing me the rights to use his cartoons at a very reasonable fee) that you can be thin but still be unhappy. I then ask, what makes life meaningful for me at the end of the day? Don't get me wrong, I still am choosing to do this programme but I must remember not to be obsessed by it and that there is still a wonderful life to lead and surrounded by great people.

The goal would be to achieve weight loss (yet to be revealed!) and the intention is to be healthy so as to lead a long life that is full of meaning and joy!

And what makes my life meaningful? When I am able to do the things I love and make a big difference to myself and others with all the talents that God has given me. And there's so much to explore out there and so much potential to tap into.

I only ate half of what was on my plate just now so even though the meal plan has not arrived yet (I hope it arrives soon!), it's time to start making choices that will help get me started in that direction.