Having "Me" Time

I was asked a question today regarding the difference between running on a treadmill and stationary running (running in one spot without a machine) so I thought I'd clarify this point. Running on a treadmill allows you to choose the speed at which you walk or run. You can take actual strides that simulate actual walking or running outdoors. It is physically easier than running outdoors as the ground is pulled beneath you and there is no wind resistance. Treadmills are usually padded and make the impact from running soft on your knees. (This is great if you are overweight or have knee problems) If you don't want to use the treadmill or run outside, it is very difficult to really "RUN" or "Walk." You cannot "run" forward and stay in place..if so, it will end up being more like jumping up and down (like when you jump rope..I just tried it....) In this case, I recommend you just get a jumping rope instead. It can also give you a great wor...

There are so many theories on how to lose weight. I've heard a lot of people say we should have 5 or 6 small meals per day instead of just the 3 large meals. Both ways can help us lose weight. Which one is good for you? There is no right or wrong answer, but you have to figure out what works best for you. I had my 3 big meals during my weight loss plan. As losing weight is basically burning more calories than the calories you consume, the number of meals doesn't really matter. What matters most is the number of calories you eat. Having small meals may be more effective for some as eating frequently can help prevent you from getting hungry between large meals. What it does is basically divide the meals into smaller portions throughout the day to keep you constantly full. Eating 3 large meals a day will have the same weight loss effect if you control your portions well and watch your calories. Give yourself room to snack mid morning or mid afternoon, but make sure that the...

You might wonder "What does a post about fashion have to do with weight loss?" Well, the topic popped up as I pondered the benefits of weight loss. We all know weight loss improves one's good health, lowers the possibility of heart disease..blah blah blah... we know the benefits all too well, but WHAT DO I REALLY ENJOY MOST? I know I've given a great gift to myself by looking after my health, but the truth of the matter is: I enjoy most being able to wear almost anything I want to . I like the feeling of walking into a clothing store, seeing a nice blouse, dress or pants that hit my fancy and then being able to try it on. I like asking for a size that the shops have and not having to squeeze myself into clothes that are too small for me. I like not having to come out of the fitting room, and realize that the nice dress didn't look good on me because of my size. I like not having to worry about finding clothes that will hide that "big thigh" or the ...

Today I went golfing (actually went to take photos in a golf cart) and an interesting thought flashed across my mind as I watch the many types of golfers out there on the green. Most people chose to walk the 18 hole course while some chose to rent the cart. I noticed that those renting the carts were usually "bigger" in size and overweight which made me wonder...did they decide to rent carts because they found the walk tiring (which it is in the hot sun!) or was it because they weren't very active people to begin with that caused them to gain weight easily. What came first? An inactive lifestyle or the big size that became an obstacle to becoming active? Looking back on my own experience I think its a mixture of the two. I wasn't a very active child and so gained weight easily. The more weight I gained, the more I didn't feel like being very active because it was just too much trouble. I'd get tired easily and it felt easier to just sit around and not walk...

I want to emphasize the importance of portion control because this is what caused me to gain so much weight. I have always eaten healthy foods, I watched what I ate, but I ate LARGE portions. As I ate healthy, I didn't feel guilty eating. I therefore had portions that could perhaps be enough for 2 or even 3 people. No matter how healthy you eat, if you eat large portions, then its hard for you to lose any weight. A good idea is to change the size of the serving dish in which you eat. A documentary on TV revealed a research they did on the effect of the serving dish size on our appetite. They had children eat a certain amount of cereal in a very large bowl that made the amount of food look very little. The children would almost certainly have a second bowl of cereal. The same set of children were later given the same amount of cereal in a much smaller bowl. The cereal was filled to the top. Children in this case didn't ask for seconds and were reportedly "full....

Friends have asked me before if counting the calories really work in weight loss. My reply is "YES." For me it was a big factor in my weight loss. Keep in mind though that just limiting the amount of calories you eat without any exercise will only have some effects in the beginning, but for the weight loss to be sustainable and healthy, it has to be done together with exercise. To be clear, limiting the amount of calories coupled with exercise is important to a sustainable weight loss. One without the other will not have as good a result. I watched a documentary recently on TV where they took roughly ten unfit people who wanted to change their lives and train for the Boston marathon. Over a period of six months, they trained the participants and had them run miles and miles until they were fit enough to run the Boston marathon (which takes roughly 5 hours!). An interesting fact though is that many of the participants didn't lose weight throughout the training. The d...

It's friday so I thought I'd share a story about bone structure that always makes me smile :) Since I can remember I have always been considered "big" for Thai standards but that was always attributed to the fact that I grew up in europe and the US. People would tell me I had a "big" bone structure and that I shouldn't worry about losing weight even though I was overweight. Friends and family had reached the conclusion that I was "big" because of my bone structure. I thought so too. I didn't have that small waist or toned arms because of my big bone structure. Those people born with small bone structures were of course naturally small, something I wouldn't be. Anyways, let me ask you a question.Can bone structure change in size after we have passed the age of puberty? Your immediate answer would be "Of course not!" Well apparently mine changed. 14 kgs lighter I am now getting comments on my "small" bone str...

A great benefit from running that I haven't mentioned before is that your metabolism continues on burning calories for roughly an hour afterward!! Isn't that wonderful?? Don't eat right away as it will stop the calories from being burned. Use the time to shower and change before you start eating to make the most of your workout. Drink water though so you won't be dehydrated. Another very important element to running that most people overlook is to have the right Running SHOES ! I used to just wear my old trainers that I've had for years but they weren't running shoes and they didn't cushion my feet very well. I was heavy, had a wide foot and weak ankle. I needed a shoe that fit me well and would cushion my feet against impact from running. I got Asics as they are wide and stabilize my feet well. The gel bottom also help soften the impact from my running. They were expensive, actually the most expensive shoe I ever bought, but I love them and they are g...

What type of exercise is best for weight-loss? Running. Before, if I went to the gym (which I hardly did), I'd choose either the elliptical machine, bicycle or the cross trainer. I did them but my weight never went down. I stayed big and even got bigger at times. I saw the treadmill machine but always stayed away from it. Running seemed too much of a hassle. It would be a pain to run with my weight and after trying it once, I felt dizzy and didn't want to ever do it again. I couldn't even remember the last time I ran..I might have been 10 or 11 years old. Anyways, it wasn't until Alex explained to me the benefits of running did I opt to try it again. My metabolism had been slow from my lack of activity for years and I needed to boost my metabolism so that it would burn more calories. Running burned the most calories and revs up your metabolism, so why not just run if you have limited time at the gym? For example, if you have only 30 minutes at the gym, you might a...

I got a lovely message from an old friend today who said that she was losing weight as a lifestyle change, which I think is very important, and that it is a process that she has taken very slowly in order for it to be healthy. I completely agree with her on this point and want to emphasize that we have to be PATIENT with weight-loss if we want the results to be sustainable . The National Institutes of Health recommend that a slow and steady diet should enable you to lose around 1/2lbs to 2lbs per week. In metric that is roughly 0.5 to 1kg a week. It took me roughly six months to lose 14kgs (31 lbs) so that averages just slightly more than 2kgs (4.4lbs) per month which is within the guideline. You could lose weight much faster through "Fad diets" but then you could also just easily gain it all back once you return to your normal eating habits. Like my friend, I didn't want to follow a "strict" diet of what you can and cannot eat. Healthy eating, coupled with...

With so many choices awaiting our decisions each day, sometimes we end up making choices because its something others want us to do. A suggestion or advice given with the best of intentions because others "think" it is best for us. Long-term sustainable weight loss from my experience is something you have to do, not because you are told to do it,but because YOU truly want to do it , because you think its BEST FOR YOU . A lot of times you might see yourself relative to another person and wonder why others can eat more than you and not gain weight? How do they remain so skinny? For me, a large part to my success was that it was a personal goal . I lost weight for myself, because it made me feel good, and I felt good doing it. You should want to feel good about weight loss, and you should! DO IT FOR YOURSELF. (Might sound a little selfish, but hey its your health! You aren't bothering anyone else with it) Some may say: "I've tried all sorts of diets, but the...

A diet should be taken step by step. Little changes we make in our daily food choices can build up to great result. As many people out there, I often wished that there was some special formula, some recipe that I could follow for only a few days and "amazingly" lose 5kgs. I tried one such diet for a week around 2 years ago and at the end of it I lost only 1 or 2kgs. (Ok, maybe I did a few adaptations..:P) I wanted a "magic bullet" that would miraculously get rid of all that I didn't want, all without having to make much of an effort. I'm still dreaming about finding a magic bullet...Let me know if you find one :D So what small choices did I start making to my food? I did not stop eating carbohydrates, but I started eating more whole grain foods . I read in a very good (and very old book) by Adele Davis that whole grain foods make us feel full longer than refined foods (White bread, pasta..). Whole grain foods include bread made from whole wheat flour, oat...

There is never a "good" time to start a diet or to start exercising. Often enough, myself included, I'll hear people say: "I have too much work at the moment" or "I'm not feeling so well," "My back hurts, my leg hurts.." Something always comes up. Either its a trip, or an event, or something that is more important than exercise. Well, those words are actually the "lazy" person inside who is used to the sedentary lifestyle, used to the daily routine of work, eat, and sleep. Step away from your hectic life for a moment, and look at it from a different perspective. What can be more important than your own life or your health? Without good health, you won't be able to work, play, be with the people who are important in your life, or accomplish any of the things you want to do in life. So, my question to you is: "Why would you spend all your time working and running around, without caring for your health?" I'...

We've all heard about Body Mass Index (BMI), but what is it exactly? According to the National Institute of Health it is " a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women. " It is one of the three criteria that the the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) use to evaluate whether someone is overweight or not. 1. body mass index (BMI) 2. waist circumference, and 3. risk factors for diseases and conditions associated with obesity. (These include high blood pressure, high glucose levels, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, family history of heart disease and smoking) I was surprised when I first calculated my BMI..I was borderline normal weight going on overweight! (Ok, I'll stop being in denial.. I was slightly overweight!) Check out where you stand at the following websites. Don't be in denial! http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm http://www.nutritiondata.com/tools/calories-burned The latter...

It occurred to me that I didn't quite emphasize enough the importance of drinking enough water in my last entry so here goes: Our body is roughly 70 percent water which means that our cells need water to function properly. We need it to carry oxygen and nutrients to our organs, flush out the toxins, regulate body temperature and keep our joints well lubricated. So how does water help weight loss? Well for one thing, it flushes out the toxins in our bodies and excess salt, which we know makes our bodies store water. If you don't have enough water for your kidney to flush out the toxins, then your liver has to work extra hard and can't metabolize your fat as well as it should. So you end up storing more fat and water than you need to. Another important point is that water suppresses appetite. I realized that I used to eat when I felt 'hungry' when in fact I was 'thirsty.' Listen to your body and you'd be surprise. How much water should you drink? Recom...

Self awareness is the first step towards successful weight loss. You may say you are aware of yourself, but are you aware always? I sure wasn't. I started slowly and simply. I wrote down everything I ate and drank for a week. I kept a little journal where I would write down foods I ate, their portion size (just estimate) and also the mood at the time. Interestingly, I discovered I drank too little water, had a fair amount of sweets and just ate large portion sizes..even if it was healthy food. I did a lot of senseless eating, especially after a tiring day..I'll sit on the couch and just gobble something. I snacked between meals on carbs and blended juices. It surprised me as I always thought I was someone who didn't each much and that all the food I had was healthy. There was a lot I had to learn..juices when blended in ice with added syrup isn't healthy. The sugar slowed down my metabolism, gave me sugar rushes that quickly dissipated only to be filled with sugar aga...

Its March 16, 2010 and after having spent most of my roughly 30 years of existence dreaming about projects that for some reason never materialize.. This year, I promise myself that things will be different. Why? Because I KNOW that I can do it. Last year, I lost 14kgs over a period of roughly 6 months and it is a feat I am very proud of. It was NOT easy, but with the loving support of Alex (my boyfriend) who also acted as my coach, I DID it. Throughout my life, I had always been considered "Chubby" and at one point I was more than "Chubby," I was large. Luckily for me, things never got quite out of control but I had been carrying extra weight all my life and could never fit into clothes I liked at stores, hence the "conservative" me. Shirts and pants were the norm.. in various colors.... Here's a bit of what I learnt along the way: 1) To think you can do something, is not the same as actually doing it 2) Nothing is ever as hard as it first seems to b...