End September 2015 Update (with pics)

After saying that I would start eating lean, this is what I had for dinner!

Aglio Olio from NTU (Nanyang Technological University)

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

Delicious Aglio Olio from her uni! Not quite 'lean' but what was I to say when my daughter offered to buy this for dinner? We'd eaten it on several occasions and to me, the cook makes all the difference to this simple-to-cook yet difficult-to-master dish. This is the best I have tasted. I have been told my Aglio Olio rocks but it's because I've been trying to erm....achieve this cook's standard. I say 'cook' and not 'stall' because they changed the cook one time and it was just not the same.

Luckily, the portion isn't as big as what I would usually help myself to if I had cooked it at home! It was however, enough to make me feel terribly sleepy right after dinner and I did a terrible thing; after walking the dog, I went to lie down in bed! I didn't fall asleep but I was drifting into it when hubs came home. He couldn't believe I hadn't folded the laundry :( and because he seemed annoyed that he had to fold the laundry he had left for me to fold (haha), I felt guilty and got up. He then came to the room to rest just when I was about to get on the rebounder. He kept interrupting my routine to tell me to go over to him to watch a particular video (he's into watching crazy road users at the moment. Sigh). I had to tell him I wanted to exercise!

I didn't carry any of my weights and just solely rebounded for 30 minutes. I had weighed myself after dinner and after rebounding. By the way, I keep weighing myself not so much because I am desperate to drop pounds or kilos. I keep stepping on the scales because I'm trying to learn how this yo-yo weight thing works. It's more to learn more about how my body works. So back to the weight. I was the SAME weight for that morning and after dinner. I'm not sure where the aglio olio had disappeared to but it was all good! Perhaps having stood up at the office for several hours that day helped. Perhaps it was the fact that I hadn't taken any rice during the day. Perhaps, perhaps.

What was exciting was right after I finished rebounding, I had dropped 600g. Haha. How does that happen? Now it was MY turn to interrupt hubby to ask him. He just looked at me and told me to get my OWN scales if I didn't trust HIS scales. LOL.

I feel that while my shoulders have lost water (remember I said I was suddenly feeling bloated in the last week?), my face and tummy are still 'rounder'. I can feel it when I wash my face. That's how sensitive I have become to my own body size. I did wake up this morning to see a weight loss. It's not so apparent in the pic and it's not even apparent in the way I look. I think I still look terribly overweight. I can see the wobbly orange skin on my thighs staring back at me in the mirror. But still, the weighing scale and the tape measure say I have lost some.

So, here's the end of Sept update pic. Wrinkles and eyebags, yes. I am no young chick, lah.

End September 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

And here's a pic of me not smiling:

End September 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

This morning, 30th September 2015, after 2.5 months of continuous rebounding, I have dropped 4 kg. That is not much progress in terms of weight loss but I have lost another inch off my hips, making it a total loss of 2.5 inches. My waist has lost another inch, making it a total loss of about 4.5 inches. As for my boobs, sigh, they have lost another inch, making it a total loss of about 3 inches. My BP read 139/96. Diastolic is still high so there's still a lot of room for improvement.

Progress from Mid-July to September 2015
Estimated Weight loss = 4 kgs

Estimated Inch Loss from:
Bust = 3 inches
Waist = 4.5 inches
Hips = 2.5 inches

So, there is progress after all. Really uphill. Really slow. I'm not starving or anything. As you can see, I am still eating good food (like delicious Aglio Olio) but I have just balanced it out. Eat too much now, eat less later. Eat too little now, eat more later.

The My Fitness Pal App has been really useful to me. I am not paid by them to say this. I can enter foods and see their estimated calories so I can judge if I am eating too much or too little (the too little part hasn't been utilised). It made me realise how some foods seem so innocuous and yet contain so many calories. It also made me see that if I ate just vegetables, I would definitely be seeing fast results. But, me being me and loving food so much, I have to put up with the progress being slow instead because I like my food too much. I'm not yet at a stage where I would totally sacrifice my high calorie foods for low calories one and I'm not sure if I will stay this way or change. But I know I am now more conscious of what I eat and how I am treating my body. Someone said to stop focusing on the weight and to focus on the health instead and I know that's good advice. If only I follow it.

Weigh in - Post binge eating

It is 2 days after my binge eating last Sunday and I did drop down another 1 kg when I weighed myself after about 40 minutes of exercise last night and again this morning. I am a tad disappointed that another KG is still stuck on me and that I hadn't dropped down below my 'lowest weight in a long time'. Bah humbug. I doubt very much if I will go on another binge eating spree.

I went back on a 'reasonable' diet yesterday, having only veg for lunch, some fruit for a tea-time snack (although no tea) and then a huge salad with 2 chicken wings and about 3-5 tablespoons of rice and noodles. I know you're supposed to eat heavier at the start of the day and eat lighter as the sun sets but you know, when you're having dinner with the family, you don't really want to be a party pooper and sit there all by your lonely self with your cold salad.

Today, I had a small plate of noodles (fist size) for breakfast and only veg and fruit for lunch. (Note to self: The breakfast noodles (carbs) only held my hunger pangs away for 2 hours.) I'm still restricting my intake to 1500 calories a day (give or take) and I am going to stop lifting my light 'weights' for now. What I am intending to do is to lower the total calorie count of each day's meals and then just continue with my rebounding. I think I made a mistake of being too ambitious and jumping into carrying weights (even if they were light). I didn't go lean enough before trying to tone my body. My body just couldn't take the stress of the limited calories and various exercises and in trying to repair itself, retained the water, making me bloated.

Good news though. While high readings are still hanging around occasionally, I managed a 139 over 88 for yesterday night's BP readings. That's an improvement for me and I am happy with it. Overall, I am also feeling alert and good so that's a good sign.

Now, my aim is to focus on my diet and reduce my calorie intake while not sacrificing eating well and at the same time, exercising at least 4 times a week. In simple words, I just want to bring my weight down as low as possible by watching my food intake. It sounds easy but to me, that's a really tough one. I'd much rather rebound for an hour for an entire week than to restrict my food intake. But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Binge Eating Sunday (27 Sept 2015)

So I cheated. On purpose. I had my reasons and I wanted to do an experiment to know my body better.

Towards the end of the last week, whenever I looked in the mirror, I saw a puffy looking creature staring back at me. I could tell that I wasn't looking the same. I was supposed to be getting more toned wasn't I? I really was. So why was I suddenly getting 'plumper'? Though the scales were edging downwards ever so slowly, I could not shake the feeling that I was looking more bloated than usual. I measured my waist and it was still reduced so my girth wasn't expanding.

I had exercised every single day in the past week and I didn't feel it was torturous or anything. I actually enjoyed it and that's why I did it but I wondered if my body was taking it well. With the calories I was restricting myself in a day and with the amount of exercise I was doing, was I hitting a plateau so soon into this exercise lifestyle? Did I need to kick start my metabolism? Did I need to let it have a rest day and recover? I was feeling some aches especially in my arms and thighs because of the small weights I had been carrying and the squats I had been doing. So, I decided to have a rest day.

After Sunday Mass, I cooked Mee Goreng for the family and had 2 plates of it all to myself!!! Yes, carbs, carbs, carbs!

Home Fried Mee Goreng

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

Then for dinner, I cooked about 10 chicken wings in my Philips Air Fryer (so no oil) and ate about half of them (okay, I shared about 2 with my dog so that means I ate at least 3). They were delicious by the way. I have it switched on at 200 deg for about 6-7 minutes per side if I want them crispy and about 5 mins per side if I want it more succulent.

I also ate pork patties and one and a half bowls of white rice with my delicious store bought sambal belachan. Then, I refrained from exercising (actually I should say I restrained myself from exercising because I really wanted to). Suffice to say, I felt really demoralised by the weight gain. I had put on 2.5 kgs just from that Sunday binge. I used the My Fitness App and estimated I had taken in about 3000 calories! Yes, I allowed myself this binge because I wanted to see if it was true....what was true? If this rest day / reloading of carbs would help my metabolism.

I made sure to drink plenty of my lemon and cucumber water the whole day. I did end up peeing a lot that night before I went to bed. Interestingly, I weighed myself after dinner (put on 2.5kg more than my weight in the morning before breakfast) and then I took my bath and weighed myself again AND I HAD LOST 1 KG. Don't ask me why. I know not why. Maybe you're thinking it's my scales. Perhaps. But do note that I am weighing myself so often only because I am neurotic about it. One is not supposed to rely so much on the weighing scale readings. But I guess I always have to be different and not go with the flow too much!

Then I woke up this morning and right after I had my morning drink and pee, I weighed in to find I had lost weight again but still not as low as Sunday morning.

Today, I am back on my clean eating and it's really not a chore. I am looking forward to it. To tell you the truth. Though the carbs were delicious, I really felt not so well after eating so much. I know that I'm not supposed to take a rest day from dieting and exercising so literally as to pig out. But I really let myself go and enjoyed myself fully with the food and I wasn't eating because I was sad or depressed! I was eating because I let myself eat!

Tonight, I will be back on the rebounder (because I doubt the haze will let up in time to go jogging) and I'll be hopping on my weighing machine again to check in (yes, yes, I check all the time). Will let you all know if this rest day binge eating and reloading of carbs and naughty foods actually helped me to kick start my seemingly plateaued metabolism! Ta!

Stupid fool that I am

I woke up feeling as 'blah' as the terrible haze this morning.

Hazy morning in September

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

Can't see the reservoir, can't see the bridge like road linking Seletar to Yishun town. Can't see Yishun. Can't see weight loss.

Well, actually, the weight did drop since yesterday but yesterday was a bad day from the viewpoint of the weighing scale and measuring tape!

It started with this innocuous looking bowl of Tom Yam Ramen:

 Tom Yam Ramen

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

I love Tom Yam Ramen found in Singapore food courts. I don't care if there's no such thing in Tom Yam land or Japan. There's something so comforting about the fat ramen (or 'lah mien' as we say it in Chinese) and the deliciously, sour, salty, sweet broth they soak in. Wednesday was the day before a public holiday and of course, you know me by now; I love to treat myself on days I am in a good mood. Just a bowl of carbo, how about it? Enough said.

 

The next day being THE public holiday itself, I was too lazy to brave the bad haze to go grocery shopping. As such, I decided to whip up fried noodles accompanied by fried fat sausages. I was a good girl and had half a fried soba fish but I couldn't resist eating the fried noodles. Just one small bowl, right? Then two (because it tasted good with cut chillies). Then again at dinner time. Well, now you know, how good I feel about myself now. Sigh.

 

I spent a good amount of time yesterday cleaning house and does that count as a work out? It should right? But I guess the weighing scale just saw the carbs coming in and forgot all about the housework. I am rambling. Yes. I am pissed with myself. I even did nearly 50 minutes of exercise. Yes, the weight did drop but it had shot up yesterday before dropping this morning. So I am back to still being a bit heavier than the lightest I had been in a very long time.

 

I knew it. I knew this would happen from as early as yesterday morning. I had taken a look at my weight and told myself that if I could keep really good self-control that whole day, I'd see a drastic drop in weight by the next morning. Alas. I had chosen to be greedy instead. What a fool.

 

At the end of the day, it is TRUE after all. In order to lose weight, you cannot just depend on dieting alone or exercising alone. They both have to go hand in hand. Although I can comfort myself and say the scales are still heading downwards albeit slowly, I will not. I really need to 'wake up my idea' (local slang for 'see the light') and see the bigger picture. Why would I slog it out nearly every single day and yet waste it away eating sub-standard food that is not worthy of the sacrifice? Yes, I call my cooking sub-standard. It is not worthy to be wasting calories on my cooking! How can I be doing this to myself? I really need to up my game. Every single time I want to cave to have some heavily calorie-laden foods, I need to remember the sight of my jiggly bits bouncing everywhere as I rebound. I need to remember the sight of my thunder thighs, up close and personal, in the mirror.

 

Do you have any idea how much time I have spent exercising in the past two months? Nearly every day! Yet, the scales aren't budging fast enough!!! I really have to take it up a notch with my meal plans! How is it people can lose 20kgs and I can barely move 2? Aarrrrrghhh! I am so angry with myself!

 

Well, the weekend is here and I already have a request for pasta from one of my kids. I love pasta. We'll see if I love it enough to suffer the angst of little or no weight loss again. I hope you who are reading this, have more will power than I do.

The Ramly Burger

Before we fell asleep last night, I had to ask hubs THE QUESTION; WHY wouldn't he just join me in my weight loss journey? You will understand the reason behind my asking after I explain.

I'm not sure to call yesterday a bad or a good day.

As indicated in my last post, I had started the morning off weighing in at the lightest I have been in a long time. In fact, since I started on my on-the-ball (serious) exercise regime. Happy as a lark, I decided to keep within my 1500 calorie intake for the day with the help of the MyFitnessPal app (again, I am not paid to use them or say this).

An hour and a half before I was due to leave the office for home, I had a sudden craving for that darn packet of paprika chips sitting near me. I drank water to stave off the craving. Drank more water. But all I could think about was the salty, spicy taste in my tongue. So I said, oh heck, I'd just have ONE. Yes, one. I did start out like that. I broke off teeny tiny pieces off that one single chip and munched slowly on it. Then when I finished, I broke off the second chip into teeny tiny pieces and munched slowly on it too. Then, came the third chip which I broke off into bigger but still tiny pieces. Let me end your torture and just skip to the crunch. I ate up half a bag of chips. OK. I finally finished it and chucked the darn chip bag into the bin!

Suffice to say, I felt sick after eating the chips. But it was too late and I am not bulimic so I wasn't going to force myself to puke. I noticed my tummy was bloated right after eating the chips. That's something I have to look into. What was it that triggered the bloat? The potatoes? The salt? The paprika? What in my 'all natural' chips caused me to bloat? All I know is I hope never to go through that again.

So I got home and was determined to munch on 'grass'. Made myself a big plate of salad and threw in a handful of black olives which I love, love, love! No dressing (to save myself some calories). I was determined to be under the 1500 calorie goal by the time I was done with my exercise for the day. So after dinner, I took the dog for her walk, cleaned up the kitchen a tad and then got changed into my running gear.

I skipped the track and ran along the pavement round my estate. I only made it 20 minutes non-stop. Then I stopped and did another 10 minutes on the exercise machines below my apartment block. I was dripping in sweat by the time I got home. I'm sure the laundry basket is a tad more stinky these days with the wet clothes I am chucking in there!

Anyhoo, most pleased with myself, I bathed and relaxed in bed. Made a big mistake of watching cooking videos. My stomach was growling incessantly and I had half a mind to walk to the fridge to grab a handful of salad leaves to munch on. Instead, hubs came home and announced that he had bought RAMLY BURGERS. Yes. He did that. He invited his very hungry wife to join him at the dining table for supper. He left the room. I stayed in bed and then got up to join him and the rest is history.

Basically, the moral of the story is, do not go anywhere near a Ramly Burger when you are hungry because you WILL eat it. Sigh. I weighed 300 grams heavier after eating that burger.

This morning however, I had a small surprise. I was down a kilo. I don't know what the science is, but going totally off my 1500 caloric limit and eating that Ramly Burger AND a bit of hubs' sugary apom (a pancake thingy that is eaten with brown sugar), and of course that two round jog, managed to bring me back to yesterday's weight again.

So I am back where I started yesterday. IF I had not caved and eaten that burger, I would have been in a calorie deficit and woken up to a weight lower than yesterday. I knew it in my heart and yet, I had walked out of the room to eat THAT BURGER. So now you know, why, I just had to ask hubs to join me on my weight loss journey. It's a war strategy.

Dinner - Minced meat (pork) cutlets / patties

Here's what I cooked for the 'boys' last night:

Minced Pork Cutlets

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

I took the above picture after my boys had already eaten half of them! I yelled and got up from my chair when I realised I hadn't taken a picture of my patties / cutlets! I had to stop them from eating more while I snapped the pic. Of course the two of them were shaking their heads in disapproval. Hubs asked me if I was too free. He wanted to know who the heck I was posting these pics for? (He knows I blog but he does not read my blog or any other blogs for that matter). I told him I had readers from all over the world and I really didn't know WHO was actually reading my blog. It's therapeutic for me to write and if it helps someone to read what I wrote or if it served as entertainment, I was happy to do it.

So anyway, my humble minced pork cutlets. Sooooo easy to make and according to the boys, very yummy. Unfortunately, the girl had already returned to uni hall to stay for the week and had missed this meal. I'll make sure to cook it for them again this weekend when she's back.

I used 2 packets of frozen pre-minced pork. Thawed it overnight in the regular fridge (not freezer) and added in 2 eggs, chopped onions, chopped chillies, pepper, salt, cumin, coriander and paprika powder. Mixed well then rolled them into balls. I couldn't quite flatten them because the pork was a tad too wet (I hadn't drained it well when I removed it from the fridge). So you see my cutlets looking a bit like balls but it didn't affect the taste so who cares.

Son as usual, gave me his interrogation :
Son: "Wah, Mom! Whatever this is, it's delicious! But why must you add cut chilli!"

Hubs: "But it's nice what! Ignore him"

Son: "And onions! Make without onions next time and it'll be perfect!"

Hubs: "No, it's nice what! Just do it like that."

Haha....I told you, it's hard to please this family.

Lightest weight since mid-July 2015 (July to Sept)

The best time for me to weigh in is at night, just before I'm going to sleep. To me, that's when I've fully pigged out for the day or when I've already worked off whatever calories I could afford to work off. Others may differ but I think one should just find a convenient time and stick with it when you're weighing in. For example, you might prefer to weigh yourself just after you've come out of the shower in the morning and before you've taken breakfast. It's a preference for me that I prefer to weigh myself for the record that counts (I'll explain what I mean by the record in just a moment) at night.

That is not to say that I would not weigh myself any other time of the day. Sometimes, I just feel like hopping on the scale in the morning. You could say that of late, I've been obsessed with weighing myself in the morning, in the evening after dinner and late at night after I've exercised and showered and just before I hit the zzzzzzzzs. The one that I should record is the weigh in at night.

For today, I'll make an exception....I hit my lowest weight this morning (pre-breakfast) since I started exercising in mid-July 2015!

So officially it's been 2 months of consistent rebounding (about 5-6 times a week) without going on any particular fad diet (eating regularly and practically normally) and I've lost 4 kgs (8.8lbs).

PERIOD OF TIME: 2 MONTHS (mid-JULY to mid-SEPT 2015)
Weight Loss:
4 KILOS (8.8 LBS)

Inch Loss:
Bust: 2 inches
Waist: 4 inches
Hips: 2 inch

I can't compare the other parts of my body because I did not think to measure them at the start of my weight loss journey. But I can totally see my lower tummy reducing in size. It's still there but definitely reducing. I also didn't lose the 4 kgs consistently like 2 per month. There was little movement and suddenly in the past month, the scales have been moving in my favour.

Depending on if you see the cup half full or half empty, 4 kgs may be too little for 2 months. But for me, an insulin resistance PCOS sufferer, where losing weight is so difficult, it should be a big triumph. So slow but steady. It's been a lot of hard work. There were days I would have preferred to just rest and relax or days I just didn't feel like doing it but I have been successful most of the time to overcome the laziness and just do it.

My weight loss has been going a tad too slow for me (so, I guess I find the cup half empty). Primarily because the main reason I wanted to lose weight was to bring my blood pressure down to a healthy level. It has come down but not consistently so. Like it was low last night but it might spike on another day so I'm not too happy with my readings as yet.

I am watching my calorie intake for the day but not being so strict with myself. I use the MyFitnessPal App to help me count my caloric intake. It helps to keep me in check. For example if I've had a big caloric lunch, then I'll be more conscious of my choice for dinner. I use it solely for that purpose and it's been a big help. I had to set a caloric goal and though they suggested 1200 calories per day, I had set it at 1500 calories per day. When I exercise, I can input it and they'll deduct the calories used. Well, everything is just a rough estimate but it helps to keep me in check. I've not gone bonkers and started weighing my food....yet.

I've said it before and I will say it again. Weighing oneself is not a good indicator of if or not your exercise and diet regime is working. I've had other indicators like finding outfits that once fit, becoming too loose. I used to have to adjust my strapless bra to the loosest setting (clasp) and now, it's on the tightest setting. That's a good indicator to me that my back fats and boobies have shrunk! Skirts which once sat just nice, are now sliding downwards. I wash my face and I immediately know that the surface area of my face has reduced!

However, having said all that about not depending on the weighing scale to set your mood, I DO weigh myself all the time! LOL. I can't help it and since I'm not in school and I report to no one but God, I allow myself this indulgence. You can imagine how elated I felt this morning, knowing that I've hit my lowest weight since mid-July! This is like the weight I was when I was doing belly dance classes thrice a week eons ago!

Thus, I feel motivated to push myself further. Weight loss too slow? Watcha gonna do? UP THE GAME! I don't think I can afford to exercise more than the one hour I am doing now so I'll have to reduce my calorie intake instead. I feel I am still eating too much carbohydrates so in that aspect, I will aim to reduce it. I can't take it away completely because firstly it's not healthy to do so and secondly, I'd become hungry and then I'd snack.

Did I mention that I overcame the urge to eat my paprika 'all natural' potato chips yesterday? Yes, I did! *pats own back* Good job, Me! I very nearly threw my bag of half eaten chips in the bin but then I thought I might still want to treat myself to one or two chips somewhere down the road....hehe...really nasty thought! I KNOW I won't be able to stop at one or two. So my bag of chips is still sitting all lonely, waiting its fate.

Shrinking waistline and what I ate over the weekend!

Having measured myself hastily, I have found that overall, there has not been much movement in inch loss except for my waist! My waist is actually shrinking! Yay! This is my usual black skirt which used to fit me to the T:

Shrinking waistline 21 Sept 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

And another view of my waist:

 

Shrinking waistline 21 Sept 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

This black skirt is not one of the two I had previously mentioned which have become too loose for me. I've had to keep those two aside. This is my regular waist high skirt which had slid further down from my navel. You could say I couldn't care less if I never wear an office skirt again. It's a matter of time anyway before I have to ditch my office skirts for good. If I do take up driving a cab full-time, I'll be in pants anyway.

 

That bunched up part of the skirt near my waistline in the above pic is just that, a crinkling of the skirt's waistband because I hadn't arranged it properly. It's not my waist bulging out, thank goodness. The tummy's still progressing very slowly. Very, very, very slooooooowly but persevere I will and I will not give up!

 

I exercised all through the weekend. Not quite as vigorous but still about an hour on the rebounder. I incorporated more toning and stretching exercises and I was trying to work more on my upper body (think flabby arms).

 

Considering what I ate over the weekend, I'm quite happy that my weight hasn't exploded and returned me to back where I started again.

 

Saturday morning saw me and my son having Sarawak Kolomee for breakfast:

 

Saturday breakfast: Sarawak Kolomee Sept 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

The son and I had gone shopping for safety work shoes for him because he is currently an intern at an aviation company. After the purchase and a relaxing browsing at the huge hardware store (which got us really excited!), we went to have breakfast. Tar-paued (took away) a few packets for the rest of the family too. I'd eaten the 'red' sauced mee and John had eaten the 'black' sauced mee. I made a mistake of ordering just the black sauced Kolomee for the family before he and I had eaten at the stall. I should have tried the mee first then placed the order for the people back home! They complained that it was a tad too sweet. I on the other hand, had thoroughly enjoyed my red sauced Kolomee!

 

I skipped lunch and seriously cannot remember what I had for dinner.....gimme a minute! Ah!!! Hubs and I had dinner at IKEA!!! Oh my goodness, now I recall! There was such a long queue and I'd ordered the 20 meatball plate and 6 pieces of chicken wings to share with him. Thinking it wouldn't be enough for us, I had also ordered 2 buns and 2 pieces of garlic bread. The bread buns were a mistake. They were hard and yucks (maybe because it was already at night). Anyway, feeling guilty after the IKEA indulgence, I did work out on the rebounder for a whole hour while hubs was asleep. Then I put some chicken and ingredients into a crockpot (slowcooker) and hoped for the best.

 

Slow cooker Sunday Sept 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

By Sunday morning, I had to turn off the crockpot before we went for Mass because I could see the contents of the pot bubbling. I added in some cheese.

 

Slow cooker Sunday Sept 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

I'd dumped chicken pieces, carrots, onions, celery, tomato paste and cheese and when we came back, lunch was ready. It looks a bit oily because I had added in sesame oil (because I like the taste).

 

 

Slow cooker Sunday Sept 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

I loved it but I think the family did not! The family suggested using beef instead of chicken because they didn't like the fact their chicken had all but disintegrated! I agreed! Still, I ate scoops of the above with a whole plate of rice. I enjoyed it because Mummy did not have to cook!!!

 

And to add to the weekend indulgence:

 

 

Dry Hor Fun Sept 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

For Sunday dinner, because hubs and I were by ourselves again, hubs ordered delicious fried rice while I went with the dry hor fun. A whole plate of carbs! I didn't feel too bad because we walked a lot at a mall after dinner and when I went back, I managed to workout for about 20 minutes. When I weighed myself after the workout, I was just glad that I hadn't put on any. Not too happy that I hadn't lost any in the way I would like but hey, with all that heavy duty eating, I shouldn't be complaining!



2 solid months of continuous exercise (pics)

I've decided for ease, to use my 47th birthday in July as a gauge as to when I had started taking exercise seriously. I did start a bit before that but it was random occasions of jumping on my then rarely utilised mini-trampoline. I had not yet experienced my epiphany moment.

So that brings us to about 2 solid months of having changed my eating and exercise habits.

 (above) Post 2 months of continuous exercise

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

My body is nowhere near what I would like it to be but I am happy that it is showing progress. Not only has back fat been reduced, it's apparent my boobs have erm shrunk. But I'm OK with that if it means losing inches overall.

 

(above) Tummy still there but definitely reduced!

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

Excuse the pink! Was trying to blot out the background in a fast and most unprofessional way. I realised I did blot out a bit of bum with a stroke of pink. Sorry. Bum DID shrink but not that much. As you an see, I have a long way to go before my chinny chin chin will be reduced. 2 months of exercise, with an average of 5 days a week, has not reduced it. My upper arms are still flabby and my lower arms are still fleshy.

 

Long way to go to lose inches off the thighs. In my mirror, I can see the orange peel skin all over my thighs and calves. Not apparent unless I rub my skin but nevertheless, something I wish to rid myself of!

 

Yesterday could have ended really badly. I could have slapped myself for indulging in chips but oh did I learn my lesson? Nope. I ended up gobbling up several snow-skin mooncakes. I ended up in the room feeling exhausted and hubby grabbed my waist. He joked that after 2 months of exercise, it (fats) had all come back after one day of greed! I sighed and was going to give myself an 'off day'. So I just lay there in bed and told him that I suspected I was not feeling very chirpy because I had thought about how I had been treated at work and how I really felt very short-changed. I felt that I had EATEN those chips and copious amounts of sweet mooncake because I was feeling not quite right. I told him what I really wanted to say to some people but what I would do instead. He listened and was agreeable. I told him what I intended to do and he gave me his support. I immediately cheered up and felt so much better! He left the room to go water his plants and I hopped out of bed and got on the rebounder. 

 

I ended up with 30 minutes of power packed rebounding exercises and felt sooooo much better at the end of the workout. I had also stepped on that CRANKY weighing machine hubs had bought for me. Post workout, I was 1 KG lighter than pre workout. I asked him how it could be! He had also weighed himself and he remained the same before I worked out and after I was done. So, if he weighed the same, could the weighing machine be right after all? Haha. That machine keeps me guessing. It'll be a good surprise if I stepped on a really accurate scale and it showed more weight loss than actually perceived! So for now, I'll just continue using the CRANKY one.

 

You know, I think back to all the years of abuse on my body, NOT EXERCISING and eating RICE like there's no tomorrow. Added to that, my PCOS insulin resistance! Now that I am exercising and being more discerning about what I eat (excluding the chips and mooncake backsliding!), I realise how much hard work it has taken me. TWO WHOLE MONTHS of continuous exercise for just a few inches off and a few kilos off. The good thing is I've incorporated it into my life so it's not just an exercise I've signed up for, for a limited period of time. The best part is I am not starving and I am enjoying it. I am enjoying so much that I wish to clear my room of most of my handbags and turn a part of my room into a mini-gym! LOL. That's how clear I am on this. Can you imagine it? Exercise may just be able to kick my handbag collecting habit for me. I have kind of lost interest in handbags. Yep.

 

This is my life and my body. I am going to do what it takes to continue this way.

Oh and by the way...am I going to really be a full-time taxi driver?

Join me on my continuing journey! 

 

 

 

Good lunch spoilt by snack

This was my goody-two-shoes food choice for lunch. No rice.

Lunch choice (no rice)

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

Felt so good. Felt so full even without the rice. Then....of course it had to happen. Just barely two hours past lunch...

I snacked!

 

Sigh. This is all about controlling the consumer with deceptive but definitely effective packaging. The whole package said everything was 'natural'. Natural this, natural that. Of course I felt really good eating it. I told myself I'd just eat a handful. I ended up eating half a packet. What am I mumbling about?

 

Potato chips, lah! I snacked on potato chips!

 

Woe be me! That probably undid the little jogging I did last evening! Grrr....do you spy the little temptress?! Paprika potato chips. So yummy while I was crunching it.

 

Potato chip playing the temptress

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 



I'm only on my second day into keeping track of what I eat using the My Fitness Pal app (I'm just trying it out and trying to gage my caloric intake). After lunch, I was already left with only 200+ calories to spare for my dinner choice (yes, I was thinking I should eat grass). Now, feeling sick and utterly disgusted with my gluttony and lack of self-control, I will really be eating just vegetables or fruit for dinner AND I will have to run my *ss off too tonight! Hmmmph! Epic healthy eating fail!

 

Weight and Inch Loss - July, August, Sept comparison

Apart from the husband groping me with his hands and telling me my body felt different, I find that if I compare pictures from the past month/s, I can tell if I look different.

Forgive me if you see some repeat pictures. It's because in the past, I did not really have many pictures of myself. I am trying to take more pictures so that I can showcase my progress at trying to trim the fats.

So here I am in mid-September 2015:

(above) Mid-September 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

Take note that I am wearing the same dress as the pic showing mid-July.
This is me in mid-August 2015:

(above) Mid-August 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

And this is me in mid July 2015, wearing the same dress as mid-September. This dress is now loose at the waist for me (yay!):

 

(above) Mid-July 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 



Early July. My epiphany moment. When I finally woke up and decided to really get started on changing my lifestyle by incorporating exercising and healthy eating. I'll explain about that later:

 

 (above) Early-July 2015

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

 The scales have not been kind. Since early July, I have only budged downwards, a couple of kilos. But as Dr Oz advised, measuring your waist is a better indicator of if your exercise or diet regime is working for you. My waist did reduce a couple of inches.

 

I feel that comparing the July and September photos, I can see that my face has lost a bit of 'fat' and is more angular and I am pleased with the progress, albeit crawling at snail's pace!

 

Yesterday evening, when I returned from work, I was trying to catch a glimpse of any jogger at the park but to no avail. It seemed like everyone was hiding from the haze. When I'd finished dinner and was walking my dog, a lone jogger panted past me on the pavement. That did it for me! I rushed upstairs, washed the doggy's bum and changed into my 'running' outfit. Out the door I went before I could change my mind!

 

So, I was like the lone jogger on the park trail (although there were boys playing at the football court). By the time I was doing my second round, I found a few more had started jogging. Then more and more! I wondered if all these joggers were like me, waiting for a fellow jogger to start the ball rolling. Who would be crazy enough to go jogging in the haze? Haha. Me.

 

My breathing was definitely affected either by the haze or by my long 'rest' from jogging on a hard surface (as opposed to the rebounder). I was panting by my first 400 metres. I decided to lift up this jog to the Lord and ask Him to help me to not feel tired. Indeed, my breathing became regular and I didn't feel tired. The only thing I realised I was feeling at the end of 30 minutes was the ache in my thighs. I decided 30 minutes was enough and ran home. I then did short work outs on the 2 public exercise equipment just below my apartment. One was for the legs and one was for the arms. Perfect.

 

I was elated to reach home drenched in sweat! It's a lot of hard work, this change in lifestyle habits. I have persistently been working out about 5 days a week for the past 2 to 3 months. I'm also more conscious of what I eat for lunch and dinner. For breakfast, I don't really have a choice. It's more about convenience because I may just grab a store-bought bun. What we do is we'll buy several buns at the same time for the whole family to have for breakfast. I'd rather sleep a little longer than wake up to prepare a detailed breakfast. But for lunch, I can make a discerned choice to buy healthier food options and for dinner, I no longer have an adult telling me to finish what's on my plate! (Ok, I exaggerate. I DO still finish what's on my plate because I'm all for zero-wastage but I mean I am not a kid any more and I can decide how much or how little I want to put on my plate in the first place).

 

Before I end this post, I just wanted to touch on the 'epiphany moment' I mentioned earlier. Hubs had taken a few pics of me. We were on a cruise. I realised when I wanted to post a picture that I had to search through the pics he had taken of me because several were unflattering. Either my face was too chubby or my arms were too flabby. That WAS a deciding moment for me. I hated the way I was looking and I decided I had to do something about it. I didn't know what it was but I knew I had a rebounder sitting at home waiting for me to use it and so I did. From there, little by little, I started to improve my exercise stamina; from panting after 2 minutes to doing above an hour. From the rebounder, I have started to jog. I still have a lot to learn and I am keen to keep learning. Please remember that I have gone from a sedentary lifestyle to one which incorporates exercise. I could never run 50 metres without feeling like I was dying. So if I can do it today, so can you.

 

I'm really happy with the little progress I have made and I hope that if you're reading for motivation, that you too will stay on track and not give up. We've a long way to go, you and I! God bless you!

 

(By the way, please feel free to contact me or leave comments. I do sometimes wonder who is reading my blog!).

 

 



Darl! Come! Come and eat!

I stared at the jogging track opposite our apartment yesterday evening and there wasn't a single person running. I took a cue from those regular joggers. If the haze was still bad for them to sit it out despite the respite from the afternoon rain, then I too should not be jogging outside. Thus, I hurried through my chores and hopped on the rebounder to exercising for an hour. I must say, I didn't quite enjoy the exercise play list from the Spotify app.

I was lying on the rebounder after my workout, totally exhausted from the leg lifts and stomach crunches when hubs opened the room door and said, "Darl! Come! Come outside and eat. I bought supper."

I told him he had to be crazy. I'd just spent an hour working out and he was asking me to have supper. I went to take my bath instead. He persisted and after calling me to join him a few times, I did.

So, that's how I ended up eating 7 or 8 otah sticks (fish paste sticks). Sigh. The good thing is, I took comfort from the fact that I woke up not heavier but still overall lighter. I take it, this is what will happen to me very often from now on. I will be presented with food and I will have to make a choice as to whether to eat it or not. Over the weekend, I did turn down the offer of cake and home baked bread, not because of calories but because I don't really fancy cake or bread in the first place. I am however, unable to turn down, otah! Woe be me!

Your body feels different!

This is a pic of the hazy weather we're seeing in Singapore right now because the winds have brought in the smog caused by fires set by Indonesian farmers to clear crop land.

Hazy weather in Singapore

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

I liken my current job (soon to be jobless) situation to Singapore and Indonesia. I am like Singapore. My country excels in many things and is on top of many issues. My nation is super efficient but she cannot stop another country from polluting the blue skies of our beautiful island. It is out of out control and thus, we make the best of the situation while unceasingly trying to find a resolution.

As such, I am just going to think positive and know that our good Lord will help me open a door, far greater than the one closing on me. Good riddance to bad rubbish!

So I don't know what happened to us last night. It could have been the haze but Mike and I fell asleep right after dinner. I woke up at midnight feeling hot and thirsty. Took my bath (yes, we weren't supposed to fall asleep. I was still in my office clothes!) and brought the doggy for a walk. Returned to find hubs awake and frustratingly getting no signal from our Starhub Fibre broadband (none of us at home could). He took his bath, went to water his plants and then we snuggled in bed, trying very hard to fall asleep after our long nap (in fact, I was still tossing and turning when his alarm clock rang for him to wake up that morning).

When we were snuggling with each other, his hands suddenly groped my waist, pinched what I call my 'waistline blubber' and then expressed surprised at how much my waist had shrunk! As if unconvinced, he stroked my tummy and then proceed to grope my bum! That's when he said my body has shrunk. He said it feels different! He said (and I hope that he was really joking) that he missed my old body and wanted the fats back!

Yay! Yay! Yay! Who would know my body better than the one who gropes it the most??? Yay, I say!

I also realised that I do not bloat as much after a meal. For dinner, I had pork chops and a side dish of aglio olio. I ended up eating more aglio olio and so it wasn't really a side dish any more. But, I woke up today and found no bloating. Instead, my weight dropped a little from yesterday. Yah lah, I still weigh myself on a daily basis - I don't care even if it's not a good gauge, to me it acts as a warning to me should I be putting on too much weight, to eat more conservatively at the next meal or to up my exercise.

So, that was 2 days of completely no exercise after 4 continuous days of 1hr jogging on the rebounder and yet the scales have moved downwards a little. For an insulin resistant person suffering from PCOS, I'd say that's a big progress! BIG YAY!

Run, Forrest! Run! (Exercise weightloss update)

Okay, the haze has been bad over Election weekend. I felt like running so much but stopped myself from doing so in the haze. I did not want to take a risk with my health. I did make my dog run like crazy for a long stretch when I brought her out for a poo walk. Couldn't help myself. Just felt like 'running'! Though she did run with her long fur blowing dramatically in the wind, I highly doubt that sprint went down very well with her. She was panting like mad when we reached home. Methinks I'm not the only one out of shape!

Election morning (September 11, 2015), I slept in, woke up around 8am and went downstairs to cast my vote. Then I walked across to the nearby mall for some grocery shopping. We were going for a potluck election dinner that night so I decided to bring my fried beehoon (vermicelli) because I am not very imaginative when it comes to cooking!

Anticipating a heavy dinner, I had a light lunch.

Romaine lettuce, sliced mangoes with some dijon mustard.

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

As I said, I'm not very imaginative when it comes to cooking. Just grabbed some romaine lettuce and sliced up the not-so-sweet Thai mangoes I had bought some days back. Dropped some dijon mustard and I was good to go. I did cook something more meaty for the rest of the family.

Also steamed some asparagus in the microwave. Used this handy microwave container which I had purchased for a song. Forgot to take a pic of the container but here's the asparagus. Not too bad for a dish that took 3 minutes to cook!

Asparagus steamed in the microwave

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

So, anyway, as my post header suggests, I have been wanting to RUN! Unable to run outside due to the bad haze, I decided to jog on the spot for an hour non-stop on my rebounder. I did this for 4 days in a row and really, it was liberating! Because my man was watching Youtube videos, I decided to plug in my earphones. I couldn't find my arm band to hold my phone so that was inconvenient because I had to hold my phone in either hand the entire time. Anyway, hubs has bought one for me! Yay! I've got my sports earphones, my armband, my Miband, my new shoes. It seems, I'm all decked out with nowhere to run but at home! This haze is a real bummer.

Weight is really not a good gauge of if your exercise routine is working for you or not. One minute I have lost, the next I have put on; just because I have drunk some water. Instead, I have been measuring myself.

The part of my body most visibly reduced is my waist. I have gone down 3 inches since my May 2015 measurement. However, although not visible to others, I have noted that I have flattened greatly, my back fat. I think only ladies will know what I mean. It's the flab some of us have when we wear our bras. The strip of flab above the bra strap and the strip of flab under it! Well, that's pretty flat now. I know that there will come a day when I will be able to wear my bikini and feel good in it! I know it because I will see to it that I reach that goal!

I ended the Election weekend on a naughty note; pigged out on Nasi Briyani and a terribly sweet Bird's Nest drink.

Nasi Briyani

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

Unfortunately, the Briyani was blah. In future, if I'm going to pig out, it had better be worth it!
I woke up to a new week with a little weight increase but overall, still keeping within some general weight loss (dunno if you understand that rambling)!
I intend to keep up this 'running' regime on my rebounder until the haze lets up. Will keep you all posted!

Remember, guys, Jesus loves you!

Winds of change - Truly a great blessing from God

September the 10th, 2015 was the day before a bank holiday; Election Day. Anticipating a long weekend and in a holiday mood, I decided to treat myself to a nice meal at a nearby mall. I sat next to an old lady who made light conversation with me. She reiterated what I was also thinking; my food was relatively expensive!

Yummy fish and veg lunch from a Malay stall

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

Went back to the office to have my human paymaster drop a bomb on me.

 

Oh well. Change has finally come as the Lord had told me about 2 years ago. Change has in fact been taking place for the last 2 years and this is only a stone my wheel has to roll over while still moving forward!

 

What am I feeling now? Fear. Definitely fear of the unknown. At the same time, I am excited at what the future holds. Finally.

 

If you see me shedding tears, it's not because I want to grovel and beg for my job back or because I am sad. Far from it! It's because I can hardly believe how much Jesus loves me. I saw this coming as early as 2 years back and Jesus has never left my side. He has been with me all this time. I'm quite sure He frowns and I can hear Him go 'Tsk, tsk' when I curse and swear whenever I felt pissed by the conditions I was placed in and situations condoned. It's situations like this where I find it really difficult to reconcile myself to being a forgiving Christian. I know not how to turn the other cheek in this situation but at least I will be able to sleep soundly at night, knowing I have not slighted or short-changed anyone.

  

I'm sorry Jesus, if I have hurt you by being so angry at them. I was not pleasing to you, over and over again. I'm glad that it'll be all over soon but most of all, I feel so in awe with Psalm 91 which you have led me to.

 

When I read Psalm 91, tears fell because I felt so overwhelmed by the love of Jesus! He is assuring me that He has me safely in the palm of His hand and there is nothing I need fear!

 

Psalm 91 (copied from my personal Bible)

Whoever goes to the Lord for safety,

whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty,

can say to him,
"You are my defender and protector.

You are my God; in you I trust."

He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers

and from all deadly diseases.

He will cover you with his wings;

you will be safe in his care;

his faithfulness will protect and defend you.

You need not fear any dangers at night

or sudden attacks during the day

or the plagues that strike in the dark

or the evils that kills in daylight.

A thousand may fall dead beside you,

ten thousand all around you,

but you will not be harmed.

You will look and see how the wicked are punished.

 

You have made the Lord your defender,

the Most High your protector,

and so no disaster will strike you,

no violence will come near your home.

God will put his angels in charge of you

to protect you wherever you go.

They will hold you up with their hands

to keep you from hurting your feet on the stones.

You will trample down lions and snakes,

fierce lions and poisonous snakes.

 

God says, "I will save those who love me

and will protect those who acknowledge me as Lord.

When they call to me, I will answer them;

when they are in trouble, I will be with them.

I will rescue them and honor them.

I will reward them with long life;

I will save them."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double Chin

Shortest post possibly. Just an update on my double chin.
My double chinny chin chin is still hanging around in a most unglam fashion.
I....shall....not....give....up!!!

Double chin

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015



 

 

Yay! Weight and inch loss

I was trying to think if at any time in the past week, I have had to starve. Nope. In fact, I've remained full at all times and even managed to squeeze in bites of ice-cream and half a bag of chips! Although I do not keep a record of my meals or calories, I do take mental notes of days I'm pigging out. I'll make sure to exercise or eat less-greedy meals the next day. I know full well what continuous sessions of greedy eating without exercise can do to me.

I'm not sure if anyone is interested but this is what I had yesterday:

Breakfast
A store bought ham and cheese bun.

Lunch
Home packed salmon and boiled eggs.

Dinner
A mixed salad tossed with boiled eggs, chicken pieces, mushrooms stir fried in onions (yum-yum), croutons and blue cheese. No salad dressing was added because the dish was already flavourful.
A simple commercial mushroom soup-in-a-cup with croutons.

Dinner - Mixed salad

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

Dinner - Mushroom soup with croutons

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

It was so funny. I noticed that hubs was stuffing his mouth with the salad. After every bite, he would slurp some soup. He was doing it in double quick time and that's why I kept staring at him. Finally, I told him I had added the blue cheese which HE had bought, into the salad. That's when he burst out laughing and told me it was SOOOOOO SMELLY and if I could see him eating it up as quick as he could. Haha. I, on the other hand, loved the blue cheese!

I had wanted to go for a run as soon as I had got home from work yesterday evening. But somehow, hubs and I got into a serious discussion on dealing with lazy co-workers at work so I ended up not going and making dinner with whatever I had in the fridge instead.

As soon as I was done with washing up after dinner, I made him his coffee and announced that I was going for a run. I went to the room to tie up my hair, change and had even put on my earphones when hubs told me to not go as it was still hazy out. He asked me to exercise in the room so that 'he could watch me'. Aw...I melted when he said that. Of course I obliged.

But I really felt like running, so I ran non-stop on the rebounder for an hour. I highly doubt it was anywhere as near a work out as running on the ground but it's not a bad alternative to have unless I really invest in a treadmill.

Throughout the 60 minutes (actually about 70 minutes but who's counting? LOL), I consciously practised steady breathing. Following the steady beat of my feet, I'd breathe to the beat of 4.

1--2--3--4
IN--2--OUT--4

I breathed in through my nose and exhaled through my mouth.
I was surprised but I kept it up for the whole hour and did not feel tired or heady at all. Not to sound boastful but the running for the 60 minutes on the rebounder was a piece of cake. However, I highly doubt I can attain 60 minutes of pounding the pavement yet!

I woke up this morning, weighed myself and whadya know? Despite having a rest day, despite eating the ice-cream, chips and more, the scale has moved downwards! Super excited, I whipped out my measuring tape and true enough, it showed loss of 1/2 inch from my waist and hips! Super, duper excited! It's like, FINALLY, the new lifestyle changes are making some progress! It's a slow progress and that's what I need to remind myself. I just need an injury to set me back to ground zero again so I cannot afford to get injured or let myself get lazy.

A few days ago, I had lifted all my FATS to Jesus in prayer and told Him to please help me take away the unhealthy fats and help me to lose weight in the way pleasing to Him. When I told hubs, he laughed and laughed at me. I laughed too at how ridiculous it sounded but I told him I did not see anything wrong with it. Since I talk to the Lord all the time and I am honest when I talk to him, what is wrong to tell Him to help me with weight loss? I totally believe that prayer and faith is relevant to this change in lifestyle for me. He who can do anything, can help me burn fats! He can bless the situation! He can help me be less greedy. He can help me stay the course. He can keep me healthy. He can help me to help myself. Yep. Oh and by the way, my 60 minute jog on the rebounder was to the tune of upbeat Praise and Worship songs! I give thanks to the Lord for He is good!

Coffee Withdrawal Symptoms (Day 14)

I'm two weeks free from coffee! No more headaches! Yay!

I make coffee for hubs once in a while in the evenings and I do smell the lovely coffee, with creamer, with sugar and I drool. However, the thought of suffering the headaches is enough for me to not go back to it. No thank you.

Since my last post, I was getting headaches at random times of the day. Mostly late afternoon or at night. It moved to just being on the right temple, just above the eye, or behind the eye. Heck. When the headache came, it would just be like there's a thorn stuck in your flesh and you know where it is located but you cannot dig it out!

I've been headache free for three days. I suspect that if it was a side effect of going off coffee, it should be gone for good. However, when I next drink any beverage with caffeine, I'm not sure if or not the headaches will return.

Why did I go off coffee?

It's part of my aim to change my lifestyle. I just felt like it. Drinking coffee black after a while was okay but then when I accidentally came off it and suffered the withdrawal symptoms, I realised that I didn't like to consume any food or beverage that would cause me to be dependent on it.

Initially, apart from the headaches, I was feeling sleepy. I still do wish that at times when I am feeling sleepy and I need to stay awake, that I could just down the coffee but as I said, I don't really wish to go through the going-off-coffee cold turkey routine again. Now that I'm off it and I'm still on my exercise routines, I'm feeling okay without it. I don't need coffee to perk me up any more. As for my bowel movement, it has become okay. Perhaps due to the lemon detox water I am drinking.

 

Discarded lemons and cucumber slices

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

In the mornings, I just drink about 2 glasses of water with lemon and cucumber slices in it (my 'detox' water). One glass immediately when I wake up and the other just before I leave the house. Have I become dependent on lemons, you say? Ha ha. I seriously do not know! I'd have to go off lemons to know if I suffer any side effects and if there are, you'll see a whole blog series on 'Lemon Withdrawal Symptoms'! But it's a lemon. Although I don't wish to be dependent on anything, I'd much rather be dependent on a lemon than coffee! If life is throwing me lemons, just give it to me because I'll be making lemon detox water! Yeah, baby!


(Update 18 September 2015 - No more headaches. No more coffee withdrawal symptoms. They did end after roughly 2 weeks. Yay!).

Exercise Rest Day

Came home dead beat after a long day at work. Good thing the good man had bought dinner. We cleared up the kitchen and retired to relax in double quick time! I had been yearning to go for a jog but the weather had been dreadfully hazy. This is perhaps an example of when one might be happy to have a treadmill to run on instead! I was suffering from period pains (yes, at my age) too so I decided to listen to my body (and the weather) and give it a rest.

Apparently, my dog wanted an early night too:

Sparkles, my lil ol' silky terrier, loves sleeping like this.

Copyright Fiona C Yeo @ Cartoon Lagoon 2015

 

Hubs teased me about buying a treadmill for home so that I wouldn't have to make the journey to the gym. My eyes lit up and I gave a resounding yes! I was even willing to clear away my books and handbags to make room for it! What in the world is happening to me.......? But I did notice he grew silent when he realised I was actually serious about it!

 

Here's the wonderful thing. Hubs had bought me a packet of Hainanese Chicken Rice for dinner. I did scoop a big spoon of rice over to him but I finished the rest of the packet. When I weighed in this morning, I was still the same weight as before dinner. Pretty neat, huh? This is what I realised exercise can do for me even on a rest day.

 

Somewhere earlier this week, I did wake up and feel like my boobs had deflated! I could just feel the chest had become 'flatter'. They are still there but erm, what little I had have all but disappeared. Sigh. When I meant weight loss, I didn't really mean FROM THE BOOBIES but what can I do about it? This is why people say you cannot really spot reduce. If I want to lose the fats off my abdomen, I will have to work out my whole body as a whole and my tummy will reduce accordingly. But if I look on the bright side of things, I had to go adjust my bra just now because it was too loose. Too loose! Woohoo! It means my torso is shrinking in girth!

 

Let me tell you this. NO ONE has taken a look at me outright and said I have lost weight. NO ONE has said I look smaller. They only concurred when I told them I had experienced inch loss but not weight loss. So, my inch loss isn't making any difference to how I look to others. That's how demoralising it can be IF I depended on others to make me stay motivated. But I don't. I can feel it myself and I will just do the little that I can to change my bodyshape. I can feel it. Just feeling smaller and more compact as opposed to 'flabbing' or 'flabbering' (if there are such words) everywhere.

 

I was not really kidding when I said I wanted to look like I did during my honeymoon. I visualise it. It's possible but if I continue eating 'normally' the way I do, then it'll just have to take a longer time to become a reality. On the other hand, I could seriously count my calories and shed the KGs faster. Nah, I don't think I'm up to that yet.

 

I also visualise myself running at a run event...some day. I looked at this listing of running events and thought, I can barely make the kiddy standard!

 

 

I don't own the copyright to this picture. I just own that pen!

Copyright of this picture belongs to the owners of the website Justrunlah.com

which is where I took this shot from.

 

I'm not affiliated to the website in any way. I came across them when I was browsing for local running events. I hope to be able to take part in some running event somewhere down the road and I was laughing to myself when I saw that my current standard is just on par with the kids (POSB Passion Run for Kids 2015)! This is really something for me. I used to dream of running but HATED what running did to me. I'd be out of breath. I would feel like I was going to black out and my lungs would feel like they were going to burst. So today to be running 30 minutes is a BIG BIG DEAL for me. All those feelings never came back to haunt me this time round. I really can't wait to get the period cramps out of the way and start running again, haze or no haze! I want to be able to run for an hour some day.

 

Anyway, when hubs asked me if I wasn't even going to rebound, I told him I felt really tired and was just going to give myself a break. He switched on the air-conditioner, we snuggled together and that made me really lazy and sleepy! In the end, we slept really early, he and I. I do feel better today but it's started to pour! Hopefully the rain clears the haze and this evening will see me pounding the pavement. Otherwise, I'll just hop on my trusty rebounder for my regular workout!