Valen’s Vanity Square

What a short trip! After spending about 4 days in Hong Kong, I’m back to the familiar city of my own, and back to reality of life. But I guess it’s good that way. If I stayed longer there, I might risk gaining weight from trying all the yummy Hong Kong foods!

But actually that is unlikely to happen. The weather is getting very warm there. We walked a lot and sweat a lot during this trip. So it’s not a surprise that I managed to keep my original weight, even after I ate so much in the past few days!

Back in KL, the weather is the usual super hot when the sun is high up in the sky at noon. But I won’t be out walking under the hot sun just to go and get some normal chicken rice for lunch. I would rather eat instant noodle under the cool breeze of a casablanca ceiling fan and watching my favourite ‘Game of Thrones’ on iPad. It is more likely to gain pounds under this circumstance then when I was on a holiday. Haha!

Hmm, may be I should also look up for some online yoga exercise videos and start working out tonight - before the pounds get to me!

Time flies! It’s Saturday already. I still remember that I woke up to a very relaxed and good mood last Saturday. And today it’s the same, too!

I once read an article saying that stress is one of the culprits (besides unhealthy diet and lack of exercise) that cause weight gain, especially promoting accumulation of fat around the lower abdomen area and hips. It has something to do with hormone regulation. When you are stressed, certain hormone levels are increased, which encourage the storage of fat. So if you are constantly stressful, then this process is ongoing all the time. Imagine how stubborn the fat will be after a long period of time!

No wonder I have been gaining weight so easily.

That’s why it is important to get physically active to get rid of the accumulated fat and to find your own ways to release stress to at least get rid of one weight-gaining trigger. But of course, if you choose to use some help from weight loss supplements such as ignite maxx, then remember to first read the ignite maxx review before you decide if it is the best solution for you.

For me, I think the work-related stress factor can be eliminated from now onwards. And I foresee a more healthy diet since I will be cooking more often. And with more time on my hands now, I can try some simple yoga moves at home anytime of the day.

I’m weighing at 58 kg now. Let’s see what my weight is one month down the road.

Due to health reason–a minor one–I was on medical leave for almost two weeks, while working half-heartedly from home. Other than eating and going to the toilet, I spent a lot of time sitting and lying down, had not done walking a lot, didn’t even have to do housework.

Naturally, I thought I would see a greater number on my digital weighing scale because of my inactivity. I ate three meals a day, and occassionally a snack in the afternoon, and i had late dinner (after 8).

To my surprise, however, I actually lost 1kg as i measured myself today!I even felt that my bras have become loose. :p

Initially I thought I would need to look up for numia reviews on the Internet, in case I gained weight and needed to lose weight fast. Looks like I don’t need it after all!

I guess the secret to this is that i had been eating mostly homecooked meals for the past two weeks, and in appropriate portions. Unlike usual working days, we will be eating out and are ‘forced’ to finish all the food even if we already feel full, because we are paying for it. Also, outside food tends to use a lot of oil and seasonings and sugar.

But tomorrow I will resume work as usual, and we will return to our usual working day diet with frequent eating out. How can I prevent from gaining back that 1kg?

My body weight keeps fluctuating between 57 and 59. Gosh, it’s so hard to go lower than 57!

Hubby told me to better start exercising regularly and watch my weight. He said he doesn’t want me to become so heavy that he can’t carry me anymore. So, honey, when it comes to the day that you can’t carry me, are you going to use a car lift to lift me up from the bed? Haha!

My physical activity has actually increased. I walk a lot these days, but may be not as rigorous as it should be to be qualified as a cardiovascular activity.

While my physical activity increases, my number of meals has also increased! May be that’s the reason why my body weight forever remains the same. Can’t help, my brain needs fuel to keep working and coping with the current workload. I practically eat 4-5 times a day now, including tea breaks.

Oh well, may be I will start off by doing some stretching exercise… on the bed!

Hubby bought a digital body weighing scale that can calculate and show our body mass index (BMI), percentage of fat and percentage of water in the body. That’s cool, huh?

And after weighing ourselves and jotting down the figures shown, we compared the numbers with the reference points stated in the manual.

Based on men standard, hubby’s BMI exceeds the normal range slightly, his percentage of body fat is higher than normal, and the percentage of water in the body is lower than normal. The conclusion to his results, according to the manual - he is not healthy and should modify his diet. Haha!

For me, everything falls in the normal range, and I am 100% a healthy person.

This is difficult to believe, as hubby seems to be the fitter one between two of us. But I will accept what the manual says and continue to eat decently and do light but regular exercise to maintain my healthy status. At least I know I won’t have to visit buyphenphedrine.com to look up for weight loss pill yet, hehe.

Hubby now becomes so conscious about the type and volume of food he eats, and insists to work out three times a week, whether at home or in the outdoors. And he will monitor both our status every fortnightly. (Hubby has turned into Mr Doctor!)

Me have enough exercise already just from the daily walking to and fro the train station and office, that I have actually started to feel that my waist is not as bulging as before, haha!

Have started my new job for a week - working from home! The new office is not fully set up yet, so I handled my work using my little netbook and the internet connection at home.

I thought I would have quite some ‘exercise’ to do by walking to and fro the train station to the office every day, and would be able to lose a bit of weight once I started working. But I think I had got the least amount of exercise in the past week coz food, water, toilet were all just a few steps away from my working desk. Haha!

Well, at least I tried to control what I ate. No mid-morning or mid-afternoon snacks, just three main meals, with a big bowl of cereals in the morning, and limited myself to only one cup of coffee each day. Quite healthy I would say. Haha!

I do understand that losing weight actually needs a combined strategy to modify the different areas in our lifestyles. I try to work on both areas as much as I can, albeit in a balanced way. No dieting, just eat on time, eat moderately, and know what to eat.

The body’s metabolism rate counts a lot, too. When your metabolism is sluggish, be it due to lack of exercise or eating the wrong types of food, whatever goes into your body stays there, get turned into unwanted fat. But if you have a high metabolism rate, the food you eat will be efficiently turned into energy to keep you on the go for the whole day. Eating a healthy, wholesome breakfast is one of the ways to kickstart ones metabolism early in the day.

If you want to know more on how to achieve that, this FREE “1 Week Kickstart to Your Metabolism” short e-book written by Isabel De Los Rios should give you some good guidance. If you are planning to lose weight, it could be something to help you jumpstart your weight loss endeavor.

In this free ebook, Isabel talks about 3 very important tips to follow for anybody who wants to lose weight or maintain their ideal weight. She actually gives examples of meal plan that one can follow quite easily. And there are also two very scrumptious looking but definitely healthy recipes. Isabel always believe that one can eat delicious food and still lose weight. Apart from that, Isabel also provides links to some of her videos on weight loss tips in the book.

Feel free to check out her ebook “1 Week Kickstart to Your Metabolism“, and you can save a copy of the book and pass it around to anybody who wants to eat healthy and lose weight.

I will definitely will try that almond crusted chicken recipe next weekend!

* You can right click here and choose ‘Save the link as” to download the ebook to your computer.

I suppose one of the reasons why people who wanted to lose weight healthily through exercise don’t persist, but just give up halfway, is that it takes at least one week of daily exercise to notice the weight loss effect.

That’s why most people who are thinking of rapid weight loss will resort to other methods to lose weight. Some people just drastically cut down on their food consumption or skip meals.

This could be dangerous to your health because it is as if you are cutting off your supply of energy and nutrients that power your body to function normally.

A better alternative is to slowly reduce the portion you eat, and when you eat, concentrate on eating healthy food only. It is very important that you eat to keep your metabolism going.

Taking weight loss products is also another popular means of shedding extra fats. Not that weight loss pills are bad products, there are some good and safe ones. Just that you have to be watchful about the products you take. If you are considering about lipozene, you certainly want to know if the lipozene scam is true or otherwise. So do proper amount of research first.

But rapid weight loss can be dangerous. It’s better to stick with slow but consistent weight loss by combining right diet and lots of exercise!

Went to my sister’s house and copied some movies and series, and thought that “Here it goes again, I’m gonna be a couch potato this weekend and become fat next week.” Haha!

But I think I might have just found one thing that motivates me to get up on the elliptical machine often. One of the video files I copied is the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show series, hehe.

Yes, looking at those fat-less models on runway in the skimpiest of clothes - bra, undies and bikinis - may be just what I need to get motivated to work out more frequently.

I won’t be able to slim down to that kind of frame, of course, and I don’t think I want to be that skinny. I just want to be confident about my body shape. I don’t mind to be ‘meaty’, but at least I want a flat tummy, and well toned arms and legs.  ;P

So it is. This weekend I’m gonna watch Victoria’s Secret Fashion show AND exercising on the machine at the same time. Haha!

I have been subscribing to a number of health and weight loss newsletter. Today I received one about whether drinking tea can actually help to lose weight faster. The newsletter came from Isabel, the author of a very popular healthy weight loss program - The Diet Solution program.

Below are some extracts from the newsletter for those who are interested in the health benefits of tea drinking.

When it comes to Black tea, here’s what Isabel says…

“One of black teas greatest benefits is its high number of antioxidants, including quercetin, a substance found to combat inflammation and support healthy immune function. This is probably the best health benefit of drinking black tea…its ability to keep the immune system healthy and strong.

I enjoy a cup of hot black tea most mornings with a bit of squeezed lemon and stevia. It helps me start off my day energized and alert without giving me any of the jittery feelings I would sometimes get with drinking too much coffee…”

What about green tea? What is it about this tea in helping to lose weight?

“Many doctors and scientific studies have confirmed the incredible power of green tea when it comes to weight loss. Dr. Nicholas Perricone, world renowned doctor and author of 3 bestselling books stated, “…you’d lose up to 10 pounds in 4-6 weeks doing nothing but taking green tea. Green tea increases your daily fat burning rate by 43%”… The catechins in green tea have been found to force the body into thermogenesis, driving your body to burn fat as its energy source. Green tea has also been shown to cause carbohydrates to be released slowly, preventing rises in blood-insulin levels and keeping the body at an ideal blood sugar balance for fat burning.”

However, Isabel explains that drinking green tea to lose weight does not necessarily work for every one. We all differ from each other, and there many other factors in our diet and exercise program that can greatly affect the results of weight loss.

But I didn’t know until I read in this newsletter that another type of tea popular among Chinese - Oolong tea - has been shown to burn 220% more fat than green tea!

Weight loss aside, these long-consumed Asian teas benefit our health in one or other ways. They make a healthy addition to ones daily diet. But you just have to be very mindful of how your body reacts to the effects of the caffeine and adjust the amount used accordingly.

If you want to receive more interesting and informative newsletter on healthy weight loss from The Diet Solution program, you can always check out Isabel’s website.

Check out how great and fit Isabel looks, even after giving birth to a baby!